"A Society of Lies" is a twisty, dark academia thriller that unravels the sinister secrets of an elite college secret society through dual POVs. Maya’s return to Princeton for her sister Naomi’s graduation—and reunion with her own complicated past—takes a chilling turn when Naomi is found dead under suspicious circumstances. As Maya digs into Naomi’s life and the exclusive clubs she joined, the story flashes back to Maya’s own time on campus, exposing buried traumas and a haunting connection between past and present. The dual timelines work beautifully to heighten the suspense, and the slow convergence of the two sisters’ stories keeps the tension simmering.

I loved the elite, secret society setting and the exploration of the complicated relationship between the sisters. Maya’s flashbacks, set against the backdrop of privilege and tragedy, were especially compelling, with each reveal adding more layers to the mystery. While the book did feel a bit drawn out at times, the pacing picked up as the two timelines collided, making for an intense and satisfying conclusion. The college campus vibe made me nostalgic, and while I struggled to guess the culprit, the eventual reveal was worth the wait. Overall, this is a gripping and atmospheric read perfect for fans of dark academia and thrillers with a touch of sisterly drama.

Mya's younger sister Naomi is graduating from Princeton, but before that can happen, Naomi is found dead. It looks like an overdose. Chapters went back in time with alternate perspectives. This was a decent book that kept my interest. Would recommend.

Maya is back at Princeton for her ten-year reunion. She and her husband Nate, who also graduated from Princeton, have their five-year-old daughter Dani with them. Making the reunion even more special is that Maya’s younger sister Naomi is graduating from Princeton, ten years after her big sister. Reunions can be tricky when you scratch below the surface of reminiscing and reconnecting since everyone changes in the years after graduation. Maya doesn’t even look the same.

I wonder if my old classmates recognize me now with my proud mane of curls, so different than the flat-ironed hair I’d hidden beneath in college.

Maya and her sister Naomi grew up multiracial, like Lauren Ling Brown, also a Princeton grad. Brown shared she was, “part Black and part Asian—never feeling like I fit in anywhere, not in my mostly white high school in Atherton, California, and though it was more diverse in many ways, not in many spaces at Princeton.” Maya and Naomi had a similar experience at Princeton, of not fitting in.

Pretty much as soon as she returns to Princeton for the reunion, Maya has a fight on the phone with her sister. It’s bad: she hangs up on Naomi. Maya is still thinking about it the next night when she parties with her classmates.

I have to admit, I’m not at my best tonight. It never feels good when my sister and I argue. Naomi is the only family I have left aside from my husband and daughter, and it’s usually my fault when there’s an issue between us.



But coming back here always sets me on edge. This place brings with it so many memories, and not all of them are good.

Maya checks her phone—maybe Naomi has called—but instead she sees a campus safety alert: Washington Road Bridge and the Lake Carnegie towpath are closed due to police activity. Please use alternative routes. It feels like foreshadowing when Maya’s phone dies. Maya confides in her best friend Daisy that she’s concerned about Naomi but then she attempts to pull herself together and enjoy the evening. It’s not like she and Naomi haven’t weathered rough patches before. But to no avail. Daisy, “with fear in her eyes,” tells Maya that Naomi’s guardian Margaret has called with bad news. Daisy can barely speak but finally says, “I’m so sorry, Maya, Naomi’s dead. She’s gone, I’m so sorry.”

Back we go in time. It’s not a spoiler to say that Society of Lies opens in sorrow and anguish. Although Maya warned her sister when she entered Princeton not to join the Sterling Club, “the most exclusive social club on campus,” she wonders now if, like her, Naomi decided to join. “And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it.” Again, just like Maya. Maya may have advised her sister to steer clear of the Sterling Club, but she never told Naomi why. Maya recalls her invitation to the organization within the Sterling Club, the Greystone Society. A “tall and confident” guy, someone Maya had noticed watching her earlier, approaches her at a select gathering. His physical presence has an exhilarating effect on Maya.

He leans down to whisper in my ear, and what he says makes me freeze: “You’ve been tapped for Greystone Society.”



I look at him, goosebumps rising over my skin.



Greystone Society is so covert that most people at Princeton don’t know they exist. But I’ve been fascinated by them for years.



He looks at his watch. “You have thirty seconds to decide if you want to accept. The moment I leave, the offer’s done. So what do you think, are you in?”



As the reality of his offer sinks in, I grow aware of the shakiness of my breath, the rush of blood in my ears, all the exhilaration and fear. In front of me is a door to another universe. Another life.

The other life is everything her mother had always wanted for her. She told Maya “to take every strange adventure life presents.” There’s really no question, despite an instinct to say no, Maya is in. Society of Lies posits the question, How far would you go to belong? That question is at the crux of a compelling whodunnit. Maya doesn’t believe Naomi died accidentally. Her sister was never one to be addicted to life-altering drugs—that was not her lifestyle. What haunts Maya in the wake of her sister’s murder is another young woman’s death, years earlier, a mysterious death that Maya has assiduously kept buried deep in her memory. It all comes back to her now, especially when her little family is targeted after they leave Princeton. Her daughter Dani is threatened and that turns Maya into a tiger, determined to unveil the murderer, no matter the consequences.

Words like Sterling and Greystone evoke a feeling of privilege, of weight and stability—a young person, especially someone who felt “othered” might cling to an unspoken guarantee that membership in such exclusive organizations would set you up for life, far beyond the college years. It’s the tension between being true to oneself and wanting to fit in, to be accepted, that permeates Society of Lies and makes it a mystery that’s topical, compelling, and thoughtful.

I’m not the only one who thinks so—Society of Lies is the Reese’s Book Club pick for October! Reese Witherspoon describes it as “gripping…If you’re looking for a page-turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat this spooky season, this one is a must-read!”

Society of Lies is a gripping, twisty thriller that explores the dark secrets lurking behind the ivy-covered walls of Princeton University. Maya returns for her 10-year reunion, hoping for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, but her world is turned upside down when she learns her sister Naomi has died under mysterious circumstances. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya isn’t buying it.

As she digs deeper, Maya uncovers shocking truths about her sister’s life—secrets Naomi kept hidden, including her involvement in the exclusive and dangerous Sterling Club. The same club that Maya was once part of. The more Maya unravels about her sister’s tragic end, the more she’s forced to confront the dark legacy of her own time at Princeton.

This book is incredibly tense and propulsive. Maya annoyed me at times, but it didn't detract from my overall experience with this intriguing mystery. And that ending! Whew! I truly did not see that coming. A perfect ending to this dark and shocking story.

The Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown is split between two narrators and a past and present telling between sisters Maya and Naomi. Maya the older sister attends Princeton and ends up being drawn into the highly exclusive "eating clubs". These eating clubs are truly secret societies that help the members advance and exceed in the future. However, the means of how these opportunities are obtained sometimes are not of the purest intent or by the rules.

Such experiences lead Maya to deal with the secrets and lies of her past. These secrets and lies trickle down and eventually influence the experiences of her sister Naomi in school as Naomi soon is drawn into the highly secretive eating clubs. As expected not everything is as it seems and as the tarnish begins to become exposed and lies more evident no one becomes safe.

The safety of Maya's own family is put on the line and when Naomi herself winds up dead due to the secrets Maya has kept, Maya has no other choice but to expose the truth and the lies. No longer can secrets be kept... but you know what they say about secrets. Once they are revealed more then you wish to know comes to be revealed.

Maya and Naomi are on the outside looking in, doing what they can to fit in and find acceptance. Those considered friends end up being of questionable behavior and leaves both sisters questioning how well they know those they are close to.

As the deaths in the past and the current death of Naomi snowball together into a fast paced suspense, the reader cannot help but be drawn in to the lives of these two sisters.

While an enjoyable read the story did have some plot holes that could use some filling. Still it did not draw from the book and I found the story enjoyable. Until next time, happy reading!

I enjoyed Society of Lies. It tackled many difficult subjects with grace. I think that with it being a Reese's Book Club pick, I had higher expectations.

A secret society at an Ivy League school with a lot of skeletons in its closet. Sign me up! I am after all the generation that grew up watching The Skulls.

Although the premise of Society of Lies sounded really interesting, it did not meet my expectations. With dual POV between the two sisters, some in present day and some years before, Society of Lies tells the story of a secret society on Princeton's campus that holds its own secrets. When one of the sisters dies before her graduation, it brings up a lot of memories for the other she'd been suppressing for years. I was hoping for a more high intensity narrative, but this book is not that. I wanted to know the ending and that's honestly what kept me from DNFing it. I thought the story could have easily been shorter. Because the pacing was off, it made the book drag for my reading experience. I didn't feel like the outcome was worth the ride to get there. It was really disappointing.

Thank you to Bantam and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Thank you so much to netgalley and publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me and I didn't finish it. I was very bored throughout and I just didn't like the characters. The story felt very repetitive and just needed to be shorter. I also feel like the characters were very similar so it was hard to tell who was who.

Overall, I was just bored and didn't care to finish this one. I hope others love it.

**ARC REVIEW**
3 stars

This mystery whodunnit takes on the perspective of two sisters Maya and Naomi. Ten years apart - Naomi follows Maya and enrolls in Princetown, as well as getting 'bicked(?)' for an eating club Sterling and even more exclusively a secret society within it. Maya is out with college friends and finds out that her sister was announced dead, and she goes on a mission to find out who killed her.

I loved the elite clubs and development of finding out why the sisters weren't super close. I live for a flashback and most of Maya's perspectives were when she was attending school surrounding a tragic event. As the two story lines get closer together the story gets more exciting and tense.

Overall, I liked this mystery thriller. I loved the college based setting, brought me back to good times, and I liked the two perspectives. I do think that it went on a bit, at around 70% I was like what other 30% can happen!? That being said - it did take me a while to guess who did it so... I don't know. Overall, fun, and quick paced read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin random house for the ARC in return for an honest review <3

The Secret Society Sisters offers an intriguing premise with its focus on prestigious secret societies, but the execution leaves much to be desired. The story centers on two sisters, Maya and Naomi, twelve years apart, both members of exclusive societies at Princeton, and both embroiled in a mystery. While the plot contains some twists, including a killer I didn’t expect, the story’s pace is slow and doesn’t quite deliver the thrill promised by its premise.

The mystery unfolds as a slow burn, and while it starts strong, it eventually drags on. I found myself struggling to finish, especially as the book became more tedious around the one-third mark. The idea of secret societies is fascinating, but the plot feels bogged down by unnecessary subplots and events that could have been avoided with one simple action. The criminal activity surrounding the societies also feels overly unrealistic and detracts from the story's credibility.

Another issue is the sisters’ perspectives. Their voices are too similar, which made it difficult to distinguish between them, leading to frequent confusion about whose chapter I was reading. This lack of distinct characterization made it harder to connect with them. Additionally, the sisters’ strained relationship—marked by poor communication and unresolved tension—felt forced and unconvincing.

While the ending was unexpected, it left me feeling underwhelmed, with several plot points left unresolved. Overall, The Secret Society Sisters had potential but ultimately failed to live up to it. It’s a decent read but not one I’d enthusiastically recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

I'm probably in the minority here, so let's say this is a "me" problem.

The good: This would be a fun beach read or a light diversionary read. And I want to also say that I think the inclusion of non-white, non-privileged voices at elite institutions is really important. The best part about this novel for me was to read the experiences of characters who are not given stable spaces in their lives. These are important POVs that we don't see enough--and that we need to make mainstream to promote change.

The bad: the plot is fast moving, but the constant switching between two narrators--Maya and her sister Naomi--is dizzying at times, especially since I could discern almost not difference in narrative voice between the two and also because there are three time lines. Both narrations are told in 1st person, and they had virtually interchangeable voices. This was complicated by the same cast of characters--in all three times lines. The characterization, which should have been complex due to the issues I remark upon above, instead is rather flat and the plot becomes a little outrageous.

So this was a miss for me. I was glad to get to read this, however, and would be glad to give this author another try.

I found myself flying through this during the last half. I was so eager and on the edge of my seat to find out what was going to happen! I am especially impressed that this is a debut. The mystery felt well thought out and plotted.
My only complaint is the 3 different timeline/perspectives were a bit confusing as they were so so similar.

While I enjoyed parts of this book a lot of it felt unnecessary so the story didn’t flow as well as I thought it could have. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives and timeline, and the concept of the book was great! However, the way some of the back and forth was structured began to detract from the story, especially when more of the story started unfolding in the latter half of the book. It made it harder to connect and really get sucked into like you want with a mystery/thriller.

The description of this book immediately grabbed my attention, especially with its suspenseful elements of a secret society and the eerie feeling of being chased through the woods. The first half started off strong, pulling me in right away. However, the momentum slowed in the second half, and I struggled to fully re-engage with the story until closer to the ending, where the suspense finally returned. The two sisters’ perspectives felt quite similar, and I often had to remind myself who was narrating. Despite this, once I reached page 150, the story picked up, and I raced through the rest in just two days.

The premise of this book is certainly intriguing, but the pace was a bit slow and I found myself easily distracted. I’d still recommend it to someone who loves dark academia.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Society of Lies by Laura Ling Brown. This Reese’s Book Club pick pulled me into a world of intricate social dynamics and simmering secrets lurking beneath a well-groomed exterior. Brown’s writing is crisp and engaging, slowly peeling back layers of deception and power struggles as the characters navigate their carefully constructed reputations. Although a few plot points felt a bit predictable, the story’s compelling tension and nuanced commentary on truth and image kept me turning pages. In the end, Society of Lies offers a thoughtful exploration of what we hide from ourselves and others, making it a satisfying, if not groundbreaking, read.

I wanted to like this book because it had been on my shelf for a while. It might be my fault for not getting into it because I didn’t read it quickly but I just never felt connected to any of the story or characters.

Maya, Naomi's older sister, became the mother figure after their mother passed away. All she wanted to do was care for her sister and give them the best chance life had to offer. After getting into the most elite secret society at Princeton, the world became her oyster in terms of opportunities, but it came at a cost. Days before Naomi's Princeton graduation, she is found dead in the lake. What do the death of Naomi and the death of Lila have in common years later? Lies, and cover ups.

This is a great whodunit thriller written in two different timelines from the sisters POV. Kept me guessing until the near end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Hidden sects and secrets come to a crescendo in Lauren Ling Brown's Society of Lies, a gripping thriller that delves into the dark side of academia and the cost of climbing the social ladder. Maya reflects on her past days as a member of Princeton's elite eating club and its even more elite inner society after her sister dies shortly before graduation. Was Naomi's death a tragic accident or was she another pawn in a bigger game at play?

The narrative is split between three perspectives. Maya's past and present take up two of them and the months leading up to Naomi's death tell another. While I did find the narrative voices a bit too similar, I was still captivated by each plotline and each delivered their own mysteries and conflicts that were ultimately satisfying. The differing collegiate societies as told by two biracial MCs is really interesting, although sobering in its honesty about the spaces we allow minorities to occupy within ivory towers. Having the sketchy professor be a continual antagonist throughout worked to keep things grounded even as readers' expectations and guesses remain fluid as to why Naomi was killed and by whom. Princeton comes alive as a setting in all its sunlit library academia and shadowy, debauched parties. The relationship between Maya and Naomi is the kind that will leave readers feeling all their regrets - how much do we withhold while trying to protect someone we love? And is that for the better?

Overall, I had a good time reading Society of Lies. Readers who prefer their dark academia a little more realistic and less magical should rush to the shelves. Anyone who has ever joined a clique and later regretted it will cringe through these pages. Sisters with age gaps who could probably talk more will be guilted by this narrative into making a phone call. If you want to escape into the ivy league and claw your way into a better life, then this book is for you. Pick up a copy and join the Society of Lies.

DNF at 43%

I thought I was reading a thriller?! I struggled with this books for several different reasons. The pace is very slow, not much has really happened at this point, the book cares more about race/racism than developing any characters and adding any suspense to the book.

I love the dual POVs, but they are so similar, I can’t remember which POV I am reading.

This book had so much potential and the summary sounded right up my alley, but it was misleading. Such a bummer.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!