Book Review: The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin

Pages: 352

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 2, 2020

Publisher: Ballantine

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author:  First Comes Love, and
Something Borrowed

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "In the irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of All We Ever Wanted, a woman is falling hard for a man she's just met when he disappears without a trace on 9/11.  It's 2 a.m. in a dive bar on the Lower East Side, May 2001. Cecily figures it's the perfect place to order a beer and try to forget that she's just been dumped by the man she suspects she'll always think of as The One Who Got Away. Her best friend warned her to hunker down and avoid any risk of late-night drunk dialing, and she should have listened, because she's so tempted. . . .  "Don't do it," says the guy on the barstool next to her. "Don't call him."  He talks her off the ledge, and they have another beer. Then at last call, they toast to "moving on" before going their separate ways. Except as she's about to say goodbye, she decides to ask his name instead. And just like that, her life is changed forever.  But has she found her soulmate only to lose him a few months later?"

It's 2001 and Cecily Gardner has just broken up with her boyfriend. She's feeling low and can't sleep, so she decides to go grab a drink at her local bar in Manhattan.  While there, she hits it off with an attractive stranger who encourages her to not drunk dial her ex-boyfriend.  They hit it off and down a few more drinks before calling it a night.  Just as they are to part for the evening, they decide to spend a chaste night together.  And just like that could Cecily have met the one?  As she gets to know this man, who we find out is Grant Smith, she falls head over heels for him.  He seems almost perfect! Grant is dealing with a lot though.  He works on Wall Street, but is taking time off to take his brother to London for a clinical trial to help him with his ALS.  From there, the story develops all the while we know what happens in New York on September 11th.  Emily Giffin's The Lies That Bind kept me flipping the pages. Even though it wasn't my favorite of Giffin's novels, I still felt it was a decent summer read.

Cecily is pretty much your average New York woman. She is relatable despite some of her impulsive decisions in The Lies That Bind.  At first Grant seems perfect, but slowing he raises a lot of red flags, but love is blind, right? After September 11th, a few things come to the surface and I don't want to give too much away, but she soon learns the truth surrounding Grant.

The fact that 9/11 is featured in The Lies That Bind was a bit tough.  If you lived through it (and you weren't just a kid in elementary school), then it might be tough to revisit this upsetting time in our history.  It was brutal at times, especially Giffin's realistic depictions and if you know someone who tragically died on 9/11, this may be difficult for you.  However, I will say Giffin handled it well and the overall message is a positive one by the end of the novel.

The pace of the The Lies That Bind worked for me and Giffin's ability to tell a story is solid; however, I just didn't connect with it as much as her Darcy & Rachel series.  So, let me know your thoughts. Did you read The Lies That Bind? Are you a fan of Giffin's novels? Let me know in the comments below.