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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
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 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.
When the lie was revealed, I felt like I knew it all along. I was incredibly 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.
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so good! Multiple times my jaw dropped. I didn’t really enjoy the ending, but it still was a great book!
I like how this book is at the same time predictable and surprising. There are some predictable twists and turns, yes, but some others are unexpected. Cecily is trying to get over her recent breakup as she meets a charming guy at a bar. They spend the night together - without sex - and she starts to fall in love with that mysterious guy. But then 9/11 happens and after he disappears, she starts to question everything she (thinks she) knows about him. I like how the author is able to portray romances in a non conventional way in her books. This one did not disappoint.
It was okay. Easy read, more predictable thank it should have been. A bit too far fetched for me.
*Warning: spoilers*
2.5 stars
Even though I enjoyed reading this book, there were a lot of things I found problematic about it. First, I hated how quickly Grant and Cecily supposedly fell in love. She was just so in love with Matthew and crushed he wasn’t ready to commit to her but then she falls in love with someone like a month after they break up ... not realistic.
Second, I didn’t like how they made Amy’s character out to be selfish and malicious when that didn’t really come across at all from her actions throughout the book. She was nice to Cecily from the very first time they met and helped her in many ways. If they wanted to portray her as uncaring and self-involved, they should have presented her that way in all of her interactions with Cecily. Instead, they made her seem very nice and someone the reader liked and sympathized with.
It really bothered me how quickly Cecily got back with Matthew after Grant died. I know she found out that Grant had been lying to her the whole time they were together but if you were just in love with another person, it doesn’t seem like a great idea to jump right back into a relationship with your ex and get engaged within a month. Especially considering the whole time she was with Grant she was honest about never having felt those same feelings for Matthew.
I found the whole ‘twist’ about Grant actually being alive very predictable and just kind of lame. Honestly, I would have preferred the book have ended with Cecily not being with either guy and doing the single mother thing on her own.
It all just felt very cliche to me - an unplanned pregnancy, a return from the dead, a toss-up between two men and ultimately ending up with one in the end. Just seemed pretty trite.
2.5 stars
Even though I enjoyed reading this book, there were a lot of things I found problematic about it. First, I hated how quickly Grant and Cecily supposedly fell in love. She was just so in love with Matthew and crushed he wasn’t ready to commit to her but then she falls in love with someone like a month after they break up ... not realistic.
Second, I didn’t like how they made Amy’s character out to be selfish and malicious when that didn’t really come across at all from her actions throughout the book. She was nice to Cecily from the very first time they met and helped her in many ways. If they wanted to portray her as uncaring and self-involved, they should have presented her that way in all of her interactions with Cecily. Instead, they made her seem very nice and someone the reader liked and sympathized with.
It really bothered me how quickly Cecily got back with Matthew after Grant died. I know she found out that Grant had been lying to her the whole time they were together but if you were just in love with another person, it doesn’t seem like a great idea to jump right back into a relationship with your ex and get engaged within a month. Especially considering the whole time she was with Grant she was honest about never having felt those same feelings for Matthew.
I found the whole ‘twist’ about Grant actually being alive very predictable and just kind of lame. Honestly, I would have preferred the book have ended with Cecily not being with either guy and doing the single mother thing on her own.
It all just felt very cliche to me - an unplanned pregnancy, a return from the dead, a toss-up between two men and ultimately ending up with one in the end. Just seemed pretty trite.
I have always been a fan of this author's books having read more than 75% of them so it's difficult for me to not rate this well. Though it was definitely not my favorite of hers for most of the book, when it really lost me was about 80% when the 9/11 "spin" was revealed. 9/11 was such a pivotal time in our history that many people have still not recovered from. So many lives lost and families broken. I found it in poor taste to portray the story in this way. I'm sure with so many people, there were possibly factual stories like this but it came across as insensitive. The rest of the story was not very strong and I struggled to respect the decisions of Cecily and some of the other characters. However, my ultimate rating is based on the insensitivity of 9/11.
Emily Giffin writes reliably bad, selfish characters who make terrible decisions and engage in infidelity! And they love to mention the name brand of absolutely everything they do or own! And for some reason I keep reading them. This is particularly offensive because it wove 9/11 in to the drama. I did read it quickly, she writes in a compelling way that makes me want to know what’s next. But no.
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 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
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 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
Very similar to her other books. Predictable, but a nice tie up at the end.