Expiration Dates
Grade : B-

Expiration Dates is filled with lovely prose and – though it is grounded in a world of magical realism – it is bare-bones real and honest about the life of its imperfect protagonist. I was bugged by a few things in the narrative, but it still has something important to say, even though I found Daphne’s eventual fate grating.

The life of Hollywood production assistant Daphne Bell is in a state of flux. At least her love life is steadily predictable – from her teenage years onward, every time she has met a new man and developed a romantic interest in him, a slip of paper arrives in her life advising her of the amount of time she will spend with them. Every single prediction has turned out to be true.

Then she meets-cute with Jake in a parking lot – and the piece of paper bears only Jake’s name. Might that mean he’s The One? This all seems well and good and wonderful – they seem to be truly made for each other. But Jake wants kids. And there’s a reason why all of Daphne’s previous relationships have fallen apart…

The worldbuilding here is at least interesting - although there’s a big plot hole in it, namely, why is Daphne receiving these notes, and might they be small self-fulfilling prophecies? The author isn’t interested in telling you - and I really enjoyed messy, imperfect Daphne as a heroine. But the problem with Expiration Dates isn’t Jake or Daphne – it’s Hugo, Daphne’s ex and her current best friend. It’s not the fact that he interferes with Jake and Daphne’s relationship, it’s how he chooses to do so. It’s amazing that Daphne is willing to trust him after she learns what he’s done, although he did it in her best interest and didn’t intend to harm her (unlike the way he ended their relationship, geesh).

The non-linear timeline is also pretty confusing, but not to the point of completely losing me. Serle bounces back and forth in time between Daphne’s various short-term relationships, alternating with chapters from the time Daphne spends with Jake. The reader isn’t able to invest in these characters – except for Hugo, who… well, see above. Tragically, since these sudden plot developments happen over the last quarter of the book I can’t describe them, but I assure you they’re what really dragged my grade down.

I did like Daphne’s boss, Kendra, and her parents, and Daphne’s personality. But in the end Expiration Dates suffers from a mud dive of an ending that would have benefitted from a little more patience.

Reviewed by Lisa Fernandes
Grade : B-
Book Type: Women's Fiction

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : March 15, 2024

Publication Date: 03/2024

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Recent Comments …

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Lisa Fernandes

Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
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