Hmmmmmm. This is so tricky. Actually. It is not tricky. Not at all.
.
I was very disappointed in this novel. I personally think this novel was just too much. Just too, too much. I mean. We are dealing with some heavy topics here....

....................................................................................SPOILERS AHEAD...................................................................................................................................
For real. Do not read any further if you do not want spoilers.

This is the story....Cecily (played by Girl); Grant (played by new guy); Matthew (played by OG Ex)

*Ok. Girl breaks up with boyfriend due to his inability to commit.
*Meets new man in bar, asks him to come home, just to "sleep". They do in fact sleep but we are faced with huh? That's weird.
*Starts a relationship with new man. Still not physical.
*New man's brother is dying with ALS.
*New man travels with brother to London for treatment for the whole summer.
*Girl goes and visits new man, with her token hometown gay friend (still in the closet gay friend).
*Brother tried to commit suicide while there.
*Girl comes home from London back to New York.
*New man finally comes home from London popping in to spend the night, and then going to work on the morning of September 11, 2001. We have physical activity.
*09.11 happens. Need I say more?
*New man is lost in the attack.
*Girl finds flyer with new guy face on it....reaches out, turns out is is new man's wife looking for any word on him.
OHNOOOOOOOOOOOOO, he was married. He has now passed away.
*The ex boyfriend comes back in the picture.
*Former relationship accelerates.
*Oh, I forgot. Girl develops friendship with new guys wife?!?
*Ex boyfriend proposes. They are getting married now.
*A few weeks later she starts to realize she has not had a period.
You guessed it....she is pregnant....but who is the father? The dead man or the fiance. BTW: Fiance does not know there was a physical relationship with girl so close to HIS physical relationship with girl.
*She has a nagging feeling about the dead man. She reaches out to his brother via email. Brother states his marriage was not in a good place and he was going to divorce wife....but he never had a chance.
*Wedding is accelerated as the baby due date is fast approaching.
*Girl wants to talk to boys brother. She makes the drive to talk to him.
Guess what? The new boy is still alive. The brother is the one who passed away. {What the actual Hell}
*Oh and new boy is a criminal and was running from the feds...
*She finally tell finance and dead/alive man's wife what happened. Relationship ends with fiance....she ends friendship with the wife.

*Girl moves home.
*Guess what? Dead/alive guy comes to visit. He has decided to turn himself in because he loves her and wants to be with her and the baby that could possibly be his or the OG ex.

*Fast forward. Everything turns out peachy. Baby is verified as the new guy/dead guy/alive guy.
They have a very happy family life.

*Oh and the gay best friend, finally comes out of the closet.

Too much. Too, Too much.

Do not recommend.

I was looking forward to Emily Giffin's latest, The Lies That Bind. Having enjoyed, All We Ever Wanted, I was excited for another Giffin story. One that is thought-provoking and fodder for discussion. Unfortunately, the reality of The Lies That Bind does not live up to the hype.
The story of post-breakup Cecily, who meets the "perfect" stranger at a bar is a forced and contrived story. They, of course, hit it off and it sounds like start of a beautiful romance until Grant, the perfect stranger, disappears on 9/11.
The story from this point is weak and forced. It's full of cliches and the use of a tragic, life-altering event seems a bit callous with a lack of empathy and compassion on Giffin's part. It was thrown in the story in a very casual way that doesn't do justice for such a horrific event.
The story takes a nosedive after that and seemed to be on a downward out of control spiral.
Cecily's story is full of so many soap opera moments, I kept thinking that they should find a younger Susan Lucci to play the part of Cecily as she was the queen of Soap Operas.
The Lies That Bind is a quick read that unfortunately when I finished didn't leave me with the wish to discuss as other Giffin books have.
I hope that future Giffin books will give us all something to talk about.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheLiesThatBind

I really enjoyed this book and sped through it. It was a quick read that I couldn’t put it down, another great Emily Giffin summer beach read, even though it was a little predictable. I found several of the characters in this one to be extremely unlikable, and there were a few elements that I thought were a little too over the top, but I would still recommend this one for a fun, light read. Also loved the inclusion of the Something Borrowed characters!

I love Emily Giffin and am always thrilled to read one of her books. The Lies That Bind did not disappoint. It takes place in and around New York City during September 11th. Cecily Gardner is a journalist who has just broken up with her boyfriend because of his inability to commit. While out drinking in a bar she collides with Grant Smith, a handsome and charming stranger. Things progress at warp speed and Cecily is in love. Before Cecily can catch her breath, the world literally comes crashing down as the World Trade Center falls. Grant, who worked in one of the towers, is missing. While trying to find him amidst the rubble of New York City, Cecily learns that nothing is as it seems and sometimes love is the biggest mystery of all.

From reviews I've read it seems as though long time Emily Giffin readers either love or hate this book. I'm in the group that loves it.

Emily Giffin's writing continues to evolve and she will always be one of my favorite authors! I was delighted by the opportunity to read THE LIES THAT BIND, which pulled me in immediately because I continue to be completely enthralled by novels that include the events of September 11 within the story line. As always, Giffin's characters are full of depth and the story unfolds in a pleasantly surprising way; this is definitely a page-turner, so don't expect to be able to put it down once you begin!

This one is so hard! On one hand I always liked this author. On another hand, I felt the way she depicted the events of 9/11 may come off as a bit distasteful. The writing was great, which earns this one a star for sure.

I'll still pick up her next book! They can't all be perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me provide my honest feedback in exchange for an ARC.

There are a lot of stories revolving around the events of 9/11 that serve as respectful historical fiction. This isn't one of them. The way Giffin speaks about the events of that day is unnecessarily disrespectful to the victims and their families. I won't be reading any other books by her in the future.

Unfortunately, Emily Giffin's books have two problems: they're easy to guess the ending and all her plots are the same, just with different characters.
Although the narrative isn't bad in the least, the characters are ridiculous, the protagonist in particular. Yes, we all make stupid decisions in life, but this woman makes one absurd move after another, and in the end, it still all magically works out for her.
Fiction is of course supposed to have some element of make-believe, but not at the point when you're laughing out loud at a point you're supposed to feel empathy for the main character.

I wanted to like this book but just couldn't . Parts of it I really enjoyed but I couldn't get past the Grant's deception and lies or Cecily's waivering between her two men in the midst of 9/11. I have read most, if not all, of Emily Griffen's books and enjoyed them all until this. Won't stop me from picking up the next.

I loved this author's book ALL WE EVER WANTED and decided to give this one a chance. I was not disappointed.
This is a great story with plot that will keep you wanting more. A story of love, loss, deceit, forgiveness and moving on. A love that is either strong and worth fighting for or a love that can't hold up to expectations.

My favorite line from this book is: "WELL, I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. IF YOU WERE MINE, I'D DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO KEEP YOU."
That line explains so much when you read this book and try to decide who you think is a good guy or a not so good guy.

This is the story of a woman. A woman who is deeply in love with a man. It's also the story of a woman who has a bit of a history with a man. One is destine for her. The other not so much. It took me a while in this book to decide who I liked the most but after hearing both I did finally make up my mind. While I despised one and really didn't care a lot about the other I did finally give in. One melted my heart.

Cecily lives in New York and works for a small tabloid newspaper. She's recently broken up with Matthew who could not commit after dating for four years. She then meets Grant at a bar and they start seeing each other. Grand comes with a lot going on and is not one to jump into bed or a sexual relationship fast. Even though they both seem to want things to go to a different level it just isn't in the stars so to speak. Grant is leaving for a trip with his twin brother. His brother has ALS and they can get him in a clinical trial in London. He has to go.

I thought the book was going in a complete different direction when the two started emailing back and forth and was very happy that it was just the one chapter. I would not have liked reading that for long. Not that what they had to say was boring. I just don't like reading emails in a book all the way through. Needless to say they keep in touch.

On the one hand you have Matthew who is familiar and Cecily has known him for four years. Then you have Grant whom she has basically just met but just feels right. Then you have the sequence of events that happen. The awful 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. Then one man goes missing. A lot comes out after this. A whole lot of things that will make Cecily wonder if anyone is who they say they are. If anything is what it seems. The ups and downs in this book kept me turning pages. Kept me wanting more.

This book is filled with so many emotions. The love, loss, found, terror and a few more. It will keep you captivated to the end. You will root for them all in different ways. One will totally have you wanting him but then something happens and you will pull for the other. But the main thing is for Cecily to make the right choice. It's about her life after all. Her destiny and her future. Whether alone or with one of these two men. This is what makes fiction so grand. Things can work out one way or the other. Whether it's always believable or not. It's fiction after all.

I loved this story. I loved the characters. All of them. They all held a very important part in this book. Even Amy, who you will kind of not like but like. These characters are totally human after all.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #EmilyGiffin, #RamdomHouseBallentinePublishing for this ARC. This is my review.

I was going to give this book 4 stars but that ending made me change it to a big 5/5 stars and a high recommendation. I loved it!

I kept thinking as I read the beginning of this book that surely she was going to be murdered. Everything in the plot was pointing to things going badly. But then nine eleven happened and I understood where we were going. At least I though I did.

The events that happen after nine eleven keep getting more and more twisted and shocking.

I really liked this book. It was not at all what I expected from Emily Giffin!

Cicely is finally in New York doing a job she loves. She meets a guy,Grant, in a pub on her way home. She is not ready to get into a relationship having just left Matthew. Cicely gets caught up in a whirlwind with Grant and wonders if this is what real love is like.
On September 11 Cicily wakes up to her beloved city in chaos. Where are Matthew and Grant?
Emily Griffin has given us a personal look at love and disaster. Can Cicily sort the relationships and betrayals.
A good and intriguing read.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy summer read. I did feel that it was a little bit predictable, however, that didn’t take away from the great story line. There were a lot of moving parts and characters, but it was well written and easy to follow.

I have been reading Giffin's books for years and they're always smart and relatable - this was one of her best. I enjoyed this one so much, maybe because I remember being in my 20s during 9/11 and the love affair with NYC. This is the type of book you can read in one go and definitely would recommend to any women's fiction reader.

The Lies That Bind, Emily Giffin's newest release, takes readers back to pre 9/11 New York where we meet Cecily. In the immediate aftermath of a bad breakup she is tempted to pick up the phone at a bar (first asking for a payphone) and call her ex when a strong, male voice stops her in her tracks. The voice belongs to the man sitting next to her in the same dive and they begin a conversation that lasts all night and to the next day. Spending a magical few months together Cecily and Grant have fallen in love but there are little bumps along the way that indicate all is not what it seems-at least on the surface. On a quiet Tuesday morning, September 11th, life as we know it stops. Cecily, frantic, tries to reach her friends and Grant. In the hours that follow she does not hear from him and discovers he went into work that morning in the Towers. At a vigil soon after, she sees his face on a poster for the missing. Who is looking for Grant aside from Cecily? How well do we know someone and what flaws are we willing to accept? These questions and more are answered in this trademark Giffin novel.

The Lies That Bind is classic Giffin and remind me of her earlier work (Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof). With New York as a backdrop and flawed but likeable characters center stage, readers will enjoy this novel as it is one of Giffin's strongest recent releases. A huge fan of her earlier work this one hit the mark for me. While the consistent references to early 2000s technology and pop culture may be slightly overdone, along with the ending that seemed a little hurried-along and not as fleshed out as the first part of the book, it is a winner!

Thank you to Random House and Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is an author whose books I have enjoyed before. However, this book was not her best. The title is appropriate. There is a lot of liars in this book. Because of this, it was hard to feel sympathetic for many of the main characters. The relationship between Grant and Cecily seemed to get very serious very quickly without much contact between the two of them. A good idea for a story but it felt like it wasn't well executed.

You form a connection with someone after a breakup and then you quickly lose contact with them. Was the connection real? How long does it take to quantify love? What makes a lasting relationship? These are the ideas explored in The Lies That Bind. Cecily meets and falls in love with Grant, whom she later believes might be lost in the 9-11 attacks. She searches for him only to learn things were not what they seemed. The story was full of build-up until the change in the direction almost halfway into the story. I was sure that Cecily and Grant were made for each other, as Cecily thought. Her judgment seemed suspect until her surprise. From there, her actions seemed highly relatable.

Emotional rollercoaster type of star crossed love

Three stars for The Lies that Bind. I read this book in 24 hours - it definitely had me in the beginning. But as the book progressed, it got more ludicrous, and when I finished, I actually said “Yikes” out loud in my empty house. I didn’t find Cecily unlikeable - in fact, I rooted for her throughout most of the book. But the writing felt trivial and superficial, the characters had emotions that were ... strange, and the ending was nothing short of disappointing. Stick with Something Borrowed if you’re looking for an Emily Giffin classic - this one isn’t it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Emily Giffin for years, and I can honestly say that this is one of her best. I love all the 90's and NYC references. I also loved the cameo from Ethan, Darcey and Rachel. It worked well with the story line and was a nice surprise for long time readers.