Maybe I’m biased but a thriller set at my alma mater was a guaranteed winner. The characters were well-developed, the setting was perfect, the plot had me on the edge of my seat, and I was legitimately surprised by the ending. If you enjoyed Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, I can guarantee you’ll love this one.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Frightening and fascinating. Could be real, could be storied non-fiction, or completely made up. I couldn't decide until the end.

It's a mystery and a thriller. Recommended if you like exploring possibilities of what lurks under the surface of good intentions and philanthropic investments. And if you like to speculate about secret societies, you'll love this one.

Fan of campus fiction, secret societies, and murder mysteries absolutely need to add Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown as a Must Read this summer!

This dark academia novel, centered around
Princeton and society eating clubs, opens with the murder of student Naomi. The story and point of view alternates between the months prior to Naomi’s death, her sister Maya’s journey in uncovering the truth about her sister’s death, and Maya’s own past at Princeton.

This debut novel will keep readers turning the pages late into the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine/Bantam books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Just finished Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown. Maya’s return to Princeton for her reunion turns into a heart-wrenching investigation when her sister Naomi dies under suspicious circumstances. The suspense is intense as Maya uncovers dark secrets about the exclusive Sterling Club and its hidden society.

Brown weaves a thrilling tale of deception and belonging, filled with unexpected twists and emotional depth. A gripping read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend for mystery lovers! #BookReview #SocietyOfLies #LaurenLingBrown #Thriller #MustRead

These dark academia-type stories are hit or miss with me. This one was mostly a hit. Maya graduates from Princeton and ten years later returns for her sister, Naomi's graduation. When she gets there, she learns that Naomi is dead. It's ruled an accident, but Maya knows things the police don't and starts poking around, beginning with an exclusive, secret society that Naomi belonged to as did Maya, back in the day. The story is told both from Maya's and Naomis POV and the author does a good job of weaving the two stories together. I really liked Maya. There are a lot of topics and layers with this story, although I did figure out the twist pretty early on, I still enjoyed reading about everything wealth and privilege can get you. Or not.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Lauren Ling Brown and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication of August 13th.

This is a story about the in crowd.

I’m super torn on this book. On the one hand, I liked both narrative voices and I’m a big fan of posthumous narration… on the other hand, I felt like there was a lot of build up to a conclusion I didn’t feel crazy about. Overall, definitely worth the read if you enjoy thrillers, secret societies or good mysteries!

3.5 rounded to 4:

Thank you so much @netgalley & @ Bantam for the eArc!

Thank you for letting me read this story! I so enjoyed it! Twisty and dark! Didn’t overwhelm me like some other dark academia books do. The only struggle I had was remembering which sister’s chapter I was in, which could be helped by including “maya” or “Naomi” at the top of each page. I hope to read another book by this author someday!

4 parts, 2 timelines, 2 POVs - it sounds like a lot but it does help an intricate story move more easily as there are A LOT of important players.

Fun fact - I had no idea there were 11 eating clubs at Princeton. In fact bickering as described in the novel is true as well. True to my self - I had to dig a little bit. Not to prove anyone wrong or debunk a fiction book but I had to know if this weird society is real. It is.

This story shows us how corrupt and/or elusive and protective of their own these secret societies or clubs can be.

I will follow this author along her writing journey. She has brought a secret society trope and placed in a real world setting.

Set among the culture of the secret eating societies of Princeton University, Naomi, graduate of that Ivy League school, sacrificed a lot of herself to enable her younger sister, Maya, to also attend. Visiting the University for Maya’s graduation, Naomi is shocked when her sister is found drowned on campus. Did her death have anything to do with actions taken or not taken when Naomi was a part of those private clubs?

Written from two POVs with three timelines, this debut, multilayered novel touches on dark academia, the corruption of money, power and privilege, young people trying to find their place in the world while dealing with the social aspects of the multiracial experience. The suspense and twists are there yet slow to develop. Usually I find different POVs and timelines easy to follow; with this book, I needed to often remind myself who was speaking when starting new chapters.

This is a worthy first novel and I look forward to future works by this author.

When Maya returns to Princeton for her sister's graduation, a celebratory weekend curdles into chilling suspicion. Naomi, it seems, has been entangled with the alluring yet enigmatic Sterling Club, and the whispers surrounding their exclusive inner circle hint at something far more sinister than scholarly pursuits. With a wry smile and a knowing glint in her eye, Brown weaves a tale of legacy, obsession, and the price of belonging, leaving you to wonder just what lurks beneath the polished veneer of campus life.

I love higher education secret society vibes. This meets all of that and highlights the inequity in the social classes in these societies. Enough money and favors can make ALL your problems go away.

The end: it’s the goal. Readers have to go through page after page to figure out where the story is going. It finally becomes clear when we make it to the last chapter of a psychological thriller.

It’s not easy for an author to create a plot that can keep someone’s interest without giving away too many secrets. Lauren Ling Brown was able to keep a constant movement with two timelines providing readers with a believable story. It takes place at Princeton with a secret society which has an edge of stepping into a private, somewhat dangerous place with wealthy students.

The day before graduation from Princeton, Maya got distressing news. Her younger sister, Naomi, was discovered in Lake Carnegie: drowned. It was a shock to Maya and her friends. The book goes back seven months to explain what happened while Maya was investigating in the present time.

Naomi followed her sister’s footsteps as a part of the Greystone Society. Why did she want to do this? It wasn’t easy for the sisters being biracial. Plus, their parents had died leaving them without financial help. They felt like they needed to fit in and friends played an important part of their lives. Is it possible that Naomi couldn’t take the pressure and took too many drugs?

While the setting is at Princeton with high-profile players, this story could take place a number of other schools or even politics where competition and fear makes people do unexpected things. This is a good discussion book with lots of layers. It’s likely that this book may stay with you as it relates to investigations of bribes, gifts and unfair practices which too often is in the news.

My thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 13, 2024.

Dark academia, secret societies, murder, secrets, and betrayal.
A fun but sometimes confusing read.
Loved the characters and their development; but the constant jumping around between narrators and timelines overly complicated things at times. The pacing for the second half of the book also seemed too slow, which caused my interest to wain a few times.
I also figured out the “twist” about 20% into the story. However, I still enjoyed this book and the relationship between the sisters!

Brown really pulled me in with this story! Love the character development and the multiple POVs. I’m a huge sucker for academic settings fully of mystery and intrigue and Society of Lies was right up my alley.

I cannot wait for you to read this!

I made it halfway before giving up. A book told in multiple perspectives and timelines, the voices are too similar and make it difficult to tell apart. The pacing is too slow and the mystery aspect suffered greatly for it. Not only can I not finish it, I kind of don’t care who turns out to be the killer.

I found this book good, overall! I think that the characters were well developed and the writing was easy to follow. Would recommend.

I had super high hopes from this book because of the plot. The characters were well developed and I found myself rooting for them. I felt like the book was stalling though and it was very confusing because of the repetition of characters and settings. I found myself having to go back and read and confirm things which I don't love doing.

I found this dark academia book about a secret society at Princeton and a murder that was committed to be very intriguing and attention grabbing.

The writer did a great job making me as a reader feel like I was actually on campus with the characters. The characters themselves were well developed and the story was thrilling and suspenseful.

Overall, Society of Lies was a great, entertaining book, and I really enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

Society of Lies is a debut mystery thriller about two sisters, Maya and Naomi. After ten years, Maya is finally going to take part in her college reunion. One day, however, she gets a phone call informing her that her sister, who was about to graduate from college, has passed away. Although they have determined that it was an accident, Maya believes there is more to her sister's death than that.

After conducting her own investigation, Maya discovers that her sister joined the Sterling Club despite the fact that she had repeatedly cautioned her against doing so numerous times. Maya will then continue her search for additional secrets in order to discover what transpired with Naomi.

Using the first-person narration style, the story is told from the perspectives of the two sisters. There are three different timelines, one of which is the present day, told from Maya's point of view. As well as two in the past, from the points of view of both of the girls.

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding the concept of the book. It is always interesting to read about secret societies, and I believe the author did a good job of making this aspect of the mystery the primary focus of the whole thing. Both the writing and the organization of the book are excellent, especially considering that it is the author's first novel.

Society of Lies is a decent mystery thriller. Because I am not a fan of multiple points of view written in one's own voice, especially when both of the characters' own voices were not too distinct from one another, I am unable to say that I enjoyed everything the author did. Additionally, another thing that I do not like about this is that there are three different timelines that we are dealing with here. In this case, I suppose it is a "me" thing. Therefore, if you don't mind these things and like reading about secret societies, you should give it a try because you might like it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

A mystery surrounding Princeton’s secret societies? Sounds great, and for the most part it was. My personal opinion is that it was slower paced (despite the short chapters) than what I would have liked, or hoped for. Was it good? Yes. Met expectations? Yes. Exceeded expectations? No.

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