Five stars!!! I was immediately drawn to the premise of this book, particularly the mystery surrounding Naomi's death and Maya's involvement in a secret society. However, I found the pacing to be sluggish, as many chapters were bogged down with details of college social life that didn't advance the plot. Additionally, the similarity in voices between Maya and Naomi made it difficult to differentiate their narratives. Despite these shortcomings, the dynamic between the sisters remained the most captivating aspect. Nevertheless, there were bright spots in the book that exceeded my expectations. The exploration of secret societies within a college setting was thoroughly engaging, reminiscent of the intrigue found in "The Skulls." I appreciated the dual perspectives, which provided essential context for both past and present events. Lauren Ling Brown's writing style was a standout feature, and while there were sections that could be skimmed, the overall pacing kept me engrossed enough to finish the book quickly. As a debut novel, I confidently award it five stars and eagerly await Brown's future works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Secret societies and dark academia? Sign me up! I loved the secret society aspect of this book. The premise of Naomi's death and Maya's own experiences in a secret society and the mystery of the death that happened when she was a student 10 years ago was great. I found the book too slow for my liking - too many chapters full of the minutiae of college social lives with limited impact to moving the story forward. This tedium was paired with the confusion caused by the very similar voices of the two sisters - half the time I couldn't remember whether I was reading Maya's story or Naomi's story. Despite the focus of the book on the dark academia and mystery of Naomi's death, I think the best part for me was the sister dynamic between the two and how that played out in the book. If dark academia is one of your favorite genres, and you don't mind a slow plot pacing, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

Maya Banks returns to Princeton University for her ten-year reunion expecting to see her sister, Naomi, graduate. But that is not to be . . . Naomi’s body has been found in the lake . . . a tragic accident.

As Maya tries to make sense of Naomi’s death, she finds herself returning to the exclusive social society, the Sterling Club. Eager to belong somewhere, Maya had joined this eating club when she was a student at the university; however, she’d warned Naomi not to join any of the social clubs.

Nevertheless, Naomi, like her sister, joined the Sterling Club.

Was Naomi’s death really an accident? If not, who was responsible? And why?

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Told from dual points of view . . . sisters Maya and Naomi . . . and moving between present and past [to provide the necessary backstory], this twisty tale of college secret societies is both intriguing and terrifying. The tension is palpable, the suspense continually building.

Well-defined characters, a strong sense of place, and a compelling mystery all work together to keep the reader involved in the telling of the tale. Unexpected revelations and discoveries keep readers guessing right up to the surprising denouement most readers will not see coming.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Bantam and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#SocietyofLies #NetGalley

Based on some early reviews, I wasn't sure whether this book would be for me, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance!

The premise of secret societies in college was intriguing, and it delivered. (Side note: If you enjoyed the movie "The Skulls," you will enjoy this book!)

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't find the timelines or the dual POVs hard to follow. Getting the back story and present-day timeline from both sisters felt necessary.

I enjoyed Lauren Ling Brown's writing style, and the pacing was overall excellent. While there were a few skimmable paragraphs here and there, the storyline hooked me enough to finish the book within a day.

As far as debut novels go, I'd give this one a solid four stars, and I'll absolutely pick up her future works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This debut thriller takes place on the prestigious campus of Princeton University and tells the story of the elite “eating clubs” as it unravels the mystery surrounding a murder.

Sisters Maya and Naomi are ten years apart and both have suffered different traumas at the loss of their parents at young ages. As a young woman, Naomi followed in her sister’s footsteps by attending Princeton and joining one of the elite social clubs on campus. The story begins the day of Naomi’s graduation when Maya is informed of the tragedy of Naomi’s body being found in a river. Told in the alternating voices of the two sisters and covering three timelines, Maya is on a mission to uncover the mystery of her sister’s death.

While the overall story did not resonate with me, I learned about the social “eating clubs” which piqued my interest enough that I found myself researching these clubs which still exist on the Princeton campus today. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was really difficult to get into, and to finish. A girls sister disappears and she will do whatever she can to uncover the truth. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Dark Academia, dual timeline/ dual POV suspense=right down my alley!

I enjoyed the story and mystery and Princeton setting of this debut novel, but at times it felt LONG! 384 pages is on the high end for a suspense for me and at times I felt like the pacing dragged a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will definitely be on the lookout for Brown’s follow up books!

This seemed like a book I would absolutely love. Secret societies, dual timelines, murder. All things that usually work for me in a book. The problem with this one is that I could not care about any of these characters, no matter how much I tried. It moved so slowly and not in a slow-burn kind of way. It was just, dull. Plodded along and nothing was happening for so long. I wanted to love this one, and pushed myself to almost 50% before I finally gave up.

This is my second book with a sister searching to solve their sister’s death; it makes me ponder why I have zero relationship with any of my own four sisters.

Beyond that, intriguing read with three time lines. The last few years has uncovered the college scandals with who gets in to elite colleges & how much they pay for it behind the scenes.

So this is along those lines only *worse*.

I received the Society of Lies as an advanced review copy and I cannot thank the publisher enough.

If you love the mysteries around Ivy League secret societies this is the book for you. A woman returns to her alma mater expecting to see her little sister graduate and instead the sister ends up dead.

The story is twisty and told from two parallel points of view as the sisters go through college with similar yet very different experiences. Both of them hold secrets, but which secret is the deadly one?

Biracial Maya is thrilled to be attending Princeton considering her economic background. Wanting to carve an easier path for her 10-years-younger sister, Naomi, Maya accepts membership into one of the college's exclusive clubs. But as graduation nears, Maya is caught up in a death scandal on a ski trip sponsored by her club. Maya has her sites set on a charismatic professor as the murderer but can't prove it. Flash forward 10 years and Maya is on campus again for Naomi's graduation ceremony. What Maya doesn't know is that Naomi has also joined the same secret society and has been asking questions about the girl who died on that infamous ski weekend. When Naomi doesn't show up for graduation and later her body is found in a local lake, Maya knows it is murder, not an accident. How are the two murders connected? Who has the answers and who is willing to help Maya solve her little sister's death?

With alternating chapters told between Maya's college experience and Naomi's and chapters that flow between the past and current events, readers need to pay attention to the chapter headings to get a handle on what is happening, who is involved and when this is taking place. Each p.o.v. has secondary characters who may or may not be crucial to understanding what the secret society is capable of when one of the founding family's members is under suspicion for murder, fraud and academic cheating. There were a few loose ends from "clues" that were hinted at throughout the novel, but which weren't mentioned again. The ending was a surprise as a secondary character has a greater role to play than expected.

First and foremost - loved this book! I had no idea how it would end until Part 4. By following Naomi and Maya in a dueling timeline, you start to piece together the dark side of Princeton’s secret societies. I loved the duel perspectives, the Black and Asian representation, and the fact the characters were super diverse. The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was because at times it was hard to follow the timeline. However, I greatly enjoy a mystery that makes me think back to the early pages and hidden Easter eggs. Great book that I will be highly recommending to my friends!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

If you’re ever been interested in the idea of secret societies, this book is for you! The author keeps you wondering what the real secrets are and will leave you guessing! I loved the twists and turns and everything about this book. Highly recommend!

Overall, the story was intriguing and kept me wanting answers. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a thriller that takes place on a college campus.

The chapters jumped between 3 POVs which sometimes got confusing, depending how the chapters ended. I feel like there was fluff in some parts that made the story drag a little, while there were characters that were introduced and never really heard from again. There was closure overall to what happened but also I have unanswered questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

Maya returns to Princeton University for her college reunion and to attend her sister Naomi’s graduation. But when Naomi never shows up, Maya discovers that her sister was found dead on campus.

Not the first young woman to be found dead on campus, Maya begins to piece together her sister’s “accidental” death and finds connections to an exclusive social club that she was once a part of.

This book was not what I had expected it to be. While I knew it was in the suspense and murder mystery genre, I felt the plot could have been more substantial. For me, it was lackluster and failed to capture my complete attention. While this will be an excellent read for someone into murder mysteries and secret societies, it didn’t meet my expectations.

Overall, this was just ok. I can’t give a detailed review, as I just didn’t get into it and couldn’t finish the complete novel.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The title alone let me know id love this book. And it did not disappoint. This was way too good. I wanted to live in this really wild world but also stay on the sidelines of it because woah does it get crazy. I loved it.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC of Society of Lies by @laurenlingbrown in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 The ten-year reunion is supposed to be a joyous occasion. For Maya, her reunion coincides with her little sister Naomi’s graduation. However, nothing goes as planned when Naomi is found dead. Maya has that gut feeling that something more happened than the police know and Lauren Ling Brown does a phenomenal job creating the same sense in the reader. The story moves seamlessly from Maya to Naomi and from the present to the past, heightening the depth of the mystery surrounding Naomi’s suspicious death. A beautifully written and gripping tale that delves into the darker side of college campuses and secret societies. And the heartbreaking question lingers for Maya, could she have saved her sister from her death?

Review is on Goodreads and will be on Instagram well ahead of publication date!

I feel like I need a signet ring now. Dark academia with dual POV and timelines. It took me a few chapters to get characters and timelines straight (each main character comes with a cast of friends, acquaintances, and significant others), but once I did, I was all in. Maya and Naomi quickly become distinct characters. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but you get all the puzzle pieces as the timelines go back and forth and you find out exactly what Naomi is chasing (and who is chasing her). Brown weaves a tense story with a lot of suspense, as well as feeling for the sisters. Maya makes some hard choices, but you have an understanding of why.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

I love books centered around campus mysteries, secret societies, frats and sororities. All the dark crime and hidden underbelly of a shiny campus. I had actually never heard the term “eating club” until this book, so I definitely had to look that up to get a better feel for the book’s setting on the Princeton campus.

The book tells the story of two sisters, who both attend the school and join a secret society on campus that gives its members leverage and connections in the real world following graduation. When the younger sister dies, it sets her older sister on a hunt to find her killer. The sisters actually attended ten years apart, the modern murder mirrors an event that occurred when the older sister was on campus herself. This was the only criticism I had with the book, because it flashes back and forth within ten years, and contains a lot of the same characters in both arcs, sometimes I lost track of who I was with in the story- Naomi or Maya. Small price to pay for a twisty mystery that couldn’t put down!

Thanks to Lauren Ling Brown and Bantam/Random House/Ballantine for the advance copy!

The dual pov was very cumbersome and slowed the pacing of the book significantly. The overall premise, characters and writing are strong I think execution fell flat in the overall end result