Emily Giffin does it again! Masterful storytelling that pulls you in and makes you feel like you are part of the world you are reading about.

My one word that describes The Lies That Bind in unexpected. A story rife with unexpected second chances to several unexpected plot twists and the subject matter was definitely a little heavier than what we are used to reading from Emily Giffin, which while unexpected; still very welcome!

Giffin always seems to know how to give an ending that I want. I loved this book and am so happy I got to read it. It is one to add to the top of your TBR pile for sure!

#netgalley #TheLiesThatBind

Giffin's books are always great and this one was just as good and thoroughly enjoyed.

Cecily and Matthew have just gone their separate ways, but she is torn. Sitting in a bar one month after the breakup, she is about to drunken call him when a voice near her says not to. Good looking man, buys her a drink, so why not talk to him and let him walk her home?

The relationship with Grant shows her a lot of things missing in the relationship with Matthew and just feels like this is what true love really is.

Oh wait, the title talks about lies that bind, right? Of course it's not all as it appears, which takes up much of the book. The writing is comfortable, the characters are pretty likable and the story-line keeps you coming back. I hated for it to end. 4.5 stars

In this scary time we live in, it was a great mental escape and I so enjoyed my hours reading this. Great job. I look forward to more from her.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Emily Giffin's first books, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof were all books I found extremely entertaining and ones I enjoyed thoroughly. After that, I noticed I wasn't enjoying them as much anymore. I couldn't put my finger on it but I kept reading her work.

Then, this advance reader copy came along and I was so excited to see that I got absorbed into the story right away. I thought for sure I was heading to a 4.5 star review on Goodreads. Then, I heard the stars falling away about 60 percent into the book and it hurts me to say that!

The book starts off strongly. In New York, summer of 2001, Cecily is reeling from a breakup with her boyfriend Matthew and decides to drown her sorrows in a quick drink one night when she's feeling exceptionally morose. She meets Grant at the bar she chooses and there just seems to be an instant connection. They start off on a relationship and Cecily just cannot get over how it is working out.

You know right away with the way things are worded and the time frame, the horrors of 9/11 are going to happen in the story. I thought up to, and including this part was written well. I felt the sadness and tragedy of 9/11 all over again and the author did a good job in describing the feel of the city and the effects it had on all who lived there.

So, it was no big surprise that Cecily and Grant's story would be affected by the terrorist attacks, but I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say, that because of the attacks in the book, secrets come out.

I was totally fine with all this and the FIRST secret that came out. Then, the SECOND thing learned was also kind of, if not surprising, still kind of a blow, but still in a good way. I was looking forward to how the author was going to address these issues and how Cecily would come out the other side. I looked down at my Kindle and saw that I was about 60 percent through and thought, "Wow, how in the world is this going to wrap up and end?" There is also a lot more that happens with Cecily and her ex, too, but that wasn't what was engrossing me most at that point.

Then, unfortunately in the book just started nose diving. No spoilers, but the reactions of the people to certain events were mind blowing and totally unrealistic. Almost like the author thought that she didn't know quite what to do with them and hurriedly wrapped it up. The THIRD thing (at the cabin) seemed like just an extra thing to throw in for shock value and nothing more.

Finally, I got one of those endings that are really far fetched and left scratching my head in disbelief in the way it was wrapped up in a bow. I really do hate leaving negative reviews, but there's no sense in acting like I liked it if I didn't. I'm sure some will love this story upon its' release in June 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this opportunity. No review was required and all opinions are my own.

A perfect beach-read for a relaxing afternoon. I enjoy Emily Giffin's writing and storytelling style. Simple, rom-com style books with lovable characters, a feel of summers in New York, and moments that you could almost picture as a movie as you're reading it. I felt this way with "The Lies That Bind" in its fairly predictable, but enjoyable style. I found myself cheering on the main character Cecily as she was reeling after a breakup. I could relate with her wanting to call her ex, waiting to see if he had called her....wondering what he was thinking about her....and also the giddy feelings of falling in love with a new love interest. I almost felt those giddy, twitter pated feelings she experienced as she fell in love with. But with events of September 11th turning her world upside down what was next for her? What about the new love interest, who might have been living a double life. Cecily's life is now even more complicated as she navigates the historical events surrounding 9/11 in addition to a tumultuous love triangle. Ultimately being faced with life changing events herself.

I enjoyed the lighthearted, mostly clean book. A great escape for a beautiful spring day (even if I am stuck at home during the COVID19 pandemic......)

(I receive an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of the book)

No. Just...no. As a New Yorker, the whole 9-11 angle felt extremely exploitive and the actual story itself was so beyond ridiculous, I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. The characters were all terrible human beings. I’ve never been so upset with a book. Can I even give it zero stars?

Another fast-paced, absorbing read from Emily Giffin. Cecily meets a man in a bar shortly after a break-up. Their instant connection is something more than what she's had in the past, and yet still mysterious in some ways. Months later, tragedy strikes, and Cecily's life keeps taking unexpected turns in so many ways. Readers will not want to put down this book so they can keep reading what happens next.

I'm a little bias on my review because I'm a fan of Emily Giffin's books in general. I have read all her books, some I liked and some I loved. "The Lies that Bind" I loved. I was hooked on Cecily and Grant's love story from the get-go. I wanted to be single again and experience finding your soulmate all over again. Then something happens and I was not happy with how things were turning out...by the time I finished the book, I was loving the ending.

Thanks Emily Giffin for another beautiful book, NetGalley and RandomHouse for my advance reader copy.

On the rebound, would-be author Cecily meets her perfect match at random in a New York bar when Grant discourages her from calling her ex. She is bereft after September 11th when she learns that Grant worked as an investor in one of the towers and has gone missing. She sees a missing poster for him and tracks down the phone number, only to find out that it was posted by his wife, and that's how she learns about all of the secrets he kept from her. Not only that, but she soon realizes that she is pregnant with his child--or is it her ex's? This novel continues with twists and turns, concluding with a romantic resolution.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Let’s get what I didn’t like out of the way: I found the pacing to be a bit slow in the middle, and I found the ending to be unbelievable... however, I really enjoyed the book in spite of those things! The author did a great job with describing 9/11 - she really nailed it. I thought the main character was likable, and I enjoyed most of the secondary characters. The gay best friend was a nice touch. I enjoyed reading it and would likely recommend it to a friend.

I loved this hopeful book. Twisty but a satisfying end. I loved the characters, the setting and the story!!

So grateful to the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC of this novel. I love Emily Griffin and her novels. Was so excited to read this ! And I was not disappointed. This book has it all. Love, Lies. Secrets. Heartbreak. Redemption ? I don't want to give away too much so I'll keep it simple. I am not sure what you will see coming and what you won't. There are lies, lies and more lies. Excellent book.

The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin was a bit different than what I am used too from this author and yet I was captivated from the start. We meet Cecily as she is trying to move on from a previous relationship, but struggling, when she meets Grant. It was supposed to be one night, but one night was not enough. Then when tragedy strikes the nation, Cecily’s life is turned upside down in more ways than one. What happened to Grant? Who is he and what secrets is he hiding? There are surprises, twist and turns throughout this story. It was an emotional and intriguing story from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

Hi, huge Emily Giffin fan here. I have read everything she has ever written, and purchase multiple copies of her books to give to family in friends because I’m that fan. But what... was this. At first, this was so strong. I was riveted. Even more so when Giffin described the morning of 9/11 from the main character’s point of view. It gave me the chills. But right after that? This book took a nose dive. It was so unrealistic and unbelievable. It was like two different people wrote this book. And the ending!! I rolled my eyes so hard. I did not love it.

Cecily is at a cross roads with her life. At 28 what should she do about her career and love life. She's more concerned with the love life and is trying to find the perfect companion. At the book's beginning she has broken up with Matthew after 3 years. While she tries to understand the break up she meets Grant. He seems to be the perfect one. This tug and pull between these two men is the book's main theme.
Cecily moved to New York City to find her journalistic roots from Wisconsin. As a Wisconsinite myself it was fun to read about my home state. But her homesickness and conflict being in the city from the Midwest is real.
The book has many twists and really explores what love is to this young woman. I highly recommend the book if you like to read about women and what they are experiencing in today's world.

This was so much better than I thought it was going to be. Cecily is a very likeable main character and I was rooting for a happy ending the entire. There were so many twists and turns and some shocking bombshells. You also see some former characters in other books return (don't know about the time from of them compared to previous titles). I think the previous characters were there to add to the emphasis just how small a major city can seem.

Overall, I really enjoyed and would recommend it to any Giffin. This was so much better than her previous because of the bombshells and shocking details. Cecily is unhappy with her current longtime boyfriend because he doesn't want to get married. She goes to a bar and meet Grant and seem to have a whirlwind romance. He is everything Cecily wants but then some shocking things happen and she questions everything and goes back to what she knew. Then more twists and bombshells. Once this book got further into the story, I couldn't put this down. Don't know how I feel about the ending, but I wasn't disappointed.

This book is a total hell yes!
Thanks to NetGalley, Emily Giffin and Harper Collins Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Giffin’s earliest books are my all time favorites and this was reminiscent of them in the best way. In fact, there was a cameo from Rachel, Ethan and Darcy in this book and I was so excited I actually shrieked. It made me so nostalgic that I’m actually thinking about rereading them… Anyway, it felt like vintage EG to me and while I’ve enjoyed all of her books I feel like this one is better than her last few and definitely solidified her place on my must buy author list.

Usually romances aren’t twisty but this one is, there were definitely some unexpected surprises and made this a page turner. I also expected this to be super heavy since it’s set in NYC right before 9/11 and while it had some sad moments, it wasn’t overly depressing at all. It was engaging, emotional and heartfelt with a really relatable character in Cecily. Definitely recommended for fans of the author and if you haven’t read her yet go grab Something Borrowed and Something Blue ASAP!

Thank you for creating a story that is real and heartwarming. I am so happy to be reunited with characters from Something Borrowed and Something Blue.
This is a story about falling in love and having found one’s love only to discover it to be a lie, or is it? The story is filled with mystery and intrigue leaving you through a journey of discovery.

It has been awhile since I have enjoyed a novel from Emily Giffin and so glad she has written such likeable characters. I am happy to have received an ARC from Netgalley.

Cecily had recently broken up with her boyfriend when she meets Grant. They form an instant connection even though the timing isn't great. Grant is moving overseas to be with his brother during a clinical trial he hopes will help his brother's health. Grant comes back right before 9/11 and in the aftermath is missing. Cecily sees his picture on a flyer reporting Grant as missing. When she calls the number she learns that everything she thought about Grant was a lie. Cecily tries to come to terms with the lies and tries to understand if she imagined the connection she felt in their relationship.

I've read a few Emily Giffin books and this one is now my favorite. I usually like, but don't love, her books but this one stands out. Please don't read anything about it before you read it (luckily I didn't) so that you will be more surprised by the story line. It centers around Cecily, a girl in her late 20's who lives in NYC but is from the mid-west. Even though I found some of the main characters despicable, this one is worth a read. A drama with a lighter tone was a good fit for right now.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy.