This kept my attention and I could not really tell who was good and who was bad, which I enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secret societies within elite universities are fascinating. Lauren Ling Brown delivers with this thriller set at Princeton University within the fictitious and exclusive Sterling Club. Maya returns to Princeton for a reunion on the occasion of her sister Naomi’s graduation. But Naomi is missing. As Maya tries to find out what happened to her sister, she begins to realize that Naomi was also a member of Sterling Club, a club Maya had joined but never told Naomi about. Now she wonders if she should have warned her sister to steer clear of Sterling Club.
Lauren Ling Brown’s debut novel explores themes of identity and belonging, as well as sisterhood and the bonds of secrecy. Her plot, propelled forward in a dual narrative told by both sisters, is full of twists and shocking revelations. SOCIETY OF LIES is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

This was overall an enjoyable read. The pacing was slower than I preferred and it took me a while to get into as it had multiple POV’s and multiple timelines for some of the same characters. I did enjoy the setting and the dark academia vibes, and it did grip me long enough to finish it which says a lot. By the end, I did feel satisfied with how the story played out.

I'm a sucker for anything secret society related, so this one was catnip for me! I loved the setting and was impressed by the pacing. Some great twists I legitimately didn't see coming!

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and author

To read a mystery/thriller and not know how it ends was such a refresher and to top it off.. I’m thinking back and realized I totally missed the signs.

This book kept me on my toes the entire time.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC of Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown.

This debut novel by Brown was amazing and blew me away. If this is Brown’s debut I cannot wait to read her future books.

Getting into Princeton is a major accomplishment but an even bigger achievement is getting into the Sterling Club and the elite underworld full of connections. Even bigger then the ministry cost of tuition is the ethical cost of being a member.

Maya and Naomi lose their parents at a young age. Being 10 years the senior Maya knows she needs to pave the way for her sister. After seemingly acing her bicker Maya becomes one of the elite and makes a name and a place for herself. Maya would love nothing more to Princeton and her secrets behind her but 10 years later during reunion weekend and Naomi’s graduation she’s forced to face her past at rapid speed when Naomi is found dead.

Maya knows Naomi’s death isn’t the accident police are saying it is because Naomi isn’t the first member of Sterling to end up mysteriously dead. How can Maya bring Naomi’s death to justice without putting herself behind bars?

This plot had plenty of twists and turns along the way. The time line of both Naomi and Maya’s experiences is well written and easy to follow. I couldn’t put this book down because of the suspense and the need to know what happened and who was behind it.


Pub Date: October 1, 2024
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A great mystery with many twists and turns. Maya is devastated to learn that her younger sister, Naomi, was found dead just days before she was supposed to graduate from Maya’s Alma mater, Princeton. The chapters are from both Maya and Naomi POV, and also skip between 2011 (Maya’s time at Princeton), early 2023 and late 2023. Grateful to have read a digital copy, I think an audiobook would be harder to follow. This is definitely a slow burn, deep character development and highly readable. The last 10% is a wild ride, you will want to read it quickly and won’t be able to put it down. I liked that Maya and Naomi are bi-racial, sisters but far apart in age, and the academic setting. I googled “eating clubs Princeton” pretty early on.

Thank you to #netgalley and @randomhouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published October 1, 2024.

Society of Lies is Lauren Ling Brown's debut dark academia novel. Set against the backdrop of Princeton University, Society of Lies explores the sinister truth of secret societies and academic social clubs. Following main character Maya and her returning to Princeton after ten years for a reunion, we were immediately yanked into lies and secrets as Maya tries to uncover the truth behind her sister's death. It is both a murder mystery, a thriller, and a commentary on privilege. The story is propulsive and continues to keep the reader engaged as they flip the pages to understand what happened and how Maya will make it to the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of thrillers and dark academia as it is the perfect blend of both.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Society of Lies in exchange for my review.

This book is told in two intermingled timelines, following the experiences of two sisters during their studies at Princeton, approximately a decade apart. The sisters are intrigued by the exclusive eating society Sterling Club, but as they move toward the inner circle, both of them begin to have doubts about some of the ties they find there.

This mystery will have you questioning the alliances and motives of all of the characters as you learn more about the central storyline. The relationships aren’t 100% fleshed out or believable, but the story flows well and I found I was invested from very early on. The college setting was well conceived and the language, while not flowery, was evocative and rich.

I look forward to reading more from this debut novelist.

I loved the dark academia/secret society and mystery of it all. Princeton made for a fun setting for this slow burn and I thought the author had a fresh and fun writing style. The story flashes back and forth in time and changes POVs between sisters. This caused for some confusion at times and the reading wasn't as seamless as I would like it to be.

I really enjoyed this book, but I have some nitpicky issues with it. There are a LOT of characters, and THREE timelines to keep track of. That's a lot for a thriller to ask from readers. I consider myself not-dumb and I struggled. One of the downsides of having so many timelines/characters is that characters whose motivations you kinda have to understand simply do not get fleshed out. This keeps the mystery from being as exciting as it could have been-- we simply don't get to know most of the characters well enough to develop theories or opinions.

I’ll start off by saying, wow, talk about an immersive book. Lauren Ling Brown did an incredible job of describing the Princeton environment and eating houses. While the Sterling may not be a real house at Princeton, it certainly felt like it.

We start with sisters Maya who’s in town for her sister Naomi’s graduation, but before she can graduate, Naomi’s body is found, and it’s eerily similar to how a girl was found 10 years ago, a girl who was friends with Maya. Now Maya is determined to find out if the deaths are connected and how she can get justice for her sister.

Overall, I really loved this book, it kept me engaged and excited to find out how everything was connected. The seedy underbelly of an Ivy League? Count me in. My main issue with was the book was the ending. It was hinted at repeatedly, but then the conclusion really went off the deep end. But despite this, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers, secret societies and ivy leaguers.

Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Ling Brown and RandomHouse for this ARC.

This is a debut novel and I really enjoyed it! Maya attends her college reunion at Princeton, excited to reconnect with old acquaintances and celebrate her sister Naomi's graduation. However, the joyous occasion turns into a nightmare when Maya learns of Naomi's tragic death, suspected to be an accident by the authorities. Doubting the official explanation, Maya delves into Naomi's involvement with the prestigious and secretive Sterling Club, uncovering unsettling truths that point to a dangerous connection between Naomi's death and the club's mysterious inner circle. As Maya unravels the secrets of the past, she realizes that her sister's fate may have been sealed by her pursuit of the same path Maya once took, leading to a chilling realization that her own experiences at Princeton might hold the key to solving the mystery.

In Society of Lies, the story unfolds through the perspectives of two sisters across three timelines, including Maya's viewpoint in the present day and each sister's past experiences. The book delves into the intriguing world of secret societies, skillfully making it the central focus of the mystery. I love multiple points of view and the author handled it well. Society of Lies offers a compelling mystery thriller worth exploring for those who enjoy tales of secret societies.

"Society of Lives" by Lauren Ling Brown is a gripping exploration of dark academia and the perils of secret societies, wrapped in a mystery that keeps you hooked till the very end. This book had me on edge, diving deep into the elite and twisted world of Princeton's most exclusive social circles. The protagonist, Maya, is compelling as she navigates the aftermath of her sister Naomi's death, unearthing secrets that blur the lines between past and present, privilege and peril. Brown's writing is hauntingly atmospheric, making the ivy-covered campus feel like a character in itself, full of hidden dangers. While the twists were intense and well-crafted, I found the pacing a bit uneven at times. However, the novel's exploration of sisterhood, power, and the lengths one will go to belong made for a thought-provoking read. If you're a fan of dark, twisty tales that dig into the shadows of elite institutions, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Secret societies, questionable friendships, and a murder...what else do you want in a dark academia-type thriller? Society of Lies tells the story of two sisters, both members of an elite and secretive underground organization at Princeton, ten years apart. It's a dual POV novel, showing the similarities that both Maya and Naomi felt while attending Princeton. However, Naomi never graduated, and Maya returns during alumni weekend to look into her sister's death.

Overall, this was a good debut novel that tackles issues of race, family, and the elitism and "hand up" that can come with being part of certain organizations. There were a few times when I felt the story went off the rails, but overall I enjoyed the story. The second half was much quicker than the first, but I recognize the importance of setting up the background information from both Maya and Naomi's views. I am looking forward to the next from this author!

I had an extremely hard time engaging with these characters and the situation they were in. To me it was hard to keep the characters unique in my head and I got lost in some of the descriptions.

I am not into reality TV, so I would have missed Rhys being murdered on live TV. A group of various influencers are on a beautiful island, each contestant more narcissistic than the last one. It only takes three weeks before Rhys is the Most Hated Man on TV, then he is murdered while the cameras are rolling, who was not where they should have been? Thank you #Netgalley #LauraLingBrown
carolintallahassee

Thank You, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

Publish Date: October 1st, 2024

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5


the characters are well-developed, and her vivid writing brings the story to life. While the pacing slows briefly at times, the gripping plot and sharp dialogue more than compensate. Society of Lies is a must-read for fans of thrilling, this book kept turning the page and wanting more,

I enjoyed it so much.

highly recommend it


GoodReads review coming soon

After Maya’s parents die when she’s eighteen it’s just her and her eight-year-old sister Naomi. Maya knows she needs to make something of herself in order to give her sister a better life which she believes she can when she attends Princeton University and gets accepted into one of the most elite secret clubs on campus. Maya is told that the alumni connections alone will open almost any door for her career, but she quickly learns that nothing is given without sacrifice.
Years later Naomi attends Princeton aiming to follow in her sister’s footsteps, against Maya’s protest.
When Naomi ends up dead, Maya knows that the Greystone Society had something to do with it and that Namoi paid the price for what Maya did all those years ago.
This book was not only entertaining, but thought provoking about social statuses, multiracial identities and the dangers of corrupted organizations.

The description of this book had me intrigued; it had so many things goin for it, ivy league college, secret society, death. As much as I wanted to get lost in this story, to get sucked into the dark side of the elite, I couldn't. The storyline jumped back and forth between narrators, Naomi and Maya, and time, before Naomi's death and alternating between past and present for Maya. As the two sister's worlds come closer together, the storyline started picking up, narrators start becoming a little unreliable and I started to question who's memories could be trusted. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters in this book, and the "why" was hard for me to come to terms with. I wanted a little 'more' from the ending, a little less predictability. Overall a decent debut and an easy read that might suck some readers in more than it did for me. If the overview has you intrigued, it's worth giving it a try!
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Thank you NetGalley and Bantum for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.