Promising Debut. This is one of those debut books where it absolutely shows flashes of brilliance... yet also doesn't fully come together. But not in any objective-ish sense, just more of a more nebulous "there should probably be more *there* there". And because it isn't objective-ish and because I can't really put a finger on exactly what my ultimate issue is here, the book by default retains its full 5* in my own rating system.

Ultimately this *is* a reasonably solid mystery-thriller (part of the issue is the tension between the two and the book constantly switching gears and never really settling on one or the other, even just in a "this genre is dominant and that one is a touch secondary" manner) that keeps fans of both genres reasonably satisfied throughout. Set at Princeton among its real life eating clubs, and featuring such real world issues (even well outside Princeton at State colleges) as tutoring a kid getting particularly preferential treatment due to being a Legacy, this is one of those tales that will excite some and turn off others, but I thought it worked well enough for what it was. Far from a Dead Poets Society, this is really more of a The Skulls level tale, but primarily featuring 2 sisters each in two different timelines each.

And I think, ultimately, that is the key to enjoying this tale - if you approach it ala The Skulls (and if you haven't seen that movie from current Dr. Odyssey Joshua Jackson's Dawson's Creek years, you should) - you'll likely have a great time with this tale. If "Dark Academia" is 100% not your thing... you likely won't have such a great time here.

Very much recommended.

This was a fun thriller. I flew through it. It did take me a little bit to get invested, but once I did, I was hooked. The writing wasn't spectacular, but the story was interesting. It kept me guessing how all the puzzle pieces fit together. Two perspectives: Maya telling about her story at Princeton 10 years ago and now today, as well as her sister's perspective at Princeton, months and days before her untimely death. Was it an accident, or is there something more sinister at work here? Is Maya somehow connected to her little sister's death?

This was an awesome dark academia story! Told through past and present timelines and dual POVs you unravel the death of a Princeton student named Naomi who was about to graduate. She was part of a secret society as well as her older sister, Maya, who attended Princeton before her. Now, Maya is trying to figure out what happened to her sister while also grappling with her triggering past from when she attended Princeton herself.

This did a spectacular job of talking about nepotism, corruption in ivy leagues, the lengths people will go to preserve their privilege, no matter who it hurts, and also racism since the characters (and author) are bi-racial. I think the perspective of the author really added depth to the characters. The twists weren’t out of this world and there definitely seemed to be a lot of extra fluff that wasn’t necessary to the overall plot, but I loved getting to know both sisters. This was exciting and kept me interested.

Thank you NetGalley & Randomhouse for my ARC!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on October 1, 2024.

I was intrigued from the beginning and the writing was flawless - the plot sucked me in and it was easy to slip into the elite college atmosphere. The numbness of the characters when encountering problematic situations is a response which is not normally explored by authors so kudos! The red herrings and plot twists concerning secret societies is a secret obsession with me however I had trouble swallowing the final battle with the snow/ice/wind chill coming into play.

I loved Society of Lies. I loved the dual POVs and the counting down of the days leading to Naomi's death. Such a great debut and I look forward to more books from this author.

Gosh this book just had so many things I love in a good story… dual POV and timelines, murder mystery, dark academia/a secret society and at an ivy league!!! It took me a little bit to get oriented with the characters but once I got the hang of what was happening with the back and forth POVs, I was super invested and breezed right through the book and enjoyed it so much! Never saw the twist coming!

Thank you so much to PRH, Lauren, and NetGalley for the e-galley!

Heartbreaking start to this book when Naomi turns up dead the night before her Princeton graduation. Her sister Maya, in town for her own 10-year reunion as well as Naomi's graduation ceremony, is shocked and overwhelmed with grief. Maya is a Princeton alumni and her sister's death has not only raised many questions, but also dredged up memories from Maya's history. Turns out both Maya and Naomi belonged to Sterling Club, an exclusive social club on campus, and also to the secret society within Sterling Club.

The stories of sisters Naomi and Maya are told in their own POV, in both the past and the present. Since the story mostly takes place on the Princeton campus, there are a lot of friends and teachers of both sisters to keep track of and I felt like I had been dropped in the dorm and had a bunch of new people to get to know. Unfortunately, the story line felt flat to me. It kept my interest, but I felt it could have been shorter and while I was surprised by the twist at the end, it didn't raise my adrenaline or make me want to read any faster. I had a hard time connecting with Maya or believing her grief.

This is a debut novel for Lauren Ling Brown. I do like her writing and I look forward to reading her future work. Make sure to read her author's note.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maya returned to Princeton for her 10 yr reunion. She’s also attending the graduation of her little sister, Naomi. Maya received news that Naomi is dead. The police are calling it an accident but Maya doesn’t believe it was. Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi joined Sterling Club, an exclusive social club on campus, the same one Maya belonged to.
The pacing was slow and took me longer to finish. Towards the end I was rushing to get done because I became bored. The story is told from alternative viewpoints of Maya and Naomi. The characters and different settings alternating was confusing. It’s told from perspectives of the 2 sisters. Three different timelines: present day from Mayas point of view and 2 in the past from points of view of the sisters. It discussed secret societies, privilege, race, belonging, sisterhood, greed and blackmail. It wasn’t particularly thrilling or suspenseful.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is a debut???? No way!! It was good. It felt like reading a bestseller and now that it has been announced as a Reese's Book Club pick, maybe it will be. First of all, I want to say I love reading about characters with different ethnicities and/or cultural backgrounds. The two leads in Society of Lies mix of backgrounds added to the story in a way that was organic, interesting, and thought-provoking. Princeton being a lauded Ivy League school and its secret societies and seeming status rankings added a fun, unique element to the story. The fact that the author attended Princeton made me wonder throughout what was fact and fiction about Princeton. I loved that aspect. The mystery of the death of one Princeton student and the lengths her older sister, a Princeton-alum will go to to find out what happened kept me glued to the book and turning the pages long into the night. Great debut novel and can't wait to read more from this author.

Maya returns for a 10-year reunion after her graduation from Princton. Although her excitement for the reunion is short-lived when she is informed that her sister, Naomi, was killed in an accident. However, Maya knows better and begins to investigate on her own. The more she looks into Naomi's past few weeks leading up to her death, the more shroaded in the mysteries of the secret exclusive club, Sterling Club. Is her sister trying to be more like her, and is this the cause of her death? The twist and turns of Society of Lies will have you loving this book and the need to keep reading long past your bedtime. I enjoyed Lauren Ling Brown's first novel and can't wait to see what she has in store for her next book.

I wanted to love this book so much, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It must be noted that the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!! I thought this unfortunately was cheesy and unbelievable.

*4.5 stars rounded up*

Where do you draw the line? When is it time to speak up?

Maya is devastated when on the weekend she returns to her alma mater, Princeton, to watch her little sister graduate, she is instead finding herself planning a funeral. Naomi’s death is being considered an accident by the authorities, but this isn’t the first time a young woman within the elite Sterling Club has been found dead…

This story holds many things within it: it’s a tale of sisterhood, motherhood, friendship, loss, racism, & the privileges that come with wealth. The author explores many facets of these complicated subjects throughout the timelines, & as I read Naomi’s story in the months leading up to her death I found myself wishing that this wasn’t the end for her. Both an engrossing tale of a secret Ivy League society, & a deeper examination of what all the university experience can entail, I’ll definitely be following this debut novelist’s career.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bantam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In her debut novel, author Lauren Ling Brown succeeds in writing an unputdownable campus thriller that stirs conversation about friendship, sisterhood, class, multiracial identity, and the lethal perils of silence. The story is told from the dual perspectives of sisters. We get Maya's POV as she returns to Princeton for a reunion and the graduation of her sister Naomi, who is ten years younger. But before any celebration can happen, Maya learns that Naomi has died. Knowing what Maya knows about the secret campus society to which both sisters belonged, Maya suspects that Naomi's death is not, as the campus community believes, an accident. From there we go back in time to get Naomi's first-person narrative interspersed with Maya's more current situation and the truths she exposes. It's often difficult to tell the two voices apart, so pay attention to chapter headings.

[Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Maya's sister Naomi is found dead and at first the police declare it an accident but Maya knows she must have been murdered. As she retraces Naomi's recent days, she realizes it might be tied to her own experience with the secret society from a decade ago that she's been trying to distance herself from. Overall, this started out promising as the perspectives of the characters were interesting, but the pacing slowed and it became repetitive.

I enjoyed this engaging campus type thriller. I loved the concept of a secret society in a college setting. The beginning sucked me into the characters and had me wanting to know what had happened. But mixed with the different timelines I felt the middle of the book was slower than I would have liked. I felt it not keeping my attention as much. However the ending was fast paced and really had me guessing as to what actually happened. Overall an enjoyable read.

WOW! Secret societies at an ivy league school.,,, I love it! Sisters with a huge age gap but in the same secret society where nothing seems to be any different even this many years later.... Secrets, lying, money, power, and a creepy teacher... This one was not one I could put down.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱🎧 "Society of Lies" by Lauren Ling Brown

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
published October 1, 2024

A easy mystery surrounding the dark society of Greystone at Princeton, where powerful connections are made that will determine your future. Bouncing between present day when Naomi is at Princeton, to years prior when older sister Maya was at Princeton, to 13 years before that when young Maya, biracial with a chinese mom and a black father, is orphaned with her 8-year-old little sister Naomi. Maya always wanted better for her sister, which leads her to become a part of a secret collegiate society surrounded by uber privileged students. Maya does what she can to adjust, and learn this new world. Now in present day readers see Naomi, unfortunately following the same footsteps of her older sister, and part of a secret society. Dark secrets, young girls dying mysteriously, payoffs, and professors with inappropriate relationships makes for an interesting story. It kept my attention and I enjoyed learning about the Princeton secret societies. 

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This one started off so good, I was thinking it would be my first 5 star of the year. But the dual POV , which I usually like, made me have to sometimes look back to see who is speaking since Maya and her sister's stories and voices are so similar. It is an interesting premise and an Ok thriller, but it seemed to bog down in places as the story moves on and the final twists just fell flat. 3 stars.

Sisters Maya and Naomi have almost always been on their own since their parents passed when they were young. Nearly 10 years older than Naomi, the age difference has given the sisters a unique relationship, especially since Naomi was eventually raised by an aunt as Maya navigated college and adulthood.. But when Maya learns of Naomi's acceptance and attendance at Princeton University, the same prestigious school she attended, she is proud of her sister. Her pride comes with a dire warning: Stay away from Sterling Club, an exclusive, nearly impossible social club to be accepted into. When Maya discovers the devastating news that Naomi has died from a "drowning accident", all her worst fears have come to pass. and she sets out on a mission to prove that her sister's death was no accident. In doing so, she uncovers many hidden secrets of her sister's life as her suspect list grows. Too many details are reminding her of the death of fellow Sterling Club member from when Naomi was at Princeton, and this time, she is not staying silent.

This is a great book for any reader into mystery, suspense, secret society novels. I was engaged and wanted to know how it all ended, but I felt there was too much "filler". At times I found myself getting Maya's and Naomi's chapters mixed up, as the story is told in alternating timelines and from the two characters points of view, so it was a bit confusing at times keeping them straight when I don't normally struggle with that. I expected more suspense and less investigation. Or if the "investigation" parts had been more suspenseful. Not a favorite, but I know this book will appeal to other readers. This is a debut novel by Lauren-Ling Brown so I am looking forward to seeing more from her and expect to see her grow more. Many thanks to NetGalley, Bantam, and of course Lauren Ling Brown.

I did give this a 3.5/5 on my personal reading log but rounded up to 4 stars as no half stars are available options.