The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin. Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. Ballantine Books. General Fiction (Adult). Women’s Fiction. Publication date: 02 Jun 2020. Electronic review copy. 4 Stars.

This is my second Emily Giffin read that was released early this month. (The first was a book club selection in Los Angeles.) I felt that the 9/11 tragedy kind of overshadowed the story and couldn’t comprehend how the couple went happily about their engagement activities so easily so shortly afterwards. Other than that, it was a great read. Scottie was a lovable character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine for providing this ebook for review.

The Lies That Bind is full of plot twists, betrayals, and secrets and I had to read every page. Find out what happened to this Grant that Cecily fell so hard for and what secrets is she keeping?

Author Emily Giffin creates characters that are realistic, though not all are always likable. Sometimes they are just superficial and selfish. The plot seems well paced throughout most of the book. When Grant disappears during the events of 9/11, Cecily learns someone else is looking for him...and that just stirs up her desire to find him and to learn more about the man she gave her heart to.

My review is from a temporary, digital advance review copy from NetGalley, My review is voluntary and my opinions are mine, and mine alone. I was not thrilled about the ending at all, but it is what it is.

I enjoyed this book and tbh, I didn’t guess what was happening. I’ve always liked Gifffin’s books and this was no exception.

I was really looking forward to this book, and the first part was very good. Then we got to 9/11. I felt that she exploited that tragedy for a plot device. I got past it, then kept reading to the last part of the book where I was very disappointed in the ending.

I also have trouble supporting the author herself after her comments regarding Meghan Markle.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows a woman after she has broken up with a boyfriend. One night, she meets a new man, and things with him are different than she's ever experienced. She have a short but amazing courtship, and she realizes she feels for him things she has never felt before. However, there are things that get in the way, and then 9/11 happens, and things can never be the same. Revelations and truths come out, while she decides some truths must remain hidden....In life, and love, people make choices that others may not agree with or understand. This book explores one woman's choices and the consequences that she must carry as a result of them.

I loved it.....things are not always perfect with a perfect happy ending, but the choices you make along the way can help strengthen you and make you a better, more perfect version of you. That is what I saw in this book, and would recommend it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very moving story about love and loss. The characters are very relatable and the plot moved along swiftly. I highly recommend this book. If you liked Giffin's other books you will love this one. It was hard to put down.

This was a sweet novel that Emily Griffin is noted for. It is a story about love with done detours along the way. It questions true intentions as well as following your heart. I enjoyed this novel! Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy to read on my Kindle!!

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Let me begin this review by saying that I've thoroughly enjoyed the books I've read by Emily Giffin up to this point- especially All We Ever Wanted, The One & Only, and Where We Belong. I find her characters to be complex and appreciate the fact that she often tackles moral issues from multiple perspectives. However, The Lies that Bind was a huge disappointment.

The story begins with Cecily, a NYC journalist, feeling sad about a recent breakup with her long term boyfriend Matthew, and therefore going to a bar late in the evening. It is there that she meets an intriguing and mysterious man. She ends up bringing this man, a total stranger, home, and they instantly fall in love.
Soon after, 9/11 happens and in the aftermath Grant goes missing. I will leave the plot at this to not give any spoilers.

What I noticed almost immediately was the lack of nuance in this book compared to Giffin's others. For example, Cecily often explains her actions in a completely unnecessary way (she'll said " I did _____, not because of "this reason", but because of "some other obvious reason"), leaving almost nothing up to interpretation. As a reader, I found this frustrating and it resulted in skimming several passages.

The other aspect of this book that caused my rating to be so low was how it approached/handled 9/11 and its aftermath. This is most likely linked to the poor writing and Cecily's inability to articulate her thoughts beyond surface-level explanations, but I found the whole use of 9/11 really poorly done. Finally, the plot takes so many turns that eventually it just became unbelievable and, frankly, ridiculous. I will say that I enjoyed Scottie, her gay best friend. He's a funny, insightful, and enjoyable character.

I would like to end this review by saying that I almost didn't read this book after requesting it. The reason why is because shortly after I received the eARC I was informed about the author's hateful and unsolicited comments towards Meghan Markle. With that being said, I chose to read the book and provide an honest review, but I will no longer be supporting Emily Giffin.

Incredible. Emily never disappoints. I loved the relatable yet unique characters. I love a NYC story and I love a mystery. Couldn’t put it down!

Many years ago I was a big fan of this author, Something Borrowed and Something Blue were books that I really enjoyed.
But I went into this one with much trepidation after hearing the subject matter and the very mixed reviews.
In the spring of 2001, in New York's East Village, Cecily Gardner is drinking alone at a bar, having just recently broken up with her boyfriend Matthew because of his inability to commit.
She meets Grant, who convinces her not to call her ex, and as they drink together, their attraction grows.
But Grant is leaving the country, caring for his twin brother with a devastating illness.
They keep in contact and begin to fall in love.
He comes back to the states and they consummate their relationship, despite obstacles between them.
When Grant goes missing on 9/11, she searches for him and finds out more about him than she wanted to know.
Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I felt the use of a national tragedy as a plot devise for a romance was in poor taste and I couldn't get past that.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

I really didn't know what to expect going into this novel, but I was pleasantly surprised and found myself easily devouring it. It had the feel of Emily's earlier work and even had some cameos from those novels. I couldn't get enough of what was happening and wanted to see where everything would go. There were a lot of interesting surprises throughout. It made me think of who I was back in 2001 (I was only a few years younger than Cecily at the time and also single).

Emily Giffin did a good job bringing the horrors of September 11, 2001 to life. I hope she continues along this path with future novels (capturing the feel of her earlier work). There was great use of description throughout, making me feel like everything was taking place right in front of me. The characters felt real and raw.

A funny story to go along with this novel: I had the song "Thank You" by Dido in my head a day before I started this novel. Almost as soon as I opened it up, that very song was mentioned!

If you're looking for something good to read this summer, don't hesitate to check out The Lies That Bind.

Movie casting ideas:
Cecily: Britt Robertson
Scottie: Adam DiMarco
Matthew: Chris Wood
Grant: John Patrick Amedori
Jasmine: Tristin Mays
Amy: Kara Killmer

It’s been several days since I finished The Lies that Bind and I am not quite sure where to start. I whipped through this book in record time for me. It starts off as a sexy, intoxicating romance set in Manhattan. Cecily, crushed by her recent breakup, takes herself to a bar to drink her sorrows away when she runs into Grant. It feels like fate. It is everything her past relationship was not. I couldn’t look away. The start of their relationship is deliciously written, it is raw and believable and wonderful. And then….

The use of 9/11 in this book felt distasteful to me. Of course I understand that it is a hugely significant event and it can be insightful and powerful to set stories during that time, but after having finished the book and understanding how the narrative unfolds, it felt gimmicky. I think there are more creative ways the same conclusion could have been reached.

Following 9/11, the story changes dramatically as Cecily uncovers more and more about Grant. Things went wild from there. It’s hard to explain my frustration without giving away spoilers, but the whiplash of Grant-related problems was unbelievable. The sudden reappearance of Cecily’s ex-boyfriend made me want to shake her -- this girl seemed to have no sense of self-worth, which may have been intentional, but I wanted to scream at her a lot.

As much as I loved the first 100 pages or so of this book, the rest was not for me.

Review posted 6/25:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3zOBWA0jO/
https://treatyourshelf.home.blog/2020/06/25/the-lies-that-bind-by-emily-griffin-book-review/

Omg. I just pulled an all-nighter! Talk about a page turner. Maybe I was tired but I just never saw it coming. The title itself has you looking for the lie. But no, each time I thought that must be it I was wrong.

Cecily is a very down to earth character. Totally likable. From the get go her chance meet up in the bar with the handsome and charming Grant made me wary. Yet he was so endearing. First I thought, there really isn’t a sick brother. But there was. Ok. Well he said he was a trader. I’ll bet he’s not. But he was. He had a pretty dramatic life story. That must be a lie. But no, that was true also.

I am one who hates too much information before I start a book. I want to read it for myself so I’m not going to be a spoiler. I had already read All I Ever Wanted by this same author so that was recommendation enough for me. Take my word for it. This is a great read! Enjoy!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I love Grant and Cecily. I felt like the middlle was kind of rushed and confusing but the ending was lovely. I kind of guess Grant was still alive but wasnt sure how it would unfold. I am always a fan of Emilys books... I feel like this was kind of up and down, but overall I read it in a day so I did enjoy it!

I am a huge Emily Giffin fan and anxiously awaited this new one. The storyline is a good one with some twists. But I felt like the characters fell flat and there was a generic prose on them that if delved deeper would help readers connect more to the story. I will still look forward to the next one Giffin comes out with although felt this latest wasn’t on par with her previous novels.

Once again, a great book by Emily Giffin! Nice little love story with some sadness and unexpected twists. Anyone that has had their heart broken or deciding between two people could def relate to this book! Very enjoyable read. I powered through this one.

Twenty-eight-year-old Cecily leaves her steady but stagnant relationship and stumbles into an exciting new romance that stretches through the summer leading up to September 11, 2001..The novel takes a darker turn at that point, with the national tragedy of 9/11 intermingling with more personal secrets and lies. This is quite different in tone and pacing than Giffin's earlier, lighter novels, and the plot becomes increasingly contrived as the story progresses. The exploration of how lies and deception warp and change relationships is intriguing, but ultimately the characters are not believable or likable enough to carry the story through.

Having enjoyed this author's previous books, I was all set to dive into The Lies that Bind. Sadly, this one was disappointing in every way. The plot just turns silly and unbelievable. Using 9/11 as a backdrop in the way the author does seems inappropriate. I just wasn't enjoying this book at all, couldn't care less about the characters, and found the plot annoying. I will not be rushing to pick up Emily Griffin's next book.

I really enjoy Emily's writing style. Her books keep you hooked and usually I read them in one sitting. I do feel like 9/11 should have been left out of this story. Having a connection to it and having someone you love risking their life kinda throws a wrench into the story for me a bit. It's a tragic time and a topic that authors should stray away from. Overall I enjoyed this book but I did have a love hate relationship with these characters lol. There were parts that left me second guessing where the story would go and I love when an author can pull that off. I look for to reading more from Emily in the future.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I rated this 3 stars because I struggled to get into the story line. I started and stopped three times before finally getting through this. To be fair, it could easily be due to my own brain, and not the story, but I just couldn’t find connection with Cecily. I’m historically a fan of Giffin’s work, but this one left me wanting.