BOOK OF THE MONTH
Expiration Dates: A Novel
From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes a love story that will define a generation. Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.
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Community Reviews
I just finished reading Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle, and I canât recommend it enough. The characters are so well-developed that you canât help but fall in love with them. Each one has their own unique quirks and depth, making them incredibly relatable and endearing.
The storyâs premise is fascinatingâit revolves around the idea of knowing the expiration date of a relationship. Itâs both intriguing and thought-provoking, challenging you to reflect on the transient nature of love and connections. Serleâs writing draws you in and keeps you hooked with emotional depth and unexpected twists.
I honestly didnât want it to end. Itâs one of those books that stays with you long after youâve turned the last page. If youâre looking for a read that will make you feel deeply connected to the characters and leave you with a lot to ponder, definitely pick this one up!
The storyâs premise is fascinatingâit revolves around the idea of knowing the expiration date of a relationship. Itâs both intriguing and thought-provoking, challenging you to reflect on the transient nature of love and connections. Serleâs writing draws you in and keeps you hooked with emotional depth and unexpected twists.
I honestly didnât want it to end. Itâs one of those books that stays with you long after youâve turned the last page. If youâre looking for a read that will make you feel deeply connected to the characters and leave you with a lot to ponder, definitely pick this one up!
okay - this book was good but there were things that had me like ??? i did feel like it ended abruptly. there was also a small twist that did make me gasp. overall, super cute!
I was really excited to dive into Rebecca Serleâs newest novel, Expiration Dates, after having previously read and loved both The Dinner List and In Five Years. Like these books, Expiration Dates, has a unique and promising concept that includes an element of magical realism.
The novel follows Daphne on her search for love in LA. Like many other single 30-something, Daphne is looking for love and the novel flashes back and forth between her previous relationships and the current day. But unlike others, Daphne walks into relationships knowing exactly how long theyâll last. Before any first date, a magical note appears with her dateâs first name and a length of time, how long the relationship is destined to last. Until one day she receives a note with just a name and no expiration date.
I was hooked by this concept and so eager to pick up the novel. But unfortunately, I felt like the execution fell a bit flat.
Daphne, and the supporting cast of characters, all read as very one-dimensional. I struggled to connect with Daphne and I often found myself rolling my eyes as she would tell others, men in particular, that she âwasnât like other girlsâ while having no personality traits behind it.
The book is short, under 300 pages, and a quick read. But I felt like where I wanted character development and relationship building in a novel that should be centered around the relationships, I would get paragraph upon paragraph that felt like they could be ripped out of a Los Angeles travel guide. Iâve never been to LA, but I donât need a two paragraph explanation of what The Grove is. The lack of character development in lieu of a focus on random overly-detailed and repetitive descriptions of settings, outfits, food, and drinks made the novel feel elementary and boring despite having such a great concept.
Perhaps because of the lack of character development I felt like none of the characters had any chemistry. The primary relationship of the novel felt shallow and to be composed solely of small talk that felt as dull to read as a mediocre first date is to sit through.
There is a giant plot twist halfway through the novel. But to me, it didnât feel earned and the characterâs behavior for the first half of the book really does not make sense when it is revealed. If anything it made me actively dislike the MC and find her to be cruel hearted.
Overall, I think this novel had the potential to be great, unique, and strike a perfect blend between being lighthearted but it fell short and flat for me. However, if youâre looking for a short, sweet, and quick read with a touch of magical realism, this may be a great option for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle in exchange for a honest and fair review.
The novel follows Daphne on her search for love in LA. Like many other single 30-something, Daphne is looking for love and the novel flashes back and forth between her previous relationships and the current day. But unlike others, Daphne walks into relationships knowing exactly how long theyâll last. Before any first date, a magical note appears with her dateâs first name and a length of time, how long the relationship is destined to last. Until one day she receives a note with just a name and no expiration date.
I was hooked by this concept and so eager to pick up the novel. But unfortunately, I felt like the execution fell a bit flat.
Daphne, and the supporting cast of characters, all read as very one-dimensional. I struggled to connect with Daphne and I often found myself rolling my eyes as she would tell others, men in particular, that she âwasnât like other girlsâ while having no personality traits behind it.
The book is short, under 300 pages, and a quick read. But I felt like where I wanted character development and relationship building in a novel that should be centered around the relationships, I would get paragraph upon paragraph that felt like they could be ripped out of a Los Angeles travel guide. Iâve never been to LA, but I donât need a two paragraph explanation of what The Grove is. The lack of character development in lieu of a focus on random overly-detailed and repetitive descriptions of settings, outfits, food, and drinks made the novel feel elementary and boring despite having such a great concept.
Perhaps because of the lack of character development I felt like none of the characters had any chemistry. The primary relationship of the novel felt shallow and to be composed solely of small talk that felt as dull to read as a mediocre first date is to sit through.
There is a giant plot twist halfway through the novel. But to me, it didnât feel earned and the characterâs behavior for the first half of the book really does not make sense when it is revealed. If anything it made me actively dislike the MC and find her to be cruel hearted.
Overall, I think this novel had the potential to be great, unique, and strike a perfect blend between being lighthearted but it fell short and flat for me. However, if youâre looking for a short, sweet, and quick read with a touch of magical realism, this may be a great option for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle in exchange for a honest and fair review.
I really enjoyed this book. I read another book by this author called In Five Years and her style of wring was very similar to this book. I found this book sweet and poignant with a coupe of surprises I was not expecting. I couldn't put this book down.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
I went into this book with one set of expectations about the description and left it with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that I maybe could have predicted if I wasnât so engrossed in the read. I have read similar âfortune tellingâ books in the past, but nothing quite like this. In an effort to not give too much away, Iâll try to be vague about the things I loved about it.
The book nails the motivations and fears of the main character. She is relatable, complicated, and interesting. Her love interests are well-explained and all contribute to the overall plot of the book and the writing supports it and isnât too repetitive (something that other romances Iâve read do have trouble with). I also enjoyed the length and felt that it was a full idea without too much fluff, which is hard to do in this genre. All in all, I have very few cons for reading this book and would recommend to most readers who want a quick romance read with some complexity and two likable male leads.
I went into this book with one set of expectations about the description and left it with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that I maybe could have predicted if I wasnât so engrossed in the read. I have read similar âfortune tellingâ books in the past, but nothing quite like this. In an effort to not give too much away, Iâll try to be vague about the things I loved about it.
The book nails the motivations and fears of the main character. She is relatable, complicated, and interesting. Her love interests are well-explained and all contribute to the overall plot of the book and the writing supports it and isnât too repetitive (something that other romances Iâve read do have trouble with). I also enjoyed the length and felt that it was a full idea without too much fluff, which is hard to do in this genre. All in all, I have very few cons for reading this book and would recommend to most readers who want a quick romance read with some complexity and two likable male leads.
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