Is it possible to NOT finish a Giffin novel in a day? That has never been my experience!! This book has so many twists and turns and a redemptive ending. It’s very hard to achieve both of those things and Giffin has. The ending fizzled a little bit for me but that may be because it was past midnight and I was speed reading! Overall great read!

The Lies That Bind
Emily Griffin

This was a wonderful love story with some twists and unexpected surprises set in the backdrop of 9/11. It is everything you come to expect from our well loved Emily Griffin - found this read to be emotional, compelling and truly a page turner - I just cannot stop when I started this to learn what would happen next. I enjoyed this as a fun escape read that I enjoyed especially with some cameo from Griffin's earlier novels. This was definitely a heartfelt read for me and I did enjoy reading this book a lot.

4.5 stars!!! True Emily Giffin! Loved, loved, loved!

I think this is probably the only author whose books I’ve managed to read every single one of over the years. She is one hundred percent a favorite, go-to author for unputdownable reading and this one was no exception! In fact, this book had a few cameos that longtime fans will appreciate! (Talking to you, Something Borrowed and Something Blue fans!!)

I’ve seen comments that expressed dissatisfaction with this book having 9/11 content, but as someone who was at an age to remember exactly where I was and why I felt, I thought Giffin nailed it and was definitely sensitive regarding this issue.

My only issue with the book is it got a little whack a doodle/crazy in the end when it was wrapping up, like full on soap opera style, but that did not keep me from loving it.

I highly recommend picking this one up for your next good read and also recommend it for a fantastic book club discussion!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance reading copy in exchange for honest thoughts!

The Lies That Bind opens with Cecily, fresh off a break-up, at a bar in 2001. She's in her late 20's and about to call her ex when a boy comes up from behind her and tells her not to call him. She and this guy start up a conversation in the early hours of the morning and the beginning of... something happens. This guy, Grant, is apparently someone Cecily connects with immediately and trusts, even with no (or sketchy) information.

The story goes on to tell Cecily and Grant's story as well as the story with Cecily's ex, Matthew (in the present). Obviously once the setting was determined to be the summer in New York in 2001, you know that 9/11 is going to factor into this story as well. Without giving anything away, it does, but not necessarily in the way you would expect.

I enjoyed the story and I wanted to keep reading, but looking back on the book, I find a lot of flaws. First, a 20-something girl should not trust a stranger as much as Cecily trusted Grant. There are a lot of lies (hence the title) and a lot of deceptions, which made it hard to like any character in the book. Cecily's naivete bothered me a bit as well. But it was well-written and intriguing, just hard to love the ending.

This story was very hard to get into. I can usually deal with unlikable characters; however, these characters were entirely too much. I wasn’t really sold on the story and didn’t care for having 9/11 as a backdrop.

Thank you @netgalley and @ballantinebooks for my gifted copy #partner

I am a big fan of Emily Giffin. This book was good but there were parts of the book that seemed pretty far fetched. There were some twists that would catch your attention. I finished it in one night.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

There are so many deceptions in this book that I almost do not know to begin. Twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner, who has just broken up with her long-time boyfriend, meets Grant in a bar, and they immediately hit it off. Things are so good that neither can believing what is happening, and they speed along quickly. Then the tragedy of 9/11 happens, and Grant is one of the many victims. Cecily, a reporter, sets out to interview friends and family and witnesses of the tragedy, while looking for Grant or any word of him. She finally comes upon a poster with his image, posted by his wife Amy. Initially, she is shocked to learn he is/was married. However, curiosity drives her to visit Amy to talk about Grant—never letting on that she had been having an affair with the woman’s now dead husband. About the same time, Cecily also reconciles with her ex, and they resume their relationship. Things once again speed along quickly and, before Cecily or her ex know it, they are engaged and preparing for a wedding. However, secrets keep cropping up that only complicate matters more and more until they almost consume and overwhelm Cecily and everyone else in the story.

This is a strange book, with a strange, convoluted web of intrigue that envelops the reader almost from the get-go. I liked the main characters, all except Amy, who cam across as distant and condescending. Cecily and her fiancé seemed sincere, though I faulted Cecily for holding back the truth so much, until it reached the point where she no longer could. Her fiancé, though a bit overbearing and controlling, seemed the better and more logical of the two. Cecily had two friends in the story, who played important roles of being her sounding board and providing advice when needed or sought. I fount her gay friend Scott a bit too much, but he did keep her grounded. He really intruded into Cecily’s life and thoughts more than I though was realistic. I thought her other friend was a bit more realistic a friend. As I said earlier, the story is built on deceptions, deceptions, and more deceptions, each more compounding and confusing than the one before. The story is an interesting one and brought home the way lies can build up until they take over. I am not sure what genre I would place this book in as it fits several (e.g. mystery, romance, etc.), but not one specifically. Still, the story is well done and flows nicely, so reads easily. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I've enjoyed Emily Giffin's books previously, but this one just didn't do it for me. I thought the use of 9/11 as a plot device was insensitively done, but I'm not against using it at all, just the way it was done in this book. I actually would like to read a book allowing us to see what it was like for families dealing with the after affects of 9/11 and I think there are several strong women's writers that would do an excellent job of it.

I read this book weeks ago, and I can barely remember the plot. All in all, just "meh".

One of my favorite books she has written! Absolutely beautiful story and really tugs at your heart. You will fall in love with the characters and not be able to put it down.

I just loved this book! I love how I can lose myself in Emily Giffin's books. Women Fiction is one of my favorite genre and she is also one of the reasons why. They need to make another movie based off her books again!

The story of jilted Cecily and her new boyfriend Grant is tragic, but I just didn’t feel it because the plot and characters were under-developed and one dimensional. When Cecily meets Grant at a bar, I expected a love story to begin. Instead, the author used the tragedy of 9-11 to end their affair. I hated the way that Emily Griffin used this devastating American tragedy as a gray backdrop in Cecily’s life. There may or may not have been outright lies in the relationship, but there was definitely an omission of truth-telling, so the reader understand that the relationship may not work, even before the tragedy occurs. With themes of loyalty, honesty and communication, the author tried to create a sympathetic heroine, but I think that she fell short. I have read this author’s books before and really enjoyed them, but this one just didn’t touch my heart and I kept putting the book down and almost had to force myself to continue to read it. The plot seemed to be derailed at times, making the story confusing and the characters remained a mystery throughout. I was not entertained by the book but it did make me think at times about how well I know those around me. Fans of fiction and this author may enjoy this book, but it is not her best effort, in my opinion.
Disclaimer
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Such a great tale of love, lies, and deception. Emily Giffin is a matter of crafting a page turner with depth.

I only discovered Emily Giffin a few years ago, and I am a huge fan. The Lies That Bind is a great addition to my "recommends" pile, and I'd love to host her at my Salt Marsh Author Series.

Cecily sits in a late-night bar, thinking about the unlikelihood of achieving fame and fortune in the world of journalism, and stressing on the breakup with her long term boyfriend. As she reaches for a phone to call him, she hears the guy on the next barstool say, “Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” She puts down the phone, and they start to talk, and they talk until morning. She knows rebounds are dangerous, but she decides to follow her heart -- and this amazing connection.

Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. When a distraught Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, she realizes she is not the only one searching for him and, as she searches for answers, the questions pile up. Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?

The Lies That Bind is an emotionally resonant exploration of the human heart. Highly recommended.

I loved this book so much I read it in a few hours. I lived right across from NYC when 9/11 happened so I enjoyed reading a story from that time period. I won’t spoil the ending but I’ll say that it was what I was hoping for. Enjoy reading this book!

Just wrong. The book was disrespectful of an event that affected us all. I really can't discuss the book without ruining the entire plot, but this book was so predictable. There is nothing redeeming about the characters are all. . Overall, I would not recommend this book. Thank you as always to the publisher for the ARC, these honest opinions are my own. I was set to like this book because I like Emily Griffin but just too political.

Emily Giffin is an author that I have been curious about and wanted to read at least one of her books. After reading some of this one, I actually did remember way back when I did read another one of her books – Something Borrowed. At the time of reading that book, I actually wasn’t a fan of the storyline and did not continue the series.

I’m going to start off by saying this book was not for me…

For over a third of the beginning, the protagonist Cecily describes her feelings toward her ex-boyfriend and then her infatuation with a new boyfriend. I’m sorry to say that this type of plot point is very tedious to read for me. Not only does it portray Cecily as naive and immature, but also unlikable (at least for me). Considering she’s almost thirty, it made the bouncing back-and-forth between the two men (throughout the book) disappointing and not pleasant to read.

Then, there’s a brief moment where September 11 is brought into the story. This, I thought, would create an interesting and exciting plot point in the story. Unfortunately, it was just a device to get Cecily to meet someone to begin the cycle of lies that surround this character, and to make Grant disappear. Therefore, it was a part of the story that I became less invested in once I realized what it was being used for. In general, I thought 9/11 in the book was used in a disrespectful way, especially to those who were truly affected by this tragedy.

Afterwards, when lies surface, as they usually do, the pace did pick up some. Throughout most of the book, I was just waiting until all the lies would come out and for those who needed to know the truth finally did. However, the thrill of people knowing the truth evaporated as the ending was coming to a close and left me feeling unsatisfied. I did not agree with Cecily’s choice and frankly it just seemed unrealistic.

Overall, though I can see others enjoying this read as a romance/”chick lit,” I can safely say that these types of stories aren’t for me. As I had also read Something Borrowed from Emily Giffin and remember having similar feelings, I do not plan on reading more from this author. I’m not sure who to recommend this to. Perhaps those who would like to read a romance/love triangle and don’t mind the protagonist being naive in her decision-making would enjoy this read.

Thank you to the NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Lies That Bind. My opinions are my own.

Cecily and her long term boyfriend just broke up. Instead of staying home wallowing in self pity, she decides to go out to the bar. As she’s trying to convince herself to not call him, she’s interrupted by a stranger, Grant. Her and Grant form a connection right away, and decide they want to explore it more. Even though Grant is moving to London in the fall. When he returns, the world is turned upside down when 9/11 happens. Cecily is determined to find Grant after he goes missing. Along the way she finds way more secrets than she bargained for.

Emily Giffin is an auto buy author for me, so I was so excited to read her newest book. I flew through this book, I didn’t want to put it down. I was so memorized by all the twists and turns in this book. I did not expect all the twists, but I loved it! I thought this would be a straightforward love story, but I was pleasantly surprised by the curveball that was thrown. This book is told from Cecily’s POV. I loved her character and felt connected to the story. I would recommend this one if you’re looking for a quick read!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book from Emily Giffin. I’ve read other books by this author this one was just as good as those. I really enjoyed the story and the characters were well thought out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The Lies that Bind follows the story of Cecily who is mending a broken heart when she meets a man that seems too good to be true. Life happens and their romance is put on hold... and then September 11th happens. Cecily is deeply affected by September 11th and is dealing with the loss of her love... along with several new revelations.

This was a page turner and I literally gasped out loud at one surprising turn!

I loved this book! So much so that I read it in 24 hours. It was a great story, with well written and thought out characters. I am so grateful to have been given a review copy. I will write a more in depth review soon.