Expiration Dates
A Novel
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4.1 • 223 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
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.
Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.
Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A woman gets help with her love life from a very mysterious source in this breezy and fantastical romance. Daphne is trying to climb the corporate ladder in the film industry while searching for Mr. Right, and she’s positive she’ll know when she finds him. For years, she’s been receiving mysterious notes that tell her just how long things will last with each new boyfriend. So when her latest note from the universe just says “Jake” with no date attached, she wonders if it means that he’s the one. Rebecca Serle does a great job of drawing you into the inner conflict that this situation creates for Daphne. Because even if the notes seem certain about Jake…she still isn’t. Serle’s style is light and easygoing, but she still knows how to tap into big emotions and make us feel all the feelings. Sweet and sometimes poignant, Expiration Dates left us smiling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Serle (One Italian Summer) complicates a woman's lifelong search for love with a hint of the supernatural in this stirring romance. Daphne Bell receives a mysterious note every time she meets a new potential love interest. Each missive has only two things written on it: the name of the person and the exact date their relationship will end. It took her a while to work out the pattern, but now she knows the notes are never wrong. Take Hugo, who lasted three months exactly, just as the note said. Now Hugo is Daphne's best friend and her only past partner who's ever known about the notes—but the two have been torn apart by another life-changing secret that Daphne feels she must keep from her paramours. Soon after she enters a relationship with widower Jake, she receives a note with only his name and no date. She hopes this means she's found "the one"—unless her secret gets in the way again. Serle uses this unique conceit to explore heartbreak, grief, self-love, and the importance of living in the now. Daphne's sometimes heart-wrenching, often heartwarming search for meaningful relationships, both romantic and platonic, is sure to inspire.
Customer Reviews
Magical
I love the magical hints in each and every one of Rebecca’s novels!
Almost put it away
So to say that I am torn about this book, is an understatement. I was beyond bored with the concept and flashing back and forth…. However at the discovery of the main characters condition, I felt surprisingly more invested. I’m not sure that I would
Recommend, but I would venture to read something else from this author.
An Entertaining Read!
Imagine receiving pieces of paper since 5th grade with your date’s name on them and how long this date would last? This is exactly what has been happening to Daphne. Until one day, the paper only had Jake’s name with no end date. Could this be the one? After she is engaged to Jake, she is confronted by Hugo, a date turned best friend, who wants to spend the rest of his life with her. How will she take Hugo’s confession? In the end, who will she end up with? After years of dating, how do you choose after being told who to date?
A clever, funny, and entertaining take on dating life! If you need a lighter and entertaining story, then add this to your TBR list! A great book to read on vacation or discuss at your next book club!