Expiration Dates: A Novel

Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.

I vaguely remember liking the movie Timer (2009) and I thought this premise sounded kind of similar. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything here for me to like. The main character is shallow and apathetic. Most of the characters around her seem just as vapid. The narrative structure of showing her past relationships interspersed with her present day prospects does nothing to add depth to the main character's choices or personality. It seems like every time she meets a moderately attractive guy they immediately want to be with her, but then their mediocre time must come to an end for reasons that are usually ambiguous. The present day romance feels indistinguishable from the past ones. The writing style is more like reading a television script than reading a novel. "Person A is wearing a blue dress with high heels and a red bag. They pick up a plate from a table, eat some eggs off of the plate, and then put down the plate on the table. Person B talks about their LA job. Person A talks about their LA job as well." That's pretty much how every scene goes. This book feels like a waste of time, so I'm gonna cut my losses early.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content
Minor: Death

I enjoyed the book. Love Daphne and James but you realized Martin was in love with her but Omg it took him 5 years to tell her

Based on our diverse reading group (ages 19-75), this book had mixed reviews--you either loved it or it was "not my favorite." A very modern look at contemporary dating with a magical realism twist that was fun and daunting all at the same time. Be prepared for an unexpected surprise in the middle of the story that will change everything you've read up until then. Sparked such great discussion of the "dating game" differences between now and way back when. I am an absolute fan of Rebecca Serle and her distinctive writing style and while One Italian Summer brought me to tears --Expiration Dates was beautifully written but did not arouse the myriad of emotions I am used to experiencing from Serle.

Fun and clever novel!

Ugh! I was so pumped for this book I couldn’t wait to finish work to get some late night reading in. Fast-forward to the book. The premise that Daphne gets notes that lets her know how long her relationships will last was exciting. I thought it was fresh. What wasn’t fresh was the lack of chemistry between her and Jake (literally, the definition of fine) and, while I get that was the point, it wasn’t like it seemed like SHE had any chemistry for Hugo. Fast-forward to her big reveal and Hugo’s huge reveal, this book just seemed a little all over the place. I wish there wasn’t the health storyline. I think it attempted to add conflict to the story that really didn’t have all too much but it wasn’t needed. And honestly, at the end of the book I wanted to hear Jake met someone and was a happily married Dad more than anything else.