I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Do you love a book that:

🔻Murder Mystery
🔻Multiple POV
🔻Flashbacks
🔻Secret Society
🔻Dark Academia

THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this book. I love switching up my reads and genres and this was such a great change. Our author gives us a fantastic read that has such great tropes : secret societies, dark academia, multiple POV’s flashbacks/different timelines through the book. This murder mystery thriller was hard to put down. I loved all of the characters, the storyline was wonderful and the ending I never expected. I thought overall this was a great read! I would recommend this to my murder mystery loving book besties for sure.

This was a great academic thriller. Filled with feats, secret societies, and murder. I love how it approached multiracial characters and how they dealt with racism. A very diverse group of characters. The only thing that got confusing for me was the constant switch between not only POV but timeline. Other than that, it was fantastic!!!

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown was a suspenseful dark academia.
What immediately pulled me in was Browns writing. It’s so descriptive and full of life.
The characters and the story totally engrossed me and I found that the entire story was intriguing.
An intriguing debut thriller filled with suspense and marvelous characters.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Bantam for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The plot was solid. The writing did not appeal to me. There was less development of atmosphere. The background. More dialogue that felt just a little off. I wanted to like the book and the author has talent but this one did not resonate with me.

In Lauren Ling Brown’s debut novel, “Society of Lies,” readers are thrust into a suspenseful narrative that unfolds with the mysterious death of a young woman on a college campus. Maya, the protagonist, takes center stage as she navigates through the intricacies of her sister Naomi’s demise, unraveling hidden secrets that hit close to home.

The story kicks off during Maya’s anticipated return to Princeton for Reunions, a momentous occasion tainted by the shocking news of Naomi’s death. Brown masterfully weaves a tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the official narrative surrounding the incident.

Maya’s journey to uncover the truth propels the narrative forward, revealing the dark underbelly of college life and the exclusive Sterling Club, where secrets lurk behind seemingly idyllic facades. As Maya delves into Naomi’s choices, the suspense intensifies, and readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride through the clandestine world of secret societies.

Brown’s storytelling prowess shines as Maya confronts the unsettling reality that her sister’s decisions mirrored her own collegiate experiences. The exploration of the past, coupled with the fear that Naomi’s fate might be linked to Maya’s own buried secrets, adds a layer of complexity to the narrative that keeps readers hooked until the very end.

“Society of Lies” is a gripping page-turner that skillfully blends mystery, suspense, and the intricacies of familial relationships. Brown’s vivid prose brings the characters and settings to life, creating a palpable sense of tension and intrigue. As Maya’s quest for answers unfolds, readers are treated to a compelling exploration of the consequences of hidden truths.

In this thrilling debut, Lauren Ling Brown proves herself as an exciting new voice in the literary world, delivering a narrative that captivates from the first page to the last. “Society of Lies” is a must-read for fans of suspenseful mysteries that delve into the complexities of human connections and the secrets we keep.

Rating: 4/5 stars

This book is dripping with the elite social status, murder mystery, and a dark academia vibe from start to end! I’m a big fan of academia reads- boarding schools, colleges, or schools and this delivered on my craving! The premise was super interesting, as well as the well-rounded group of characters. A bit slow at times and can be confusing if you pick up/put down the book due to timelines and the large group of characters. It’ll be a great end of summer read and I expect it to do well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book provides true insight into the world of the elite and how many items that appear perfect on the outside is merely a facade of the darkness that lies beneath. Maya in her quest to belong, eagerly accepts the invitation to the Sterling Club and thereafter Greystone. She is led to believe that once initiated that her personal and professional life is set due to the connections she will have. She believes she found true best friends in Cecily, Daisy and Kaii; however, what occurs on the sky trip and thereafter with Lila changes the course. She comes to realize that her environment is fraught with corruption and bribery especially led by the mastermind, Matthew. It is only her sister Naomi that really digs deeper to uncover what truly goes on that more and more secrets are revealed which ultimately leads to her death. The ending is certainly shocking and the book is captivating. Highly recommend.

I could not put this novel down. The first few chapters took me a little bit to get into. but once I was deep into it all I wanted to know was what happened to Naomi. I don’t even have the words to describe it because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. But such a great novel that will continually keep you on your toes

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballantine, Bantam, and Lauren Ling Brown for sending the ARC of Society of Lies for review. All opinions are my own.

This was a fabulous book, and I was hooked from the start.
This is the story of two sisters, Maya and Naomi, who both attended Princeton and joined Sterling, an eating club, as well as Greystone, the secret society within Sterling. The book begins with the unthinkable - Naomi is found dead in a lake on campus just before graduation.
We see both Maya and Naomi’s points of view; Maya’s both past and present and Naomi’s in the past leading up to her death.
Maya has first hand experience with Sterling and Greystone and knows she, more than anyone, can piece together the puzzle behind Naomi’s tragic death.
If you love dark academia, thrillers, multiple POVs, and a sprinkle of secret societies, this book is 100% for you.

publication date: August 13, 2024

This book focuses on sisters Maya and Naomi and is told via both POV's. Maya is at her sister's graduation from Princeton when she gets a call that Naomi is dead.
I was interested in this plot from the get go, but while I liked the concept of this book, I did have a couple of issues with it. My main issue with this book is that the POV's/timelines switch far too often for my liking and I kept finding myself going back to the chapter to remind myself who's POV I was on and what year it was. I think the book would have flowed a bit better if the transition between timelines and POV's was a bit longer and not so frequent.

I love books with secret societies, elite social status privilege, murder mystery, dark campus vibes and this one did deliver on some of those aspects but it left me a bit wanting in the end.

The book will keep you guessing right until the end and it was entertaining but for me this one lands at a solid 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and Lauren Ling Brown for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As far as college campus thrillers go, I liked the premise a lot. Exclusive, secret societies at Princeton- a sort of inception (society within a society) that are full of secrets and covers for both banal and heinous crimes. The book includes many minority characters and briefly addresses discrimination they face because of their perceived races and classes. There were a few red herrings in this story that were not explained away at the end, which bothered me. But overall I thought the ending was plausible, yet not totally predictable either. If you liked The Maidens, this one has similar vibes and tropes, with its own flair.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader's copy. Was drawn to the cover initially; it's so beautiful. Love a suspenseful and dark story about sisters.

I LOVED this book!!! It made me fall in love with dark academia! The twists were unpredictable and I was guessing the entire time!

I was really intrigued by the premise and it started out strong but then the pace felt really slow and I struggled to keep reading. Also for some reason I kept getting confused on the timelines and if it was Naomi or Maya's POV (maybe because of the repeating characters).

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I thought I was going to like Society of Lies but I had a very difficult time getting through it,.

Its a book about sisters Maya and Naomi and there is a 10-year age difference. between them.

There were murders, affairs and some twists and turns but I found it hard to follow.

I had to put it down because it was confusing.

This book was very ambitious and the premise promising. However it tried to tackle a lot of different themes including race, identity privilege, power, but it might have bitten off more than it could chew. There were too many POVs (maybe because the setting was mostly the same they all blurred together?) and too many characters that didn't get developed very well. I didn't really care about Maya, and it seemed like her story was mostly in the past because she really didn't do much in the present POV. And I guess in general that was my grievance with her, she didn't do anything. Things just kind of happened to her. We were told a lot more than shown. Like there really wasn't much reason for her to be suspicious of Naomi's death but there we go. And Naomi's story wasn't super interesting either. You don't get attached to any of the characters and so you don't feel the impact of what happens.

The ending because of the lack of character development didn't really make sense. It was the twist for the sake of the twist but required a lot of suspended disbelief. 2.5 rounded up.

A dark academia full of secrets and betrayal. I was sucked right into this one, a tale of two sisters making their way through the prestigious Princeton and joining the elite eating clubs, hoping to pave their way to the future. Although I found myself losing interest about halfway through, this was still a brilliantly written novel. It brings to light many real-world issues, including racial injustices, prejudice, and organizations that, while they may be doing good for some, slowly become corrupted and let greed and power get in the way. Overall, this was a slow burn that I enjoyed, but it won't exactly stick out to me in the long run. Three and a half stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

Ms. Laura Ling Brown…I was thoroughly entertained! I couldn’t put this story down. The plot structure managed to read like a movie and I really appreciated the pace of when new pieces of the puzzle were revealed.

Some people are not going to like the writing style because the story goes back and forth between 2 POVs and 3 timelines. We get chapters from Naomi’s POV counting down from 7 months before her death to the day she dies and the past and present POV of her older sister Maya. I definitely had to make a conscious effort to remember whose POV I was reading and what timeline each chapter was in, but I was so intrigued by the plot that I didn’t mind.

The best murder mysteries are always the ones where you’re led to look at multiple characters as potential suspects. The revelation of who did it and why all made sense. While it wasn’t a shock, the journey getting there was exciting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I also loved the exploration of identity, belonging, and race. Especially while being a student at what’s considered a prestigious institution.

Please keep writing! I can’t wait to read more from you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced eARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This book failed to truly capture my attention. With a slog kind of journey to the end, the narrative felt jumbled, not quite fitting into the suspense genre. The 10-year age gap between the sisters added complexity, yet the overall experience lacked the complexity and thrill I was looking for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. When requesting a book to review, I am usually pretty spot-on with my preferences. Society of Lies seemed like a book that would interest me but I had a very difficult time getting through it, even at the very end. Maya and Naomi are sisters with a 10-year age difference. There are a few murders, affairs and twists in the story but mostly it seemed jumbled to me. I would describe it as the suspense genre. Society of Lies didn't seem compelling enough for me to keep from wanting to put it down.