Society of Lies was an unexpectedly twisty take on dark academic thriller. Sisters, more than a decade apart, both attend Princeton University and become involved in the same secret society within an eating club. Maya, the oldest, was there when a fellow member died on a ski trip. Now Naomi, the younger of the sisters, has turned up dead in a lake the night before graduation. As Maya sifts through Naomi’s life, trying to make sense of what happened to her, we jump back in time to Maya’s days at Princeton as well as the months leading up the present from Naomi’s point of view. Told in shifting points of view and timelines, each parallel story leads up to what happened then and now, and why. What secrets is the society trying to hide - then and now - secrets that they’d be willing to kill over? The writing was sharp, and the characters well-developed and relatable. The suspense could have been a touch more compelling, but I found the mystery of it all along with the resolution of it at the end worth the wait.

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is a dual timeline, dual POV novel that follows two sisters during their time at Princeton ten years apart. Ling Brown weaves a story of murder, mystery and betrayal rooted in secret societies at the university. I enjoyed this take on the typical college secret society novel. I will definitely read any future books by Lauren Ling Brown.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
When Maya attended college, she was a member of a secret society. As a result, she has secrets to hide. Now 10 years later, she is back for a class reunion. She is really excited because her younger sister Naomi is now attending the same school. Unfortunately, Naomi is soon found dead. Who killed her and why? Maya starts digging for the answers, as well as keeping her own secrets. I enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure where it was going in the beginning, but it just got better and better. There were several twists and turns along the way, as well as a surprise ending. A good story if you like mysteries centering around school experiences!

Thank you, Random House and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Society of Lies.

This was a very slow-burn mystery told in dual POV/timeline about two sisters who both went to Princeton and are a part of a secret society. The youngest turns up dead and the older sister investigates. The novel was okay, but it just didn't grab me like I wished it could have.

Wasn’t a big fan of this one the alternating storylines became too confusing and everything just felt messily strung together

Maya's younger sister has been found dead days before her graduation from Princeton. Maya feels strongly that it was murder and it brings back memories of Maya's experiences ten years earlier at the same college. Twists, turns and secret societies. Princeton is a bed of alcohol and drug addiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine/Bantam & Lauren Ling Brown for a digital ARC of Society of Lies in exchange for an honest review.

The combination of the cover art & the word "society" in the title (which I'm a sucker for), I was immediately drawn to this book & reading the synopsis just further reeled me in.

This story follows Maya as she finds out that her younger sister, who is set to be graduating from Princeton, turns up dead. Naomi followed in Maya's footsteps & joined the most elite social club on campus & further was inducted into the super secret society within the club. Maya knows from her own experience with the same club & secret society that there are more sinister things & play & that Naomi isn't the first person to turn up dead. Maya knows there is more to her sister's death than it appears & she intends to get to the bottom of it.

Sadly, this book did not fully delivery. The first half of the book was amazing. I was hooked & couldn't stop reading and then, roughly halfway through, it's like the story did a complete 180. The first half was so bingeable & fast paced & the second half DRAGGED & was lacking in literally everything that was so great about the first half. Honestly, it was really REALLY weird that the two halves of the book were so drastically different.

I was also not a huge fan of the dual POV & three timelines. (1) Maya Present; (2) Maya Past; and (3) Naomi Past. I am willing to read stories with multi-POVs & multi-timelines when the book is stellar. This one was until it wasn't.

While this was a very intriguing concept that showed promise in the beginning, it really went down hill after that with the slow pacing & lack of any reals thrills or suspense.

One sister is returning to Princeton for a reunion. The younger sister attended Princeton but is dead. How did this happen? As the older sister investigates, she uncovers the underside of "eating houses".

Maya was looking forward to her reunion at Princeton, especially because her little sister Naomi is graduating. When police say Naomi died in an accident, she suspects there's more to it. As she pieces together the months leading up to Naomi's death, she sees how much Naomi hid from her. Foremost is the fact that Naomi joined the exclusive Sterling Club as Maya had years ago, and had likely been tapped for the secret society within it. She fears that following in her footsteps got Naomi killed, and that her secrets won't stay hidden.

From the start, there's tension between Maya and people around her. There's a lot she doesn't know about Naomi's life, the way she felt at being shuttled to different caregivers when Maya went to college, and even the people she knew from her time at Princeton. Privilege and money creates a whole separate layer of opportunity for students, even in the clubs they're able to join. Maya got into Sterling for the connections, hoping she could get better opportunities for Naomi. Those were mostly financial and professional, and at that level people have more to hide. Both sisters have investigations of a sort, and are clumsy at it because they're not professionals, putting themselves into the crosshairs of those more powerful and connected.

What an excellent, twisty mystery! The story is told in multiple timelines and points of views, which could get confusing, but Brown pulls it off really well. The protagonists were sympathetic -- though it was heartbreaking reading Naomi's POV knowing how things go for her from the start -- and I was rooting for them the whole time despite knowing how one of their stories ends. I also love a good campus thriller, especially ones with secret societies. So well done!

Maya is looking forward to her college Reunions where she’ll see her sister, Naomi, who is graduating and her friends when attending Princeton 10 years ago. Maya was notified that Naomi died is an apparent accident. Maya had joined a secret society when she was at Princeton and member had been killed. She tried to discourage Naomi from joining, but she joined anyway. When Maya reached the college to pick up Naomi’s ashes, she began an investigation of her sister’s death with the help of her friends. Many secrets surface and Maya becomes a target.
This novel had some interesting twists.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing

Secret societies, suspicious deaths and Ivy League schools? Yes please!

This book really had it all, suspense, mystery and murder. The author did a great job of really making you feel like you were there solving the mystery with Maya.

The cast of characters was great and you really were suspecting every one of either being involved or having some knowledge and looking the other way. Secrets were revealed and lives were changed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book

This is a debut novel of college students on the cusp of adulthood and how sometimes it does not turn out as expected. They are starry eyed with excitement and the opportunity to belong to a group like never before. But there are always those that are quickly accepted and those that are always on the outside or on the fringe, never quite fitting in, but longing for the time when they will.
This is the story of Maya and Naomi two sisters who attend Princeton 10 years apart. It is also a story of murder, betrayal and regret.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the early copy. Except for the slow burn and back and forth of the two POV’s timelines which became tedious for me, the book was decent in its conclusion, if not sad. This review is my honest opinion.

3 generous stars.

Prestigious secret societies, great storyline, loved the setting.

Maya and Naomi, sisters-12 years apart, both lucky enough to be in the society’s and both involved in a mystery while there. Didn’t see the killer coming, thought l did but nope.

Very slow burn mystery, definitely not thriller. Took me forever to finish despite being ready for it to be over. Hindsight wish I would have stopped sooner.

Lots of underlying tones/statements involving race threaded throughout that to me were unnecessary, not very classy and added nothing good to the story. As well as some demeaning police statements.

Thanks to netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am always up for a college setting mystery! The story was slow to progress and I almost gave up several times. Ultimately, I did enjoy the way the ending wrapped things up nicely. 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book. I found that it possessed both notable strengths and areas for improvement.

Pros:
- The initial half of the book was captivating and effectively held my attention.
- I appreciated the inclusion of mystery and the alternating points of view and settings.
- The characters were engaging, and the overall atmosphere had an intriguing and unsettling quality.

Cons:
- The pacing felt slow overall, resulting in a longer reading time than anticipated.
- The second half appeared to lack cohesion, which diminished the initial appeal.
- The way the characters interacted with the settings seemed more obstructive than beneficial.

While the book didn't fully resonate with me, I recognize the author's potential and remain open to exploring more of their work in the future. Overall, it wasn't a displeasing book, but it did come across as somewhat disjointed, particularly in the latter half. However, I am open to reading other works by this author in the future.

I am going to start off by saying I did like the concept and theory of this book. Sisters (Maya and Naomi) sharing college experiences together, one will stop at nothing to get answers for the others murder. I was in fortunate enough to receive this book in January of this year. With that being said, it took me that long to get through it.

In the beginning of the book, I thought this was going to be a one sitting read. I enjoyed the dual POV and the two settings, than toward the middle, it slowed way down. I felt like the story started to lose itself in the second half and started to lose its luster for me.

I know this book did not work for me, but that does not mean it may not work for others. It was not a bad book, it just was a bit longwinded for me, as a thriller.

Hard to believe this interesting, well written thriller was a debut novel! Dark academia is one of my favorite sub-genres of thrillers. Throw in secret societies, wealthy coeds, and a mysterious death and you have the basic plot for this one. I loved the fact that the book alternated between Maya's story and her sister Naomi's story, sad as it was. The author throws in lots of shady characters and keeps the story going at a somewhat quick pace. The ending wraps up nicely too. I will definitely be reading more from Ms. Ling Brown.

Wow! This is an intense, twisty, and suspenseful read that will have you guessing along the way.

There was a lot to keep track of and I think it could have been a bit shorter. The second half drug on a bit and the story was a little slow.

Many intriguing characters trying to find their place, discovering secret societies and questioning personal decisions and beliefs.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the complimentary copy.

Took me a little bit to get into this with the jumping between three time frames. I kept getting confused about where I was in the story but once it their stories got fleshed out more, it was easier to orient myself in the story.

It was a little uncomfortable reading the viewpoint of a character you know isn’t going to survive. It’s hard not to get attached and wish for a different outcome.