I loved this book, just as I love all of Emily Giffin's books. But because I love her books so much, I hold her to a bit of a higher standard. This plot was a little too far-fetched for me, but it was very readable and I tore through it in days!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for sending me an advanced copy of The Lies That Bind in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big Emily Giffin fan and while there were parts of this book I liked, there is still something holding me back from loving this book. The beginning unfolds where Cecily meets Grant one night at a bar right after she broke up with her boyfriend and they have a whirlwind romance. She wakes up the morning of September 11th and her life immediately changes.

Giffin's descriptions of September 11th are raw and real and those emotions/writing were some of the best parts of this novel.

I struggle a little with the ending and the last 2/3s of the book as it all wrapped up a little too nicely, but still would recommend it!

I am a huge fan of this author and this book while a little confusing in the beginning , I’m glad I stuck with it , is one not to be missed

The Lies That Bind takes you in from the 'very beginning even though you know there is more to Grant 's story than has been told . But we all want a meaningful 'relationship with love and acceptance no matter what the heartbreak..Emily Giffin is right on target again with anovel full of passion and suspense..I loved it.

** spoiler alert ** This book was just all over the place. The beginning was like a cheesy romance novel. The middle held my interest but the Amy/Cecily resolution was so silly. Amy was an appealing character & then wham she turns superficial & cold. The Matthew/Grant/Cecily mess made my head spin but not in a good way. Not her best novel!

Ugh, I LOVE Emily Giffin.

Reading The Lies That Bind made social distancing so incredibly easy. Giffin's books always give me all the feels.

This story was beautiful, then heartbreaking, then beautiful again. I loved the timeline. This story was complicated, but so is life. This is not a fairytale novel and that is why I loved it so much.

I loved Cecily and her love for Grant. I appreciated the history and feelings her and Matthew had and I admired the acceptance her family had for her at the end of the book.

I will be impatiently waiting for Emily's next amazing novel!

I always look forward to a new book from Emily Giffin! The Lies That Bind is a love story an out what the head wants versus what the heart wants, with the question of trust and honesty thrown in. The story takes place during 9/11 and brings back memories of how the world was then. And, which man is right and whose baby is it? As a bonus, I enjoyed that Rachel and Darcy from Something Borrowed made a cameo appearance.

#netgalleyreview #arc #emilygiffin #theliesthatbind #tearjerker literally just finished and people I have got ALL the feels 😭 to say it's currently an emotional time is an understatement. But. Phew. If you need a feel good read to cry too this is one you will want to pick up. This is a story that dives in to #truelove❤️ or being with someone whose #goodonpaper but #notthosetruelovefeelings. From Cecily telling her story of Matthew and Grant. Sigh. Emily Giffin has done it again. Gosh. I am just .... These characters will be with me for a while. #bookhangover #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #ballantinebooks #randomhouse #penguinrandomhouse #preordernow

The Lies That Bind is a wonderfully written story filled with thoroughly designed, lovable characters and an ever changing and captivating plot. I enjoyed every single minute as I frantically turned the pages to see what would happen next. The story was complicated, but in a believable and humanizing way.

Ugh. This book was awful. I feel no sympathy for any of the characters and the writing itself was atrocious. I'm never reading another novel by Giffin again.

kind of hard to review this book, i loved the first part, right away got into it, identified with her, loved the connection they had and the 9/11 stuff both brought back many memories, made esp strong by the forced lockdown we are in Ca. but then it became like a different book, the sharpness of the writing, the plot just felt flatter and none of the relationships were believable, nor the outcome which i guessed but where was the attention to the intensity of the feelings that all those relationships deserved, felt like it was rushed through or written by someone else so............. hmm disappointed i guess after i was so invested

Emily Giffin at her best - in a wonderful romantic story with a bit of triangle and twist. The Lies That Bind feels like Giffin at her earliest (which is honestly when I most love her writing) a la Something Borrowed/Something Blue, with a delightful cameo from some beloved characters. TLTB is a September 11th love story but the book overall is not a sad one - but rather a fast paced pageturner that will have you dying to know what's coming next. I can't say enough good things about this one but I can urge you to pre-order it ahead of it's June 2nd release!

I just finished reading "The Lies That Bind' and, once again, Emily Giffin wrote a very moving story of love, passion, and deception. On the one hand, I didn't see this story ending the way it did, although it was what I hoped could happen. The main characters were well developed, although I wish we could have spent more time with Grant. Even though I wanted to dislike Matthew, I simply couldn't. He made decisions based on what he could and couldn't live with and held firm to what he believed was the right path for him. I REALLY enjoyed Scottie and his interaction with, not only Cecily, but the other characters as well. All in all, this was a very enjoyable (and sometimes sad) read. As with most of Emily Giffin's stories, I devoured this book and am still digesting. I love when a book's story captures you and doesn't let go for several days...this is one of those books. (I was given this book for my honest review, but would have gladly purchased it!)

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The plot , about relationships built on lies, was very interesting . I enjoyed reading about the characters and how lies tied in to their lives and either reinforced or crushed relationships. The story takes place in New York City and incorporates the 9/11 nightmare into the plot. The plot was good and I was anxious to finish the book to see how it ended. My only criticism is that the story was very repetitive and slow at times.

Emily Giffin is known for her romance books, this one takes place in the months before and after 9/11 in New York City. Cecily has recently broken up with her long term boyfriend because he was unwilling to see a future for them. She quickly meets a man who she sees as her soul mate. Many issues ensue, won't spoil it for anyone. Giffin does a wonderful job of describing what it was like in NYC on and after 9/11. I like to be able to climb into a book and I was certainly able to do that with her descriptions of visuals and the emotional toll it took on New Yorkers.
That being said, I found myself drifting off during a chunk of the book as Cecily tries to come to terms with what forever love is. She is all over the place with Cecily's emotions and what she wants for her future. Maybe it's because I'm a "mature woman" but I just couldn't deal with her swings one way then the other.

This was another great story from Emily Giffin, fantastically interwoven personalities with twists that keep you turning pages and not wanting to put it down. I finished this in a day.... and completely enjoyed it. The setting is one that I lived, and so with that knowledge, my only criticism is that Mustang Sally's would have been beyond mobbed with people waiting for the trains to restore services and anyone who lived in the the vicinity would have chosen another location and there wasn't any mention of the smells that permeated our lives during that time. Besides that, I found this a great read and I'm grateful for having been given the opportunity to read it in advance of publication and share my thoughts. Emily Giffin does not disappoint. Thank you.

Really disappointed. Her last book was SO GOOD, and she had improved so much as a writer. This feels like going backwards. It's a quick read, fluffy. Unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this wonderful novel! I was hooked from the start. The connection that Cecily and Grant had felt so real. Matthew irritated me the entire time, no specific reason, I just didn’t like him. I didn’t give this one 5 stars because I felt the ending was a little too “everything falls right into place perfectly”. Cecily had such a complex plot throughout most of the novel, and everything got tied up with a bow in the epilogue. But it was a super quick read and I couldn’t put it down!

I was given a chance to read this book as a preview. I wanted to love this book, cause I’ve love this author. I even meet her at a book signing for one of her other books. But this book was very disappointing.. I hate to give away the story, I didn’t like the ending. I lost someone in 9-11 and that may be why. I couldn’t get into her characters.. I’m a person who believes that if a person lies to you they will always do it again. But I will be reading her next book.

As a longtime Emily Giffin fan, I was excited to pick up The Lies That Bind. This novel takes place in 2001 around the time of 9/11, and actually incorporates living in NYC during that time into the plot. Cecily Gardner is a single woman in her late 20s contemplating her life choices one Saturday night when she spontaneously decides to go to a bar. It’s there that a chance encounter with Grant leads to a whirlwind romance, ultimately ending in tragedy. I wanted to really like The Lies That Bind, but it ultimately left me feeling flat, that everything wrapped up just a little too conveniently. However, having said that, it’s a light, escapist read with an engaging, fast-paced plot that will definitely appeal to Emily Giffin fans!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for my advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.