Publication
New York : Ballantine Books, [2020]
Collection
Call number
Fiction G
Physical description
338 p.; 24 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
"It's 2 AM on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar on New York's Lower East Side, 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 to him, 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, the 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 over 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, careers, and deep within our own hearts"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member sleahey
On the rebound, would-be author Cecily meets her perfect match at random in a New York bar when Grant discourages her from calling her ex. She is bereft after September 11th when she learns that Grant worked as an investor in one of the towers and has gone missing. She sees a missing poster for him
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and tracks down the phone number, only to find out that it was posted by his wife, and that's how she learns about all of the secrets he kept from her. Not only that, but she soon realizes that she is pregnant with his child--or is it her ex's? This novel continues with twists and turns, concluding with a romantic resolution. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cats57
I am going to apologize to all you book lovers right this very minute. I read this as an ARC, and so I did not deplete my book-buying budget on this hot mess.
The authors' audacity in using 9/11 as a back-drop for this so-called romance was absurd and hurtful to those born before, say the year 1990.
The characters were one-dimensional, did not grow, and had no meaningful relationships to add insult to injury. What links they did have, seemed to be tossed together at the writers' whim and didn't mesh. Cecily just seemed to 'bang' anything that was handy and called it love.
The ending? Trite, cliched, and thrown together just so there could be a HEA.
My apologies to the publisher, but I can't give you anything less than honesty
The authors' audacity in using 9/11 as a back-drop for this so-called romance was absurd and hurtful to those born before, say the year 1990.
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This book may be appropriate for teenagers, but this idea was atrocious for anyone that was an adult that year. Yes, the characters were young, but the buying market still relies on those with the most cash, does it not? I am thoroughly insulted by this usage of a tragedy to push product.The characters were one-dimensional, did not grow, and had no meaningful relationships to add insult to injury. What links they did have, seemed to be tossed together at the writers' whim and didn't mesh. Cecily just seemed to 'bang' anything that was handy and called it love.
The ending? Trite, cliched, and thrown together just so there could be a HEA.
My apologies to the publisher, but I can't give you anything less than honesty
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LibraryThing member LoriKBoyd
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,
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.
So many different scenarios going on...girl dumps boy, girl meets another boy, 9/11 happens, girl loses boy,
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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.
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LibraryThing member bookczuk
Pandemic read that happened to fall over the 19th anniversary of 9/11.
LibraryThing member marquis784
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
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?
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
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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?
Show Less
LibraryThing member sunshine608
I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review
I started this book in March 2020, just as the Coronovirus pandemic was ramping up in the U.S. It was surreal and refreshing to read a book about before and after 9/11. Reading and in a way re-living the experiencing and
Now on to the story. A love story started on a lie. That unravels and changes.
The initial story is riveting for readers of romance. I am not a fan of that genre and was starting to getting little antsy as Cecily and Grant’s love story grows. I couldn’t help but fill that something was missing and I kept waiting for Cecily to figure it out but that suspense is what kept me reading and turning the pages.
I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. No perfect endings, but the messy complex stuff that human life is made of. I think that is Emily Giffin’s gift- taking some situation we swore we wouldn’t be in or that we would act differently and making us rethink and fall in love with the villain/unsung hero.
I love the glimpse of other book characters, but it was confusing because I forgot about the time shift, but otherwise, its always fun to catch up with “old friends”.
This book kept me intrigued and my alliances ever changing- do I really hate Mathew or do I feel for him? In the end, I think made my own
I started this book in March 2020, just as the Coronovirus pandemic was ramping up in the U.S. It was surreal and refreshing to read a book about before and after 9/11. Reading and in a way re-living the experiencing and
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knowing that at the time it felt scary and life changing but we made it through, stronger was a bit of uplift for me.Now on to the story. A love story started on a lie. That unravels and changes.
The initial story is riveting for readers of romance. I am not a fan of that genre and was starting to getting little antsy as Cecily and Grant’s love story grows. I couldn’t help but fill that something was missing and I kept waiting for Cecily to figure it out but that suspense is what kept me reading and turning the pages.
I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. No perfect endings, but the messy complex stuff that human life is made of. I think that is Emily Giffin’s gift- taking some situation we swore we wouldn’t be in or that we would act differently and making us rethink and fall in love with the villain/unsung hero.
I love the glimpse of other book characters, but it was confusing because I forgot about the time shift, but otherwise, its always fun to catch up with “old friends”.
This book kept me intrigued and my alliances ever changing- do I really hate Mathew or do I feel for him? In the end, I think made my own
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LibraryThing member leslico
Very interesting, I never could have predicted all the twists and turns in this story!
LibraryThing member nyiper
Just a LITTLE bit far fetched....but....never a disappointing book comes out of Emily Giffin's wonderful imagination! As usual, it is nearly a page turner---great characters and a mysterious something going on. Yes,she uses 9/11 but it is now part of history and can you completely ignore it in a
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story line if that time is involved? Fiction is fiction and an author is totally free to handle it as she/he wishes so of course some will be pleased and some...will not. I'm in the pleased group. Show Less
LibraryThing member brookiexlicious
This may sound harsh, but I am just going to come right out and say that this was one of the worst books I’ve read lately. The premise started out strong, and then midway through, the book just dove straight into the ground. I feel like I just watched a horrible Lifetime movie (and that’s
I was quite invested in the book until Cecily dials the number on the poster, but then events become simply far fetched after that. Characters that I was once rooting for became at once utterly deplorable. I grew quite tired of Cecily’s back and forth between Grant and Matthew, her lying, how close she became with Grant’s wife, Grant’s deceit and how he all but gets away with it at the end (there is no way he wouldn’t have gone to prison longer, no matter how tragic his motivation for the crime) and the fact that Cecily FORGIVES him after all of this and they rekindle their romance! Are you kidding me?! Once she finds out about Grant’s deceit she spends the rest of the book bemoaning his behavior and how betrayed she is, but then he shows up like a stalker at her house, makes a big speech, does his time, and proposes to her. Before all of this, Cecily made a big show of proclaiming that she is stronger on her own and is going to be more careful about speaking the truth and who she trusts. Yikes. What kind of message are we sending to women here?
The only book I read by Emily Giffin was “All We Ever Wanted”. I quite enjoyed that book and was looking forward to this one, and this one just seems like it was written by a completely different author.
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saying a lot!) I was quite invested in the book until Cecily dials the number on the poster, but then events become simply far fetched after that. Characters that I was once rooting for became at once utterly deplorable. I grew quite tired of Cecily’s back and forth between Grant and Matthew, her lying, how close she became with Grant’s wife, Grant’s deceit and how he all but gets away with it at the end (there is no way he wouldn’t have gone to prison longer, no matter how tragic his motivation for the crime) and the fact that Cecily FORGIVES him after all of this and they rekindle their romance! Are you kidding me?! Once she finds out about Grant’s deceit she spends the rest of the book bemoaning his behavior and how betrayed she is, but then he shows up like a stalker at her house, makes a big speech, does his time, and proposes to her. Before all of this, Cecily made a big show of proclaiming that she is stronger on her own and is going to be more careful about speaking the truth and who she trusts. Yikes. What kind of message are we sending to women here?
The only book I read by Emily Giffin was “All We Ever Wanted”. I quite enjoyed that book and was looking forward to this one, and this one just seems like it was written by a completely different author.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
When a book title has “lies” in the title, you know the whole story will be a lie. I spent the whole book knowing that there would be a giant lie that would overshadow the entire story, and just waited for the reveal.
When the lie was revealed, I felt like I knew it all along. I was incredibly
Hoping for a better book from Emily Giffin in the future, as this book dragged for me.
When the lie was revealed, I felt like I knew it all along. I was incredibly
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disappointed in this book, although there were a few things I liked (mainly how Cecily was a good friend to Scottie, and how nicely her family treated her). I was bored with how easily Cecily fell into a relationship with Grant, and how quickly she reunited with Matthew. The Matthew / Cecily relationship seemed shallow all along. Hoping for a better book from Emily Giffin in the future, as this book dragged for me.
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LibraryThing member Jacsun
This is a love story with secrets. Cecily is from the Midwest searching for the perfect career and relationship in NYC in 2001. She finds it but with unexpected results. There's two men that cross her path in different ways and makes one wonder what will happen. One of her lovers seems like a great
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guy just not ready to make a long-term commitment. After she moves on, her fantasies come to life with an incredible hunk but there's other challenges. I just wanted to climb into the novel and give her some advice. But would she listen? The book was smooth sailing but a little on the dull side. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2020-06
ISBN
9780399178955