Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Emily Giffin’s latest novel, The Lies that Bind, in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner is a mid-west transplant trying to create a life as a journalist in New York City. Ready to take the next step with her long-time boyfriend Matthew, she break-ups with him, when he doesn’t want a bigger commitment.

Distraught, she heads to a bar to drink, and consider if she has made a grave mistake. At the bar, she is about to call Matthew and ask him to take her back, when Grant steps into her life. Grant is charming and Cecily feels an instant attract to him. She quickly forgets Matthew and begins a whirlwind romance with Grant, including flying to London with her best friend Scottie, to see Grant, who has taken his twin brother to London for ALS treatment.

A few months into their romance, September 11th happens and Grant, who works for a financial firm in the World Trade Center, is presumed dead. Cecily realizes that she didn’t know very much about Grant, including his last name. While reporting on the terrorist attacks, Cecily encounters a sign with Grant’s picture as a missing person. She calls the number and speaks with Amy, Grant’s wife. Shocked by this discovery, Cecily becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery of Grant’s life, and in the process, becomes friends with Amy, who doesn’t know about her husband’s infidelity.

I’m a fan of Giffin, and I was very excited to read her latest novel. It has been nearly twenty years since the September 11th terrorist attacks and I remember the day clearly. I was just a few years younger than Cecily, and although I was living in California, I had many friends in NYC. I can’t recall reading another novel that uses 9/11 as a central aspect of the plot. It was strange to realize, with the technology and cultural references, how much time has passed, but to still have this day so etched in my memory. Giffin does a great job writing the uncertainty and fear surrounding that day and its impact. It’s unsettling to read and dredged up memories.

As a contrast, I experienced joy reading the chapters detailing Cecily and Scottie’s trip to London. London and NYC are two of my favorite place. Cecily and Scottie have a wonderful friendship, the kind of support and love that everyone should have in their lives.

The Lies that Bind becomes increasingly more complicated from the lies that are created after Cecily learns of Grant’s infidelity. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but quite a web of deceit is woven, and even though the lies are due to generally good intentions, they quickly spiral out of control. Coming clean becomes increasingly difficult.

I didn’t feel Cecily’s attraction to Grant, especially when he seemed to be giving her mixed messages. It was the same with her relationship with Matthew. Cecily is a doormat for a majority of the story. I believe this is to set her up for making the transition towards realizing her own strength and independence later in the story, but this revelation happens really late. For a majority of The Lies that Bind, Cecily is a weak character, and it made it difficult for me to connect with her. I felt sad for Cecily.

The Lies That Bind has an intriguing premise and it’s a fast read. I don’t think it’s Giffin’s best novel, but if you’re a fan of her writing, you should absolutely add this to your bookshelf.

This one was kind of hard for me. I really enjoyed many of Emily Giffins previous works, but this one fell a little bit flat for me. I didn’t feel like it was necessary to drag 9/11 into the story- a fictional event would have sufficed just fine. It seems a little callous to use such a tragic event as the backdrop for entertainment. I also had a little trouble with the ending- I don’t feel like Grant’s reasons and actions really aligned. All in all entertaining enough, but definitely not her nest work.

This book was a hot mess and I couldn’t put it down.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cecily is sitting at a bar one night, trying to not call her ex, Matthew. A man comes over and tells her not to call him, then buys her a drink. He, Grant, goes home with her but literally just stays and cuddles her. They connect again a few days later and begin falling in love. But then 9/11 happens and he is presumed dead.
Cecily learns during that time that he had secrets she didn't know. She makes it a mission to find more about him and discovers serious secrets which show she didn't know him at all. During her mission, she reconnects with her ex but Grant's secrets come back and shatter everything Cecily knew.

I know many didn't like the 9/11 aspect and I can understand why but the book was still dramatic, page-turning and I really enjoyed the soap opera.

Ever since Something Borrowed I have counted the moments when I can savor a new Emily Giffin novel. She has a way of making her characters your trusted friends. As an Emily Giffin OG (original fan ;)) I could appreciated the subtle nods to the Something Borrowed world. Now if we can just get her to write that royal wedding novel we've all been waiting for.

2001. Most people remember that year. Cecily's 3 yr relationship ends in the spring, summer she finds herself in love with a man with secrets, then 9/11 happens. Twists and turns in relationships, lies, secrets, etc. I enjoyed the read, but found both relationships unconvincing and shallow.

A story of trust, love, and loss, ....

Cecily’s character is easy to like and someone I’d be friends with. She certainly gets herself into a heap of trust issues in the most innocent of ways. This propelled the plot, as the consequences of her actions keep it going. The vibe throughout the story is sarcastic and witty, which I can appreciate. A light-hearted read with some serious, if not predictable, plot twists that I did enjoy reading.

What I liked most about this book was that it was set in the early 2000s, it was a nostalgic read in that sense for me.
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I always enjoy Emily Giffin's writing and I did like this book. I appreciated the way the characters handled adversity and the integrity that most of them had. I wouldn’t change the ending, but it left me thinking “well...”
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Bottom line: quick and entertaining read. Like not love.

I read this book in one night. I started it last night and fell asleep reading only to wake back up at 4 am unable to go back to sleep until I read more.

Emily has this knack of making some flawed characters likable (Cecily, Grant).

This book kept me guessing the whole way through. This was a poignant backdrop for the events of this book made me reminisce the good and bad of this time period.

This book is written very flawlessly as per usual with the Emily Giffin books in which all of a sudden you have realized you are very invested in the story and it has just taken off. I LOVED the concept of fell in love with a complete stranger, I am not even mad about the 9/11 tragedy, it just gets sort of lost AFTER the tragedy for me. It shows the main character being absolutely crazy befriending someone, making up this fake life/story and it just stopped working for me. I will absolutely pick up the next book by this author this one just didn't do it for me.

Honestly, this novel is a conflicting read for me. I know this is a work of fiction, but events of 9/11 were descriptive and I skipped through most parts. This was an entertaining read, but unfortunately not the author’s best! I loved Cecily but never cared for the other characters. Ok-ish story. Read at your own peril!!

Thank you Netgalley, Ballantine/Random House pub and Emily Griffin for the ARC. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way!

The Lies That Bind was a heartbreaking tale that gave you all the emotions. I swooned, felt the grief of 9/11, felt the anger, pride for moving on, along with so many other emotions.

I really wanted to like this book as I think that Emily Griffin usually puts a dilemma in her novels that she expands to include all the possible aspects of dealing with it. Unfortunately, this didn't happen in The Lies that Bind.

I should have stopped reading when Cecily headed to a bar and met "the perfect stranger" - and then brought him to her home for an evening of wild sex. So many red flags went up in my mind, which being from the Midwest and tending to be more trusting than a younger, savvier, NYC resident, that I just couldn't believe there could be a real plot. As Cecily and Grant continued their "relationship" - which was totally controlled by Grant - and even introduced him to her ex and her best friend (who both had sense enough to dis him and point out his major FLAWS) - I grew even more disappointed in the book. These people were unbelievably shallow and one dimensional - did these type of people really exist in the world?

I do think that the author eloquently put into words the horror, grief, fear and the tragedy that we all saw glued to our TVs on 9/11. However, the poster with Grant's picture and Cecily's ensuing pursuit of his life, really put this over the top. I won't go on to describe the rest of the story; suffice it to say that this book was overly filled with weak characters, melodramatic and unrealistic twists and turns and unbelievable coincidences.

I'm sorry to give such a negative review of a book which was given to me by NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest opinion, but I must state the truth .

I have not read Emily Griffin before, and I probably won't gravitate towards her moving forward.
None of the characters are remotely likable. Their "problems" are very trite and shallow. This is issue one and hard to get past honestly. Throw in 9/11 and a ridiculous plot twist that almost mocks what happened on 9/11, and I almost stopped reading entirely.
It was a fast read but maybe because I just wanted it to be over.
Throw in what I know now about Ms. Griffin and her mean girl nature on social media - big, huge, nope.

I have very mixed feelings for this one. I was so engaged in the story and wanted to know how it played out.

However, about 80% in, I saw some reviews where other readers were actually angry with Emily Giffin and the twist and ended up DNF-ing. I was not angry, but, I did think this was a very cheap twist and did feel offended for people actually affected by this horrendous tragedy. The main character is also extremely unlikable, but that is not the author's intent so it it difficult to have empathy for her.

Thank you for my advanced copy.

Love. Heartbreak. and some modern woman energy. It was a very easy story to read, flowed naturally and had me wanting to continue reading without putting it down. However, the story was very predictable, and what was supposed to be a big twist was not much of a shock. I was intrigued enough to keep reading but at the end of the book I was left unsatisfied.

Cecily did what everyone wants to do out of college; move to NYC to jumpstart a successful career, find passionate love, and have spontaneous adventures (in a tiny studio apartment that costs an arm and leg). She thought she had found that love until the commitment issues surfaced, which led to an attractive stranger sleeping in Cecily's bed after a trip to the bar trying to get over the failed relationship. That night sparks a budding relationship with a mysterious man, Grant, that has us asking the question of how quickly can one really fall in love. Everything takes a turn when Grant seemingly dies in the towers on 9/11.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

BOOK REVIEW: The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin

Genre: Fiction

With a touch of thriller-esque/romance vibe from an Author I Already Love via All We Ever Wanted.

A chance encounter turns into a romance that becomes an investigative mystery when the events of 9/11 results in a disappearance…

With a revolving door of newly emerging connecting circumstances and the murkiness that separating fact from fiction can have with the feelings of the heart.

It is a journey filled with emotional struggle between familiar comforts and authentic truths that will constantly test our lead character and everyone else around her as to who they really are and what they value most.

You know that saying… “Two steps forward and one step back”?

Perfect analogy for this story!

Emily Giffin writes strong female characters without fear of exploring their strengths and their weaknesses. And her commitment to her character’s approach in fully committing to overcoming obstacles — whether win or lose — continues within this book.

The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin
2020 Book Release | June

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my video tutorials for DIY home ideas inspired by recommended books to support you in bringing your favorite books to life in your life and home.

You can see my full review for The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/books-to-read-next-characters-who-overcome-obstacles


✨😎✨A big thank you to Emily Giffin, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

In all my years that I’ve spent reading, I’ve yet to come across a bad Emily Giffin book, and with good reason. Emily Giffin is one of the best, most effortless writers that I’ve come across. That law school education came through with her writing!

This book is no different. It had me hooked from the beginning, constantly turning the pages to see where the story would go. Spoiler alert but I didn’t catch on to the fact that this book was a slight continuation of Something Borrowed. I was so engrossed with Cecily’s story that that completely went over my head.

This book follows the story of Cecily, a writer who moved to New York to expand her career and gain new life experiences. The book reminded me a little bit of Sex and The City–The book opens with us going through heartbreak with Cecily and observing her meet a new guy at a bar one night. Little does she know that her life is going to change after meeting this mysterious guy who tells her not to call her ex that night.

Grant will soon become the love of her life and she will go through obstacles to be with him until 9/11 unexpectedly claims his life. Or so we think. Throughout the book, we come to learn of Grant’s brother who is fighting a terminal illness. They travel to London together to test out a new clinical trial that Grant hopes will greatly help his brother. Cecily and her best friend, Scottie, meet up with Grant in London where Cecily learns that Grant only considers her a “friend” at this point.

9/11 comes around and Cecily doesn’t hear from Grant in days, thus worrying her that he too lost his life during that tragic attack. She sees a photo of him posted by none other than his secret wife, Amy. Cecily meets up with Amy and can’t bring herself to reveal that she was with Grant the day before he died and that she too, loved him. Cecily and Amy form an unlikely friendship which all comes crashing down at the end when Cecily learns that Grant was alive this entire time and had merely faked his death using 9/11 as a convenient cover-up. We also come to learn that Amy knew of Cecily’s relationship with her husband all along.

There’s another huge part of the story but I don’t want to ruin all the fun for everyone. Needless to say, this is yet another book I enjoyed reading during this quarantine and one that I find myself getting lost it. I love when books are able to effortlessly transport you to another world so much so that when I finished the book, I started wondering what Cecily and Grant would have been up to now…

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this book. I am not sure if it is the current environment we are living in or if I would feel the same about this book any time but this is 100% not a feel good book. It is not a happy romance that is going to give you butterflies. This is a story about highly flawed people that make flawed decisions but it is ultimately a love story. I don't want to say too much because there is a major twist in this book so I think it is best to go in blind. If you don't mind a dark love story surrounding 9/11, this is a fantastic story. Just do not go in with expectations of happiness - something I think many of us are seeking right now.

Honestly probably less than 3 stars. While I’m not opposed to 9/11 plot lines it felt gratuitous and exploitative in this book. But the end I really didn’t like any of the characters. Coincidences and lies neatly wrap themselves up in ways they shouldn’t. It was a compelling read and had potential but ultimately I was disappointed.

First I’d like to say I really liked this book. There are so many mixed reviews on this one on Goodreads. It’s a work of fiction and it deals with 9/11, so it’s a sensitive matter. I thought the writing and the story were very original, and had a mix of characters of some you liked, and others you didn’t, and that always makes it interesting. This is my second book I’ve read from Emily Giffin and it seems you either like her books or hate them. I like them because they don’t always deal with easy subjects or characters. She makes you have all sorts of mixed emotions. I look forward to reading more books from her. I read the kindle version of this book, and purchased the Audible version, so when I couldn’t read I could listen. Great narrators. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good chick flick book. A very special thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review