If You Love Conspiracies, You’ll Love Unraveling This One

Secret Societies. A web of lies. Murder. These are just a few of the elements at work in SOCIETY OF LIES, Lauren Ling Brown’s tribute to the elite underbelly of “bickering”—a word invented to separate “us” from “them.” The novel set against the backdrop of gothic facades and ivy-covered halls, the good news is that Ms. Ling’s debut novel has the perfume of “Read Me” sprinkled all over it. Her excursion into suspense delivers, and any mystery lover will be hooked after one tantalizing whiff of promise that has every intention of being realized.

The plotline solid, the story is told from the perspectives of Maya and Naomi, two sisters who attend Princeton ten years apart. With their parents deceased, Maya feels it’s her duty to take care of her baby sister … and to make sure she has the funds … she joins a secret society that takes care of their own. But no good deed goes unpunished, and when her baby sister winds up dead, she begins to wonder if perhaps the campus’s friendly secret society is to blame. It’s this simple exploration into cause and effect that sets off suspicions that Naomi may not have died as a result of an accident, and ignites a dangerous hunt to find a killer.

The suspense-thriller is cunningly written, the chapters toggling between the two sister’s recollections, all to track their exploits through measured doses of the past. The strategy opens options of who may, or may not, have had anything to do with the artfully executed death. As for suspects, they abound. From teachers who can’t keep their hands off students, to hook-ups with frenzied hormone-crazed participants, to fellow members of banned soul-sucking fraternities, the pace is held to the predatorial meter of ‘stalking’—all so clues can be left to digest in a dizzying acidic brew of sex, avarice, and alcohol.

SOCIETY OF LIES is a chiller that shrieks of authenticity. The dialogue … the characters … all seem more than real, and this realism helps sell the idea that Ms. Ling wrote an “isn’t the author going to get in trouble for this?” kind of tell-all. We readers would have no trouble believing that it could be true. After all, many college students focused on gaining a leg up on the competition might take drastic action, like sign over their independence for a chance to be part of a charmed inner circle. Once that’s done, can a gifted six-figure job be far behind? But while being privy to secrets can land you a high-paying position … it can also make you the perfect victim for blackmail … as might be demonstrated here.

So if you’re in the market for a twisty-turny, intelligently written mystery, SOCIETY OF LIES might be the one. I know it worked for me. And I’d like to thank Bantam books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC copy that did just that.

In this story, Maya is to return to Princeton for her ten year reunion and also the year that her younger sister and only family, will be graduating from this same school. Sadly, her sister, Naomi, ends up dead. It is ruled an accident, but to Maya it was everything but an accident. Maya was involved when a young woman was murdered when she was there and it all revolves around the secret societies. Maya decides to find out the truth.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it took a while to stay focused on the back and forth from past to present from Maya's story to Naomi's story. This was a good debut from this author.

I would like to thank Bantam Books and NetGalley for this early read.

Princeton alum Maya is back on campus to celebrate her sister Naomi's graduation when Naomi's body is discovered in the nearby lake. The police are ready to write her death off as an alcohol and drug fueled accident, but Maya refuses to believe it. Told from Maya's POV in the present and 10 years in the past, as well as Naomi's in the months leading up to her death, Society of Lies takes us into the Sterling eating club (similar to a co-ed sorority/fraternity) and the super secret society within called Greystone. Full of bad behavior, greed, corruption and the lengths the wealthy will go to in order to maintain their place on top. The pacing started out a little slow for me, establishing Maya and Naomi's backstories, but once the plot pick up I was drawn in to the mystery surrounding another student's death when Maya was at Princeton and what lead to Naomi ending up in the lake.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story follows two sisters, Maya and Naomi, as the mystery surrounding the death of two young women unfolds. The book flips back and forth between three different time periods as the reader is immersed in the college lives of both Naomi and Maya in addition to the present day life of Maya. I thought this method of storytelling was effective in propelling the story forward and keeping me wanting to learn more. The only thing I would say is there were a lot of different characters involved in each point of view, and I sometimes found myself having to go back and see to whose point of view I was reading to match them up with the right timeline. I really enjoyed the concept of the secret societies and the long-lasting impact of the decision to join one. I didn't expect the twist at the end, and I'm not sure it made sense to me as there didn't seem to be any clues leading up to it. It's quite possible that I missed the clues.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Wonderful debut novel by Lauren Ling Brown. I look forward to reading more of her books.

I had high hopes for this debut novel. The plot was pretty straight forward: a young women, Naomi, is found dead right before her college graduation. Her sister, Maya, doesn't believe this was an accident as she was apart of the same secret society Naomi was, so she tries to uncover the truth of what actually happened to her sister. The story started off strong for me with Naomi getting "tapped" for the secret society within the secret society, and who doesn't love reading about secret societies?! I thought the plot and setting was alluring as I tend to LOVE dark academia. But the further along I read, I felt the pacing slow. It took me much longer to read than I would have expected based on the synopsis, but the dual POV kept the story moving enough for me to finish the book. There are themes of privilege/exclusivity which I enjoy diving into. I definitely would recommend reading this story, but this is a fall/spooky season read! 3.5 Stars rounded up!

Lauren Ling Brown, you did it! I don’t give out many 5 star ratings but this book had me hooked from the very beginning. There were a few different mysteries going from the past to present and they had me on my toes the whole time. And the ending, oh my gosh I was not expecting that.

I got early access to this book through NetGalley.com and through Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I do love this story and would definitely read more by this author. It is very well written and it does make you feel like you are in the scene. I definitely did not guess the ending but I spent a long time trying to play detective myself.

My only negatives would be that it was rather long and likely could have been resolved sooner. It was sometimes hard to keep track of the characters and which part of the timeline you were on! 3.5 rounded to 4.

WOW WOW WOW!! When you sit down to read this book plan on sitting there until you are finished.

This book is told in 2 persons POV - Maya and Naomi who are sisters. Maya went to Princeton and Naomi followed in her steps by going 10 years later. No one, not even Maya, could know how their college years would be intertwined and put Naomi in danger.

Society of Lies is a fast paced story with twists and turns that will have you realizing nothing is safe when people keep secrets and lies.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Lauren Ling Brown, can't wait to see what you write next.

I wish I remembered who committed the crime (I read it 3 months ago🤦🏻‍♀️) but I really enjoyed the dark secret society academia background. I loved the different perspectives as well as the dual timeline. Fast paced. Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown due to be published August 13, 2024.
Maya has returned to Princeton to her college reunion and to attend her sister, Naomi’s, graduation. It becomes a nightmare when Naomi is found dead. They are calling it an accident, but Maya knows it is not. Naomi was in an exclusive social club – the same one Maya was – and Maya knows about the secret society within the club. Is this what got Naomi killed?
How exciting – a debut author, and what a great first book! The book alternates in time periods and the sisters’ lives – when each of them attended Princeton and were sucked into the secret society within one of the school’s clubs. It was a little confusing at first but became easier as the book continued. Wow – that about sums up the book! There were so many twists, secrets, and lies it was hard to keep up! It was an intriguing and wonderful read with a satisfying ending.
A wonderful debut novel for Lauren Ling Brown – looking forward to more of her books!
#NetGalley #LaurenLingBrown #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #SocietyOfLies

Thank you so much to Lauren Ling Brown, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for my ARC of Society of Lies. I was so excited to read this debut novel from Brown.

The premise of this book and the plot line are really good. The characters are all likable and relatable. My main issue with this book is that it is slow. And I mean PAINFULLY slow. When I read, I want a book that I’m happy to pick up. This almost felt like a chore to go back to. I love multiple POV books but the POVs here were so similar that I kept getting confused. The book had me guessing through the entirety and I never was right, which I really enjoyed. 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it's a little tricky to keep track of who's viewpoint you are reading and which timeline as the experiences are very similar. But once I got used to that, it was an enjoyable read. Young adult is still not my favorite because I'm apparently a grumpy Boomer, but it was a great premise and the writing was well done.

An interesting read about student life on one of the premiere campuses in the US. The story was interesting, the mystery was complicated with many twists and turns, the ending was satisfying. My only concern while reading it was how much of what it described really does happen on campuses like Princeton so I was glad the author clarified that in an end section of the book.

Society of Lies
By: Lauren Ling Brown
Pub Day: August 13, 2024
Publisher: Bantam

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An incredible debut novel!

Maya was in an exclusive club at Princeton, which lead to a secret society. This society proved to have very complicated repercussions for her and others for years after graduation.

When her little sister is accepted to Princeton, Maya is concerned. When her little sister Naomi ends up dead before graduation, things get more twisted. Could the society have something to do with her death? Maya starts her own investigation because she wants to know what really happened.

A page turner full of deceit, twists and corruption! College is hard enough without the added pressure of what is expected and deaths of those close to you!

Nothing like a dark academia story.

This story is dual pov with three timelines. Maya is the older sister Naomi, her story follows her own time at Princeton within her secret society as well as present day following Naomi’s death. Naomi’s story follows her time at Princeton up to her time of death.

This was a great dark academia book but I feel like it’s unresolved somehow. Our main villain was a little too chaotic at the end, especially when they didn’t show huge signs of that mania from the get go. I did enjoy the fictional eating club and secret society though.

Maya is looking forward to her return to Princeton for her college reunion. She’s not only looking forward to meeting up with old friends, but she will also attend her sister Naomi’s graduation.
Her dream weekend suddenly becomes her worst nightmare when she gets the news that Naomi is dead. Maya refuses to believe the results of the investigation that show her death was an accident.
As Maya investigates the events going on in her sister’s life during the months leading up to her death, she finds Naomi has been subject to several suspicious activities that were a threat to her life after she joined an exclusive social club on campus. Maya also belonged to the club and was aware of the dangers surrounding membership. Naomi never told Maya of her plans to join. She believes that joining the club may have been responsible for Naomi’s death. She wasn’t the first woman to turn up dead. Maya returns to her past and to the secret she has kept for so long. Could she have saved Naomis’ life?
An emotional, riveting story that will keep you on the edge of your sea with twists and turns you will never suspect.

I love a good dark academia so I figured this book would be right up my alley. Society of Lies follows sisters, Maya and Naomi, through multiple timelines leading up to Naomi’s death. There were 3 timelines throughout and dual POVs with the sister and this is ultimately what stopped me from rating it higher. It was confusing to hop between 3 timelines, especially since the sisters had basically the same exact voice. Neither sister was distinct or stood out. And there was almost no interaction with them together throughout the entire story, past or present, which made it really hard for me to connect to them. Why should I care about Naomi’s death when I don’t even feel like Maya cares all that much? It seems like she was looking for answers out of guilt as opposed to genuine care. I just didn’t understand their relationship, so as the main characters it threw me a little.

The second half of the book the tension did pick up a lot and I enjoyed that a lot. I guessed part of the ending, but the other part was pretty outlandish. There were also a few loose ends that never got tied up. Overall it was a decent read that I got through really quickly, so would recommend for something light and quick that you don’t have to think too hard about. You probably won’t remember these characters the day after you’re done with the book, I know I didn’t. But solid 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed Society of Lies. I appreciated both Naomi and Maya as characters. I liked how the POV moved from one character to another and also how it was pre-death of Naomi and post-death. I liked how it went from several months before to a few weeks after.

At a deep level, it gets to the root of human relationships and the need to belong/be accepted. Naomi and Maya both got too deep into Greystone and, by the time they realized it was a problem, it was too late.

I was legitimately surprised by the twist at the end. I felt like it was well done and well written.

Maya returns to Princeton for her younger sister’s graduation. But the day before graduation her sister, Naomi, turns up dead after getting too close to solving the mystery of another dead girl found on campus when Maya was a student there. Maya knows more than she has let on and did this silence contribute to her sister’s death? This was a quick paced novel thanks to the plot and the short chapters. It’s told in the alternating points of view of the sisters who both went to Princeton and joined the same eating club, so their experiences were very similar which may make it confusing at times. This was the best storytelling of what you imagine the dark side of ivy secret societies to be. So many twists and turns and characters to keep you guessing. The author explores themes of privilege, race, money, and power, as well as the destructive power “silence” can have. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

While I really enjoyed this dark academia book, the timeline was hard to track and follow closer to the end.

My interest in the story was up and down, it just felt like there was a lot of information and not enough getting to the point. The last 30% of the book I ended up just skimming to the end.

Still a good debut book