I had a hard time loving this whole book. There were pieces of it I couldn't stop reading, but then there were parts I didn't care for. This book follows Cecily, a young reporter in NYC who is unsatisfied with her life. She just broke up with the man she thought she would marry and is having a hard time moving on. That is until the night she decides to go to the bar and meets Grant, a man of mystery as they don't even share their names with each other until the morning. Cecily becomes enthralled with Grant, someone she desperately wants to get to know, but Grant keeps her at arms length often referring to them as just friends. It isn't until 9/11 that Cecily's life will change forever.

Having read this, I found it hard to like the main character Cecily. I was able to tell that she was not making informative decisions and wrapped herself into so many bad decisions. Some of her emotions seems forced or unrealistic. If you try this book, give it a chance until 9/11 happens. The beginning is slow, but the plot will pick up after 9/11.

I was excited to see that Emily Giffin has a new book coming out and couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy! But wow, this book was sad and depressing. I love the idea of finding a love interest in a totally random encounter, but then possibly losing that same person during 9/11 was so sad. I felt bad for Cecily, but never really cared for her throughout any of the book. I also thought that some of the connections between the characters were a tad far-fetched. Although, this wasn't my favorite EG book, I do like her books! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for a digital arc of this title!

There is so much about this book that I wanted to love but in the end I only liked it. The premise was shaky to begin with but I bought in however - I couldn't buy into the characters the way that I normally do with an Emily Giffin book.

Totally think that there was too much going on and that the people in the book were not likable, I gave it three stars because there were some parts that I loved and that gave me hope for the rest of the book - alas - not to be.

I looked forward to reading this book, but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I have read most of Emily Giffin’s work and have enjoyed it but this book was clearly following a formula and was very predictable. There were no surprises, no suspense, really no thought required. I might borrow a copy but would not spend money on it.

I was very much looking forward to reading another of Emily Griffin’s books because she’s on of my favorite authors. But when it got to the 9/11 part I started to worry.

Cecily is a journalist working for a newspaper receiving assignments with no real teeth. She’s just broken up with her boyfriend and she’s examining her life in a dive bar where she meets Grant. She starts a relationship with him that was just weird. 9/11 happens and she sees his face in a poster and eventually calls the number and learns he’s presumed dead.

Although she feels no sense of closure, she goes back to her former boyfriend and starts planning to marry him. But she can’t keep what she knows inside and eventually comes clean to her fiancé. This spoils their relationship again.

I like the way the book ended which made me happy.

Cecily walks into a bar and the first song she hears is Thank you by Dido. This is the perfect song, because I want to personally thank Emily Giffin for this gift of this book. Heartfelt, emotional, gut wrenching and beautiful, this book just blew me away.
Emily Giffin, is like comfort food on the pages of a book. Everything I read by her, especially this, I just fly through desperate to know what is going on with each of the characters. Giffin also perfectly sets the scene of 2001 with just a few sentences. She drops some pop culture with the mention of Will and Grace, Friends, Survivor, Sopranos, Juicy Couture and Steve Madden platform slides! She brilliantly set the scene so quickly for what life was like at that time, for Cecily, who is a 28-year-old New York transplant from Wisconsin. She came with bright eyes and big dreams for her journalism career, but between her job at third rate newspaper and her love life, she is beginning to feel disillusioned. Cecily, fresh off a breakup from her ex-boyfriend Matthew takes a lonely walk in the middle of New York City at 2:00am and finds herself in a dark bar. In a desperate moment she asks the bartender to borrow the phone to call her ex, but then she hears a voice that tells her not to. Just by listening to that voice her world is turned on its axis. She, unexpectedly falls hard and fast for the elusive Grant, who disappears after 9/11. She is desperate to find him, but it seems someone else is desperate to find him as well. This story asks us do you follow your heart and your gut, or do you follow the expected path?
With 9/11 playing such a pivotal role in this story Giffin writes with such clarity of what the country was like the day of 9/11 and post 9/11.The city and the country were forever changed. There was never a greater feeling of patriotic loyalty and you can feel that in this book. The world changed that day and there was bravery throughout the entire country, but Cecily must look inside and decide if she is going to be brave within her own life. Sometimes you must decide if you are brave enough to listen to your heart and have your path veer off the expected course into unchartered territory. This story is about forgiveness, responsibility, heartache, but also passion, community, and love. Emily Giffin just gets it right with this book and sometimes the greatest gift in life is listening to your heart over your head.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Randomhouse#ballantine for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one morning. It’s quite a short read, and typically Emily Giffin. The reviews, however, are all over the place, some for her posts on her Instagram page which I knew nothing about until I started to look at the reviews after I’d finished the book, and some very critical of her using 9/11 as part of the storyline. So I’m going to keep my review to the story.

I enjoyed the book and the characters. I felt they were believable, except for Amy. She was too cold and unfeeling fir me, and her reaction at the end was a bit sociopathic to me. But I like Cecily, the heroine. Cecily is from Wisconsin and is a reporter for a third rate newspaper in 2001. She’s just broken up with her boyfriend of 3 years, a born and bred New Yorker who summers in the Hamptons and wears Hermès ties. She meets a guy in a bar and it’s instant chemistry. Not going to spoil anything, then 9/11 happens.

I think Cecily’s internal struggles with everything, with the lies, the unknown, the latching on to what in her mind is probably the best option, is very honest and realistic. I’m sure most of us have had these internal struggles whether with a love interest, a friendship, or even a job. These are natural feelings, and Cecily struggled with them throughout the book.

There are lots of twists, then ending was not what I expected. It would be a great beach or pool read.

1.5. It's a rare rating for me, but this book is problematic. Giffin makes gratuitous use of the tragedy of 9/11 for her personal gain, and it is entirely inappropriate. She also somehow manages to create characters that are both hollow and unappealing, and the plot is nonsensical (especially after the halfway point of the novel).

Between this book and her Meghan Markle comments, I don't think I'll be reading anything else Giffin writes (or has written).

I’m always excited to read an Emily Giffin book so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her newest novel. She has a way of writing that keeps me wanting to pick up the book and delve into the characters lives. I started to get a little disappointed in how the ending was headed and wished Grant’s character had developed a little more. The end also felt a little rushed, but I wasn’t overall upset with the way it ended. I really enjoyed this book and think it’s going to be a summer and fall hit! It’s perfect for a beach read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I couldn’t wait to finish because I thought I had figured out the ending. NOT! The Lies That Bind is a fitting title for this story of how not to have a committed relationship. I hate to give anything away, so I’ll just say that whether intentional or omitted, lies will never make your life complete. Great story that flowed easily. The NYC/9/11, setting worked well for me, and I think the author handled that aspect fine. I wanted to give 5 stars, but a few things seemed a bit too far fetched for me. All in all, another satisfying Emily Giffin work.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

As much as I appreciate the netgalley approval for The Lies That Bind, I am not going to read it. I just don’t think I can read objectively and write a fair review after her Instagram drama a couple of weeks ago. I hate feeling that way and really wanted to do a good job, but am afraid it's going to affect my opinion and that’s not fair to the publisher or the author.

I was looking for a breezy summer read that’s fast paced and holds my attention. Griffin delivers with The Lies that Bind, an intricately woven drama that was difficult to put down.

I am not sure how to properly review this book. It could have been a good read. The characters somewhat realistic and flawed, good writing and I tend to really like the author. What I didn’t expect was the gratuitous use of 9/11 and how offensive I would find it. I did know from the editors blurb that it was a part of the story, but the flagrant use of it was terribly off-putting and disrespectful in my opinion. I don’t understand how anyone from the author to the editor and everyone in between thought this was a good idea. Maybe it is too soon, but I cannot imagine that there ever will be an appropriate time to “use” the heinous tragedy in such a way. Maybe its because I am a born and bred New Yorker who remembers everything about that time like it was yesterday second by second, or that reading this when were all dealing with a global pandemic that caused such horror everywhere, particularly in NY that is making it worse for me, but this was not an easy read. I cannot recommend or not recommend, but only let you know what is coming. 9/11 is truly the main character and should not have been. With almost any other backdrop, one not so real and still so fresh I would probably have enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

Having read other books by the author, I came in thinking it would be a fun read. However, I was throughly disappointed with the "coincidences" as well as overall plot of the novel. The characters were also not relatable and things seemed a little far fetched.

I was drawn in to this book right away. It kept me guessing right until the very end. I was happy she got back with her ex but then disappointed.

I feel like I can relate to the 1 star and the 5 star reviews... so I give it a solid 3. I didn’t love the book and I hated the email exchanges because it felt like such a space taker upper. Some of the plots were way too convenient. But I didn’t hate the book. The ending semi-made sense and I kind of like how the story was wrapped up. So a solid 3 stars it is! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review -
I absolutely devoured this book -
Cecily, a reporter has broken up with her boyfriend. She goes to the bar and drinking her drink decides to call him when a voice behind her says - Don't do it!
Thus begins the romance between Cecily and Grant. Things don't seem to add up with Grant but Cecily can't seem to forget him.
Then 9/11 happens and she sees posters of a missing Grant. She uses her investigative skills to try and find Grant and with each tidbit she finds there are more questions than answers.
Will love conquer all?

I'm going to be honest, I'm kind of struggling on how to properly review this book. I recently discoverd comments the author made and I don't agree with them. I can usually separate the author from their work, but with this I couldn't. I will not be reading anything from the author again. I do want to say a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the review copy.

I don't like giving bad reviews on books, because I know writers out a lot of effort into their works and what works for one reader doesn't always work for another. That being said, this book just did not work for me.

I was looking for a fun easy read. I didn't get it with this book. The obsessive name dropping of products, actors, and TV shows was over the top. The characters were not likable and everything was just so predictable. It seemed to me that the author was just checking boxes, girl breaks up with guy, girl meets new guy, girl thinks she is in love. But then the author took a step that almost made me throw my book... 9/11 for me is just not a time or place to set a story, unless you are telling a non fiction story about that period in time.
2⭐

Thank you to Random Hose, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars.

This book both worked and didn’t work for me.

What I liked -
I really enjoyed Cecily’s character. She was interesting and I enjoyed the storyline. This is one of those books that I really read quickly because I had to know what was going to happen. This book was actually reminiscent of Giffin’s earlier books which I preferred to her more recent work.

What didn’t work -
This book was a bit far-fetched. There was definitely one too many coincidences. Secondly, while I was not personally offended, I can see that many people would not appreciate the use of 9/11 in the plot.

Overall I enjoyed this book, not her best work, but not her worst either.