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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!!