SOCIETY OF LIES was an excellent story, from the beginning I was hooked. I love dark academia and dual POV'S. I wasn't sure who was the telling the truth. Overall, I would say this is a winner, I highly recommend.

Society of Lies has a super interesting premise — a woman trying to figure out what happened to her sister, found dead on Princeton’s campus — but the book just does not hold my interest, and I can’t get past the first few chapters after months of trying and retrying. Not for me, but still worth a try — it does seem like it could get better!

This has been the year of the debut-I swear! Society of Lies is as delicious and addictive as the cover. Secrets, deception, *very* dark academia and over privileged people….I mean what could go wrong right?

I was pulled right in from the beginning. Not only do we have dual POVs of the sisters but it is also dual timelines. That always keeps my interest, especially in a thriller. I get my armchair detective cap on. The setting of Princeton is fantasy and you really get all of the fall vibes with it.

Not only was this a thriller, but the novel really delves into privilege, race and socioeconomic norms within an Ivy League University. I don’t want to say too much more and ruin things…just get it! You wont be sorry. Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is a gripping and well-written thriller that explores the depths of ambition, secrets, and the dangerous lengths one might go to belong. The story follows Maya as she returns to Princeton for her college reunion, only to have her joyful weekend shattered by the tragic death of her sister, Naomi. What begins as a devastating mystery quickly spirals into an intense investigation as Maya suspects foul play and unearths chilling details about Naomi’s involvement with the elite Sterling Club.

The novel is rich in atmosphere, with Princeton’s prestigious backdrop adding a layer of intrigue as Maya revisits old memories and encounters the ghosts of her past. Brown expertly builds tension as Maya’s investigation takes darker turns, revealing uncomfortable truths about the price of social status and the hidden dangers within Ivy League institutions.

The plot is exciting and fast-paced, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. Maya’s emotional journey, as she grapples with her own guilt and the secrets she has buried, adds depth to the story, making it more than just a whodunit—it’s a haunting exploration of privilege, power, and the cost of belonging.

For anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers packed with suspense, Society of Lies delivers a riveting read that doesn’t disappoint.

While the dark academia vibe was well achieved, i felt the pacing was very slow and the alternating viewpoints did more to detract from the story than to add to it (I found myself often having to check who the current narrator was). I would recommend this book just be prepared for a slower plot development.

A campus setting this time of year is always my favorite. This thriller takes place at Princeton and delves into the world of (fictitious) secret societies 👀

The first half of this book, I loved. From the jump, I was gripped by the mystery surrounding Naomi’s death. But what really pulled me in was her sister Maya’s drive to uncover the truth behind what happened and how it was actually connected to Maya’s own past as a member of the same secret society Naomi joined on campus.

The dark academia elements were on point for me, too. They gave such an ominous undertone to the whole novel. From school admissions scandals to drugs, alcohol, cheating and stealing… this is rich kids with their parents’ money behaving poorly at its peak. Makes for a lot of drama!

While I was loving it from the beginning, the pacing was off for me in the second half, which made it really hard to stay invested. I kept thinking we were at the tipping point for “the big reveal” and would check my reading percentage to see that we were still a ways off. Felt like it dragged on, which took away from that stellar first half as it lost some momentum. Although, I will say, the ending was a surprise, and while it was a bit abrupt, I appreciated the twist!

My biggest win though has to be the commentary on larger themes woven seamlessly into this thriller. Topics like sisterhood, class, privilege and multiracial experiences were covered so well drawing on the author’s own experience of feeling “other” in her formative years especially.

On the whole, this was such a good debut (3.5 stars), and I can’t wait to see what Lauren Ling Brown writes next!

This was a really great book!
This follows two perspectives, Maya & Naomi, who are sisters. One was murdered, and one is trying to solve their murder.
Both of them get involved in a secret society at Princeton University that essentially does a ton of shady things to get students into school, etc.
It took me a minute to get into the story but once I did, I was hooked. This is one of those reads that makes you think and you have to really pay attention. I truly had no clue how this one was going to end and I didn’t guess any of it.
It was different and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. It is also slower paced but that never affected holding my interest. I felt like I was following along in a crime show the whole time and really trying to solve what happened.
My brain hurt often because it was very deep and heavy, and so I really had to take my time with it.
Over all I enjoyed it so much, and my only critique would have been that it needed faster pacing.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I genuinely could not put this one down. It had all the elements of a book that I love - dark academia setting (hello secret societies!), dual perspectives and dual timelines, a thrilling murder mystery, and twists and turns until the very end. This book is perfect for the autumn and had me dreaming of visiting the northeast in my fall travel lineup.

I did feel, at times, like there were a few too many characters and not all of them were necessary and relevant. I also felt like there were some shock and awe moments that didn't particularly add anything to the plot but just left the reader with a quick gasp before moving on. It could definitely be trimmed down, but I enjoyed every minute of it nonetheless.

I would recommend this one to anyone, but specifically for people who love Tell Me Lies (the tv show, not the book, of course). Four stars from me; a wonderful debut novel! Can't wait to see what Lauren Ling Brown does next!

Society of Lies
3.75 ⭐️

So glad no one ever asked me to join a secret society when I was in college 😅

Told from two sisters’ points of view, Society of Lies has all the twists you’d expect from a secret society that’s giving huge advantages to people who want to get ahead and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. While Naomi investigates a murder that happened back when her sister was in the society, Maya works in present day to figure out what happened to her sister.

The dual narration was a little confusing here with so many timelines but it eventually leveled out. I liked the fast chapters and twisted characters, some of whom you could see coming but not all!

⭐️3.25
Murder at Princeton. Two sisters twelve years apart, both in a secret society eating club. Very elite, so life HAS to be good, right?

Not a huge fan of a slow burn in a mystery. The timelines of the present and ten years ago seemed to intersect too much for my liking, but maybe it’s just me.

What I loved was the setting, I could picture it in my mind. I also loved the short chapters and the premise of the story. Great first book by this author, I will be looking forward to her next one.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6365502141

Pub date: October 1, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced early copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is pretty slow moving and I had a hard time staying interested. I think the storyline is there, but there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t really go anywhere.

3.5⭐️ dark academia!! The premise of this story was really interesting and while a big portion of it had me hooked, small pieces kind of fell flat for me. I found Naomi and Liam’s drama very tiresome😂 but overall I really enjoyed the story!

It took me a while to get into this one. To call it a slow burn would be an understatement!

While I loved the short chapters (for easy stopping points), I did have a hard time grasping the dual timelines and all the characters. I found myself going back to see the dates at the start of the chapters to get a grip on where we were on the timeline.

That said, there were lots of secrets, lies, and a secret society within an exclusive society, which made it interesting… but the whole time, we were trying to pin the murder of a student on a professor… and I felt like it all fizzled out in the end, and was rather anticlimactic. In fact, I finished it, and sat there like, “what?! After all that, that’s what went down?” I felt like it took so long to read and the ending wasn’t as exciting as it could have been!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I read 30% and was just bored, I also found the flashbacks confusing because it was multiple POV and multiple timeline. The tone was not for me as well, repetitive talk of racism, racial profiling, etc. We get it, just tell me the story please.

I will say, this book has some great characters that are well played out and give meaning to the story. And the plot was well written and left me with no questions about what was happening. I wish the pace was picked up just a bit. And the second half had a lot of unnecessary details that could’ve been edited down.

With deep and insightful characters, I was all in with this one...for the first half of the book. Then Lauren Ling Brown slowed things waaaayyy down and I struggled to make it through the second half. I felt like Brown's writing was immersive and she had me feeling like I was in the room with each of the characters. The dark academia setting is one of my favorites and she shined in setting that scene as well. Unortunately, in the end, the pacing really ruined this one for me.

Multiple time lines sometimes gets me confused. This book did not confuse me with the multiple time lines. Dark academia is a genre I actually enjoy reading. This book is a chef’s kiss in my thoughts. A thought provoking novel with so many twists, as with so many other books I’ve read I thought I had it all figured out and then another twist proves me oh so wrong. Such a great book!

What really happened to Naomi at Princeton? That's the question her sister Maya, also an alumna, is struggling to answer. This moves back and forth between the two of them as Naomi recounts what led to her death even as Maya, in the present is investigating. The plot might be familiar but the sisters make it unique. This hits on racism, classism, and the high pressure life at elite academic institutions. And, of course on secret societies. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the campus novel.

"How far would you go to belong?

Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion - it's been a decade since she graduated, and she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her time there. This visit is special because Maya will also be attending 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 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."

Oh, I need to know the secret that's MORE secret than the secret society!