Review:
This 📖 had me LIVING for the drama at Princeton’s exclusive eating clubs (I want a personal tour of #Princeton right now 🏛️). @laurenlingbrown attention to detail brought the characters and setting to life, literally creating a cinematic 🎥 experience that I felt part of.

The story revolves around two sisters, Naomi and Maya, whose experiences at Princeton a decade apart mirror each other in unexpected ways. The 📖 explores themes of secrecy, revenge, and the complexities of family relationships, set against the backdrop of elite academic life.

The sisters’ narrative voices are quite similar, so do pay close attention to chapter headings. That being said, this was a well crafted and compelling dark academia story filled with a unique plot and morally grey characters (my FAV).

Society of Lies offers a perfect blend of atmospheric storytelling and psychological depth, making it the perfect book club book!

🎓🕯️📚

Read If You Like:
Slow Burn Thrillers
Dark Academia
Ivy League Campus Settings
Family Dramas
Short Chapters

4.5 ⭐️

Lauren Ling Brown’s debut novel Society of Lies is a story that will resonate with you long after reading it. In the rarefied atmosphere of Princeton University, a dark secret comes to light that upends the lives of two sisters. A weekend that Maya returns as an alumni to celebrate her younger sister’s graduation from Princeton, becomes a nightmare. Naomi kept secrets from Maya and Maya kept secrets from Naomi. The more Naomi looked for answers to her sister’s death, the more frightened she became. I raced to read the book as Lauren Ling Brown explores the role power and privilege can affect decisions and lives. I highly recommend this thriller to readers who enjoy haunting stories. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for providing an advance digital version of this book.

When I think of secret societies, I think of:
Privilege
Special rules
Morally corrupt
Spoiled
Toxic
But will this group go as far as to cover up murder?
Given the number of books I've read where they have done just that, then yes, I think these members would do anything to protect themselves, including covering up a murder.

This book has two timelines, one featuring Maya Banks, and one featuring her sister Naomi. While I don't doubt that Maya loved her sister deeply, I do think she failed Naomi. Given what Maya experienced as a student and member of the Sterling Club and Greystone Society at Princeton, I don't know how she allowed her sister to follow her path. Maybe she wasn't aware that Naomi joined the same groups that Maya did years prior, but after what Maya experienced, I wouldn't even want my sister to go to the same school.

What do the timelines have in common?
Other than the sisters joining the same secret societies, there is a death in both timelines, and the suspects in both may be the same. That is what Maya is desperate to uncover.

I will say that I didn't really trust anyone. Even those Maya considered "friends". Because for some, there are things more important than friendship. How things eventually played out was a bit unexpected. I liked that Maya tried to make up for her failures as a sister, and put Naomi's case to rest, even if she faced her own risks.

There were some parts that could have been edited down, but overall, I liked the flow of the story and the alternating timelines seemed to have a lot of coincidences that tied them together. Worth checking out if you like reading about the corrupt paying their dues.

Society of Lies is an impressive debut by Lauren Ling Brown. Set at Princeton University, this dark academia-esque mystery is the story of two sisters ten years apart. Maya is an adult now, living with her husband and young daughter. Naomi is set to graduate from Princeton when she dies under suspicious circumstances. Maya and Naomi have both faced immense struggles, losing their parents at a young age and facing discrimination as biracial students in an elite setting. While they have been close in the past, over recent years their relationship has strained.

Told from the perspectives of Maya now and over ten years ago when she herself was also a student at Princeton as well as the perspective of Naomi in the past, this book builds tension well. The journey into the secret societies feels realistic and terrifying. I thought this book was very well paced, with the exception of some parts between 80 and 87% where I felt it wasn't moving as fast as I would have liked; I was ready for more answers!

My criticism of this book is that the perspectives of Naomi and Maya were indistinguishable aside from certain character names in their chapters. If I stopped mid-chapter, I was always confused when I picked back up. Overall this was one heck of a ride and I cannot wait to see what Lauren Ling Brown writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Lauren Ling Brown for an ARC of Society of Lies! I was truly obsessed and immersed in this world. I loved the scandals and drama of the society life. I’m always a big fan of the timelines switching and going back and forth between characters, but there is a lot going on in this story and a lot of information that I had to use the kindle look up to remember what exactly happened when. The character growth was fantastic and I felt connected to the characters and what was happening to them. I felt like this could’ve been a real story! I am excited to read more from this author - I loved the writing style and how she personalized all her characters so you could be there with the characters. This had me missing sleep and I honestly had no idea who killed Naomi.

A young woman is found dead on her college campus and everyone knows (secretly or not) this was not an accident. Maya is excited to return to campus to Princeton for Reunions and for her sister’s college graduation. Once Maya arrives, she receives heart-breaking news that her sister is found dead. This was supposed to be a great weekend and seeing her old friends after so many years and her sister finally graduating. The police say it’s an accident, but Maya knows better. She knows what goes on at Princeton and there is more to the story. Maya starts looking into it and finds out there was stuff Naomi kept from her - she joined the most exclusive social club, The Sterling Club, even after warning her about the eating clubs. The more Maya investigates the more she’s worried about what really happened to her sister. Maya went there - she’s gone through all the social stuff Naomi has and even a girl during her time in school turned up dead as well. All Maya wanted to do was help her sister and support her and ensure she had a good life. Now Maya has to reflect on what happened in the past and those secrets to figure out what happened to her sister.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel for Lauren Ling Brown. This book this thrilling and move quickly. Secret society, dark academia and siblings you have my attention. Give this debut novel a try and you too will be hooked.

Earlier this summer I released my list of the 6 books with most certified Unputdownable potential. One of those: Lauren Ling Brown’s dark academia debut SOCIETY OF LIES.

I just finished it, so here are 5 things you need to know BEFORE. YOU. READ.

1. Elevator pitch. Lucy foley and Ruth ware fans get ready: you’re about to have a new bestie in your midst. Society is if Lucy/Ruth wrote a dark academia novel. This is also a great book for fans of Reese Witherspoon thrillers!
2. Also for fans of The Skulls. The 1999 Ivy League secret society thriller starring Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker.
3. Plot. Society is a multi-narrator, multi-timeline thriller following two sisters who attend Princeton and get tapped to join an elite secret society called Greystone. When one of the sisters ends up dead, the other begins investigating.
4. It feels lived. So much so I asked Brown if she attended Princeton and she confirmed! Her experience definitely translates to the age, giving Society a great, authentic feel.
5. Rating. Four blood shot eyes out of 5. This didn’t quite achieve CERTIFIED UNPUTDOWNABLE status, however as we got to act 3, I was definitely hooked. She does a great job of layering the red herrings—and I was guessing until the end.

I recently finished reading "Society of Lies" by Lauren Ling Brown, and I must say it was an engaging thriller that kept me glued to the pages. The author’s writing style is captivating, and the plot is filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The character development was well-done, and I found myself invested in the protagonist's journey.

Meh. This book was fine. But the idea is overly done and has been done better. Didn't hate it but it was not my favorite.

Society of Lies is an intricately woven dark academia thriller that explores the difficult choice of if you should play the game when it's the only way to survive, or risk standing up for what you believe in.

Maya is excited to attend her Princeton reunion to see all her friends, but also to see her sister Naomi graduate from Princeton herself. But Maya's excitement is sharply cut off when she gets news that Naomi was found dead in a lake. Maya can't help but reflect on her time in Sterling Club, and the secret society within Sterling Club, while she was at Princeton, and if the events of her past are related to Naomi's death.

Told in alternating timelines and perspectives, we learn what happened in the months leading up to Naomi's death, and the fatal events of Maya's time in college as well. As their intertwined stories unravel, the insidious machinations of Sterling Club come into focus for a shocking finale.

Society of Lies takes a hard look at the systems in place that threaten the possibility of equal opportunity, the uniquely isolating situation of being biracial, and the quandary of playing along and winning or standing in opposition with the risk of losing.

Fans of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Ace of Spades will love this one!

I love dark academia books and Society of Lies fit the bill perfectly. The story is told through the view points of Maya and Naomi, sisters 10 years apart. At first it was a little confusing because the timeline and the povs jump around fairly quickly but once you settle into the characters you know when you are and who is talking. I loved the secret society aspect of the book and the way even though both sisters went to a Princeton, years apart, both were apart of the same society and both were dealing with the same mystery, just in different ways. I was invested in how the book would wrap up and had several theories but I actually didn't see part of it coming. Brown does and excellent job at casting doubt on multiple characters and even after the reveal, I still expected another shoe to drop. Society of Lies was a great debut and I look forward to more books by the author.

The book cover is GORGEOUS! I love all the little details in each window, and it's why I rushed to request a copy. However, I'm not the biggest fan of the author's writing style. I was never able to fall into this world.

What a great suspense novel. I loved this and can't wait to talk about it in my tiktok videos. I love a good Ivy League college campus thriller and this delivered on every level. This was what I wished the St Ambrose School for Girls was, and I finally got it.


Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Maya and Naomi are sisters. Maya is getting ready to attend Naomi's graduation from Princeton the same school Maya went to. Only now Maya isn't celebrating Naomi's graduation she is mourning her sister. Who killed Naomi? Has Maya's past caught up to her? What happened at Princeton 10 years ago? Maya now needs to find out what really happened to her sister.

I did enjoy this book. I liked that it was told by the two sisters present and past. The only problem I had with this book was that it took to long to get to the exciting conclusion. A conclusion that kept me at the edge of my seat. I also sometimes had to reread a chapter because i would mix up when the events were happening and to which sister..

This was a real thriller. Knowing you could have prevented her sister's murder weighs on Maya. Why didn't she open her mouth and tell the police what really happened all those years ago. Relying on her college friends who have become life long friends help keep Maya from really losing it. Will she be able to keep investigating her sisters death but also keep herself and her family from becoming the next victims?Maya does her best to give Naomi the best life she could when her mother dies. With Maya being older than Naomi it was hard for her to take care of her sister and yet make a life for herself. A life that included making money and accepting help that is tied to her college days. Being part of a secret society isn't all fun fun fun. You end up owing people for you induction into this lifestyle, sometimes with you life.

An excellent thriller with and exciting ending. I guess you could say you should really think before you leap when it comes to picking rich friends and a secret society I really did not see the ending coming expecially with who was involved. Those are the kind of thrillers I enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Bantam for the ARC. Also I hope to see a lot more from Lauren Ling Brown. This is one book I'd recommend to my fellow readers.




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This is one hell of a first novel! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my approved ARC. I’m a sucker for an on-campus thriller and this certainly delivered. While I think some parts could have been sped up a bit, I enjoyed this book and felt surprised at the final twist. I didn’t expect such a well-developed plot. While it was sometimes confusing, it came together in the end in a very satisfying way. If you’re into dual points of view and some very sneaky crimes, this is a good book for you.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to more from this author in the future.

Society of Lies is the debut novel by Lauren Ling Brown. The book is about sisters, Maya and Naomi, and their experiences with a secret society at Princeton.

The story is told in alternating POV and alternating timelines. The timelines are current-day Maya, Maya in college, and Naomi in college leading up to her death.

The book starts off great with the death of Naomi and Maya wanting to investigate. But after some time, the 3 timelines started to bleed together. Also, during Maya’s timeline, she is focused on Naomi’s death, while in Naomi’s timeline, she is trying to figure out what happened to a girl who died in Maya’s timeline. It was a lot of character crossover.

Overall rating 3 1/2 stars. I had a hard time finishing the book. But the ending did have a couple of nice twists so I added an extra 1/2 star. In general, too much going on for my personal preference between the multiple deaths and three timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the eARC.

The story was suspenseful, I'll give it that, and reasonably enjoyable. But I had a few issues with it. First, Maya is an idiot if she thinks going to Princeton (herself or her sister) is the determining factor in whether one has a decent life or not. Certainly not worth what she does (no spoilers, but seriously?). The problem is that the whole story seems to be based on this bogus premise. Second, it probably wasn't the author's intent, but I now have a strong dislike of Princeton. Apparently, these "eating clubs" are a real thing, even if the secret society is pure fiction. Maybe the author did too good a job at introducing me to life at Princeton. ;)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is a captivating debut novel that delves into the mysterious world of secret societies, the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood, and the complexities of privilege within an exclusive college setting. This dark and haunting tale kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to tear myself away from its intricate twists and turns.

Really really liked this debut novel! Love reading murder mysteries set in a college campus and this one being set in Princeton was even better even if at times it felt very pretentious, with their own vocabulary. Good characters throughout, especially the sisters Maya and Naomi. I thought Naomi's storyline was much more suspenseful and easier to follow. Maya's storyline is mostly told in flashbacks. I'd definitely recommend.

I love a thriller where the setting is a college campus! The plot had me interested from the get-go.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.