Audiobook Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Expiration Dates
Author: Rebecca Serle
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: March 19, 2024
Audiobook: 7 hours 6 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 6-9, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
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.
Jessica’s Review:
This book has such an interesting premise: A woman receives a paper with a man’s name on it and how long she will spend time with him. Whether for just a few hours or much longer. Needless to say, Daphne knows how long her relationships will last. Then one day she receives a slip a paper… with just a name… and no end date…
There is so much or so little that can happen with a name and a time period on it. But what if there are other factors involved? I was fully involved with the story and what was ultimately going to happen. I figured out the ultimate ending (blame the thriller reader in me) I saw it coming but there was one twist I was not expecting that changed everything for me when it entered the picture.
We do not find out who or what is responsible for getting these mysterious pieces of paper to Daphne throughout her life. In some ways I wanted to know, in some ways the reader is better off not having that answer. Life doesn’t always give us answers, and when it does give answers, sometimes we like them, sometimes we don’t.
Expiration Dates made me think about so many things. Such as what if I received these pieces of paper? How would I have treated my life and relationship with my ex-husband back in the beginning? Would I have wanted to continue it and even gotten married knowing that it was ultimately going to end? I can’t answer that, but if I could go back in time I would still marry him because of other events and experiences that have happened in my life that would not have happened otherwise.
The narrator is Julia Whelan and I just can’t add anything else to say about her than I have said before: I love her narrations!
I really enjoyed this novel. If you enjoy magical realism and some romance added in, pick this one up and see what you think!