Maya is in town to celebrate her younger sister, Naomi, graduating from her alma mater, Princeton. But instead of walking across the stage, Naomi is found dead. Though the police ruled it as an accident, given her experience at Princeton 10 years prior, Maya isn't convinced, and she will do whatever it takes to find out what happened to Naomi. This novel switches perspectives between Maya and Naomi throughout. I'm usually not a fan of that, but it didn't bother me here. It was important to understand the history that drove Maya to her suspicions, as well as what Naomi was doing in her final days and weeks.

Though I read this one fast, it just wasn't one of my top picks. The twist was unexpected, though.

Thank you to Random House for the free copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Dark academia… secret societies… prestige..,, murder…. That’s what this book has to offer. Two sisters, 10 years apart at Princeton. Honestly, this trope is hit or miss, the story fell flat for me but I can see some of my colleagues really enjoying it.

A compelling insider's tale about secret societies and eating clubs at Princeton. Very well-written tale about two sisters of color who "made it" to Princeton despite the odds stacked against them, and found themselves as fish out of water in an elite, white male, privileged institution full of secrets, clubs, societies, and cover ups. I was riveted to this story all the way through because of its great writing, interesting characters, and cool yet scary insider information about the secret societies that really exist at Princeton (even if, one hopes, they are not actually murdering eachother). I'll be very interested to read more from this talented author!

3.5 ⭐️
This book was the epitome of dark academia.
Naomi is found dead right before she is to graduate from Princeton. Her sister Maya also went to Princeton 10 years before and was part of the same exclusive and semi secret society Naomi was right before her death.
Can Maya figure out if her past mistakes have something to do with her sisters suspicious death?
This book was twisty. There was a lot going on. Lots of characters and lots of time line movements. I enjoyed it, but also wish it had moved a little quicker. All in all good read. Would recommend.
Thanks netgalley for the ARC.

Maya’s sister is dead and she doesn’t believe it was an accident. Thinking back over her experience at Princeton with the exclusive eating club, Sterling, and the even more exclusive secret society, Greystone, Maya begins to question everything. She knows her sister was also involved with both groups and there were some things going on that were not on the up and up. Were Maya’s past mistakes the reason for her sister’s death?

Told across timelines and from both sister’s perspectives, this is an enthralling look at the underground secrets kept on Ivy League campuses. Not everyone gets in on merit alone and not everyone succeeds because they are smart and hard working. How far are people willing to go to make it to the top?

At this point, the terminology “dark academia” is used too freely.
Is this story set in secretive clubs of one of the most prestigious universities in the world? Yes.
Is there any spark of romance, any magic or any twisted scandal involved at all? No.

Society of Lies is the story of four girls who pretend to like each other and are part of a powerful and not-risky-at-all eating club at Princeton in the early 2010s.
Someone outside their circle - but still part of the club - dies after having tried to expose the most powerful member, when everyone had already ostracized her and kinda forgot about her.

Listen, I don't know if it's the back-and-forth narration or one too many unnecessary details, but it just doesn't work.
The whole thing is divided into four parts: in the first one, you get the idea; in the second one, you get a better idea; by the third one, it's pretty clear who the bad apple is and we could wrap it up; when you reach the four and last part, even the plot twist doesn't feel like a twist because who cares.

I hope people in secretive clubs all around the globe are having more fun than this.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I love a campus mystery so i was really excited for this one! unfortunately this one dragged for me - we were going between two timelines and the two protagonists were so similar in voice that i kept having to check which one we were following which made it confusing

I had i feeling I wasnt going to like this book after the girst couple chapters. I found the story really lacking in the thrilling/mystery aspect and thought that the plot could have been built up more. Maybe ill give it another go in the future but i just didnt find this book all that captivating.

I was really looking forward to this book and I wasn’t disappointed. I didn’t mind the back and forth timelines but I do agree with others who said that it was hard to keep track of all of the characters. I knew there had to be a twist coming at the end, usually I can figure it out a head of time, but I did not see that one coming.

I think this was a strong debut for a new author. It had a lot of potential. The story idea was interesting. Unfortunately, it kind of fell a little short for me. The first half of the book was good and had me hooked. Then, the pace started to slow way down and I lost interest in the last half. There were so many characters to keep track of and it was hard to differentiate between the different POV's . I do think the audible version of this book helps in that regard as there are multiple narrators. It didn't completely work for me but I would still be interested in reading the author's next book.

Society of Lies is told from the perspective of two sisters, each a student at Princeton and tapped for the mysterious and influential Greystone Society. The younger sister, Naomi, dies just before her graduation, and while investigating her death the older sister, Maya, must confront the part she may have played in joining a society that promoted these actions.

I wanted to love Society of Lies, but I struggled with the repetitive nature of the narratives and huge cast. I feel like readers are inundated with the sisters' thoughts, but we don't really get to know either of them deeply. Both of their partners engage in some shady behavior but these threads are dropped, leaving me to wonder what the point of including them at all was and why the women put up with it.

I do think the author chose an interesting premise and made readers feel like they were with the characters as the plot progressed, so my score is 3/5.

Note: I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting book! The reader is immediately immersed in the world of Princeton and its dining clubs. The dual timelines of Maya and Naomi's time at Princeton lets the get the information in little blocks in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but I was happy to be along for the ride. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for this ARC!

This is my first read by Lauren Ling Brown, and it did not disappoint. The plot was very dark and intriguing! Power and money mean everything at a place like Princeton and a secret society has a dark past. I enjoyed that this book is portrayed by two different characters in two different times, it kept things interesting and made me want to keep reading “just one more chapter.” This book started really gripping in the first half but seemed to slow down in the second half. I was happy with the ending and would recommend to friends!

Do you enjoy dark academia, elite secret societies, and murder books? Look no further than SOCIETY OF LIES by Laura Ling Brown!

This book alternates between past and present. In present day, Maya’s Ivy League sister Naomi is found dead. Maya KNOWS this wasn’t a suicide so she takes the investigation into her own hands. In the past, Naomi is digging into Princeton societies and her sisters dark past… and it doesn’t lead her down a great path… obviously… ☠️☠️

This book was pretty good but definitely a slow burn. It seemed to take awhile to ramp up! The ending was crazy!! As a whole I really liked it! Definitely a great choice for Reese’s Book Club!

This book also led me down an internet rabbit hole. I had no idea ‘eating clubs’ were real things. So that’s fun. Also, very into secret societies!!

[thank you @randomhouse/@netgalley for the gifted copies!]

Is this on your radar?

🖤🖤🖤

This is quite the debut college thriller! It’s told from the perspectives of sisters Maya & Naomi in different timelines to weave this spellbinding and enthralling suspense thriller! It’s a national bestseller & Reese’s Book Club pick - honors that are well-deserved!

Thank you, Lauren Ling Brown, Bantam, Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine, Vanessa Duque, & netgalley, for my gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

The prologue to this book pulled me in immediately, Dark academia is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and this book offered a secret society, crime, and a death investigation. Sign me up!

Told in alternating timelines mainly focusing on main character Maya now and when she attended Princeton a decade before, we also follow her sister Naomi’s life in the months and days leading up to her death. There were some tough spots to read about, and that's only because I loathe wealthy, privileged people behaving badly with no repercussions.

While I did find the book about 75 pages too long, it had a lot of promise for a debut. I'll definitely be on the lookout for her next book.

Maya, a Princeton graduate, is back at Princeton to witness her little sister Naomi’s graduation. But when Naomi turns up dead before the event even occurs, Maya is determined to find out what happened, no matter how much danger she puts herself in.

This is a book full of social clubs and secret societies, right up my alley. It also includes secrets from the past, which I love. The characters are very compelling, as are the societal issues tackled within the story. The flashbacks from the two main characters work particularly well. I would recommend this book.

Society of Lies is a thought-provoking read that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the need to mask their true self. Lauren Ling Brown effectively illustrates the struggles of maintaining a facade in a world that often values superficial connections over genuine relationships. Ultimately, the novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of living a lie and the importance of embracing one’s true identity.

A decent dark academia debut book centered on two sisters attending college a decade apart and the one person that ties them together. This book was a bit of a slow start and the alternating timelines and viewpoints took a bit of time to get used to. I would say it wasn't my favorite but wasn't the worst. Thanks to the author and publisher for the pre-publication copy.

I should have written a review right after I read this. Unfortunately, I can’t remember this one so it must not have been that great….lesson learned!