I enjoyed reading this novel. I thought the concept of an open marriage was spicy and was sideeyeing Dominic the entire time and was woefully right as he made many mistakes. I felt like the plot overall became about Daphne and her journey. It could be framed as women's fiction since there wasn't too much detail into Dominic's sexual pursuits. The plot wavered a little until the end, but the ending left me wanting to know more about Daphne's next journey.

This is a novel unlike anything I've read before but it was so entertaining! Dominic and Daphne get married right out of college and seem happy enough. She's a great cook and he's (sometimes) working on a novel that never goes anywhere. But to spice up their marriage, he offers up the idea of a Freedom Clause where once a year they can each engage in a sexual relationship with someone else. No questions asked or answered. Sounds like a good idea...until it isn't. There are many unique features of this book as we delve into both of their characters, their insecurities, their family upbringing, and their basic ideas about fidelity. It was surprisingly fascinating!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Despite being slightly turned off from the premise once I got into the book, I somehow was captivate by the plot and characters. I love the ending and how the toxic relationship finally ends.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the Freedom Clause. The premise really intrigued me- 1 night off a year from your marriage, what can go wrong? What I found was a coming of age of sorts where Daphne finds her groove. Highly entertaining. Would recommend. And I want to read that Substsack!

I was expecting something completely different than what I got, and I was so pleasantly surprised by what this book turned out to be! I read it in just a few days and told my coworkers and friends about it because I was enjoying it so thoroughly. I found Daphne and Dominic to be complex and intriguing characters--I definitely don't share a lot of their worldviews, but that's part of what makes them so intriguing, and I think the book does an okay job of making it clear which of their worldviews are, for lack of better words, good or bad.

I found the plot to move at an excellent pace, and I think the structure of putting five years into one book helped a lot with keeping plot points going. Lots of events or details were referred to after they occurred and it never felt like anything too big was glossed over too much. I gasped out loud at the final twist at the end of year 5. I loved the frequent switching between following Daphne or Dominic--particularly reading Dominic's perspective while having the dramatic irony around Chuck was extremely well executed and made me not want to put down the book until everyone knew the truth.

I would have liked a bit more acknowledgement that polyamory/ethical non-monogamy is a fairly common thing, as this book does stigmatize ENM in some ways and make it seem like a shameful thing that must be kept secret from others. I suppose Daphne's big career move towards the end does a bit of that work in pulling back the curtain and letting the protagonists not live in such secrecy anymore.

Overall, loved it, already recommended it to others!

This book gave me way more than I expected it to!

We start this book learning about Dominique and Daphne! College sweetheart and seemingly happy, until the day they discuss their non-existent sex life honestly. Dominque then makes a suggestion that will forever change them both.

I love that this is a coming of age for Daphne who seems to suffer the same woes most women do. Constant comments about her looks growing up, constantly made to feel like she has nothing to offer because she is not a model as her mom was and shamed by her dad when she wouldn't aim to please. We end up with a female lead that is uncomfortable in her body, uncomfortable with her sexuality and a people pleaser even if it costs her her happiness. Throughout this experiment, we see her regain her confidence and her power, take control of her pleasure and be more assertive, but most importantly prioritize her happiness.

Dominique's story was a bit more sad as I am sure he will have lots of regrets! We read about a man with very little self awareness, with a deep fear of being alone and no consideration for her partner who seems to be carrying a lot of the load in the relationship. Having had a difficult childhood, he seems to crave any attention that would make him feel wanted and desired, which, I believe, is ultimately what leads him to his proposal. I do believe he expected to have way more success than her partner and did not expect her to go through with it at all. As his partner blossoms and takes control of her life, we witness him growing more and more insecure until he destroys it all.

I love that this was such a fast paced book. The plot kept moving and slowly unveiled the characters' earlier years and many of the reasons for their behaviours. I had man moments with my jaw on the floor, asking myself what I just read. In all this tale however, I never felt any judgement from the narrator. Hannah did a great job at remaining neutral and letting each person decide how they felt about what they were reading. I believe this book will be a success upon its release and I will be trying the recipes!

This book is definitely different than anything I’ve ever read. I’m struggling to review it because I neither liked it nor disliked it. It felt a bit voyeuristic and I struggled to care about any of the characters, though the protagonist could be funny at times.

Dominic and Daphne met when they were in college, got married young and had a ho hum sex life. On a whim, they decided to just barely open up their marriage so far as allowing each other one night per year to sleep with another person. One night only. And never the same person. They called it The Freedom Clause. Not surprisingly, it puts a rift in their relationship when Dominic takes it too far.

It’s a fun, funny and unique story, I just found it a bit predictable. I give it 3.5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy. This is due to be published on August 1, 2023.

I love stories that explore different types of relationships. The idea that you can love your partner with all your heart but still feel that something is missing, still feel that you’ve lost that spark. That’s what’s happened to Dominic and Daphne’s marriage, so they decide that one day a year for the next five years they each can sleep with someone else. They call it THE FREEDOM CLAUSE.

It’s an exciting premise to be sure, but what makes this book so good is the whip smart, incisive writing from Sloane. Writing from both points of view, we are drawn into Daphne and Dominic’s lives as they navigate their potentially dangerous decision to open up their marriage. She takes us deep into the heart of the characters, makes us question their intentions, cheer at their successes and groan at their mistakes.

The author pulls no punches and weaves a raw and emotional tale of self-discovery and self-love that goes beyond the juicy premise. THE FREEDOM CLAUSE is a character study of relationships and society and I could not put it down.

Thank you to Random House/Dial Press for my advance reading copy.

This was so different from what i thought it would be but definitely kept my interest! I overall enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Dominic and Daphne are college sweethearts. They were each others firsts, and quickly decided to make this a forever thing. After being married a few years, Dominic starts to wonder what hes missed out on. In an effort to sew his wild oats and not lost Daphne, he dreams up the Freedom Clause. One night a year they can each have sex with someone else. No sharing the details with each other and no affairs. They agree to a five year term to start, and after that they'd reevaluate where they stand.

What follows is a half a decade of personal, sexual, familial, and business growth for Daphne. I went into this thinking it would be a semi smutty sexual awakening book. Which this actually is is so so much more! We see Daphne absolutely blossom into the most beautiful fulfilled version of herself. Like most women, she begins their arrangement out of love for her husband. Anything to make him happy. And while yes, we do see her learn to ask for what she wants in bed and demand her own orgasms, we also see her demand her worth in business, marriage and friends and family relationships. So much of this book resonated so strongly with me I stayed up way too late simply absorbed in Daphnes life and taking notes on how I can also start demanding what I deserve as well. This should be required reading for all young 20 something women. All women period! This is one of the very best books if not the best of the year. I loved every last page!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Sloane, and Random House Dial Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Imagine being married and having one day off a year to 'be single' ? Dominic and Daphne met the first week of college, fell in love and were each others one and only lovers. Years later, married and bored, Dominic brings up this idea of a Freedom Clause...with some rules such as not sleeping with anyone you know, not multiple times and not telling anyone about it. Sounds like a mess right?

I just loved this so much, Daphne may be one of my favorite characters I've read about in awhile. She truly came into her own and gained so much confidence! Dominic....eh, no words. It ended just how I would want it to- bravo Hannah, what a great debut.

This is such a fun read, I highly recommend!

📚 Book Review 📚

The Freedom Clause
by Hannah Sloane
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

I honestly don’t know what to make of this book. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I thought it held promise with its intriguing and original plot, and it did, but only to a point.

This story follows Daphne and Dominic who meet in college. Neither of them have had much dating experience when they meet, and they fall hard for each other. They marry young, and after a short time, they discover things are severely lacking in the bedroom. At Dominic’s prompting, they agree to what they refer to as The Freedom Clause. This allows each of them to have sex with someone else once a year for the next 5 years, but they can’t discuss anything with each other. What they believe will be an easy “no complications” situation turns out to be anything but.

I really only enjoyed the first third of this book- I found Daphne and Dominic to be a sweet and endearing couple that were fun to read about. I also liked the writing style- the narration swapped back and forth between them and even though this story spanned several years, it moved along at a nice steady pace.

Where it went off the rails for me is when they started exercising “the clause”; this is when things started to get weird for me. I’m not judging anyone that chooses an open relationship because hey, that’s your business. But for me personally, it was just too far over the line of what I could visualize realistically happening to a couple, and particularly to me, and it all just started feeling a little too icky. (There’s lots of open door stuff in this book if that’s something you like to know ahead of time.)

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy.
Pub date: 8/1/23

Fun, lively relationship tale with recipes, sex, and unexpected insight. Highly recommended. Perfect beach or airplane read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #TheFreedomClause #NetGalley

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

It's currently March... Is it too soon to name The Freedom Clause my favourite book of the year?

Hannah Sloane has a gift. Her whip-smart writing draws you in immediately. Her character development is off the charts. Her storytelling abilities are out of this world.

The Freedom Clause is more than a fun, sexy, entertaining read (though it has all of those qualities in spades). It represents an often overlooked time in a young person's (specifically - though not exclusively - young woman's) life: those precarious years between 25 and 30 wherein so much personal growth happens (or, pointedly, does not), This story is empowering, inspiring, and a most satisfying read.

As evidenced by the very embarrassing Instagram DM I sent to Hannah Sloane upon finishing the last line of The Freedom Clause, I LOVED THIS BOOK. 5 Stars.

Hardships in your relationship? Well you didn’t think so until your best friend called asking your husband how men feel towards lack of sex. Apparently the lack of can really affect your relationship.
But who goes to therapy now a days? Nope instead you try the Freedom Clause, which Daphne wasn’t even interested in at first and was worried about the affects it would further cause on her relationship.
1 night off per year for 5 years, sex with 1 person 1 night only and no repeats. Simple? Apparently not.
This book goes through so many hurdles. Family relationship, personal relationships, self worth, self love, growing, becoming the real you and sometimes growing out of a relationship you thought would last forever.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would, I thought it may end up a bit cheesy or far fetched. But no, it’s so raw and real. It’s real life, it happens. Maybe not the same clause, but the tiffs in the relationship and growing apart. Becoming your own person. And not only is it focused on the romantic aspect but you see old friends new friends come together as well as career goals growing too.

I would really recommend this is anyone going through tough times whether it’s in their relationships or need some ideas on how to grow. It really is a beautiful beautiful book. One I think everyone should read.

The Freedom Clause by Hannah Sloane was a very interesting and enjoyable story.

Dominic and Daphne have been together since college, and they’ve been happily married for three years. They both have realized that their marriage has lost it’s spark and both agree to an open marriage.
But with some conditions. They can sleep with one other person, one night a year, and the agreement has a five-year expiration date. It’s not a total free-for-all on their vows, but an amendment. They call it the Freedom Clause.
Over the course of this Freedom Clause Daphne and Dominic re-evaluate everything and each other, their relationship, and themselves. Can they survive the Freedom Clause? Do they even want to?
Is this what they want and will this be the thing that saves this marriage?

I really enjoyed this debut. It was fresh and actually a bit different.
The writing was great and I found myself picking this book a lot.
I enjoyed these characters and their journey. I found myself rooting for them and wanting them both to be happy.
I thought this was intriguing and thought-provoking. And most definitely will pick up Hannah Sloane’s next title.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

First off, I would like to thank Hannah Sloane, The Dial Press, & NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC copy of The Freedom Clause.

Oh, my gosh. So, I was hooked from just the synopsis of this book. Then I saw the cover, and that drew me in further. The concept of a long-term relationship couple taking one night off a year to sleep with another individual of their choice (no friends, family, etc) absolutely intrigued me. I applied to obtain an ARC copy immediately as well as DMed the author (who was so sweet and happy to assist in getting me a copy). I was THRILLED when I got approved, and started reading almost immediately.

I freaking love this book. I am happy to say it is already a favorite of mine, and I cannot wait to hold the hard copy in my hands when I purchase it in August. I will keep this review vague as I don't want to hide it due to spoilers. I absolutely adored getting to go on Daphne & Dominic's journey. The character growth is exceptional. The humor and cleverness that's in this novel is insane. Daphen's recipe cards are freaking brilliant. The lead up to the straw that breaks the camel back- is jaw dropping. Honestly, I just loved this story. I couldn't stop thinking about what was coming next when I had to put it down (for things like silly work or eating). The amount of passages I highlighted because I related so much to them..... too many to count. The pride I felt in watching our main female character grow- overwhelming. :) The passages that touch on the struggles of women- making me feel not alone, and confirming I am not crazy. :)

Oh, and the way time passes in this book? Super easy to follow, and I applaud her for that. Even though sometimes a passage can skip to a few months ahead, it's never sudden or confusing (and moving time can easily confuse me). It's always clear and organic. Absolutely applaud her ability to make that so smooth. :)

And this is Hannah's debut novel?? Come on.... it definitely doesn't feel that way. I absolutely look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. :D

Ugh, guys, just get this book in August, okay?

This book had an interesting premise but I quickly found out I don’t like reading about open marriages. I found all the characters besides Ash to be unlikeable. Dominic disrespected Daphne over and over again but there was never enough communication after these incidents. I wanted Daphne to punch him in the face so badly that I was just mad when the book ended and that didn’t happen. I was happy that Daphne got to be happy or at least left that awful marriage, but I definitely wanted more revenge plot to make up for Dom’s action. I assumed this would dive into the struggles of marriage and being in a relationship since you were young, but instead it was another man not valuing or respecting his wife. Dom reminds me of why I don’t want to get married or spend time around men.

2.5 stars rounded to 3

I love literary novels about messy marriages, and from the description it seemed right up alley. This did not work for me at all unfortunately, however I fully admit I am not the target audience. The Freedom Clause is bucketed as "Literary Fiction", which it certainly is not. This is mass market/commercial fiction, similar to Colleen Hoover and Lucy Score.

I quickly realized the genre mistake but decided to let my expectations go and just enjoy the story. The first 30% or so was promising as we saw Daphne and Dominic fall in love in college, get married, and ultimately decide to open their marriage for one night a year. Once the story moved into the happenings of the titular "Freedom Clause", it quickly fell off. Let me explain:

Stylistically I found it tedious - there are section breaks constantly (like, sometimes every other paragraph) to denote when we were in Daphne or Dominics head. Sometimes we would switch mid-scene, and other times we would jump months ahead. It was jarring, I never quite understood how time was progressing, and there is no tone shift or style difference between Daphne and Dominic's POVs, so I would have to go back and re-read the opening sentences of a section once I realized who's head I was in.

I couldn't connect to either character. They are both insufferable and child-like, yet oddly self-aware (example, Dominic literally though to himself at one point "I'm too selfish to put Daphne first, it's no wonder our marriage is failing!"). The constant telling rather than showing not only pulled me out of the story but rendered the characters completely unbelievable, and left me uninvested.

And finally, the plot: if I were to lay out the plot points (which I wont, no spoilers) this would sound like an entertaining read. Unfortunately, we didn't linger long enough in any one scene or feel the ramifications of any betrayals, embarrassments, wins or heartbreaks - it was rushed through and glossed over. A scene would end as soon as the action did, without reflection or interiority, and was not revisited later on. By the end it, when some seriously scandalous things happen and we fade to black before the characters react, I was fed up. I had no patience left for the characters jumping to insane conclusions, or the crazy miscommunications that lead to even crazier plot points - the story had already lost credibility, and I couldn't suspend my disbelief any further.

I would say "this works as a mindless, fun read" but there's so much half-baked feminism throughout that it doesn't qualify as an escapist beach read. The feminist topics Daphne engages with are worthwhile: sexism in the workplace, how women are disadvantaged by being raised to people please, the outsized burden of domestic and emotional labor that women bear; however, the exploration is heavy-handed (and often spurred on by comically sexist men) and lacks the proper gravitas these topics deserved. Of all my gripes with The Freedom Clause, my biggest was its unintentional trivialization of feminism.

When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately thought of a sexual version of "The Purge." Well, this wasn't that ;) I quite enjoyed this. I was drawn into the couple's relationship in an interesting way. To be fair the whole premise seemed a little far-fetched to me, but I was able to put aside my questions and just enjoy the tale. I appreciated the insights and humor in the Substack entries. For a first novel, this was quite impressive. Well done!

I could see this as movie, and my guess is it will be picked up.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.