This revealed the antics and realities of multicultural societies. The characters seemed vindictive and evocative of other romance books by Bailey. That this should be read with suspicion.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group!

Two sisters, one secret society.

Maya has desperately tried to stop her younger sister from following in her own footsteps and has done what she can to dissuade her sister from attending Princeton. Despite her best efforts not only has Naomi become a student she is now a part of the same secret society she once was a part of.

Despite the sisters attending at two separate times, they have found themselves intertwined in the same scandal.... murder.

Society of Lies is a dark academia tale told in dual timelines. Lauren Ling Brown does a fantastic job at keeping you guessing and wanting to turn the page. This story will have you guessing down to the final page and just when you think you've got it, you will find out you certainly do not.

This debut novel is to be published August 13, 2024.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

Princeton University, a top ten school known for it’s rigorous academic programs and notorious societal organizations called “eating clubs”. These clubs comprise of only the most elite members, with extensive investigations into its candidates ensuring the best of the best. Could they also be housing and protecting a murderer though. Maya, a Princeton alumni and past Sterling Club member has returned to her alma mater to watch her younger sister Naomi graduate. Instead of caps and gowns though Maya is now dealing with funeral arrangements when Naomi is found dead that same weekend. Naomi’s death is being deemed an accident but Maya knows better, her younger sister isn’t the first Sterling club member to wind up dead. The police may not know all the buried secrets of the upper class echelons of these societal clubs but Maya does and she’s determined to find out the truth.

Society of Lies is a thrilling debut murder mystery with an atmospheric academic setting. Prior to reading this book I had no previous knowledge of Princeton’s eating clubs and upon reading I found myself incredibly intrigued, I had to keep turning pages to find out more! Lauren Ling Brown does an absolutely fantastic job of transporting the reader to these historic buildings and younger college days. The plot is told thru multiple POVs and different time frames. Flashbacks from Naomi made me heartbroken knowing that no matter what she did her ending would be soon approaching. Not only do we get to see the months leading up to Naomi’s death but we are also given a POV flashback from Maya’s Sterling club days and Maya’s present day investigations into the truth. I was fully invested in Maya hunting down Naomi’s killer, as an older sister myself I resonated with Maya’s need to protect her younger sister and the guilt she felt of not being able to do so. I also have to note that I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book had so much more than just your typical twists as the author touches on subjects of sisterhood, societal class, identity, corrupt hierarchical systems, and also friendship. I enjoyed every minute of this read and cannot wait to pick up future works from this great new author!

Society of Lies comes out August 13, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Bantam for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re looking for a dark academia setting book, that puts you on edge and going down a rabbit hole trying to decide what actually happened… that is a book for you!

I liked the main characters, and I was really invested in the why’s of their motives throughout the story. I was praying for a miracle and that there would be another plot twist that she was actually alive just because I felt so connected to Naomi’. Maya was such a great character, her flaws made her so relatable and I found myself empathizing more and more with her with each of her chapters. The plot twists and betrayal in this were top tier, did NOT see those coming but had that “ahhhh” moment where you look back at something with a different set of eyes. Lauren’s writing style really brings you into the setting, I was there at Princeton, I was taken back to my college break up with Naomi and Liam, I felt the isolation that both sisters did at varying points.

Gosh I can’t say enough with how well Lauren addressed racial inequality. Overall this was a suspenseful and impactful story that shined some much needed light on the disparities in our education system. Yes there was overt racism, but it spoke volumes with the small things that you wouldn’t necessarily take note of if you or someone you loved hadn’t had a shared experience that opens your eyes to it.

Pacing was good, I really enjoyed the back and fourth perspectives and differing timelines that really tied into the previous chapter. At different points throughout my reading I was dying for the other sister’s perspective to come back. Lauren Ling Brown did an exceptional job of making both so intriguing but not outshining the other. It really played a role for me in the pacing. One sisters chapter would have me on edge and anxious with the switching to the other sisters POV at the next chapter but it kept the story on track. My only complaint is that you could forget whose chapter you were on because of the similar storylines and setting in both POVs.

This is a 3.75 star that rounds up to 4 for me. I can’t wait to recommend this come August. It’s a perfect spooky fall read!!

I love a book that contains a lot, and Society of Lies certainly does! It's an engrossing, hard-to-predict mystery, an exploration of the bonds of between sisters, and a look at class, race, and gender in privileged Ivy-League spaces. It was a delight to sit down to read it, and I was sad when it was over.

Society of Lies is a fresh take on the secret society and dark academia sub-genres. The multiracial character POV was portrayed with depth and authenticity. This is a great read if you like Lucy Foley but want a younger, more diverse cast of characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantsm for allowing me to read this ARC. This was a phenomenal book. The story detail and the writing made it easy to read. I didn’t want to put the book down. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you actually don’t. It was easy to go back and forth between Maya and Naomi once you had the characters set.

This story started out really strong. I was all in and completely invested in binging the book in one sitting. However, very early, around 20% with all of the back and forth between Maya in the present timeline, Naomi in the past and Maya in the past- it all just started to bleed together for me.

I constantly had to work to hard to remember who's POV I was reading - I don't want to work hard- I just want to enjoy a book.

Also, not a fan of any of these characters.

DNF @20%

Really, really slow! The dual pov of maya and Naomi made it feel as though I was reading the same thing over and over and over. The ending didn’t match the pace of the book. It was rushed to sum everything up. I think the author is a great writer and the idea of the book was good.

Really enjoyed this book. Have always been fascinated with Skull and Bones secret society books and this one did not disappoint.
I never figured it out and then the last part really threw me for a loop.
I feel some parts were rushed and could have been described a little more for effect..for example...the train station. That's all I'll give.
Definitely give this book a go!!!

Media involving secret societies is a subgenre that is always going to be my jam - Pause for me to tell you how much I love The Skulls and Dying to Belong. ANYWAY. This was a new addition to this type of thriller, and it's one I did enjoy. This is a dual timeline of two sisters who both have involvement with the same secret society at Princeton. The younger of the two sisters is dead, so various timelines are explored to figure out what happened to her leading up to her death, and it also explores her older sister's experiences. There were some good twists with characters that were intriguing and kept me reading. As a matter of preference, I wanted a bit more about the organization to add even more twists and thrills, but a dark twisty read to keep you turning those pages for sure. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this August 2024 release!

What’s not to love here? Princeton setting, eating clubs, a unique cast of characters, mystery, and murder. Great fun and well written.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200704039

I was able to read and review this book thanks to NetGalley. Wow. What a read. I am an avid thriller and murder mystery reader. I am yet to read a book as thought provoking as this. The detail and thought put into this book are truly unparalleled. Coincidentally, I believe this was achieved through both a twisting plot and also brilliant writing on society. “My goal was to write an entertaining story that also encourages conversation around friendship, sisterhood, class, and multiracial identity.” Without a doubt I know this book will be a hit. The perfect combination of a plot in which I found myself questioning the realities of smaller details and diving deep into your subconscious on how people are treated. This book was absolutely thrilling and inquisitive. PS, I never got the murderer right in all my mental guesses.

This one got off to a slow start, but when it picked up MAN did it pick up. I’m a sucker for a good thriller , and can’t wait to add this to my physical collection

This is a little hard for me to rate. I did enjoy myself, but… I guess I found it to be just a little too long. I think it would have been a better story if 50-75 pages were cut out. The resolution took a very long time to get started, and I found myself a bit let down by the ending. The big reveal didn’t make sense to me, and their motivations didn’t ring entirely true. Now that I’m writing this out, maybe the ending bothered me more than I thought. It’s a little too neat, and I have some serious reservations about some of the other characters…but maybe that would make for a good sequel.

All this to say, I liked the main characters, and I cared about the whos and whys. You really feel for both sisters, as the timelines jump back and forth. There’s a fair amount of suspense here, and plenty of “footsteps behind me” scenes that will get your heart rate up. Before I read this, I knew next to nothing about Princeton, and now I know that an “eating club” is not a club where students have an internationally-themed potluck once a week. That was my first thought, haha! I was thinking, my goodness, they are SERIOUS about their food at Princeton!

Also, shout out to the author for keeping the romance non-explicit. We know characters are hooking up, but it ends quickly, and we’re moving on to the next scene—as it should be, in my opinion. We don’t need no stinkin’ sex scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.75 stars, rounded up.

The mystery had me hooked from the beginning! I loved the dark academia vibes in this. Naomi and Maya are two sisters at a corrupt Ivy League school that draw you into a secret school society. There are important issues and discussions present in this book which I loved.

Society of Lies was a captivating murder mystery about the deaths of two young women involved in the secret Greystone Society at Princeton University. The story was told from the alternating points of view of two sisters, Maya and Naomi, and seamlessly navigates between three timelines!! I was hooked from the first chapter! The pacing was masterfully done where I always wanted to keep going to see what was going to happen next and I never felt bored while reading it. I loved the main characters, the campus drama, and all the twists and turns along the way! This was much deeper than your average thriller. The book explored various themes including sisterhood, privilege, and race. I would definitely recommend this book! Lauren Ling Brown did an amazing job with her debut novel, and can’t wait to see what she writes next!! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

The premise for this book was interesting and I liked the idea of focusing on Black characters, with compelling backstories, navigating a kind of place like Princeton. I wanted more from the book, in terms of really believing the character relationships. I struggled with really understanding how Cecily, Kai, and Maya remained friends all that time later. I also didn't see the group actually being friends with Lila, so their commitment to helping her didn't quite ring true for me. Naomi's story felt like the threads connected together a bit better.

While certainly there's many novels of this genre, none give us the plasure of exploring secret societies at elite institutions through the lens of these two sisters. Propelled with intrigue, this novel explores the odds POC and women have to overcome to have a seat at the metaphorical (and literal) table and the sacrifices women make to speak truth to power.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was great and much more than just a psychological thriller. I enjoyed it a lot, but there were a couple things that kept it from 5 stars for me:
- The middle third or so of the book was somewhat slow.
- Multiple times I had to return to the title of the chapter to remember whose POV I was reading. I found it really confusing and difficult to differentiate the POVs (especially in the middle of the book).
That said, I think it was a fantastic debut! I would absolutely read more from Lauren Ling Brown.