NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted and Something Borrowed, a young woman falls hard for an impossibly perfect man before he disappears without a trace. . . . It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, … alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in the big city—and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew.
As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, “Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours—and shots of tequila—the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse—Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can’t seem to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head.
Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?
The Lies That Bind is a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant exploration of the never-ending search for love and truth—in our relationships, our careers, and deep within our own hearts.
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Emily Giffin delivers.
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 love all her books!!! I read a few reviews that weren’t so positive but they must have read another book-lol.
I received the digital arc of this book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
In May 2001, Cecily Gardner is a 28 year old reporter working for The Mercury in New York. Growing up in rural Wisconsin she dreamed of heading to New York after graduating from University of Wisconsin. There were aspects of home that she missed, in particular, her best friend, Scottie and her close knit family.
Although working for The Mercury was not quite her dream job, she did find her colleague, Jasmine, to be a confidante. For the past 3 years, Cecily had been in a relationship with Matthew who was in no hurry to get married. Feeling like her feelings weren’t reciprocated she broke things off with him. Not wanting to be alone, she walks to a local bar for a drink. It isn’t long before she is involved with an engaging conversation with a handsome stranger.
They talk for hours drinking and doing shots until closing. She invites him to stay over even though they never exchanged names during all their banter. Cecily is surprised by how easy it is to talk to Grant who she discovers works as a stock broker. They develop a strong friendship while the sexual tension between them continues to rise. Cecily wonders if this is too good to be true. She struggles with missing Matthew and knowing that he still wants a relaxing with her.
The story takes a few unexpected turns which left me ambivalent. The story began light hearted where it seemed like it would be a fun and uncomplicated. Suddenly, the conversations with Grant Smith become personal as he shares information regarding his parents and now ailing brother. The stories he explains to Cecily are devastating yanking further on her heart strings.
I don’t want to provide spoilers so I will say that there were a lot questions regarding where the story was going. The characters did not seem grounded and the plot vacillated between feeling serious in the atmosphere of 9/11 and almost comedic with the crazy “surprises” that come.
The story is one about love and honesty in relationships by trusting your instincts. Can love survive betrayal and lies? Is doing the wrong thing for the right reason ever acceptable?
I love Emily Griffin’s writing. It’s not always”happy ever after” but it’s always real. This story is not what is call a romance. And I changed my mind about who was the better boyfriend 3 times! But it was real and gripping. I enjoyed reading it!
A fabulous author that never disappoints.
Emily Giffin’s tenth novel, The Lies That Bind, ponders how to recognize the person one is meant to be with, the consequences of choices, and the power of forgiveness.
Set in New York City against the backdrop of the events of September 11, 2001, it’s an exploration of two deeply flawed but well-intentioned people who, against all odds, manage to find each other and fall in love. And the ways in which their relationship is tested by timing, circumstances, and their own mistakes. Giffin says her writing is inspired by the power of major events like 9/11 “to cause us to sort of pause and step back, reflect and consider what we really want for our lives, from our lives, and what really matters to us.”
As the story opens, Cecily Gardner has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew, because he refuses to take their relationship to the next level. She wants a commitment, promises, and a mapped-out future as a couple. Alone, sleepless, and second-guessing her decision, she ignores the advice of her best friend, Scottie, and ventures out to a grimy dive bar on the Lower East Side for a drink. Having left her cell phone in her apartment, she asks the bartender if she can use the land line and begins dialing Matthew’s number. But a voice behind her says, “Don’t do it.” She turns to see an extremely tall, attractive man with an amused look on his face. He repeats, “Don’t do it. Don’t call him.” As they strike up a conversation, he tells her, “He’s your ex for a reason. Onward.” They continue talking and by the time the bar closes, they have agreed not to exchange names. She nonetheless invites him to her apartment. It’s a reckless, out of character maneuver. They sleep together that night — fully clothed.
The next morning they exchange basic information, agree that they want to see each other again, and Cecily gives the enchanting, intelligent Grant Smith her telephone numbers. When she finally hears from him several days later, they begin spending time together, taking the physical aspect of their relationship very slowly. Grant tells Cecily he’s a Wall Street trader but is leaving his job to take his gravely ill twin brother, Byron, to England to participate in a clinical trial. They lost their mother to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His brother inherited the gene; Grant did not. And now he plans to devote himself to supporting his brother in the hope that the progression of the degenerative disease can be slowed. Cecily promises that she will wait for Grant, knowing how important it is that he spend time with and care for Byron. She even makes a trip to London with Scottie to visit and meets Byron. Grant returns to New York on September 10, 2011, and spends that night with Cecily, who still, despite all the conversations they have had and all the time they have spent together, does not know the name of the company where Grant is employed, the location of his office, or many other salient details about his life.
Readers old enough to remember 9/11 may find Giffin’s frank portrayal of that day, from Cecily’s vantage point, painful reading. She is awakened by a frantic call from Scottie as he watches news coverage at his home in Wisconsin. As so many people did that horrible morning, he frantically asks Cecily, “Oh my God! Are you watching?” Cecily’s first-person narrative reflects the confusion, shock, disbelief, and utter despair that people around the world experienced as they observed two planes hit the World Trade Center, watched in stunned silence as people leapt to their death from the upper floors, and struggled to comprehend that those two 110-story buildings did, in fact, crumble before their eyes. Cecily joins her colleagues reporting the story on the streets, talking with survivors and gathering first-hand accounts as New Yorkers frantically search for loved ones who worked in the Towers. As the hours tick by, she becomes increasingly convinced that Grant must have worked there, too, because she is unable to reach him.
Cecily is assigned to cover a candlelight vigil the next evening in Washington Square Park, and it is there she discovers Grant’s fate. She spots a flyer with the word “MISSING” beneath his photo, along with a telephone number and a request for information about his whereabouts.
From there, the story’s focus is on Cecily’s quest for the truth about the man she loved. She employs her skills as reporter to investigate, crossing ethical boundaries in the process. She never stopped caring about Matthew — they remained in touch after breaking up — and after what she has been through, she reevaluates her choices yet again, and assess her goals and priorities in the aftermath of losing Grant. She questions what matters most to her in a relationship, as more details about Grant come to light and she concludes that she never really knew him at all. She becomes obsessed with learning everything about Grant, her instincts telling her that there is still more to the story and, in the process, tipping precariously close to destroying everything she has worked for.
Giffin’s impeccable pacing propels the story forward as she injects shocking revelations and complications with dramatic effect. Cecily is forced, at every juncture, to make choices that will have far-reaching consequences for all involved. And she doesn’t always choose wisely. But despite her shortcomings and limitations, she is inherently likable even when employing a reprehensible approach to finding the answers she seeks. Her desperation is palpable and credible. Grant and Matthew are revealed to be equally fallible — in starkly different ways. Cecily turns to her parents, brother, and Scottie for unconditional guidance and support sans judgment. In the process, Giffin believably illustrates how Cecily comes to terms with her own behavior. The different ways in which Giffin’s characters express love, and their individual capacities for growth and forgiveness are believable and keep the story interesting, even as Giffin’s over-the-top plot twists strain credulity. Redemption figures prominently in the story, as do the freeing power of atonement, and the blessings that flow in the form of second chances.
The Lies That Bind is an entertaining examination of Cecily’s search for genuine satisfaction, and her journey to becoming an empowered, confident woman who has learned much from her past, including that nothing is perfect but sometimes, despite all their imperfections, some people really “are better together than we are apart.”
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
This book was really awful and I usually love her books. It was a painful read and I stuck with it hoping it would get better but it never did. So not pay for this!
Ok…well…so…not really sure what to say about this book. It’s a fast read for sure, but it’s all over the place. As this cover is nothing special, neither is this book. 2.5 stars.
So many different scenarios going on…girl dumps boy, girl meets another boy, 9/11 happens, girl loses boy, and so on….and there is much more. Almost every scenario that you can imagine happen, does. As I’m reading this, I’m scratching my head that almost 30 year old Cecily is this clueless, especially since she’s journalist … trained to ask questions and look deep into stories.
Characters are one dimensional, immature. Situations are far fetched, writing isn’t what I expect from this author. This book is good for the beach as it’s easy to pick up and put down.
I love this author, and will definitely read her again, but I’m sorry to say this book wasn’t up to her usual standards. Thanks to Ms. Giffin, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Lies that Bind” by Emily Griffin, Penguin Random House, June 2, 2020
Emily Griffin, author of “The Lies that Bind” has written and intriguing, and entertaining story. The genres for this novel are Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Romantic Fiction. The timelines for the story are 2001 and 2011 and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events. The setting is mostly in New York. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complex, complicated, and confused. There are secrets, omissions of truth, lies, twists, and turns, and betrayals.
Emily Griffin describes the importance of communication, honesty, and loyalty. The author discusses the importance of family, friends, forgiveness, second chances, and the possibility of love and hope. I would recommend this thought-provoking novel to those readers who enjoy an interesting read.
This was a book that could have been great, Emily Griffin brings some of the likeness of Something Borrowed back in this book, possibly because of the cameo of some of the characters. Cecily is a someone who seems to jump from one bad situation to the next. there was growth of the characters, but also some characters that were just unlikable. But it was like there were two different people writing this book. There was good parts that kept you wanting more but then there was parts that was unlikable and rediculous at times. I have loved Emily griffins books but this was good not her best.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Emily Giffin for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Emily does it again! As a big fan of hers I was honored to get this ARC.
I have read all her books.
I loved the characters. locales, and the entire story line. The way it all came together with even some twists and turns, made it an even better heartwarming and bittersweet story.
What an awesome book!
I’ve always felt that if something or someone seems “too good to be true” than it or they probably aren’t showing us all their cards!
Cecily, a young woman working as a journalist in NYC has just ended a long term relationship with Matthew. It’s only a short time later that she is feeling down while in her apartment, alone, and she decides to grab a drink in a local bar. She ends up bringing home a total stranger, Grant, and they apparently fall head over heels in love. This inauspicious beginning did not bode well for a good outcome. There are many hints that things aren’t right with this guy, he doesn’t take her to his home, he is away a lot and shows up at times in the middle of the night, uninvited. Cecily is a late 20’s woman and I felt that she was portrayed as being very naive, most women I think would have caught the signs that something wasn’t right with Grant. He does tell her about his twin brother who is very ill, and that is another part of the story I’ll leave you to discover.
The first half of the book I felt was entertaining enough and I did turn the pages quickly to find out what our heroine was going to do next. Unfortunately, for me, I felt that the plot was predictable, and I pretty much knew what was going to happen.
I thought the time spent in the novel about 9/11 was very good. It demonstrated just how horrible things were for the people in NYC and the grief that surrounded the city.
I enjoyed the character of Scottie, her gay, best friend whom she calls frequently for advice although she seldom follows it. Grant’s twin brother Matthew was a difficult character to understand, but we don’t really know much about him except for his battle with illness. There is another character, Amy, who comes across as very unrealistic particularly when she is supposed to be grieving for her dead husband.
This was still possibly a 4 star book for me until the ending! After all that Cecily has been through with Grant she still seems to hold out hope that their love will somehow last. “The Lies That Bind” definitely have Cecily tied into a relationship which doesn’t seem sustainable.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. This book will publish on June 2, 2020.