Society of Lies is an absolute knockout. it is twisty, sharp, and impossible to put down. Lauren Ling Brown has crafted a darkly addictive tale of ambition, secrets, and the high-stakes world of elite academia, where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide.

As a Reese’s Book Club pick, it more than lives up to the hype. The writing is crisp, the pacing flawless, and the tension builds with every chapter. I loved how the story explores power, privilege, and truth in a way that’s both thought-provoking and wildly entertaining.

Brown’s characters are complex and deliciously unreliable, and watching the lies unravel was such a thrill. Society of Lies is that perfect mix of smart and suspenseful.

It is easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

I usually find dark academia thrillers enjoyable, but not this time. Unfortunately I struggled to finish this one. Nothing stands out here that I can recommend.

I LOVED this book! I finished it in one setting because I was so hooked. It was giving all the dark academia, secret society vibes.

Thank you to Lauren Ling Brown, Random House Publishing - Ballantine/Bantam, and NetGalley for an eARC of Society of Lies!

3.5/5 Stars

I absolutely LOVE dark academia/secret society books so this story was right up my alley. It touched on some serious topics including racism and abuse of power, so it's not a light, fluffy murder mystery, but it was still a quick read once it picked up. The dual timeline was really well done - I felt like I was interested in both stories and how they tied together. It took me a bit to get truly invested, but by the middle I couldn't stop reading!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Society of Lies.

The central character, Maya Princeton graduate returns to her Alma mater for her sister’s graduation. Tragedy follows Maya from her own days at school but also the sudden death of her sister
She is left to find out what happened to her sister even though the path will be difficult for her.
I was not a big fan of the characters and the plot felt a bit flat for me.
3 stars

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it. I may come back to it later.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Just finished reading Society of Lies—a twisty dystopian thriller where truth is the ultimate rebellion. Felt like some of the twists were a bit far fetched but really liked the setting of this book.
Worth a read if you're into tense, thought-provoking fiction and want something more on the thriller side than the psychological fiction side.

Not exactly what I was thinking it was about going in and the storytelling is not what turned me off, it was the ending. Would read from again.

psychological thriller that blends dark academia, secret societies, and sisterhood into a twisty, emotionally charged narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the arc!

📚Book Review:
Title: Society Of Lies
Author: Lauren Ling Brown
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn’t put this twisty tale down.”—Julia Bartz, author of The Writing Retreat

I'd definitely put this book in the dark academia thriller category. If spooky, sinister situations surrounding school is your jam, then you'll enjoy this one.

Ten years ago, Maya attended Princeton and joined the exclusive Sterling Club, an elite social club that is believed to have secret societies within. Her younger sister, Naomi, is now attending Princeton as well, and Maya looks forward to seeing her when she visits the campus for her class reunion. But no sooner does she arrive that she receives the phone call that will not only turn her life upside down but put her on the path to search deeper into the secret societies. Naomi has been found dead, but the police have determined it to be an accident. Maya knows something far sinister has happened, and she's determined to expose the truth.

Published: August 13th, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Society of Lies was a 3.5 for me. I enjoyed the secret society vibe but wish they had delved a bit deeper into that aspect of the story line. Sometimes it felt like things got a bit muddled between the different POV’s but I enjoyed the twists and turns.

Stylish and suspenseful with major dark academia vibes. The social dynamics and betrayals felt real, if a bit over the top. Some characters blurred together, but the central mystery held strong. A gripping Reese’s pick with layers worth discussing

This was a decent read but not a standout. I basically only finished it because I grew up a few miles from Princeton and worked on Nassau St once upon a time and it's always fun to see my old stomping grounds through other lenses. The actual book was just meh, though. 3 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

Maya was looking forward to a nice weekend back at Princeton for her college reunion and for her younger sister's graduation, to seeing her sister and all of her close friends from when she was in school. But when the news comes that her sister has been found dead, Maya is left reeling, not only form the grief of losing her younger sister but from the memories that her loss dredges up of her own time at Princeton.

Digging deep to try to get to the bottom of what happened to her sister, Maya learns that Naomi had joined the Sterling Club--just like she had when she was younger--against her advice. But was Sterling Club the cause of Naomi's struggles and ultimately her death just as it was the cause of Maya's struggles once upon a time? Can she solve the mystery in time, or will her sister's death forever be remembered as an 'accident?'

my thoughts? ⬇️

Society of Lies had such an interesting premise, and I really enjoyed the way that it was laid out between chapters, seeing bits and pieces of both Maya's and Naomi's lives at Princeton and the things they went through. Naomi was a fascinating character who had already been through so much, including with her older sister, and Maya's determination to find justice for her after feeling like she'd abandoned her only made the stakes feel higher.

Separately, the journey both Maya and Naomi had with their race and class compared with those of their classmates and the other members of Sterling Club gave so much more to the story being told and to them as characters and made my heart ache for them so many times.

The only real issue with this book, for me, was the pacing. The story progressed so slowly, and for a mystery/thriller, that stunted the story so, so much. The twists were interesting, the characters were well written, and the threats were intense, but at the end, if a story isn't moving at the right pace, it takes *so much* away from all of the good parts of it.

trigger warnings ⬇️

murder, death, death of a parent, violence, gun violence, fire/fire injury, alcohol use, drug use, gaslighting, grooming?, toxic relationship, adult/minor relationship, racism, stalking, classism, emotional abuse, kidnapping, racial slurs, domestic abuse, physical abuse, panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, blood, bullying, grief, infidelity, car accident, toxic friendship, police brutality, abandonment.

This book was pretty fun. I absolutely love the title so it made me want to read it. I personally didn't find this to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but it was quick to get through and that always counts as worth it in my book. Thank you for allowing me to read this!

I started this book last night with the intention of reading a few chapters. I was helpless to put this down once I started reading and read it in one evening. I felt that there was such an amazing blend of genres in this book and I liked that the characters were well written. The suspense elements were well paced and I was kept guessing until the very end about what happened. I think it is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. This is definitely an author to watch and I want more. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Lauren Ling Brown’s Society of Lies is a gripping, high-society thriller that unravels the dark secrets of an elite Ivy League secret society. When ambitious law student Mia Wong is tapped for the exclusive Verenice Society, she’s drawn into a world of power, privilege, and deadly deception. But after a member turns up dead, Mia must navigate a labyrinth of lies or become a victim. Brown crafts a twisty mystery with the glamour of Gossip Girl and the cutthroat tension of The Secret History. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, making it impossible to put down. While well-executed, the "dead girl in a secret society" plot isn’t groundbreaking, and some twists are predictable for seasoned thriller readers. The final act ties things up a little too neatly after so much buildup, leaving a few loose threads.

This was a great book that had me hooked from the very beginning. I thought I knew who the killer was but boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs. The characters weren't exactly likeable but I wanted to know more about them and had so many questions!! I love the secret society they had. The book is full of unreliable narrators, lies, and bad decisions. It was a great read!

I found this book intriguing, but definitely slow-paced. I liked how the dual timelines told the stories of the sisters, weaving in a dark academia vibe throughout. However, it was hard to keep track of the timelines sometimes because they included some of the same characters. The amount of miscommunication between the sisters also became annoying and repetitive for me. The twists were surprising - I thought I had things figured out! I'd definitely recommend this one.

3.5 stars

Maya's heading back to Princeton for her class reunion and while she's there her sister will also be graduating. The reunion becomes an absolute nightmare when Maya's sister, Naomi, is found dead. Maya finds her death suspicious and it reminds her of another death that took place ten years earlier while Maya was in the Society. Maya must piece together what has been going on in Naomi's life the last few months and reconcile what had happened in the past.

This story is told from alternating points of view taking place in the past and present. It was twisty and layered. I found the flashbacks showing the sister's relationship to be heartbreaking. The cover immediately drew me in. The premise was interesting and I liked the "secret society" aspect. I'm looking forward to reading more stories from Lauren Ling Brown in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Ling Brown, and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
#netgalley #laurenlingbrown #societyoflies #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine