Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Expiration Dates

Quick read but didn't really like this at all. I've heard criticism that the main character is unlikeable...I thought she was just relatively flatly written. Even though, especially after the twist, we knew a lot about her, I still didn't feel like I had a good sense of who she was. Or maybe, on further examination, I do have a sense of who she is/what her motivations are, but I just didn't care about her? Generally don't mind a "magical realism" element like the one in this book not being explained, but the juxtaposition of the premise of the book with that premise being turned upside down by one character's actions didn't work for me.

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goodjollymissmolly's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

4.0

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sjexley's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Our main gal, Daphne, receives a mysterious note every time she meets a guy. It only states his name and the exact amount of time they will date. Sometimes it's weeks, sometimes it's months. One day she receives a note with only a name...no timeline. Does this mean Daphne has finally met her soulmate? There were two big twists in this story that I did not really expect, and I loved both of them. This author does magical surrealism really well, and I read everything she writes.

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xoxojordanisabella's review

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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.

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ioanaisreading's review

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

2.0

Another book where the good, nice, decent, kind man is overlooked because the FMC prefers the self-centered and douchebag-y one. I didn't like Hugo as her ultimate love interest; she clearly went for the one that seemed more mysterious, the brooding one. What an easy & cheap way to depart from real life, in my opinion.

I didn't like how the FMC's personality seemed to have changed once we were told she has a heart condition. She became sad, focused on her (possibly) limited time, as opposed to the more carefree woman she seemed in the first part of the book.

The interspersed chapters about her past love interests added little to the story, and I clearly remember thinking "why are we told about these if it's clear they didn't last long and they are no longer relevant to the present?". But I guess she learned from each one or something.

Every book Serle writes leaves me with a "meh" feeling. Other reviewers said she takes a great idea and fails to explore it to the greatness it can be; I completely agree. It was an interesting read while doing chores around the house, and now I scratched the curiousity itch, but it wasn't mind-blowing, unfortunately.

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amybartoli29's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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silverhill's review against another edition

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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

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