I was really looking forward to this book and I wasn’t disappointed. I didn’t mind the back and forth timelines but I do agree with others who said that it was hard to keep track of all of the characters. I knew there had to be a twist coming at the end, usually I can figure it out a head of time, but I did not see that one coming.

I think this was a strong debut for a new author. It had a lot of potential. The story idea was interesting. Unfortunately, it kind of fell a little short for me. The first half of the book was good and had me hooked. Then, the pace started to slow way down and I lost interest in the last half. There were so many characters to keep track of and it was hard to differentiate between the different POV's . I do think the audible version of this book helps in that regard as there are multiple narrators. It didn't completely work for me but I would still be interested in reading the author's next book.

Society of Lies is told from the perspective of two sisters, each a student at Princeton and tapped for the mysterious and influential Greystone Society. The younger sister, Naomi, dies just before her graduation, and while investigating her death the older sister, Maya, must confront the part she may have played in joining a society that promoted these actions.

I wanted to love Society of Lies, but I struggled with the repetitive nature of the narratives and huge cast. I feel like readers are inundated with the sisters' thoughts, but we don't really get to know either of them deeply. Both of their partners engage in some shady behavior but these threads are dropped, leaving me to wonder what the point of including them at all was and why the women put up with it.

I do think the author chose an interesting premise and made readers feel like they were with the characters as the plot progressed, so my score is 3/5.

Note: I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting book! The reader is immediately immersed in the world of Princeton and its dining clubs. The dual timelines of Maya and Naomi's time at Princeton lets the get the information in little blocks in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but I was happy to be along for the ride. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for this ARC!

This is my first read by Lauren Ling Brown, and it did not disappoint. The plot was very dark and intriguing! Power and money mean everything at a place like Princeton and a secret society has a dark past. I enjoyed that this book is portrayed by two different characters in two different times, it kept things interesting and made me want to keep reading “just one more chapter.” This book started really gripping in the first half but seemed to slow down in the second half. I was happy with the ending and would recommend to friends!

Do you enjoy dark academia, elite secret societies, and murder books? Look no further than SOCIETY OF LIES by Laura Ling Brown!

This book alternates between past and present. In present day, Maya’s Ivy League sister Naomi is found dead. Maya KNOWS this wasn’t a suicide so she takes the investigation into her own hands. In the past, Naomi is digging into Princeton societies and her sisters dark past… and it doesn’t lead her down a great path… obviously… ☠️☠️

This book was pretty good but definitely a slow burn. It seemed to take awhile to ramp up! The ending was crazy!! As a whole I really liked it! Definitely a great choice for Reese’s Book Club!

This book also led me down an internet rabbit hole. I had no idea ‘eating clubs’ were real things. So that’s fun. Also, very into secret societies!!

[thank you @randomhouse/@netgalley for the gifted copies!]

Is this on your radar?

🖤🖤🖤

This is quite the debut college thriller! It’s told from the perspectives of sisters Maya & Naomi in different timelines to weave this spellbinding and enthralling suspense thriller! It’s a national bestseller & Reese’s Book Club pick - honors that are well-deserved!

Thank you, Lauren Ling Brown, Bantam, Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine, Vanessa Duque, & netgalley, for my gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

The prologue to this book pulled me in immediately, Dark academia is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and this book offered a secret society, crime, and a death investigation. Sign me up!

Told in alternating timelines mainly focusing on main character Maya now and when she attended Princeton a decade before, we also follow her sister Naomi’s life in the months and days leading up to her death. There were some tough spots to read about, and that's only because I loathe wealthy, privileged people behaving badly with no repercussions.

While I did find the book about 75 pages too long, it had a lot of promise for a debut. I'll definitely be on the lookout for her next book.

Maya, a Princeton graduate, is back at Princeton to witness her little sister Naomi’s graduation. But when Naomi turns up dead before the event even occurs, Maya is determined to find out what happened, no matter how much danger she puts herself in.

This is a book full of social clubs and secret societies, right up my alley. It also includes secrets from the past, which I love. The characters are very compelling, as are the societal issues tackled within the story. The flashbacks from the two main characters work particularly well. I would recommend this book.

Society of Lies is a thought-provoking read that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the need to mask their true self. Lauren Ling Brown effectively illustrates the struggles of maintaining a facade in a world that often values superficial connections over genuine relationships. Ultimately, the novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of living a lie and the importance of embracing one’s true identity.

A decent dark academia debut book centered on two sisters attending college a decade apart and the one person that ties them together. This book was a bit of a slow start and the alternating timelines and viewpoints took a bit of time to get used to. I would say it wasn't my favorite but wasn't the worst. Thanks to the author and publisher for the pre-publication copy.

I should have written a review right after I read this. Unfortunately, I can’t remember this one so it must not have been that great….lesson learned!

Promising Debut. This is one of those debut books where it absolutely shows flashes of brilliance... yet also doesn't fully come together. But not in any objective-ish sense, just more of a more nebulous "there should probably be more *there* there". And because it isn't objective-ish and because I can't really put a finger on exactly what my ultimate issue is here, the book by default retains its full 5* in my own rating system.

Ultimately this *is* a reasonably solid mystery-thriller (part of the issue is the tension between the two and the book constantly switching gears and never really settling on one or the other, even just in a "this genre is dominant and that one is a touch secondary" manner) that keeps fans of both genres reasonably satisfied throughout. Set at Princeton among its real life eating clubs, and featuring such real world issues (even well outside Princeton at State colleges) as tutoring a kid getting particularly preferential treatment due to being a Legacy, this is one of those tales that will excite some and turn off others, but I thought it worked well enough for what it was. Far from a Dead Poets Society, this is really more of a The Skulls level tale, but primarily featuring 2 sisters each in two different timelines each.

And I think, ultimately, that is the key to enjoying this tale - if you approach it ala The Skulls (and if you haven't seen that movie from current Dr. Odyssey Joshua Jackson's Dawson's Creek years, you should) - you'll likely have a great time with this tale. If "Dark Academia" is 100% not your thing... you likely won't have such a great time here.

Very much recommended.

This was a fun thriller. I flew through it. It did take me a little bit to get invested, but once I did, I was hooked. The writing wasn't spectacular, but the story was interesting. It kept me guessing how all the puzzle pieces fit together. Two perspectives: Maya telling about her story at Princeton 10 years ago and now today, as well as her sister's perspective at Princeton, months and days before her untimely death. Was it an accident, or is there something more sinister at work here? Is Maya somehow connected to her little sister's death?

This was an awesome dark academia story! Told through past and present timelines and dual POVs you unravel the death of a Princeton student named Naomi who was about to graduate. She was part of a secret society as well as her older sister, Maya, who attended Princeton before her. Now, Maya is trying to figure out what happened to her sister while also grappling with her triggering past from when she attended Princeton herself.

This did a spectacular job of talking about nepotism, corruption in ivy leagues, the lengths people will go to preserve their privilege, no matter who it hurts, and also racism since the characters (and author) are bi-racial. I think the perspective of the author really added depth to the characters. The twists weren’t out of this world and there definitely seemed to be a lot of extra fluff that wasn’t necessary to the overall plot, but I loved getting to know both sisters. This was exciting and kept me interested.

Thank you NetGalley & Randomhouse for my ARC!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on October 1, 2024.

I was intrigued from the beginning and the writing was flawless - the plot sucked me in and it was easy to slip into the elite college atmosphere. The numbness of the characters when encountering problematic situations is a response which is not normally explored by authors so kudos! The red herrings and plot twists concerning secret societies is a secret obsession with me however I had trouble swallowing the final battle with the snow/ice/wind chill coming into play.

I loved Society of Lies. I loved the dual POVs and the counting down of the days leading to Naomi's death. Such a great debut and I look forward to more books from this author.

Gosh this book just had so many things I love in a good story… dual POV and timelines, murder mystery, dark academia/a secret society and at an ivy league!!! It took me a little bit to get oriented with the characters but once I got the hang of what was happening with the back and forth POVs, I was super invested and breezed right through the book and enjoyed it so much! Never saw the twist coming!

Thank you so much to PRH, Lauren, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

Heartbreaking start to this book when Naomi turns up dead the night before her Princeton graduation. Her sister Maya, in town for her own 10-year reunion as well as Naomi's graduation ceremony, is shocked and overwhelmed with grief. Maya is a Princeton alumni and her sister's death has not only raised many questions, but also dredged up memories from Maya's history. Turns out both Maya and Naomi belonged to Sterling Club, an exclusive social club on campus, and also to the secret society within Sterling Club.

The stories of sisters Naomi and Maya are told in their own POV, in both the past and the present. Since the story mostly takes place on the Princeton campus, there are a lot of friends and teachers of both sisters to keep track of and I felt like I had been dropped in the dorm and had a bunch of new people to get to know. Unfortunately, the story line felt flat to me. It kept my interest, but I felt it could have been shorter and while I was surprised by the twist at the end, it didn't raise my adrenaline or make me want to read any faster. I had a hard time connecting with Maya or believing her grief.

This is a debut novel for Lauren Ling Brown. I do like her writing and I look forward to reading her future work. Make sure to read her author's note.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.