Skin Contact

by Elisa Faison

Unmoored by her mother's sudden death, Frances has never felt so diminished, or so old. She's painfully aware that strangers no longer look at her the same way - and that she's now, at thirty-two, older than the great aunt for whom she was named, who was killed in the seventies under mysterious circumstances involving an extramarital affair.

Her husband, Ben, will do anything to help Frances regain her vivacity and sense of purpose. So when Frances suggests that they open their marriage, Ben complies.

Over the next two years, they explore their sexualities and latent kinks; they navigate jealousy, betrayal, desire, and obsession; they defend their choices - and their new identities - to confused friends. They do all of this together, as a team. But when Ben finds himself falling in love with another woman, just as Frances realizes she's ready to settle down and have a baby, they are forced to confront the consequences of their experiment.

Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 23, 2026

Reviews

[nicole]

There’s still time to not publish this😬

[ct lydon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, I have thoughts on this. It felt like we had a lot of things happening at once, folks. I was looking for this book to not be the "we have opened our marriage and now we have a bunch of issues." That feels kind of over done at this point, it would have been nice to see how opening their marriage caused more positive feelings versus conflict. Felt a little cliche.

Sometimes there were random chapters that felt like fillers, and I could truly not tell you who those people were. It took like a solid five minutes to go back in my mind to be like, "oh, yeah! that person was mentioned once 100 pages ago."

It was a solid book, interesting topic and I felt it kept my attention. A little all over the place at times.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC copy!

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could barely put this book down once I started it. I've read novels about open marriages before and I must say that this is the one that has hooked me the most!

That being said, there were a couple of chapters that dealt with the people surrounding Ben and Frances that to me just felt like filler and were a bit confusing when it came to connecting to the story.

But, do not skip this one, this story is worth it!

Thank you to Cardinal and the author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so addicting that I read it in one sitting. It explores a couple who recently opened their marriage and how it affects their relationship and the friendships around them. The character we meet along the way are fascinating. This book is relatable and realistic and shows the good and the bad comes from their decision. I felt like I was right there watching it all unfold. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Remi]

honestly, i'm super curious about open marriages

*thank you to Cardinal for the ARC*