I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I read it in one sitting and breezed through it. The dark academia and secret societies were captivating. This story about sisters, friendship, and the outsider feelings of being different from the people you spend all your time around. Overall, while being a thoroughly entertaining book, there’s also an aspect of encouraging conversation about privilege and multiracial identity.

Great book you won’t want to put down!
The setting is on the very prestigious campus of Princeton University. This story is a mystery that uncovers the secrets of private social clubs for the elite. The main characters of the story are two sisters years apart who both attend Princeton and take part in these social clubs. Both sisters have many secrets that come to light. A tale of corruption, drugs, abuse, lies and murder !

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House publishing for this eArc !!

Dual POV with sisters Maya (present) and Naomi (past) sharing their stories separately since Naomi dies right at the start of the book. The pacing takes a minute to get going; there's a lot of background to establish for two separate characters with separate friends and experiences. Once it does starting moving, though, it's good.

I'd never heard of Princeton "eating clubs" but the explanation mixed with what I do know about college experiences, networking, etc all seems to align and add believability to a story that is highlighting dark academia. These elements were all well placed in the story and really kept things moving.

Maya's investigation of Naomi's death doesn't really lead to any jaw dropping twists. Instead, it's pretty easy to stay a step or two ahead of the story all throughout. That's not to say it's not entertaining; it is moreso a compliment to how Brown worked to avoid really glaring plot holes. Secondary characters were fitting for the story. None were particularly likeable or memorable, but they story wasn't as much about them as the themes they helped establish.

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, violence/gore/murder, alcohol, poison, suicide, trauma, LGBT+, racism

**Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I love dark academia thrillers, and "Society of Lies" is a good debut. It is a slow burn of a thriller that gets more engaging as you continue to read. The twists and turns were unexpected and enjoyable. All in all, a good, if somewhat slow-paced read. Recommended for fans of suspense in school settings. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #SocietyOfLies

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC..

Society of Lies is a well- crafted and interesting mystery. Princeton "eating clubs" as it isn't even remotely in my world (who knew?).

You will enjoy this very well- crafted mystery with more twists and turns than you can imagine, you will find it hard to put down.

Novel is about a woman who has seen what harm came from her time in a fictional Princeton exclusive "secret" club, and she attempts to prevent her sister's induction into the same, but is unable to prevent the ensuing tragedy that develops when her little sister follows her path.

Great subplots about the societal discomfort caused by other's reactions to you when you are bi-racial, as well as the strong bonds of family and friends.

Excellent read, that I couldn't put down.

This was captivating from the first page. The author takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Naomi and Maya are sisters who experience loss at an early age, which both bonds and alienates them from each other. They both attend the same Ivy League school. The school has secret societies and they both want in. This book is packed with secrets, drama, mystery, college fun, family dynamics, and more. I couldn’t put it down, and 100% recommend reading this book.

When I saw this ARC on NetGalley, the cover drew me in immediately. I’m a sucker for a dark academia thriller and this did not disappoint.

While I did enjoy this, I gave it 3 stars. It was just waaaayyyy tooooo long and could’ve benefitted if it was at least 100 pages shorter. It took me a month to finish.

There were some parts of the book that had no clear transitions between setting. On one line, the main character is speaking to a detective and the next line (same paragraph) she’s in her home talking to her friend? It was confusing.

There were also too many POVs and timelines, at some points it all bled together. I needed more clear distinctions of where we were.

I will admit though I did NOT expect the ending at all. Totally took me by surprise. The twist was very well done.

This author has really great potential, overall this was not a bad read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC 💕

4.5 stars for me. The pacing was a slow crawl in the first half, but I was surprised to find that I actually was eager to keep going despite the slower pace so I could find all the pieces to the puzzle. Once I realized how necessary the backstory was, the pacing made perfect sense.

Once I reached the second half, I started flying through. You finally have all the pieces and now it’s time to connect them and unravel the story. And I was determined and eager to see how it all came together.

I kept reminding myself this is a debut because with the level of twists and the story’s intricacy, you’d never expect it. I also loved being so confident in what I thought would happen and being surprised at every twist and turn. I will definitely be recommending this one to my followers!

WOW! What a great thriller. Kudos to the author. There was so much going on in this book I couldn't put it down. You are transported back 13 years back, where young Maya, biracial finds herself part of a secret society surrounded by privileged students. Maya does what she can to adjust, providing extra funds to send her sister to school, even if it involves her into the pyramid scheme of the institution. Maya's little sister, unfortunately following the same footsteps, estranged from her sister and part of a secret society, entangled in a love triangle that may be doomed with heartache. Never know what will happen next.

Wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat - I could not put it down.., read it in one day. I absolutely loved the characters that Lauren Ling Brown created. The relationship between Maya and Naomi was beautiful and heartbreaking, The way that she cleverly entwined the two generational stories into one mystery was masterful. I did not see the end coming at all - they have to make this into a series or film.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I really like the dual perspectives between Maya and Naomi. Usually I’m not a fan of dark academia but I feel like this was a little “lighter” on that.
Maya and Naomi are sisters 10 years apart and they both belong to Greystone, a secret society at Princeton. Something tragic that happened when Maya was a member resurfaces and causes Naomi to stir up old memories. Maya receives a phone call that Naomi was found dead and then it’s a race to find out what happened before anyone else dies.
I couldn’t put this book down for the first 60% but then I feel like it became very drawn out and boring. How many times can Naomi go back to Liam and ignore Ben? I feel like Naomi’s character really was shorted because she was amazing and so much better than Maya. Also the bad guy was obvious, I wish there had been some red herrrings added that would give doubt to the identities. I do look forward to reading more from this author.

3 Stars
Cover 4 Stars

This was fine. I normally pick up thrillers because I like to guess the end. In this case though it was hard for me to care why Naomi was dead. I tend not to like books from the dead person's perspective, so this is entirely my fault for not close reading the synopsis.

It's well written and plotted though.

I’ve never read “dark academia” before, but the cover intrigued me. This was an interesting read. Probably not one I’ll be thinking about for weeks to come, but I’m glad I read it! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy. Publication date August 13, 2024.

Secret society on campus, There is a lot of racism, gender inequality and classical in this book. Unfortunately it is too realistic. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was a perfect blend of thrilling and suspenseful. Filled with secret societies and dark secrets. The back and forth between both sisters memories was a little confusing at first, but as the story progressed it became much easier to keep track. Honestly, there were so many twists and turns through out the story that just when I though I had figured it out something new would come to light. If you are looking for a thrilling story filled with many secrets definitely read this book!

Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

A dark academia and a decent read. This book started off strong however it slowed down drastically as I kept reading. I usually love multiple POVs but it got a little confusing in this book, flipping between current Maya and past Maya, as well as past Naomi. The plot was good though! It's a good thriller overall, incorporating many of today's conflicts and a strong idea of how "money is power". I liked this book, but I wish was executed better.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, and Lauren Ling Brown for this ARC!

📚Society of Lies
✍🏻 Lauren Ling Brown
🗓️Pub date August 13,2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to @ for my #gifted of Society of Lies. I am such a huge fan of academic settings so of course this one was a must read for me.

📖- Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion and the graduation of her little sister,Naomi. What should have been a celebration turns into a nightmare when she receives the news that Naomi is dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya suspects that there is more to the story than they are letting on.

Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to. And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it.

The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead.

🤔- This was a good one with just the right amount of suspense to keep you wondering until the end. I liked the dual timeline which set up the mystery and college setting which is one of my favorites. I recommend this one it was very entertaining.

Book 50 📚

Dark Academia, Thriller • 384 pages

“How far would you go to belong?“

I don’t normally read dark academia, but the cover alone was enough to get me interested! 😍 This debut novel follows two multiracial sisters as they navigate fitting in to Princeton (10 years apart) and the trouble that follows them because of it. It has switching POVs which I got lost in a few times, but not enough to really bother me. I loved the layers of the story and how the past and present were affecting each other and almost overlapping at times! I enjoyed the characters and short chapters!

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for letting me read this early in exchange for a review, and congratulations to @laurenlingbrown on your debut which comes out August 13, 2024! 🤍

Secret societies with a mysterious death at hand! I had to have this arc and I'm so so so grateful I was given the opportunity to read this.

Maya returns to Princeton to investigate her sister's death. She finds that her sister was a member of an exclusive club that she was once also a part of. The truth starts to unravel as Maya revisits her own twisted and dark past to see what truly happened to Naomi.

- multiple POV's
- Past and present POV
- Slow burn
- Twists galore
- Binge worthy


I found it easy to connect to the Maya and Naomi. I needed to know what happened just as badly as Maya wants to. Prepare to binge this one and grab some tissue for the heartache that might or might not come at the end.

Maya returns to Princeton for her younger sister Naomi’s graduation. Once she gets there however, she is unable to get in contact with her sister and finds out she has been found dead in a lake. Maya immediately suspects foul play but the police rule it as an accident so she goes on a hunt to find out what really happened. Naomi was in Sterling Club, as Maya was when she was at Princeton, and Maya thinks she was also involved in the secret society ran from within. As Maya uncovers more and more about the mystery of Naomi’s death, she finds more than she thought she would—that her sister’s death might be connected to the girl who died while Maya was there.
I rarely give mystery/thriller books five stars because although they are incredibly entertaining, they often lack the character depth that I want in a five star book. Society of Lies was the exception. The characters in this book are unforgettable and they are just as important to the story as the plot. The plot itself was incredibly intricate which I also absolutely loved. I really enjoyed the switching timelines and perspectives in this book as it made the book incredibly suspenseful. The writing was amazing and the story flowed wonderfully. I read a lot of thrillers so I can usually see the end coming but this one surprised me and made sense at the same time. I truly loved this book and can’t wait to read anything else Lauren Ling Brown writes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. All opinions are my own. Review to be posted closer to the publish date.