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4,827 ratings
TheNew York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer returns with “a romantic gem” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) about a young woman who decides to finally live for herself rather than rely on the universe for answers.
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.
“Daphne’s sometimes heart-wrenching, often heartwarming search for meaningful relationships, both romantic and platonic, is sure to inspire” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) new and longtime fans of Rebecca Serle.
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ISBN-10
1982166835
ISBN-13
978-1982166830
Print length
272 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Atria Books
Publication date
February 03, 2025
Dimensions
5.32 x 0.69 x 8.26 inches
Item weight
7.4 ounces
It’s hard to hold on to people the older we get. Life looks different for everyone, and you have to keep choosing one another. You have to make a conscious effort to say, over and over again, You. Not everyone makes that choice. Not everyone can.
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But being surprised by life isn’t losing, it’s living. It’s messy and uncomfortable and complicated and beautiful. It’s life, all of it. The only way to get it wrong is to refuse to play.
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We have to be cracked open sometimes. We have to be cracked open sometimes to let anything good in. What I see now, emerging in the mirror, is this one, simple truth: learning to be broken is learning to be whole.
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ASIN :
B0C7RN88YR
File size :
5307 KB
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Enabled
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"A romantic gem. Grabs you on page one and never lets go." —LAURA DAVE, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
"A passionate story about love and trust that will have you sniffling long before the twist." —People
"This novel goes beyond a lighthearted romance to explore the ways we let fate shape our lives, for better or worse." —The New York Post
"Daphne’s sometimes heart-wrenching, often heartwarming search for meaningful relationships, both romantic and platonic, is sure to inspire."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Serle’s compulsively readable prose will attract fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Henry."—Booklist
"Serle provides an interesting conceit and a healthy dose of wit that readers will appreciate. An entertaining love story with moments of depth." —Kirkus
Chapter One
The paper is blank save for the name: Jake. The four letters rest on cream stationery lacking any additional information but sporting a firm black border. It’s weighty, this note. Significant in my hands.
I find it slipped under my door on my way to dinner. The dinner that, if this paper is to be believed, will introduce me to the man I will spend the rest of my life with. This has never happened before. But then again, it’s not the kind of thing that happens twice.
The restaurant is in West Hollywood, not far from where I live. I like to choose the place. If I get the paper late, like, say, at dessert—and it says two hours—I can wrap things up quickly.
Tonight we are at the tail end of summer in Los Angeles, and warmer nights are descending into the low seventies. The wind has even started to pick up—reminding us of all that fall can bring. I tuck my hair behind my ear and toss it over my shoulder as I climb the steps and open the door.
“Hey, Daphne!” The hostess at Gracias Madre, a casual vegan Mexican place on Melrose, recognizes me immediately. Her name is Marissa, and I know she used to bartend at The Pikey on Sunset, before they closed. “You’re the first one here, do you want to sit?”
The space is beautiful—a bar area spills out onto a large and lively patio to the side. There are potted trees throughout the restaurant, and warm, yellow light falls from the overhead glass fixtures and onto the terra-cotta-tiled floors like honeycomb.
I’m nervous, and I’m never nervous. I’m wearing a black halter top and a pair of 501s. Neon kitten heels. I would have probably chosen a different ensemble, maybe even something a little more romantic, seeing as how this is going to be my last first date ever, but I was already dressed, and now here we are.
“Sure,” I tell her. “I love your jumpsuit.” I point to the denim romper she’s wearing. I could never pull it off, but she definitely is.
“It’s from the vintage on Melrose—I took your tip.”
“Throwback,” I say, as we walk. “Good shit.”
There are several places in West Hollywood that sell secondhand, but Wasteland is the best. I don’t have a ton of hobbies, but thrifting is one of the few.
She leaves me at the table—I’m in the back of the restaurant, which gives me a full view of the entire space—and I take out my phone.
There’s a text from my mom, Debra. Honey, did you look at the pictures I sent? She’s a burgeoning photographer, primarily focusing on—I kid you not—mezuzahs.
The answer is no.
One from my landlord, Mike, who wants to know if the gardeners came today. I shoot him back an emoji. Also no. A flurry of pings on a group chat I have muted—college friends, something about Morgan’s bachelorette. I haven’t seen half of them in a decade, I’m surprised they’re even including me.
And one from Hugo—my ex-boyfriend (we’ll get there): Well?
He’s not here yet, I write back. Then: Just sat.
I consider telling him about the fact that this time, for the first time, the paper was blank, but decide against it. I’m about to meet my soul mate feels like more of an in-person thing, or at least a phone call. We convey too many important things in too few words these days.
Drinks after? I’m meeting Natalie at Craig’s, should be done by 8.
I try to remember who Natalie is. The girl he met at Bikram? Or the one from Bumble?
Maybe.
I put my phone facedown on the table.
Five minutes go by, then ten. I order a drink—one of their alt margaritas from the menu. Something with agave and smoked jalapeño. It arrives and goes down salty and tangy.
He runs late, I think. It’s not ideal, but I can live with that. About five years ago, right around the time Hugo and I called it quits, I decided to start showing up to places on time. I’ve been pretty good about it. LA traffic notwithstanding. It’s all about learning the rhythms of your city. Don’t try and get to WeHo from Brentwood in the afternoon. There is always construction on Wilshire by Westwood Boulevard; take Sunset. San Vicente to Seventh Street to the Pacific Coast Highway is the slowest way to get to Malibu, but the most beautiful.
My phone dings. Another text from my mom: ?
My parents live in the Palisades, on the other side of the 405 in Los Angeles. The Palisades is like Pleasantville—all the new houses belong on Cape Cod, and there’s a shopping center that takes holidays a little too seriously. It’s also about as far as you can get and still live in the same city.
Love it! I write back, without opening her email. Last week she sent me an entire Dropbox full of her rabbi in various states of undress in the backyard. I consider explaining to her that just because she loves Judaism and photography does not mean all her photography has to be Jewish-influenced, or that her Jewish identity now has to be caught up in being a photographer, but I decide against it. It would take more than two texts, and I want to be present right now.
Present.
Thirty-three years, six significant relationships, forty-two first dates, one long weekend in Paris.
And now, here we are. The first and last blank sheet of paper.
“Daphne?”
I look up to see a man not a lot taller than I am, with graying brown hair and hazel-green eyes. He’s wearing a button-down shirt and jeans and carries a single red rose.
“Hi,” I say. I make a move to stand up to—what? Hug him? I sit back down.
He hands me the rose. When he speaks his voice is pleasant and familiar. “Someone was selling them outside, and I thought I should bring a proper consolation for being fifteen minutes late.”
When he smiles, the lines around his eyes crinkle.
“You were right,” I say. I take the rose. “What took you so long?”
He shakes his head, like, Oh boy. “How much time do we have?” Jake asks me.
I take him in. Real, incarnate, across from me now. He has a birthmark under his jaw, a freckle by his left eye. All of these minute details that make up a person, that make up this person, my person.
“A lot,” I tell him. “We have a lot of time.”
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Rebecca Serle
Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of Expiration Dates, One Italian Summer, In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
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Customer reviews
4 out of 5
4,827 global ratings
Kayleigh
5
Amazing read
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
“Here's the truth: I do want love. In some ways, I've been looking for it forever. Real love, the kind that makes you want to grow old together, makes you not just unafraid of all that time with one person but electrified by it.”
This book was magical. I could not put it down and I just needed to absorb every second. I loved watching Daphne’s growth in and out of relationships, with her family, her friends and her job. She was honestly a really likable character and I loved her story so much. I laughed, I smiled, I cried. This book was just amazing. It’s the perfect romance book to cuddle up with and has a unique twist! Serle’s writing was done in a way that there was emotion and detail, but it wasn’t too overdone with cliches or overused phrases. The characters were all done in ways that made them relevant, but no one character took away from another. I liked the split between timelines as well but would’ve liked to see a little bit more of Daphne’s relationships. Overall, I did really love how despite being a romance book, the plot was so much bigger than just two people falling in love. I loved the development of the plot, the navigation of growing up as a 20 something year old, and the importance of all relationships, not just romantic ones.
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2 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer
5
Soooo Good!
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
What a clever premise for a book. I liked all the characters and how they interacted with each other. It was a sweet and gentle story. Just what I needed after some difficult books.
J Pratt
5
captivating
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
Definitely eager to join a book club on this…. So much to ponder. Being married for 25y, what if this is truth. Do my patients facing life threatening diagnoses contemplate the same? Life, love- in 350 pages everything I take for granted is questioned. Who am I to judge? Am I living to live to living to die? Is he the one? Highly recommend.
Susan M. Baumann
4
A California Confection About Life & Love
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is like a sugary confection — sweet, light, enjoyable, fun, but insubstantial. Serle writes well. There’s zest, energy, sparkle and much enthusiasm in the narrative, with lots of witty banter. The reader is treated to all the sights and colors of the California experience. Lush scenery and trendy eateries are beautifully described. The inviting backdrop firmly anchors the tale. Daphne is the young, independent, extroverted protagonist. She’s frequently described as unique and different. She moves lightly through life, barely grazing the surface. She works for a temperamental studio exec, traveling to exotic locales at a moment’s notice. Much of Daphne’s life is depicted like a movie reel, one glossy experience after another, shiny mementos accumulated for a burgeoning, but superficial scrapbook. At first, it’s assumed that this is due mostly to her youth. Only later, well into the book, do we discover the real reason for Daphne’s reluctance to engage deeply with the people and experiences in her world. Unexpected drama is then introduced into the story to explain Daphne’s reticence, but the drama seems somewhat contrived and tacked on. The book attempts to take a serious turn in the interest of a much-needed story arc, but the results are mixed. While some books can successfully straddle the line between lightness and solemness, this one seemed to have difficulty striking the right tone. The book wanted to be both light and somber, but didn’t quite strike that balance. Much of the book centers around Daphne’s romantic relationships, and her search for true love. She seems somewhat in love with love itself, and struggles with who and what she really wants. She romanticizes love in a cinematic way, but when she actually finds what appears to be the perfect match, she wavers and hesitates. Ultimately, Daphne discovers that her most important journey is one of self discovery and acceptance. She faces hard truths and some life-changing decisions. Daphne learns that she must know and trust herself before she can ever commit to anyone else, even as both Hugo and Jake vie for her affections. The paper “expiration dates” that Daphne receives are a clever plot device that lends some magic to the story. Yet, in many ways, these mysterious missives from the universe only contribute to, and compound, the frivolous and temporary way that Daphne initially approaches her life. However, that’s somewhat understandable, given the gravity of her circumstances. Overall, this is a quick, light read that wrestles with the search for love and the meaning of life. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for with heartfelt earnestness. Also, Murphy is a wonderfully endearing character.
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21 people found this helpful
Samantha Chelsea Miller
4
No spoilers here!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
Boy, does Rebecca Serle know how to tug at the strings of your heart and throw you through a loop. I honestly did not think I'd be rating this book this high when I started reading it. I spent the first half of this book really kind of bored. It felt like a big sell on living in LA, and I found myself repeatedly skipping passages to try and get on track with the actual story. I enjoyed the way the author writes dialog between characters and how she can set a scene so you can picture it so clearly in your head but I hated that new chapters were flinging me back into the main character's past to moments and people I didn't care to read about until I realized how each part plays into the whole. While I didn't enjoy those chapters as much, they made me look forward to the chapters that did follow with the main characters and the relevant storyline. I can honestly say I cried, I smiled and that there came a moment when I couldn't put my book down till the end. I would recommend this book as a good read and would give it a 5 star rating based on my feelings at the end of the book if it weren't for how I spent the first half thinking I'd only give it about 3. So, happy middle of 4 stars overall, in my opinion.
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2 people found this helpful
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