3.5 stars rounded up. This debut novel draws on the real world of eating clubs and historic secret societies at Princeton University to craft a compelling thriller. When Naomi is found dead right before her graduation, it's her sister Maya who suspects foul play and fears a connection to her hidden past as a member of the mysterious Greystone society.

The chapters alternate between each sister's POVs during different timelines, so you learn about Naomi's last semester, Maya's own time at Princeton and her investigation into her sister's suspected murder. Some of the strongest parts of the book involve Maya and Naomi's experiences during undergrad as their Black and Asian identity and humble background make them feel like outsiders amongst their more affluent and privileged peers. I also enjoyed their complicated relationship as sisters with a ten-year age difference, which influenced many of the ultimately poor decisions that they made. Overall, this was a strong debut and I think only suffered when it made some obvious choices related to the central mystery and threw in some unnecessarily confusing red herrings.

Thanks to Random House Ballentine and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Told from the POVs of 2 sisters, both of whom attended Princeton and were involved in a secret society, this novel is a fast-paced page turner. Two murders separated by 15 years might be connected to a long-established secret organization on campus whose members seemingly are untouchable. Just when you think you have the answer, the author gives you a new clue to a potential new suspect. It was a great tale to unravel!

Fans of The Secret History will enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

5 star thriller! I loved the dual POV and I thought the author worked the different timelines seamlessly. The relationship between the sisters was so genuine and I was invested in their story. I will wholeheartedly recommend this book closer to publication date. I’m also going to add this as an upcoming read for our book club because I think the discussion would be amazing. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

A highly elite group in a secret society at one of the nation's most prestigious Ivy League Universities? Once you're in, you are set for life. But at what cost? Sisters Maya and Naomi learn just what is on the line through their loves and losses. Ling Brown's mystery is well-written and well-done! Flashbacks between Maya's undergraduate years, the months leading up to Naomi's untimely death, and the present day come together in the final few chapters that keep you guessing who you can trust and who ultimately is to blame. In addition to a rollercoaster of a story, Ling Brown highlights the difficulties of fitting in and finding your place, especially growing up with a multiracial identity. This advanced reader copy gave me a lot to think about, and I am glad that I had the opportunity thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books.

summary: this is a thriller. maya gets a call telling her her little sister naomi is dead. the book explores who did it, when, and why. this book is a dual pov, with maya and naomi in the past, present- day maya, and naomi an alternating amount of months before her death,


footnotes: there is a mention of rape-like scenes in this book, along with use of substance and excessive drinking. there is also a mention of grooming and sexual relationships with minors.

thoughts: i thought this was the perfect thriller book for me! the characters are all so real and complex, you never have a solid answer for who killed naomi until the very end. the setting is Princeton, and eating clubs. the setting was so different from anything i had read before, I was hooked in from the very first page. The plot is also fast and unpredictable. You never know exactly what is going to happen, and the final plot twist is completely unexpected but is also hinted at throughout the entire book. the subplots of romance and friendship also add to this book as a whole.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest opinion-
Maya gets a call her sister is dead— how can this be - it was almost her graduation from college. They say it was an accident but she doesn’t believe this, She discovered Naomi had joined the Sterling club a secret society.
Maya remembers her years in college when another girl died mysteriously.. she remembers the college professor and his relationship with students, she remembers kids getting into college with money donations etc.
Who killed Naomi? Someone doesn’t want the answers know!

This book had all of the things I look for in a book that boasts the dark elitiest community! Murder, lies, love, and lust were all perfectly plotted in this dual timeline between sisters. This was such a great read and I will be recommending it to my book club!

This book explores in detail the dark side of privileged, elitist groups who do as they please, even at the expense of others. I admired Maya for never giving up and leaping into the fray that is the Sterling Club. Well-written and immensely engaging.

Excellent! A plot that grips you and pulls you in. You won't want to put it down! Academia, secret societies, love, murder; all the good stuff!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Slow burn thriller. I almost stopped reading and then it got interesting! The POV of both main characters made it fun. It changed from different times which the author wrote beautifully. Sometimes it can get confusing.

I loved entering the world of this propulsive, character-driven thriller, and appreciated that Brown kept the twists coming until the very end. Quick and enjoyable read about a secret society at Princeton and the enormous web of secrets and treacheries concealed within.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The different perspectives of sisters so far apart in age sharing similar but yet such different experiences at Princeton! The writing gave me hope for a character that I already knew the end for and even knowing the end, There were SO MANY twists and turns! I will say I did not see the twist coming, which is hard to do! I loved the representation, and how the topics that can sometimes be difficult to talk about were depicted! Overall I loved the story!

What a fab book!
I don’t typically like books that go back and forth between different points of view and different timelines. However, I got over it and still enjoyed the book.
It was a good mystery. Would recommend.
Thank you

WOW!

I will start by saying that the ONLY reason this wasn’t a 5-star read for me was because of how slow paced it was. I didn’t love how long it took to get to all the good, juicy twists and turns and the suspense. With that being said, I absolutely love books with multiple POV’s and every twist once things started to speed up had my jaw to the floor. I never once expected the ending… I also loved how the book touched on so many REAL world issues such as racism, women being silenced, and people with money having so much power. This book was absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed every bit. I want to say a huge thank you to Lauren Ling Brown and Penguin Random House for giving us readers the opportunity to read this early. This was my first ARC/eARC and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this new to me author. I really loved the story, the mystery and seeing how it unfolded throughout. I enjoyed how they switched between different characters and time lines to tell the story. Sometimes I have trouble with stories that do so, but this one helped to heighten the story. I feel like there were still a few minor loose ends I would have like tied up but overall it was a great read. I will look to read more from this author in the future.

The Secret History vibes with Get Out social commentary! A character-driven suspense about two sisters who get involved in a secret society, ten years apart. Recommended for readers who like moderately-paced thrillers with depth in character and ideas, like In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, White Ivy, The Maidens. Love it!

Interesting story and I liked inside look at the “eating clubs”. Jumping timelines with overlapping characters was a little confusing at times. I found it a little slow to get into, but overall I enjoyed the story.

*A sincere thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing the advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!”

It feels like your standard three-star appeal-to-the-masses thriller, and I’m guessing that’s where it will land. I did stop after chapter 1 (4%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

*** I received an e-ARC of this book from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: Maya returns to Princeton after 10 years to celebrate her sister Naomi’s graduation. When Naomi doesn’t show up and the expected time, Maya is irritated. Checking her phone, Maya notices an update about nearby police activity. Shortly thereafter she discovers Naomi is dead. The police say it’s an accident but Naomi doesn’t think so. Past and present blur together as Maya tries to separate her history from her sister death.

Thoughts: This story is told from the alternating POVs of Maya and Naomi. Naomi’s POV is the months leading up to her death, and Maya’s is her past at Princeton and the present. The story was good, but you have to pay close attention to both the narrator and the timeline or you may get confused. The same characters appear in all POVs, and there is a noticeable disconnect between the two sisters. I struggled getting into the story but 1/3 of the way through I was intrigued. I kept thinking I knew who was responsible but I was wrong.

🗣️This was my first book from this author and I would read more of her stories in the future.

✨ Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

We love a debut author! 👏🏼👏🏼 Lauren Ling Brown crushed it. I give this a 3.5, rounded up!

As an older sister who loves their baby sister more than life and would protect her at all costs, this book hit all the way home. I lovveeee a changing POV and timeline. It kept the story moving forward at a great pace that kept me engaged and wanting more.

This is a classic whodunnit and let me tell you…when the twist comes I wanted to start the whole book over again to see how I missed it! You can’t go wrong with Society of Lies