Maya is excited to return to Princeton for her ten-year college reunion. She is also there to attend the graduation of her little sister, Naomi. But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she receives the news that Naomi is dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya suspects that there is more to the story than they are letting on. As Maya pieces together what happened in the months leading up to her sister’s death, she begins to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi had joined the Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to. And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it.
The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she’d always made it seem—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past . . . and to the secret she’s kept all these years.

This debut novel was full of twists and turns. I love books in academic settings, and this had the added bonus of secret societies. I did find that the book was a little slow at time, but overall I found this book enjoyable. If you are a fan of twisty thrillers, then you should definitely check this out.

This debut novel is perfect for fans of dark academia and gothic settings as this story revolves around a secret society at Princeton University. The story is told in dual timelines in dual perspectives by two sisters who both are in the same secret society at Princeton University 10 years apart. I think it was well written but the story did move slowly at times. I enjoyed Naomi’s perspectives much more than Maya’s and really didn’t care for her character at all. The book does tackle some tough topics and does it well.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballatine for the ARC.

Naomi was about to graduate from the prestigious Princeton University when her body was discovered. The authorities say it was an accident. Her older sister, Maya, doesn't think so. In fact, the situation is eerily similar to another death when she was in school. Through multiple timelines and both Naomi's and Maya's perspectives, the unfolds.

This may be a great fit if you enjoy:
- dark academia (a mystery set on a college campus)
- rich people problems
- flawed yet strong female characters
- a splash of social commentary

I had a great time with Society of Lies! With school back in session, fall is a great time for books with a college setting. The consistent unraveling of secrets of the elite Greystone Society at Princeton is interesting, and honestly, it didn't seem that unrealistic that the members will do everything possible to protect their status and prosperity.

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com & goodreads.com today.


It’s hard to believe this is a first novel for Lauren Ling Brown. The incredible way this was written, I can only imagine a wall of notes with strings connecting different people and themes together. It is a sincerely wild ride through a secret society and the lengths some people are willing to go to protect their lives and livelihood.

Maya is Black-Asian. She’s never quite fit in. Ten years older than her younger sister Naomi, she attends Princeton, while her sister lives with a relative’s family in California. It was the only way after their mother suddenly died.

At Princeton, Maya works so hard to achieve, to study and try to make it so that Naomi can have a better life someday. Just as before, Maya doesn’t really fit in until she meets Daisy. Daisy is a member of Sterling, an eating club. Princeton had outlawed secret societies many years before, but eating clubs grew out of that ban. Daisy convinces Maya to try to become a member, and wanting a place of connection, Maya agrees.

Not all is right in Sterling, but Maya has her group - Cecily, Kai, and Daisy - and they stick together through everything. Though when a classmate suddenly dies, the four know their are secrets they will be forced to keep for a lifetime. So when Naomi wants to attend Princeton, Maya cringes. It only gets worse when Naomi also joins Sterling. Maya kept secrets for years trying to protect those she loves, and now Naomi is right in the middle of it all.

Truly exceptional thriller. Never saw the ending coming, which is an amazing mark of a thriller. I would gladly line up to read every novel that Lauren Ling Brown writes. If they’re even half as good as this one, they’ll be excellent.

Thank you to the publishing team for the review copy! I really enjoyed the themes in Society of Lies, I can never say no to books set in college/school settings, especiaiyl when they explore secret societies, themes on social class and identity, and how abuses of power have complicated, long term effects.

I really appreciated how Lauren Ling Brown deftly wove together a present day story with a backstory, connecting two deaths, and two sisters' stories, together to examine how secrets and privileged lives influenced two murders. The pacing was effective, if a bit sluggish as the back and forth between storylines was hard to adjust too even though I think it really aided in developing the plot, and I enjoyed how the backstory helped explain many of the present day characters stories, relationships, and behaviors. What worked a little less for me was the development of themes on race and ethnicity, they were there but never as developed as they could be, with the story becoming more and more about criminal behaviors and figuring out a past and present day murder... themes on race and interracial relationships and friendships, the why perhaps of how some characters were targeted, was never fully developed for me and some threads about the secret society never fully tied together. I wanted a little more from the secret society plot, I never fully got into the reason for the why some people were tapped for it and why others were not, and how they functioned within an eating club... The darker story became one a little predictable to me about unhealthy and toxic relationships, money and power, without leaning into the darker themes and corners lurking in the plot.

It's still a book with a lot to enjoy and I will eagerly see how this author develops her voice and style in future books!

When Naomi is discovered dead on her college campus, her sister Maya refuses to accept it as an accident. Maya’s relentless pursuit of answers takes her down unexpected paths, unraveling dark secrets from her past and within a prestigious society at an Ivy League college.

Dark academia enthusiasts, listen up! “Society of Lies” delivers a twisty, suspenseful narrative that weaves together the lives of two sisters separated by a decade but connected by their shared school. The fast pace and suspense paired with corruption and cover-ups will keep you glued to the pages—I promise you won’t want to set this book down. Plus, the exploration of race, privilege, and sisterhood adds depth to this intriguing debut. Society of Lies is an unforgettable read that’ll linger in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page.

I received a gifted copy of this book.

Society of Lies
Lauren Ling Brown
1 October 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Lauren Ling Brown, for allowing me to read and review Society of Lies.

This book was absolutely incredible! The suspense and mystery embedded into this book drove the need to keep reading to find out what happened next. I was completely invested in the characters, their relationships with one another, the story, and all the drama surrounding. I'm looking forward to reading another book by Lauren!

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

I DNF’d it early on because the back and forth was kind of blending together.

I did rate this 3 stars even though I didn’t finish it because of the concept and potential.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy!

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from the author! This gave me vibes of The Skulls which will always be one of my favorite movies. This book kept me hooked from the start and I found myself eager to get back to reading it when I had to put it down for real life obligations (work, life, sleep lol). I didn’t see the ending coming and that’s certainly a sign of a good book in my eyes. Love this one!

What a great debut mystery/thriller! This book follows two storylines of two sisters who both attended Princeton University and were involved in the same social club on campus. The main focus within the book is with the younger sister’s Naomi’s death and her prior investigation of events that occurred while her older sister Maya was a student. This book is full of dark academia vibes that are perfect for fall time and I loved reading about the secret societies that are full of drama and secrets. For a debut novel, I think the author really showcased her writing talent and took a common setting (college) and added her own flare on it. My one issue with it was the pacing in the middle was much slower than the beginning and end which was noticeable as a reader but, I am still very interested in reading anything else that this author may publish in the future and would recommend you add this book on to your fall TBR! Publishes 10/1. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for early access in exchange for my honest review!

3.5/5 Stars

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is the perfect read if you’re into dark academia vibes! The tension builds beautifully through the dual POVs, and the plot kept me hooked. Plus, the characters are intriguing and surprisingly likeable, despite all the scheming and secrets.

However, I did get a bit lost with the shifting timelines and dual perspectives at times, which made things confusing. And the ending? A little on the messy side. Still, if you love atmospheric mysteries with complex characters, this one’s definitely worth diving into!

The secret society set up for this book was very promising but I struggled a bit with the dual timelines. If you go in expecting a mystery/thriller you might be disappointed. If you go in expecting more of a literary fiction book, Society of Lies will be an enjoyable time.

Told in dual timelines, in present time, a body is found floating in a river. Is it an accident? Was it suicidal? Being that it’s Maya’s sister, she’s determined to find out. But not without confronting her own past and something that feels oh so familiar.

With dual timelines and dual narratives, we have Naomi and Maya, sisters years apart but so similar as Naomi follows in her sisters footsteps to attend her same Alma mater. The reader follows Naomi in her final days, introducing the reader to multiple red herring moments. Even though the author had some good tension building moments, the underlining why there should be tension was not established as well as it should have been. Anytime I felt a character jumpy for what was behind them, I felt why, you haven’t done anything.

Even though this has some fun popcorn thriller moments, it is too long for what the story actually is. This was definitely a good 50-75 pages of too much. I enjoyed the ending, even if it felt like we breezed through it, but not always the journey to get there.

Maya is excited to return to Princeton where she graduated a decade ago. Her little sister, Naomi, has followed in her footsteps and is graduating this weekend. When she gets a call that Naomi is dead her world is turned upside down. As Maya investigates what truly happened to Naomi she learns that Naomi was also tapped for the ultra secret society that Maya had been in during her time at Princeton. Could this have to do with the tragedy a decade ago that still haunts Maya to this day?

I love books about secret societies at colleges, it is just so intriguing to me. This book was such a quick, easy read that was not only about college life but included mature themes like race and inappropriate relationships. I appreciated the author’s first hand experience with being biracial and her struggles.

The promise of connections and security beyond Princeton is what lured Maya to join the Sterling Eating Club and the secret society harbored within it. In an attempt to come from next to nothing and create a future for her younger sister Niaomi, Maya is willing to do nearly anything. Jump ahead ten years and Noami is preparing to graduate from Princeton, but on the cusp of graduation she is found dead. And Maya knows it’s no accident.

This novel is a well written balance of each of the sister’s experiences at Princeton and how their relationship leads to the circumstances surrounding Naomi’s death. There is a healthy dose of dark academia, corruption, secrets and betrayal that keep this mystery and thriller moving right along. The mix of the timelines keeps you on the edge, turning pages to see what comes next. 5 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam and NetGalley. Thank you!

I love a setting of a gothic college campus. This story is filled with mysteries and secret societies and the secrets they must keep. The ending was a good twist! Also love seeing a person of color as the main character.

Society of Lies is a typical thriller for me in terms of the reading experience. It's entertaining and I flew through it in a couple days. This is a story about two sisters: Maya is back on the Princeton campus for her Reunion when her younger sister, Naomi, is a graduating student. Soon after Maya arrives on campus, her sister is found dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya starts to believe there’s more to the story. The first ¾ or so is a slow burn and felt like a campus novel with some suspense, which I loved! I actually didn’t even need the ratchet up at the end. I loved the behind the scenes look into the Princeton eating clubs scene and the secret societies within those eating clubs. There’s a super creepy and unsettling vibe here. We get a view into what it’s like to be a person of color at an Ivy League school, but also an elite eating club and the world of secret societies at elite colleges. There's excellent commentary about power, privilege, and the favor economy. Despite one minor plot hole at the end, Society of Lies is an entertaining thriller with some unique commentary on an intriguing and opaque corner of academia.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I was immediately intrigued by the cover and synopsis. The Princeton setting was interesting. Unfortunately, the execution of the plot was underwhelming. It felt too long and convoluted. Marta was easily the most interesting character, but I didn't care about anyone else. I needed more tension. I needed to care about the characters in order to invest in their outcomes. This was just okay and largely forgetable.

Maya Banks returns to her alma mater, Princeton University, to see her younger sister graduate and to reunite with old friends. However, Naomi never shows up to meet her and Maya learns her sister has drowned in a nearby lake. Maya cannot accept that this is an accident and is determined to get to the truth, no matter what the cost to others or herself since she is hiding more than one secret from her time at Princeton.

This book alternates between Maya and Naomi's points-of-view and three different timelines. Both Maya and Naomi were involved in the same social club at college as well as a "secret society" that offers lifelong benefits to its exclusive members. However, both women learn that everything comes at a cost. Part of the book examines what people would be willing to do to get the life they've always dreamed of. This issue is even more complicated for Maya and Naomi who are women of color, wanting to fit in among the rich and privileged at Princeton.

The premise is intriguing and the story is suspenseful, in spite of some pacing issues in the middle. The frequent changes in point-of-view (every other chapter) and the similarity in what Maya and Naomi go through makes the story hard to follow. I sometimes had to stop and reread parts to be clear about whose story I was reading. Everyone in the book makes poor decisions, so it was hard finding someone to root for. I was invested in finding out what happened to Naomi and if it was related to a tragic event that occurred when Maya attended college. I was also surprised when the whole truth came out. This is a suspenseful thriller, and I hope to see more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, Random House, and Bantam Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and the Lauren Ling Brown for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

I can count the number of ARCs I have been provided that I have DNF'd. This being one of them. Since downloading the file back in March, I have tried to read Society of Lies several times and have not gotten past 20-ish percent.

I'm not sure what it is about the book that I haven't been able to connect with, but it has put me in a reading slump each time I've tried.

If there is ever a possibility that it is released as an audio book, I'll be keen to download it and give it a listen and see if that cures whatever is ailing me in terms of actually being able to get through Society of Lies.

Outside of my inability to push through, I was initially pulled in by the synopsis, as it does lend itself to being a great read. Secret societies and murder cover-ups are right up my alley. But alas, I stayed on the street.

I'll be giving this a 3/5 based on the synopsis alone. Hopefully in the future when I can get through it, this will jump to a 5.

A very sincere thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Lauren Ling Brown for the opportunity, again. I wish the book to have a massive success.