Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

This Review of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle is part of my What To Read After YA series. Is this book for you? Let’s find out!

Review of Expiration Dates

I’m excited to talk about this new adult women’s fiction novel by former YA author Rebecca Searle that is also part of my series called What to Read After YA?

Overview of Expiration Dates by rebecca serle

• Published by Atria Books in 2024
• 272 pages
• Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review

Summary of Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Like Rebecca Serle’s other adult books, Expiration Dates is women’s fiction with a magical realism element.

Main character Daphne is a single thirty-something woman living in LA. She’s just like other Cali girls, but with a twist: every time she meets a new potential partner, she also receives a note with his name and the length of time their relationship will last.

Until finally, FINALLY, she gets a note with only a name.

---

ANALYSIS OF EXPIRATION DATES BY REBECCA SERLE

I have enjoyed about half of Rebecca Serle’s books and I never know which side a new book will fall on. I was enjoying In Five Years but then was appalled by the ending. But I really did like One Italian Summer.

Expiration Dates seemed like it was going in the One Italian Summer direction for me BUT then it took a turn into In Five Years territory. 

---

Main character Daphne is used to her weird cosmic memos telling her how long each of her relationships will last. She’s even still best friends with her favorite ex, Hugo (three weeks.)

Then one day, she gets a note about a new relationship with no ending date. Is this it? Does this mean Daphne is ready to fall in love forever? The only problem she’s having is that she just isn’t sure

I was vibing with this concept and then something about the ending (that I can’t reveal without spoilers) just didn’t sit right with me. I just dislike books that feel emotionally manipulative, even if I think it’s well-intentioned.

What Did Other Readers Think of expiration Dates?

As of the date this review went up, Expiration Dates had a 3.74 Goodreads rating, making it her second most popular book after In Five Years. (Clearly I’m the outlier.)

The readers who liked the book are romantics who love a book that will give them all the FEELS as we used to say in 2010s YA.

More cynical readers didn’t warm up to Daphne and didn’t feel the romantic chemistry enough.

This is NOT a “spicy” romance. It’s more of a romantic story filled with longing and heartbreak.

For more Books by Rebecca Searle, click to read my Author Spotlight!