I really enjoyed this book and I stayed interested the whole time. When reading thrillers, sometimes I just want to get to the end and find out the ending, but with this one, I was really invested in the characters and enjoyed every part of the story. I liked reading about both sisters, and how the POVs intertwined. Excited to read future work by this author!

I am still new to the thriller genre but I did enjoy this book! It kept me interested and wasn’t TOO scary which I don’t love. I liked the characters as well!

While I enjoyed the darkness of this book, the back-and-forth timeline was hard to track and follow closer to the end. The book didn't really keep my interest like I hoped it would. There was a lot of extra fluff in the book that made it hard for me to want to continue reading. I did finish and I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it.

This book had a very intriguing plot. The characters were very well liked. It was slow at times but I enjoyed the vibe and felt like I was there! At times I would feel frustrated with the miscommunication with the sisters.
The pace was a tad slow at times. I think this was mainly because of the varying points of view.

this was a very solid thriller! i liked the the dark academia vibe while also having main characters that were both pocs. this just added another level of complexity you usually don’t get from these types of books. the pacing was good, and kept me on my toes! i did kind of figure out the ending pretty early on but there were some little tidbits that would make me question myself. i do feel like there was something missing though, the ending felt a little rushed and some scenes felt like they were thrown in last minute for shock value. but overall i really liked it and read it super fast!!

thank you net galley and random house ballantine for the arc!

Thank you to Random Hoise publishing & Netgalley for allowing me to read Society of Lies.
This was such a fun book to read. A real who done it story!
The plot was good, characters were fun to follow, & I didn’t see the ending coming!
I am a huge fan of messy characters, secrets, & revenge. This book had it all.

Society of Lies takes an unforgiving look at privilege and the ripple effect it can have. Maya was a graduate of Princeton and a member of the prestigious Sterling Club, and its inner circle of the Greystone Society. Unbeknownst to her, her younger sister, Naomi, was also a member of these groups and it may have gotten her killed. Maya digs deep to discover why someone killed Naomi and asks the questions she should have asked a decade ago when another girl was found dead. On a ski trip that Maya and other society members were on.

The story is told from multiple points of view, and it can be confusing if you do not pay attention because two of them are Maya – one in the past and one in the present. Several of the characters feature in multiple timelines, as well. Really, many of the events wouldn’t have occurred if there had been better communication between Maya and Naomi. Instead of explaining why she didn’t want Naomi to join the groups, she only told her not to, under any circumstances. This led Naomi to believe Maya just didn’t want Naomi to be involved in her world. When Maya could at least have told her she knew from experience how dangerous the groups are and how she wishes she never would have been involved with them. She carries a lot of guilt for that, together with actions she did and didn’t take back then.

Maya continually laments how unfair it is that the memberships provide all types of advantages, but does she decline? No. Does she report any board members or professors for their favoritism in and out of school? No. Does she use her connections to further her position in any way possible? Yes. So, it’s hard to feel any sympathy for her character. Sure, she has a younger sister to help since their parents passed away, but what type of example does it set using ill-gotten gains?

Nothing in the story may be particularly surprising, especially after the well-publicized admissions scandals, but the author tells it quite well. She has an engaging voice, and I couldn’t put the book down once I started. Even if I didn’t like some of the characters, it didn’t make it harder to get through the story, like with others I’ve read. She’s an author I’m going to watch and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This book flips between two sisters (and timeframes) which I found disruptive to the flow of the book. But definitely an ending I didn't see coming. I think this is a new author? I would try her next book.

This was Brown's debut novel and she knocked it out of the park.

We follow the two sister's storylines - Maya and Naomi - who are 10 years apart in age. Naomi is currently at Princeton and Maya graduated from Princeton 10 years ago. They both belong to a secret society on campus.

10 years ago, a girl from the secret society is found dead. Now, Naomi is found dead just before graduation. Is it the same killer? Is it linked to the society?

I was 100% into this book the entire way through. Great plot and amazing character development.
Such a fun thriller read.

If You Love Conspiracies, You’ll Love Unraveling This One

Secret Societies. A web of lies. Murder. These are just a few of the elements at work in SOCIETY OF LIES, Lauren Ling Brown’s tribute to the elite underbelly of “bickering”—a word invented to separate “us” from “them.” The novel set against the backdrop of gothic facades and ivy-covered halls, the good news is that Ms. Ling’s debut novel has the perfume of “Read Me” sprinkled all over it. Her excursion into suspense delivers, and any mystery lover will be hooked after one tantalizing whiff of promise that has every intention of being realized.

The plotline solid, the story is told from the perspectives of Maya and Naomi, two sisters who attend Princeton ten years apart. With their parents deceased, Maya feels it’s her duty to take care of her baby sister … and to make sure she has the funds … she joins a secret society that takes care of their own. But no good deed goes unpunished, and when her baby sister winds up dead, she begins to wonder if perhaps the campus’s friendly secret society is to blame. It’s this simple exploration into cause and effect that sets off suspicions that Naomi may not have died as a result of an accident, and ignites a dangerous hunt to find a killer.

The suspense-thriller is cunningly written, the chapters toggling between the two sister’s recollections, all to track their exploits through measured doses of the past. The strategy opens options of who may, or may not, have had anything to do with the artfully executed death. As for suspects, they abound. From teachers who can’t keep their hands off students, to hook-ups with frenzied hormone-crazed participants, to fellow members of banned soul-sucking fraternities, the pace is held to the predatorial meter of ‘stalking’—all so clues can be left to digest in a dizzying acidic brew of sex, avarice, and alcohol.

SOCIETY OF LIES is a chiller that shrieks of authenticity. The dialogue … the characters … all seem more than real, and this realism helps sell the idea that Ms. Ling wrote an “isn’t the author going to get in trouble for this?” kind of tell-all. We readers would have no trouble believing that it could be true. After all, many college students focused on gaining a leg up on the competition might take drastic action, like sign over their independence for a chance to be part of a charmed inner circle. Once that’s done, can a gifted six-figure job be far behind? But while being privy to secrets can land you a high-paying position … it can also make you the perfect victim for blackmail … as might be demonstrated here.

So if you’re in the market for a twisty-turny, intelligently written mystery, SOCIETY OF LIES might be the one. I know it worked for me. And I’d like to thank Bantam books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC copy that did just that.

In this story, Maya is to return to Princeton for her ten year reunion and also the year that her younger sister and only family, will be graduating from this same school. Sadly, her sister, Naomi, ends up dead. It is ruled an accident, but to Maya it was everything but an accident. Maya was involved when a young woman was murdered when she was there and it all revolves around the secret societies. Maya decides to find out the truth.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it took a while to stay focused on the back and forth from past to present from Maya's story to Naomi's story. This was a good debut from this author.

I would like to thank Bantam Books and NetGalley for this early read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Princeton alum Maya is back on campus to celebrate her sister Naomi's graduation when Naomi's body is discovered in the nearby lake. The police are ready to write her death off as an alcohol and drug fueled accident, but Maya refuses to believe it. Told from Maya's POV in the present and 10 years in the past, as well as Naomi's in the months leading up to her death, Society of Lies takes us into the Sterling eating club (similar to a co-ed sorority/fraternity) and the super secret society within called Greystone. Full of bad behavior, greed, corruption and the lengths the wealthy will go to in order to maintain their place on top. The pacing started out a little slow for me, establishing Maya and Naomi's backstories, but once the plot pick up I was drawn in to the mystery surrounding another student's death when Maya was at Princeton and what lead to Naomi ending up in the lake.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story follows two sisters, Maya and Naomi, as the mystery surrounding the death of two young women unfolds. The book flips back and forth between three different time periods as the reader is immersed in the college lives of both Naomi and Maya in addition to the present day life of Maya. I thought this method of storytelling was effective in propelling the story forward and keeping me wanting to learn more. The only thing I would say is there were a lot of different characters involved in each point of view, and I sometimes found myself having to go back and see to whose point of view I was reading to match them up with the right timeline. I really enjoyed the concept of the secret societies and the long-lasting impact of the decision to join one. I didn't expect the twist at the end, and I'm not sure it made sense to me as there didn't seem to be any clues leading up to it. It's quite possible that I missed the clues.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Wonderful debut novel by Lauren Ling Brown. I look forward to reading more of her books.

I had high hopes for this debut novel. The plot was pretty straight forward: a young women, Naomi, is found dead right before her college graduation. Her sister, Maya, doesn't believe this was an accident as she was apart of the same secret society Naomi was, so she tries to uncover the truth of what actually happened to her sister. The story started off strong for me with Naomi getting "tapped" for the secret society within the secret society, and who doesn't love reading about secret societies?! I thought the plot and setting was alluring as I tend to LOVE dark academia. But the further along I read, I felt the pacing slow. It took me much longer to read than I would have expected based on the synopsis, but the dual POV kept the story moving enough for me to finish the book. There are themes of privilege/exclusivity which I enjoy diving into. I definitely would recommend reading this story, but this is a fall/spooky season read! 3.5 Stars rounded up!

Lauren Ling Brown, you did it! I don’t give out many 5 star ratings but this book had me hooked from the very beginning. There were a few different mysteries going from the past to present and they had me on my toes the whole time. And the ending, oh my gosh I was not expecting that.

I got early access to this book through NetGalley.com and through Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I do love this story and would definitely read more by this author. It is very well written and it does make you feel like you are in the scene. I definitely did not guess the ending but I spent a long time trying to play detective myself.

My only negatives would be that it was rather long and likely could have been resolved sooner. It was sometimes hard to keep track of the characters and which part of the timeline you were on! 3.5 rounded to 4.

WOW WOW WOW!! When you sit down to read this book plan on sitting there until you are finished.

This book is told in 2 persons POV - Maya and Naomi who are sisters. Maya went to Princeton and Naomi followed in her steps by going 10 years later. No one, not even Maya, could know how their college years would be intertwined and put Naomi in danger.

Society of Lies is a fast paced story with twists and turns that will have you realizing nothing is safe when people keep secrets and lies.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Lauren Ling Brown, can't wait to see what you write next.

I wish I remembered who committed the crime (I read it 3 months ago🤦🏻‍♀️) but I really enjoyed the dark secret society academia background. I loved the different perspectives as well as the dual timeline. Fast paced. Highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown due to be published August 13, 2024.
Maya has returned to Princeton to her college reunion and to attend her sister, Naomi’s, graduation. It becomes a nightmare when Naomi is found dead. They are calling it an accident, but Maya knows it is not. Naomi was in an exclusive social club – the same one Maya was – and Maya knows about the secret society within the club. Is this what got Naomi killed?
How exciting – a debut author, and what a great first book! The book alternates in time periods and the sisters’ lives – when each of them attended Princeton and were sucked into the secret society within one of the school’s clubs. It was a little confusing at first but became easier as the book continued. Wow – that about sums up the book! There were so many twists, secrets, and lies it was hard to keep up! It was an intriguing and wonderful read with a satisfying ending.
A wonderful debut novel for Lauren Ling Brown – looking forward to more of her books!
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