Daphne and Dominic are married. Both struggle with identity and ultimately agree to allow each other an intimate encounter with another outside of the marriage for 1 day/night per year for 5 years. Going outside societal norms and boundaries is perceived as "freedom" when unexpected and in most cases, unsought temptations arise.
Daphne ends up enlightened to pursue her own interests. As the Freedom Clause author suggested, "opening a marriage" can be throwing a lighted match on a flame within a couple's marriage. The story follows cultural trends at individual self discovery at the expense of the marital relationship.

The Freedom Clause was an excellent debut novel. I'll admit when I read the description - I was on the fence from the start. The idea that a couple immediately jumped to trying out a freedom clause allowing them each to sleep with a random person once a year - rather than find a way to work together on their relationship - seemed foolish and obviously set things up for disaster. But the novel was a very interesting and unique read - with an intense amount of drama and many highs and lows. And I absolutely loved the ending. Both Daphne and Dominic take their own journeys in these five years - with changes in their careers, new aspirations for the future, realizing what their true needs are in life and in relationships, etc. Through it all, it is impossible to not root for Daphne. I loved the Substack entries with recipes scattered throughout that also helped to give new developments in Daphne's life. Definitely recommend - excited to see what this new author comes up with next.
Thank you to Dial Press, Random House, and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

Young married couple Dominic and Daphne make an agreement, one reluctantly, for one "night off" per year, to give them experiences they didn't get after being married so young.

No shortage of drama and events, and interesting to see how Hannah Sloane developed the characters - something meant to be physical resulting in far reaching changes neither Dominic nor Daphne could have anticipated, how our perceptions of self-worth, what risks we're willing to take, and what we project onto others all make a huge difference in the path we take.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

First of all, thank you Random House for the opportunity to read this. It was quite the surprise to see this in my email when it landed lol.

Now for some thoughts.

I hadn't heard of this book or the author until I got the email. But the description was intriguing and I immediately added it to my overflowing currently reading shelf. This was one of those books that took a familiar plot and the direction I was expecting it to go and started slowly subverting my expectations. Sloane has a bit of a Sally Rooney vibe to her writing which immediately made the book a bit unputdownable and addictive.

I think, that for me, my overall thoughts on this book is that although it took some unexpected turns, I guessed the ending very early on based on the little flash-forwards Sloane put in the narrative as well as the fact that this book had only one direction to go. Also Sloane bounces between scenes and topics too quickly. She has a bit of a habit of me wanting to stay in scenes longer and build up tension between characters, but Sloane diffuses the tension by exiting the scenes before that tension could boil. But that's the only notes I have because this book is the literal definition of a ROMP! it's quite funny and quite interesting how closely Sloane gets into Dominic and Daphne's head and her refusal to flatten out side characters into boring tropes. And I also loved Daphne's blog featuring in the narrative as extra access to her thoughts and other scenes where the capital-N narrator is not present but she is.

I look forward to the other works Sloane puts out in the future.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this! ❤️

I really enjoyed this book. The premise was interesting to me, but I wasn't sure if I'd like it--I felt like it would be easy to keep things surface-level, light, not to get too real or complicated about it. I'm really glad though that this book definitely gets into things in the way I was hoping it would.

It's super character-driven, in a great way. It makes you feel for the characters even if they make bad decisions, without excusing their behavior. I think this is super well-written and I'd love to read more from the author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I'm really having a hard time deciding if I liked this book. I can tell you that it took me way out of my comfort zone. Daphne and Dominic's story is strange, and disheartening but the book does grip you to learn what happens next. I found myself shaking my head over and over, expressing how dumb Dominic was throughout the entirety of the book. I also felt like there could have been a little more lead up to the big story line. One chapter of "before" and then we're off, I felt like I was missing something. I loved the empowerment that Daphne obtained through the "freedom clause" but I don't feel like either of them were really trying to make their relationship work. I suppose in short, this just isn't my type of book but the writing was well done and I'm looking forward to what Hannah Sloane writes next. .

Even though it is not something I would be okay with, the plot point of an open marriage makes this an interesting read. Daphne and Dominic meet at the beginning of college, fall in love, and get married. Daphne had planned on waiting to marry until later in her life but loves being with Dominic. Dominic decides that he might need a little more because they aren't being intimate very often and Daphne seems uninterested. That leads to the Freedom Clause where one night a year they can be with someone else. There are other rules and the expiration is in five years. Daphne ends up finding out things about herself that she didn't dream were possible. Dominic also has his own journey. There are some yummy sounding recipes in this book as well. Even though the subject might be cringy for some people, I recommend reading this one as it has some very interesting characters and character development. Who doesn't like to read about a woman finding her inner power?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have no idea why I was pre approved for this book. This is nothing I would normally read. A lot sex, affairs and impacts on a marriage. I will say the characters are witty, and I could name several friends who would enjoy this. Just not me.

4.5 stars. Fantastic debut. Fun premise that is actually much deeper than you might expect from the cover. Daphne is an amazing character - fully realized, messy and alive. Her growth throughout the novel is great and very realistic. A novel about what women want, how that may or may not relate to the men in their lives, and what exactly is freedom? And I may consider making a recipe or two - the salad sounds amazing!

Dominic and Daphne met in their first week of college, and they've been happily married for three years. They love each other deeply but perhaps have become too comfortable, and their sex life isn't what anyone would call thrilling. So, on New Year's Day, Dominic blurts out a suggestion before it's fully worked out in his mind: what if they open up their marriage?

Daphne agrees--with 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.

It isn't long before Daphne and Dominic find themselves--and their marriage--altered in unexpected ways. Embracing the spirit of the Clause, Daphne pushes herself to be more assertive in asking for what she wants. She begins chronicling her journey of self-discovery in an anonymous newsletter, sharing recipes inspired by her conquests, and soon realizes that one night off a year isn't a small change . . . it's a seismic one.

Eventually, Daphne and Dominic are reconsidering everything--each other, their relationship, and themselves. Can they survive the Freedom Clause? Do they even want to?

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

A couple decide to add interest in their marriage by taking a lover once a year for 5 years, and then reevaluate. It does spark up their marriage until one of them violates the rules.

It's really easy to be judgy about the decision that Dominic and Daphne make to inject something into their marriage, which seems stale to them after only three years. They've been together since forever but now Dominic (of course) has set them on a course where they each have one night a year to have a tryst with someone else. This is more about Daphne's growth than it is anything else, as well as about her relationship with food (oh the food!). They're very privileged people and I gotta admit that I wanted to tell them (especially Dominic) that their malaise, well......Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A well written debut.

I am not a fan of open marriages so maybe this had an impact on my liking this story.
With that said…..I enjoyed the recipes at the end of each chapter.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Daphne and her Dom marry young. After a few years of marriage they decide to have a Freedom Clause to help with their sex life. One night a year. With rules.


Okay, full disclosure. This isn’t my usual type of book. I thought it would be a marriage in trouble with a HEA. It was not. This is more Daphne’s story than anything else. And I liked her and her journey which is why I went for three stars. I enjoyed watching her realize her self-worth. The cookbook explorations were fun as well! Now Dom…he’s horrible. He literally imploded his marriage and yet every scene where he crosses a line, broke a rule, he makes it out like it wasn’t HIS fault. I’m sorry, that’s just so wrong. I do wish we checked in with Daphne later in her life. I wanted to see her happy ending.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

I don’t know how I feel about this book… I both did and didn’t enjoy it. My lack of enjoyment stems from the subject matter and that’s kind of on me. I chose to read this knowing it was going to involve adultery in a sense… and I just freaking can’t with that… but the empowerment and the growth was amazing, overall.

I too married when I was only 18, and I’m still married 18 years later, so there was a lot I understood and also a lot that I couldn’t fathom. Overall, Daphne and Dom’s story, the evolution of their relationship and ultimately, how much she grows as a human, learning to understand herself, was really interesting. I think I liked the recipes most in the book though.

Sadly, while I found aspects of this book realistic, it just want for me and that okay.

This novel was highly entertaining and kept me turning pages long into the night! 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.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

What a unique, though-provoking book! This went in a totally different direction than I thought it would, but that made me appreciate it even more. I don’t think it will be for everyone since it is messy but I couldn’t put it down and Daphne was one of my favorite characters I’ve read about this year! I have found myself really enjoying Dial Press books recently and I appreciate that they’re publishing stories that put character first and challenge conventional genres. Thanks to Dial Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very creative premise for a story. What if your husband came to you with a plan to give you a "night off" of your marriage for one day every year, no questions asked. Would this freedom clause make your marriage stronger, or would it lead to a hurtful demise?

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

3.5 stars rounded up. Super interesting premise- the husband suggests that they get one day “off” from their marriage each year, and the wife begrudgingly accepts. That one day changes the trajectory of their lives. This is not a rom-com! Definitely more in the drama category. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I knew after reading the first paragraph I was going to love this book!! I finished it in one day! It has so much character, self love and growth. I needed to have this today and will think on it daily.

Dominic and Daphne are a young couple that seem to get along terrifically. But their sex love is becoming less and less active. Dominic suggests a “ one night a year freedom clause wherein each could have a sexual encounter with a stranger…..they even make rules. They agree to try this for five years…
The novel is not about sex as much as it is about how this decision changes their lives as they grow five years older.
Wonderful read.
I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.