When Naomi is discovered dead on her college campus, her sister Maya refuses to accept it as an accident. Maya’s relentless pursuit of answers takes her down unexpected paths, unraveling dark secrets from her past and within a prestigious society at an Ivy League college.

Dark academia enthusiasts, listen up! “Society of Lies” delivers a twisty, suspenseful narrative that weaves together the lives of two sisters separated by a decade but connected by their shared school. The fast pace and suspense paired with corruption and cover-ups will keep you glued to the pages—I promise you won’t want to set this book down. Plus, the exploration of race, privilege, and sisterhood adds depth to this intriguing debut. Society of Lies is an unforgettable read that’ll linger in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page.

I received a gifted copy of this book.

Society of Lies
Lauren Ling Brown
1 October 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Lauren Ling Brown, for allowing me to read and review Society of Lies.

This book was absolutely incredible! The suspense and mystery embedded into this book drove the need to keep reading to find out what happened next. I was completely invested in the characters, their relationships with one another, the story, and all the drama surrounding. I'm looking forward to reading another book by Lauren!

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

I DNF’d it early on because the back and forth was kind of blending together.

I did rate this 3 stars even though I didn’t finish it because of the concept and potential.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy!

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from the author! This gave me vibes of The Skulls which will always be one of my favorite movies. This book kept me hooked from the start and I found myself eager to get back to reading it when I had to put it down for real life obligations (work, life, sleep lol). I didn’t see the ending coming and that’s certainly a sign of a good book in my eyes. Love this one!

What a great debut mystery/thriller! This book follows two storylines of two sisters who both attended Princeton University and were involved in the same social club on campus. The main focus within the book is with the younger sister’s Naomi’s death and her prior investigation of events that occurred while her older sister Maya was a student. This book is full of dark academia vibes that are perfect for fall time and I loved reading about the secret societies that are full of drama and secrets. For a debut novel, I think the author really showcased her writing talent and took a common setting (college) and added her own flare on it. My one issue with it was the pacing in the middle was much slower than the beginning and end which was noticeable as a reader but, I am still very interested in reading anything else that this author may publish in the future and would recommend you add this book on to your fall TBR! Publishes 10/1. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for early access in exchange for my honest review!

3.5/5 Stars

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is the perfect read if you’re into dark academia vibes! The tension builds beautifully through the dual POVs, and the plot kept me hooked. Plus, the characters are intriguing and surprisingly likeable, despite all the scheming and secrets.

However, I did get a bit lost with the shifting timelines and dual perspectives at times, which made things confusing. And the ending? A little on the messy side. Still, if you love atmospheric mysteries with complex characters, this one’s definitely worth diving into!

The secret society set up for this book was very promising but I struggled a bit with the dual timelines. If you go in expecting a mystery/thriller you might be disappointed. If you go in expecting more of a literary fiction book, Society of Lies will be an enjoyable time.

Told in dual timelines, in present time, a body is found floating in a river. Is it an accident? Was it suicidal? Being that it’s Maya’s sister, she’s determined to find out. But not without confronting her own past and something that feels oh so familiar.

With dual timelines and dual narratives, we have Naomi and Maya, sisters years apart but so similar as Naomi follows in her sisters footsteps to attend her same Alma mater. The reader follows Naomi in her final days, introducing the reader to multiple red herring moments. Even though the author had some good tension building moments, the underlining why there should be tension was not established as well as it should have been. Anytime I felt a character jumpy for what was behind them, I felt why, you haven’t done anything.

Even though this has some fun popcorn thriller moments, it is too long for what the story actually is. This was definitely a good 50-75 pages of too much. I enjoyed the ending, even if it felt like we breezed through it, but not always the journey to get there.

Maya is excited to return to Princeton where she graduated a decade ago. Her little sister, Naomi, has followed in her footsteps and is graduating this weekend. When she gets a call that Naomi is dead her world is turned upside down. As Maya investigates what truly happened to Naomi she learns that Naomi was also tapped for the ultra secret society that Maya had been in during her time at Princeton. Could this have to do with the tragedy a decade ago that still haunts Maya to this day?

I love books about secret societies at colleges, it is just so intriguing to me. This book was such a quick, easy read that was not only about college life but included mature themes like race and inappropriate relationships. I appreciated the author’s first hand experience with being biracial and her struggles.

The promise of connections and security beyond Princeton is what lured Maya to join the Sterling Eating Club and the secret society harbored within it. In an attempt to come from next to nothing and create a future for her younger sister Niaomi, Maya is willing to do nearly anything. Jump ahead ten years and Noami is preparing to graduate from Princeton, but on the cusp of graduation she is found dead. And Maya knows it’s no accident.

This novel is a well written balance of each of the sister’s experiences at Princeton and how their relationship leads to the circumstances surrounding Naomi’s death. There is a healthy dose of dark academia, corruption, secrets and betrayal that keep this mystery and thriller moving right along. The mix of the timelines keeps you on the edge, turning pages to see what comes next. 5 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam and NetGalley. Thank you!

I love a setting of a gothic college campus. This story is filled with mysteries and secret societies and the secrets they must keep. The ending was a good twist! Also love seeing a person of color as the main character.

Society of Lies is a typical thriller for me in terms of the reading experience. It's entertaining and I flew through it in a couple days. This is a story about two sisters: Maya is back on the Princeton campus for her Reunion when her younger sister, Naomi, is a graduating student. Soon after Maya arrives on campus, her sister is found dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya starts to believe there’s more to the story. The first ¾ or so is a slow burn and felt like a campus novel with some suspense, which I loved! I actually didn’t even need the ratchet up at the end. I loved the behind the scenes look into the Princeton eating clubs scene and the secret societies within those eating clubs. There’s a super creepy and unsettling vibe here. We get a view into what it’s like to be a person of color at an Ivy League school, but also an elite eating club and the world of secret societies at elite colleges. There's excellent commentary about power, privilege, and the favor economy. Despite one minor plot hole at the end, Society of Lies is an entertaining thriller with some unique commentary on an intriguing and opaque corner of academia.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I was immediately intrigued by the cover and synopsis. The Princeton setting was interesting. Unfortunately, the execution of the plot was underwhelming. It felt too long and convoluted. Marta was easily the most interesting character, but I didn't care about anyone else. I needed more tension. I needed to care about the characters in order to invest in their outcomes. This was just okay and largely forgetable.

Maya Banks returns to her alma mater, Princeton University, to see her younger sister graduate and to reunite with old friends. However, Naomi never shows up to meet her and Maya learns her sister has drowned in a nearby lake. Maya cannot accept that this is an accident and is determined to get to the truth, no matter what the cost to others or herself since she is hiding more than one secret from her time at Princeton.

This book alternates between Maya and Naomi's points-of-view and three different timelines. Both Maya and Naomi were involved in the same social club at college as well as a "secret society" that offers lifelong benefits to its exclusive members. However, both women learn that everything comes at a cost. Part of the book examines what people would be willing to do to get the life they've always dreamed of. This issue is even more complicated for Maya and Naomi who are women of color, wanting to fit in among the rich and privileged at Princeton.

The premise is intriguing and the story is suspenseful, in spite of some pacing issues in the middle. The frequent changes in point-of-view (every other chapter) and the similarity in what Maya and Naomi go through makes the story hard to follow. I sometimes had to stop and reread parts to be clear about whose story I was reading. Everyone in the book makes poor decisions, so it was hard finding someone to root for. I was invested in finding out what happened to Naomi and if it was related to a tragic event that occurred when Maya attended college. I was also surprised when the whole truth came out. This is a suspenseful thriller, and I hope to see more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, Random House, and Bantam Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and the Lauren Ling Brown for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

I can count the number of ARCs I have been provided that I have DNF'd. This being one of them. Since downloading the file back in March, I have tried to read Society of Lies several times and have not gotten past 20-ish percent.

I'm not sure what it is about the book that I haven't been able to connect with, but it has put me in a reading slump each time I've tried.

If there is ever a possibility that it is released as an audio book, I'll be keen to download it and give it a listen and see if that cures whatever is ailing me in terms of actually being able to get through Society of Lies.

Outside of my inability to push through, I was initially pulled in by the synopsis, as it does lend itself to being a great read. Secret societies and murder cover-ups are right up my alley. But alas, I stayed on the street.

I'll be giving this a 3/5 based on the synopsis alone. Hopefully in the future when I can get through it, this will jump to a 5.

A very sincere thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Lauren Ling Brown for the opportunity, again. I wish the book to have a massive success.

Thank you Netgalley & Bantam for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️

The story follows Maya, who returns to her alma mater for her sister Naomi's graduation. But when Naomi turns up dead, Maya's world is shattered.
Determined to uncover the truth, Maya digs into Naomi's life and discovers some shocking secrets. It turns out Naomi was part of a secret society that Maya had warned her against.
As Maya keeps digging, she uncovers a web of lies, hidden histories, and unsolved murders. It's like peeling back the layers of an onion - and it's fascinating.
What Worked♥️
🤩•⁠ ⁠The Princeton setting is incredible
🤩•⁠ ⁠Maya and Naomi's contrasting stories are so compelling
🤩•⁠ ⁠Brown tackles tough topics like race, culture, and belonging
What Didn't🫢
🫢•⁠ ⁠Some chapters end abruptly (what's with that?)
🫢•⁠ ⁠The plot gets a bit far-fetched at times
😶•⁠ ⁠Some loose ends remain untied
The Verdict
Lauren Ling Brown's debut is impressive! Despite some minor flaws, this thriller will keep you hooked.
Rating: 4/5 stars
If You Like
•⁠ ⁠Academic thrillers
•⁠ ⁠Mystery and suspense
•⁠ ⁠Stories exploring social issues

I’m always down for a dark academia thriller but this one was just meh to me. The overall plot was convoluted, there were way too many characters (and many of them felt entirely unneeded), and the ending was rather abrupt.

But I liked the dual POVs and timelines, and thought they both worked well together and were easy to keep straight. The story touched upon some important topics and said some profound things about race and privilege, especially in a college campus setting. And I liked how evocative the writing was - the atmosphere was unsettling and the prose was vivid. I’d definitely be down to check out more from this author, even though on the whole this was a bit of a miss for me story-wise.

Thank you to Bantam Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Society of Lies comes out 10/1!

Society of Lies was so good! It’s about 2 sisters a decade apart who get involved in the eating clubs and secret societies of Princeton. After the younger one dies, the older sister suspects that it wasn’t just an accidental drowning and the story weaves between their two points of view up until the mystery is solved.

Honestly I didn’t guess the killer until it was about a chapter or two from the end of the book. The unique thing Ling Brown did was provide a point of view from one of the victims up until right before her death.

Very good book. Such an intriguing setting (secret societies, who doesn’t want to know more about those?!) incredible job by Ling Brown.

Thank you, Bantam and NetGalley, for my free E-book for review.

When Maya learns of her sister Naomi's death, long-buried secrets she and her closest friends have sworn to keep resurface, haunting her present. Could her sister's tragic demise be intricately connected to the ominous events within the secret society Maya had warned Naomi about?

This captivating narrative unfolds through two distinct points of view, following a linear timeline that expertly guides readers through the events leading to a tragedy that eerily echoes the past. We're granted intimate access to Maya's journey, not just her present self, but also her formative years at Princeton. Paralleling this, we witness Naomi's own path unfold.

Both sisters struggle to find their place as they navigate a world that often fails to see them for who they truly are, owing to their mixed heritage. This poignant theme reverberates throughout the story, touching the lives of secondary characters who face similar injustices, adding depth and relevance to the narrative.

The intricate interweaving of lies and secrets builds a palpable suspense, punctuated by unexpected twists. The author masterfully drops hints and hooks that demand attention, compelling readers to backtrack and reassess their assumptions.

The ending proves to be nothing short of poetic, aligning beautifully with the title. As one lie is exposed, another is left to be buried.

This gripping tale explores the complexities of identity, the weight of secrets, and the far-reaching consequences of our choices, all while keeping readers on the edge of their seats with its suspenseful plot and richly drawn characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for a dark academia thriller, which seems to be a growing trend in the literary world lately. "Society of Lies" was a well constructed story that kept me engaged. I wasn't wowed by the twists in the book and occasionally grew frustrated by the dual perspectives that often jumped around in time, however, it was still an enjoyable read. I did have to reduce some stars because the pacing was very off throughout the book and honestly, I couldn't make myself like either man character.