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.

Society of Lies is a 'dark academia' novel that I mostly really enjoyed. A great setting: Princeton's 'eating clubs' and a secret society called Greystone. The two main characters are Maya and Naomi, sisters who attended Princeton about a decade apart. The book begins with Maya learning about Naomi's suspicious death. The rest of the book is told in alternative timelines: the several months before Naomi's death, Maya's experiences at Princeton, and Maya in the present day. This technique really worked well for me, as it kept me turning pages to see what was happening next.

There are a few weaknesses: the author doesn't do a great job of describing the eating club that Maya and Naomi joined, only indicating that there seemed to be something sinister but not really going into any depth about that. And the ending was very very fast and less 'dark academia' and more 'die hard' than I was expecting. But all in all a solid read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

When Maya's sister mysteriously winds up dead just days from graduation, she can't help but dwell on another mysterious death from her past under chillingly similar circumstances. Told in alternating timelines and POV, a heart wrenching mystery about family, race, and elite college privilege.

***

Let's start with what I liked. Maya and Naomi are two very sympathetic characters. Frustratingly, we rarely see them interact at all in this book.

I also think the author is drawing on some personal experiences that she may have had growing up, and you can tell that the story is authentic. You feel the pain and anger of these elite college privileges. On the inside, but never quite in. It is a strong story, even though it is incredibly sad to think about the fates of too many women at the hands of these awful people.

Ultimately, it does get a little slow. The book drags on longer than necessary. Maya's relationship with Nate is almost completely overlooked. We know nothing about them as adults because we're too busy going back and forth with that human filth Liam and poor Naomi?
Everything about Margaret was baffling. I know the author needed to wrap it up, since the book was already dragging, but WHAT?!

I would definitely recommend this book, and will looking for more from this author in the future. Especially if she can keep the pace up throughout and tie important relationships together better.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for these honest opinions.

Maya has worked hard to raise and take care of her younger sister Namoi. She is so proud of Namoi and is looking forward to going to her sister's graduation. It will be a special reunion with old friends from her alma mater and a chance to watch Namoi graduate. But her excitement turns to sadness when she gets a phone call that Namoi has died. Maya cannot believe that her sister's drowning was an accident. There are just too many things that do not add up. Since no one wants to accept that it was murder and investigate it is up to her. She decides to find out who killed her sister and why.
As Maya begins to delve into the college life of Namoi she finds that there are many things that her sister had not told her about. One big fact is that Naomi had joined the exclusive fraternity that Maya had warned her to stay away from. Maya knew the dangers of being a member of that fraternity as she had experienced them herself. She knew the personal risks and the cost of that membership.
Maya would rather forget all about those days, and never to mention them again. But she realizes that if she really wants to find out about what happened to her sister, she will have to come face to face with her past.

This story is told from the viewpoint of Naomi and Maya giving the reader and insight into both of their college day worlds.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity!

This was a whole roller coaster ride with insane twists and turns that I did not see coming.
If you loved ‘Sadie’ , i think you would also love this book even though they are not that similar they still have a beautiful vibe to them that just pulls you in.

When a Princeton student’s body is found on the day of her graduation, her sister knows it was no accident. She was part of the same secret society as a student ten years ago. The more she discovers about her sister’s secrets, the more she must come to terms with her own dark past.

This dark academia murder mystery was so intricate and layered. I was captivated from the start! The alternating points of view and timelines worked really well and kept me glued to the story. The main characters were each unique and multi-dimensional. It was so interesting to see how their stories involving this elite and dangerous society connected and how the desire to belong and succeed in this exclusive Ivy League setting drove their decisions. I highly recommend this book!
Rating 5 stars

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Bantam for an Arc in exchange for an honest review!


It was a DNF for me about 20% in. I couldn’t hand the dual POV it was confusing and hard to follow along.