Member Reviews

Okay, so I'm going to into this saying that I have loved all of Emily Giffin's previous books. I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. Like flew through it. Stayed up much later than I should have. I was so excited to finish it. And then I found out the role that 9/11 actually plays in The Lies That Bind and I was pretty appalled. I finished it, but I'm still a little shocked at the way September 11th was used in the story.

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I like reading Emily Giffin and her books are always entertaining. This is a fun summer read. The beginning hooked me right away. I was a little disappointed with the end. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend to someone needing an escape.

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Emily Giffin has done it again with The Lies that Bind. It’s not exactly a light beach read, as the topic gets a little heavy at points. But, it’s an easy read with a flowing story line.

The Lies That Bind takes you back to 9/11, but in a completely different way than you’d ever expect. Giffin expertly weaves a handful of characters together in such unpredictable ways, that you won’t want to stop turning the pages until you reach the end.

As always, there us nothing particularly fancy about Giffin’s words. Which is why we all enjoy her writing so much, I think. She develops her characters and stories so well I could actually see this story in my mind.

The Lies That Bind is part love story, part mystery, part coming-of-age. You won’t guess what’s about to happen and you won’t be disappointed!

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I have long been a fan of Emily Giffin, but the last few books of hers seemed to stray from the themes that made her books popular. She brings the same magic of Something Borrowed back in this book. The Lies that Bind is a beautiful character study, with a somewhat meandering plot. Cecily is a young woman who seems to jump from one bad idea to the next, but what this book perfectly illustrates is how one small lie, or omission, can snowball into an avalanche of trouble. I enjoyed the growth of all the characters, and I'm never mad at a HEA ending.

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Long time Emily Giffin fan here and The Lies that Bind was everything!! This has been my favorite read of hers since Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I'm usually a slower reader and I flew through this one, could not put it down with so many addicting twists and turns. This book had a little bit of everything from drama, mystery, and heartbreak, to friendship and romance. I loved the main character, Cecily, and while I didn't agree with all of her decisions, I found her to be very relatable. I loved the Easter Eggs we got with characters from previous books. To avoid spoilers I won't say who, but I love how Emily ties characters from her books together. We need a chart to see how they're all related! I highly recommend you pick this one up in a few weeks when it releases!

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Emily Giffin books always give me lots to think about after I'm finished. The Lies That Bind is set in NYC in the fall of 2011, so of course the Tower attacks would have some affect on the story. A young woman with grand plans finds herself alone and lonely after moving to NYC. Her life is stalled with no change in sight when she meets a man in a bar who shakes up her routine and makes her feel as if the future will be bright. But fate seldom keeps a rosy outlook so when the young man disappears after 9/11, the story takes on a darker tone. A good story of a young woman and her journey to and through discovering the strength of her own convictions. Definitely worth a read.

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This is the second book I've read of Emily's and I couldn't read it fast enough!! I loved her main character Cecily and did not want to let her go. She could have gone one of two ways to end it -- I think she should write the second ending so we could have seen what that looked like!!

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This is a really cute read. As story about love, lies, resilience. A definite recommend for any Emily Giffin fan

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In the past, I have adored this author and was excited to have the chance to read and review her new book. Unfortunately, I was mostly disappointed with it. It starts out entertaining with sections throughout that were good but mostly, I found the characters shallow and the plot unbelievable. Then to add in the 9/11 horror as part of the story, was just too much.
Definitely not her best.
#TheLiesThatBind #Netgalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup #Ballantine
2.5/5

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I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I am a huge Emily Giffin fan and have read all of her novels. I know I will be in the minority from reading a bunch of other reviews but I really liked this story. Is it a sensitive subject? Certainly-so should there be a bit of a head's up about the subject before someone reads it? Yes. With that being said, I really liked and I hope that readers give it a chance and decide for themselves.

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Cecily is like any young 20-something--moved from a small town in Wisconsin to New York City in pursuit of a high-profile career as a journalist and looking for her great love story. In 2001, she's working at a small paper and just broken up with her long-term boyfriend. In an effort to avoid calling him, she ventures out to her neighborhood bar at midnight, where she meets a stranger she is instantly connected to. A deep connection is formed between the two in a matter of weeks, but when Grant disappears on the morning of September 11, her world, and life, is forever changed. Giffin's character and story development, as always, are engaging and intriguing. She draws the reader into Cecily's world after 9/11, as she pursues love and friendship, and the questions of what loyalty really means. This might be my new favorite Emily Giffin book-- I read this book in 24 hours and couldn't put it down,

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I like books by this author, but this was not one of my favorites. I felt there were too many unbelievable coincidences and the main character was likable but not necessarily lovable - too many secrets.

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In The Lies That Bind a young woman, recently single meets a man in a bar. This seems like it will be a pretty straight forward, familiar story, but it is not. Secrets and lies take center stage. However, if not for a stream of unlikely coincidences the story would have stalled. It became unbelievable.

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I found Giffin’s new book very predictable and while entertaining at times, not particularly likable. With a strong start, it looked like this was going to be another great book from Giffin .... but, unfortunately, that was not the case. The second half of the book had me shaking my head and asking “really”? With some very unlikable characters and a plot that might have you scratching your head and rolling your eyes, we finally reach the totally unbelievable ending.

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I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I felt like this was repetitive; and the main character seemed weak. She also seemed to hop back and forth to whatever guy was available to her. Kind of a disappointment.

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This wasnt the best book I’ve read by thus author, and I’ve read nearly everything she’s written. I hate to say that I think her books have declined in quality or likability over the years with the exception of the last one. This one seemed to coincidental and not believable.

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I am going to apologize to all you book lovers right this very minute. I read this as an ARC, and so I did not deplete my book-buying budget on this hot mess.

The authors' audacity in using 9/11 as a back-drop for this so-called romance was absurd and hurtful to those born before, say the year 1990. This book may be appropriate for teenagers, but this idea was atrocious for anyone that was an adult that year. Yes, the characters were young, but the buying market still relies on those with the most cash, does it not? I am thoroughly insulted by this usage of a tragedy to push product.

The characters were one-dimensional, did not grow, and had no meaningful relationships to add insult to injury. What links they did have, seemed to be tossed together at the writers' whim and didn't mesh. Cecily just seemed to 'bang' anything that was handy and called it love.

The ending? Trite, cliched, and thrown together just so there could be a HEA.

My apologies to the publisher, but I can't give you anything less than honesty

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I anxiously await the next book written by Emily Giffin. The Lies That Bind will have you questioning yourself what you would do in a similar situation. The book takes the reader back to 9/11. Some readers may not like this, but I feel that EmilyGiffin captures real emotions of that time period.

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Fans of Emily Giffin will enjoy her latest book The Lies That Bind. An entertaining read with a surprise visit from some fan favorites Rachel, Ethan and Darcy. Her latest novel is reminiscent of her earlier works and will be sure to leave fans nostalgic.

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Thank you to netgalley.com and Ballantine Books for the early release copy. I’m enjoyed reading a novel that takes place in 2001 as a break from these times, though a story set in NYC in 2001 has its own national crisis in store for these characters. It’s was a compelling read with shades of gray for the characters that I appreciated. Fans of Something Borrowed and Something Blue will love some guest appearances!

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