At first the ending threw me for a bit. And at times I thought it was a little whiney. But overall it was a satisfying read. And the more I let it resonate the more I like it.

This is a great summer read! A definite page turner that includes many twists and turns, as many Emily Giffin books do. This book explores a relationship between two characters while including some historical fiction aspects are woven into the book. Well-developed characters and story line moved quickly. I always love that Emily Giffin’s characters are so complex, often making choices that normal people do, but those that are often frowned upon.

Cecily is mourning a breakup when she meets Grant. She falls hard for him and quickly sees a future together. Then the tragic events of 9/11 happen and Grant is gone. Cecily gets back with her ex and tries to move on, always wondering what would have been. She starts digging into Grant’s life and is shocked by what she finds. I can’t really go further or I’ll ruin the story.

This wasn’t my favorite book by this author, but kept my interest and turning the pages until the end. Even had a few twists!

The Lies That Bind was wonderful and fast-paced novel! I've always enjoyed Emily Giffin's novels, and was excited to receive this ARC.

Cecily decides to go to a bar after a break-up with her boyfriend, Matthew. There, she meets Grant, and right off the bat, they hit it off. Cecily feels like it's too soon after her break-up, but they go home together anyways. Grant and Cecily fall in love, and before she knows it, she's meeting his brother, Bryon, who was diagnosed in ALS during a clinical trial in London.

Then, September 11, 2001 happened. Cecily's life is turned upside-down when she finds out that Grant went into work that day, and he worked in one of the Twin Towers. She automatically assumes he is gone, but through some journalistic investigating, finds out that he left behind more secrets, when she thought she knew him.

This novel had all sorts of plot twists that I was not expecting! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and have already been recommending it to all of my friends.

Can't wait for the next released book!

I have read this author before and totally enjoyed her work. This book just didn’t do it for me. Something was off from the beginning and the story felt disjointed and not real at all. I look forward to her next book.

In some ways, this was a familiar story. Girl meets boy and falls in love then loses boy. In this case, though, the interesting twist was that the story took place during 911 giving it a special gravity. I could understand Cecily and felt for her with all she went through. I had an inkling of how things were going to progress but have to admit the final twists were a surprise.

This was an entertaining book - a way to escape in fiction from the real world for awhile.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Lies that Bind” by Emily Griffin, Penguin Random House, June 2, 2020

Emily Griffin, author of “The Lies that Bind” has written and intriguing, and entertaining story. The genres for this novel are Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Romantic Fiction. The timelines for the story are 2001 and 2011 and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events. The setting is mostly in New York. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complex, complicated, and confused. There are secrets, omissions of truth, lies, twists, and turns, and betrayals.

Emily Griffin describes the importance of communication, honesty, and loyalty. The author discusses the importance of family, friends, forgiveness, second chances and the possibility of love and hope. I would recommend this thought-provoking novel to those readers who enjoy an interesting read.

Excuse me while a take a drag after that read!

I haven't read many of Emily Griffins books but when I do, I inhale them!!! This book was no different.

I loved the characters and the story. My only disappointment is there wasn't a playlist listed in the back. With part of the book being set in the 90s the nostalgia was there along with the CD cases they took on their road trip.

I also think it was a story of forgiveness which we all need to remember will bring healing to both parties. People make mistakes. What's important is that they learn from them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cecelia and Matthew were together for years, until Cece realized that , while they were comfortable together, Matthew was not ready to commit wholly to her. She broke off the relationship, and one evening while she was feeling depressed, she went to a bar, and met Grant. He had everything she had been missing with Matthew. Grant seemed to be perfect for her. Then after 9/11, Grant totally disappeared, and as a reporter, Cece followed the clues to Grant’s life. Was he who he has said he was or someone she really hadn’t known at all?

This book is all over the place. It was intriguing at first but grew more unbelievable with each chapter. It’s an easy read and Cecily’s day on 9/11 in New York City was interesting. However, each chapter seems to introduce yet another issue, hopeful moment and/or dilemma. I think a better title would be, “Cecily’s Journey”.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at Netgalley for review.

Cecily has just broken off things with Matt. Cecily out to keep from thinking of Matt meets an attractive young man Grant, in a bar, they drink, they laugh, she likes, he says he likes and they begin to see each other. The precept is that they are in the moment, they feel things they haven’t felt before and are cautious but enamored. The only bump in their road is Grant’s twin who suffers from ALS. Grant and his brother are in London for a clinical trial , that does not go well and a scene in the hospital reveals the pain each brother Is feeling. Cecily’s return home to New York is a seminal moment in their relationship as is the date September 10. Waking to planes flying into the twin towers Cecily is reeling as all New Yorkers were combined with the fact Grant worked in the south tower. Cecily whose job in a smaller ny paper forces her into the world of destruction and death and loss finds her interviewing Amy Smith whose picture of her husband binds the girlfriend and wife in ways that are steel tight and relentless. A final complication lies in the fact that Cecily finds herself pregnant and not sure whether Matt or Grant is the father. I found the resolution empty.

I have read other books by this author and have always enjoyed them. She always seems to be able to take a story and weave it just right, so that there is a twist but it's still believable and touching in the end.
The book follows a young woman, Cecily, who is in her 20s trying to live her dream of being a writer in NYC pre-911. At the beginning of the book she has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew, and is at a bar drinking her feelings and trying not to cave and call him. As she is sitting at the bar she meets a man named Grant, who also seems to be drinking his feelings, and they have some shots together. As she gets up to leave he follows her, and they end up spending the night at her place, just sleeping. They go on talking and seeing each other, all the time her feelings are growing deeper and deeper. Eventually their relationship goes further, and then tragedy strikes, 9/11. Cecily's world comes crashing down with the Twin Towers, and her life, along with everyone else's, will never be the same. Although sometimes things aren't really as they seem.

How do I explain that I disliked the premise of this book, along with the main characters, but still could not stop reading the book. Lies That Bind revolves around the horrific events of September 11 and the main characters use that event to lie and deceive each other. I can't say that I enjoyed the book, but I need to read it in it's entirety to find out how the characters resolve the mess that made of their lives. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this predictable drama? Yep. Did I still read it all in one sitting and feel all the feels? Sure did. Loved Scottie's character. I felt like Jasmine got thrown to the wayside about halfway though, but she was a solid strong female character in the beginning.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, especially the way in which it will make you question how things in life are not always simply black and white. I’m sorry for those who felt it trivialized 9/11, as I didn’t see it that way. In fact, for all the characters who experienced it firsthand, it showcased how much their actions were triggered by it, because they were all emotionally a mess and made many choices that might have been different under less stressful circumstances. I was engaged by this one until the very last page, and frankly I liked the ending!

I am conflicted on how to rate The Lies That Bind because overall the story held my attention but I am unsure whether it held my attention because it was a good story or because I just wanted to see where the train wreck was headed. Using 9/11 as a plot twist, not a good look. Not having any genuinely likable characters, also not a good look. Did it hold my attention? Yes. Did I feel strange about it, also yes.
I am giving it 3 stars because if a book can hold my attention and make me want to keep reading it to find out what happened then it has served its purpose, in my opinion. But I think the author is going to have a lot of backlash for the 9/11 content in the way it was used. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book started out exciting and the twist of Grant being ‘killed’ in 9/11 was quite the turn of events. In fact I found everything entertaining up to that point. The ending however was way to predictable for me. I believe a lot of people will truly like the “true love” endearing but for me, it was a bit dull.

Disappointing...

As a big fan of Emily Giffin’s earlier works (such as Something Borrowed and Something Blue), I went in to this one expecting a great read & what I got was a ridiculous plot, badly written characters, and badly written dialogue. I think Giffin should go back to writing modern romance...

The Lies That Bind tells the story of Cecily and her "love triangle" with Matthew and Grant. However, this is not your typical love story. It is based in 2001 in New York City, so it definitely contains some unexpected twists and turns. Cecily, in my opinion, was a relatable character who found herself in tense, difficult situations. I can appreciate a book that lets me think I have it figured out, then change the narrative. I enjoyed it.

I really loved this book! I feel like the author did research to make the story feel authentic & honor the people of NYC who survived 9/11. Definitely recommend!