Oh boy. Where to start. Dominic is absolutely insufferable. From the very first pages, I was certain I wouldn't like him, and that feeling stayed consistent (with cause!) throughout the entirety of the book. He's just terrible, and makes bad choice after bad choice. Daphne, on the other hand, felt very real – a lot of what she was feeling was very relatable, like her relationship with her body and forming new relationships as an adult. I also thought that over the course of the years we spend with these characters, her transformation was the best part of the story. Dominic, however, sucks. [Spoilers removed.]

Overall, I did end up enjoying this books, but it was physically painful at times to get through Dominic's sections. Solid 3.5!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Freedom Clause.

You just know with a premise like this, one night a year where you can sleep with anyone you choose, is not going to end well for the couple in question.

Daphne and Dominic met in college. Got married. And now their marriage is in a rut.

When Dominic suggests the freedom clause, with stipulations from Daphne, the couple embarks on a whirlwind journey to discovering themselves, but more so Daphne.

This is really Daphne's story; a quiet introvert, the freedom clause empowers her, helps her discover and explore her sexuality and teaches her now to be afraid to seek pleasure for herself and to change her life.

Dominic is a dud. Simple as that.

I like the premise, but I had a lot of issues with it, namely that the narrative read as if sex was causing the marriage to feel stale.

A marriage is based between two people; if something is wrong, it's not sex, it's you and your partner.

Lack of intimacy is a symptom something is fundamentally wrong with your marriage.

Daphne and Dominic are not likable characters. They both possess little confidence and self esteem, stemming from troubled (and traumatic childhoods.

Dominic is the saddest sack of them all. His views on marriage and love and being loved are pathetic, yet honest because I know a couple of people (who shall remain nameless) who view marriage in this way; marriage means you're loved.

Wrong! People get married for a lot of reasons, and, if you're lucky, it's for love.

Dominic's idea of the freedom clause didn't ring true.

The author describes a man who adores and worships Daphne, thinks the sun and the moon of her but is quick to suggest one day out of the year in which anything sex-wise goes?

Not buying it.

I understand why Dominic and Daphne got together; they're both lonely and have similar childhood backgrounds, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them. Their relationship was almost perfunctory.

I didn't like Dominic or Daphne, even after Daphne was empowered, became a literary sensation and got the job she wanted.

I thought they were doormats, spineless, and weak in character and personality.

Dominic, no surprise, is described as a weak and pathetic man who breaks most of the rules of the clause.

I wonder if the author is trying to say something about men in general. The only decent man is Daphne's biological dad, and he only shows up at the end of the novel.

I knew Daphne and Dominic wouldn't remain together by the end of the story, and I liked the open ended ending, but I had hoped the main male character wasn't such a sleazebag.

The premise and exploration of sexuality and relationships was completely compelling and compulsive.

Daphne is the kind of heroine that is so east to see yourself in, this idea of finding move early but not having the sexual experiences before walking down the aisle. I loved how much she pushed her comfort zones to find an awakening within her self, this is a really strong theme and I think a sure fire win with young women coming into their own.

Dominic was a bit flat for me and I wasn’t nearly as invested in him as Daphne’s but I did appreciate his candid moments.

Sometimes the story lacked a sense of intellect and the writing was choppy, however if you can let that go there is a fascinating examination of a young love and sexual reawakenings.

Thank you NetGalley, Dial Press and Random House for the ARC all opinions are my own.

The Freedom Clause
By Hannah Sloane
Pub Date: 01 Aug 2023
Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback

After meeting and graduating from college, Dominic and Daphne marry. She is a talented chef and Dominic aspires to publish a book. Dominic proposes a Freedom Clause that allows each of them to have a safe sexual relationship outside of the marriage once a year without being questioned. It is a free pass to cheat...or is it?

Insecurities, family history, and infidelity play a large role in The Freedom Clause. As I read this book, I was captivated by its attention-grabbing nature! It moves along nicely and is a pleasant read. Recipes were also incorporated into the plot, which I enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback for the opportunity to review this book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an original and engaging read. I'm sure I'll make the Chocolate Lava Cake soon!

The story became about the freedom of individuality than an open marriage, which was pitched as the draw to read the book. I would have rather read a book of recipes that tied to freedom and expression. I also don't know how these two people would be married to each other. How they met and fell in love was not thoroughly developed. The ending was also lackluster.

This book felt incredibly rushed at the beginning without a lot of character development, however it eventually seemed to hit its stride several chapters in. That being said, the story and the characters never really resonated with me.

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.