Expiration Dates
Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all. From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation. 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
Where Expiration Dates keeps showing up
One of our editors' lists features this novel.
What you might want to know about Expiration Dates
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Daphne Bell has been getting slips of paper telling her how long each relationship will last since she was a teenager. The new slip says only Jake. There is no number, and meeting Jake makes her wonder why.
Expiration Dates was written by Rebecca Serle and published in 2024. Serle previously wrote In Five Years and One Italian Summer, both standalones with similar high-concept emotional premises.
Yes. A film adaptation has been announced. As of 2025, the project is in early development with Rebecca Serle involved.
Expiration Dates is 384 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Expiration Dates takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
Expiration Dates is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Expiration Dates is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.