Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Love...with a limit

Ever since she was a kid, Daphne has received notes with a name and a time period... they correlate to her relationships and how long they will last. Her first youthful romance lasted a week. One in Paris lasted three days. And the one with Hugo, who eventually became her best friend, lasted three months. When you know how long your relationship has, you only put in so much effort. Daphne finds herself not forming any attachments. Then she receives "the note"--one with a name but no date. It simply says Jake, and Daphne realizes this means he must be the one. He seems nearly perfect; but as their relationship progresses, and Daphne knows she has more information than Jake, she starts to question if this truly is forever.

This is a slightly weird book, though I always like the hook in Serle's books. The notes angle is fun. It's hard to get into the story, as the POV flips between present-day with Daphne and Jake and then randomly jumps back to all of Daphne's time-limited relationships. While we learn more about Daphne and her past this way, this slows the book's momentum and interest in Daphne's current life. It takes a surprising and unexpected turn partway through, and I'm not sure if I liked it. She was an interesting character, but no one I felt particularly attached to. Same with Hugo, who features prominently. I think I felt the most for Jake.

DATES explores the ideas of finding the right person and believing in yourself. It's more serious than a typical romance, with several sad subplots. I wish I was more invested in the characters, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.



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