★★★☆☆
I’m working through my backlog of 2025 book reviews. The beginning of a new year, with its heightened focus on dates, seems to be the perfect time to review Rebecca Serle’s Expiration Dates.
How wild would your dating life be if you knew precisely how long each relationship would last before your first date? That’s the situation Daphne finds herself in – all of her relationships arrive with an expiration date mysteriously written on a slip of paper.
Expiration Dates blends magic behind the notes with the tender, unpredictable nature of human connection. The real tension in the novel isn’t about how long the relationships last—it’s about how much of herself Daphne allows to be seen while she’s in them. “It’s hard to be real, sure,” Serle writes, “It’s harder to let someone else be.” (p. 66). Serle explores the friction that comes with getting to know someone and permitting yourself to be known with sharp honesty.
While the plot was somewhat predictable despite the magical elements, I found myself noting many of Daphne’s observations about love and vulnerability. My favorite line in the book: “The opposite of casual isn’t serious—it’s depth.”
Expiration Dates didn’t have the emotional pull of In Five Years, my first Serle read. However, it did leave me thinking about the courage it takes to live fully in each moment we’re given, which is why I gave it three stars.
If you enjoy contemporary fiction that blends emotional depth with a dash of magical realism, Expiration Dates is worth adding to your TBR pile.
Do you enjoy magical realism reads? Why or why not?