Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Expiration Dates

Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

33 reviews

xoxojordanisabella's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i went into this truly expecting to fall in complete love with this book, and for the first half, i really did. there was a solid two days where i couldn’t put it down. around halfway through, though, it felt like there was a sudden tone shift. the more i read, it felt like the author may have written the whole first half and worked out her ending, but put down writing it for another project before she finished the third quarter.

right around when daphne reveals her illness

is when it starts to feel rushed. the whole plotline felt like a cheap way to start wrapping up the story without having to come up with a meaningful reason why her relationship with hugo failed.

i was honestly expecting her to kill off daphne as a way not to make her choose between jake and hugo.

the whole thing started feeling very wattpad very fast, which SUCKS, because i think if that plotline had been a little more well rounded, it could’ve added a lot of meaningfulness to the book as a whole.

overall, it was worth the time i spent reading it, but i probably won’t be giving it a second read and i’m really glad i borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.

Content Warnings

daniellereadslikealot_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Do yourself a favor before you read this one and make sure you have a box of tissues nearby. The synopsis even says this book is heartbreaking and yet, I was surprised when I cried several times so that’s on me. Yes, there is romance in this story, but it’s about so much more. Daphne was such a well written character who I related to so heavily. I loved her wit, her strength and her unabashed desire for true love. The book starts off making you think it’s going to be about a woman who knows how long each relationship she enters will be and yes, there is that, but then the other shoe drops and it surprised the heck out of me in the best way. This is a book about living, not just surviving, believing in good things for yourself and of course, taking a chance on true love. I did think that there were a few things that needed a bit more explanation and the ending was a bit abrupt, but those are my only complaints. I highly recommend this one.

Mini spoiler: nothing bad happens to the dog!

Content Warnings

silverhill's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

infusionofviolets's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

megwilli's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

meredith_williams_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Rebecca Serle’s books are always better in theory than in actual execution for me. I read her first book, “In Five Years” and, like “Expiration Dates”, liked the way elements of magical realism were used to explore deeper philosophical questions about life and love. However, I do not enjoy the way she writes her characters. They always feel a bit pretentious and melodramatic.

I’m also not a fan of incorporating terminal illnesses just for the sake of the plot. Lastly, I would like to say that Hugo was an asshole and a terrible romantic lead. Justice for Jake!! He deserved better even though his doc marten notebook quirk was annoying.

Content Warnings

bookaddictang's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I received this as a NetGalley, thank you Atria books!

From the publisher 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."

I really enjoyed this book so much. While it was light in the beginning, it did grapple with challenging topics. What does it mean to be in love? What are you willing to compromise for someone you believe you are meant to spend forever with?

Told from Daphne's point of view, we jump between present time and past relationships to see how the universe intervenes (or doesn't). I found this to be more character driven than plot driven and loved it. It was just the right pace with the question of , "will they/won't they" still prickling in the back of my mind.

While reading, you learn so much about Daphne, and how Daphne learns about herself too, and about how she interacts with those around her, which was refreshing.

Content Warnings