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

This is full of secret societies (aka eating clubs, aka sororities/fraternities) but the there are secret societies within the secret societies. So the deception & secrets go deep. The eating club setting at Princeton was easily my fav part of the book. I was sucked into the secrets so quickly. While I think the two POVs were quite confusing and repetitive, the audiobook helped me distinguish who was talking.

I was craving *smart* dark academia, but this wasn’t it. Overall, I couldn’t keep interest, and the ending was just dumb. A bunch of mean girls, not in high school anymore, obsessing over boys.

This was a compelling, layered read that kept me hooked from the first page. The way it explored secrecy, identity, and societal pressure was both timely and thought provoking. I appreciated the sharp writing and unexpected twists—it definitely sparked some inner debates. A solid pick for book clubs with plenty to unpack.

I really enjoyed the multiple mysteries shrouded in this book. It also switches between POVs and I feel this really adds to the story. It was a book that I didn’t want to put down and the writing was so good that the story was easy to follow even as the narrators shifted. A book about secret societies on college campuses isn’t what I usually read about, but this one was great!

This book was engaging & fun to read. It had a cohesive story that came full circle at the end & all my questions were answered. Dark academia meets mystery meets social justice - this books got it all! Not to mention: a gorgeous cover

A great premise of wanting to belong, college, and family ties, I have to admit that I struggled to get into this. It may just be that I wasn't a sorority girl and didn't have the legacy mindset. The characters weren't particularly likeable, which may make them more realistic. Switching between past and present timelines sometimes had me going back to make sure I was following who was doing what and keeping things straight. I can see it being a good book club read because as a group you could compare notes and keep the plot and characters aligned.

This one was just okay for me. I've found I don't usually enjoy Reese's Book Club picks. I appreciate the opportunity to read this though.

I tried to get into this book, I may have to try another time. It was too slow for my liking: I do appreciate the chance to read the ARC copy. I am sorry it took me a minute to catch up.

In Lauren Ling Brown's addictive debut, Princeton grad Maya's life is shattered when she learns her sister Naomi -- who was about to graduate herself -- is dead. The twisty self-guided investigation that follows takes readers deep into Naomi's time on campus and uncovers the truth behind the notorious secret society that may have cost Maya's sister her life. Fans of dark academia and multiple POVs will devour SOCIETY OF LIES and its crackling brand of suspense.

There is something about a secret society that perks my ears up every time. It makes me ask all kinds of questions about traditions and history and having that sense of belonging. I also feel like there is an added layer of curiosity because most secret societies have a lot of wealth involved. This had ALL of these things and threw in a prestigious college- Princeton. I was intrigued by this one from the back cover. It follows the story of two sisters separated by 10 years. We have Maya who went to Princeton and made the decision to do what needed to be done to help her sister get closer to her and in a stable environment. Then we have Naomi who was at Princeton but is found dead on campus with all kinds of questions. How did this happen? Who could have done this to her? These questions are what I LOVE about a murder mystery. I always try to unravel the mystery before it is revealed, and clearly I still have work to do because I did NOT see the end of this one coming. I really liked the dual timeline and dual POV in this one. We followed Maya back in her college days with all of that drama. We followed Maya today after learning her sister had been killed. We also follow Naomi leading up to her death. Lauren did a grab job of weaving a lot together to get this story that consisted of so much more than a murder. There was cover up, class differences, and the burning question of how far would you go to protect yourself and the people you love.

Maya is at Princeton getting ready for her sister Naomi to graduate when news hits that her sister isn't here because her body has been found by the lake. The more Maya digs the more she learns that her sister was digging into a tragedy that had occurred at Princeton while Maya was there. A tragedy that Maya is very familiar with. Now Maya is trying to peel back the layers of what happened all those years ago and mixing that with what she has learned about the life Naomi was living. The life that Maya didn't know a lot about. Just when she thinks she knows more about what happened, her whole world shifts when the true killer comes to focus. How could she have missed this? How is she going to survive this?

Naomi decides to help her roommate uncover some serious allegations about a secret society that she is in. Along the way she gets glimpses of a tragedy that occurred while her sister was there. Naomi finds herself in a tangled web of deceit and power that goes way beyond her. Before she realizes it, she is in too deep and can't seem to find her way out. She just hopes that everything she did wasn't in vain.

This was a nice paced mystery with the added element of SECRETS. We had glimpses of wealth and secret societies in college. We had peer pressure and what that looks and feels like. We had relationships- all kinds of relationships. Your college friends and how those morph into lifelong friends. And then the family kind where you may do things outside of your wheelhouse to protect those you love. I liked this one a lot and would definitely recommend if you are looking for a suspenseful whodunnit!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Society of Lies is a psychological thriller by Lauren Ling Brown. Released 1st Oct 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Bantam book imprint, it's 384 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is one of the "buzz" books of 2024 and was also a Reese's Book Club pick. Despite the pedigree, this is an often muddled, ambiguous, and chaotic story centered around two sisters at Columbia, jockeying for position in the "Eating Clubs". The characterization is diffuse; sketched in for most of the secondary characters. Motivations are murky or contradictory and most of the misunderstandings could've been cleared up with a 20 second conversation.

Many (most) of the characters are not particularly nice, and some are downright unpleasant. The author has painted Columbia and the eating clubs as being full of cruel spoiled rich kids who delight in bullying one another, with lots of partying and little academic work. The denouement and resolution are somewhat ambiguous and unsatisfying.

Three stars. It's a mixed bag. Given the demand for the book it will likely already be on public library acquisitions lists. It would also be appropriate for book club discussion.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

"Society of Lies" by Lauren Ling Brown is a well written mystery-thriller. It does not break any new ground in the genre so if this is your jam no worries start reading!