Society of Lies: Reese's Book Club

Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense

3.3

Lauren Ling Brown

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn’t put this twisty tale down.”—Julia Bartz, author of The Writing Retreat “Readers of dark academia, prepare to meet your new obsession.”—Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice HereHow far would you go to belong?Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion—it’s been a decade since she graduated, and she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her time there. This visit is special because Maya will also be attending the graduation of her little sister, Naomi. But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst 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. As Maya pieces together what happened in the months leading up to her sister’s death, she begins to realize how much Naomi hid from her. 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 that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she’d always made it seem—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past . . . and to the secret she’s kept all these years.

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More Details:

Author

Lauren Ling Brown

Pages

384

Publisher

Random House Publishing Group

Published Date

2024-10-01

ISBN

059372335X 9780593723357

Community ReviewsSee all

"DNF"

Heather Kleczewski

"This book drew me in at the beginning. However, it seemed to drag on without giving any new information. The end was exciting, as we started tying up loose ends. The resolution was flat and predictable. Not a terrible read, just very long."

B F

Brittany F

"Good but not great. Slow moving until the end. Not a huge twist at the end. "

Heidi Oneil

"I may have to put this in my DNF pile"

Lauren Mccord

"3.5- enjoyed the story, the characters and the writing but it drug out too much. Maya’s point of view drug out more than Naomi’s."

A B

Alex B

"This is a multiple timeline academic thriller about a secret society with some pretty big secrets. Maya graduated from Princeton ten years ago and is at the alumni mixer the day before her sister is scheduled to graduate. When Maya can’t get ahold of Naomi she worries and replays the fights she has had with her sister in the days leading up to this event. They had a rough childhood but somehow both ended up attending Princeton and being members of the Sterling House supper club as well as its secret society. They both were on a better path so when Naomi turns up dead hours before her scheduled graduation Maya can’t help but feel like her sister’s death wasn’t accidental and that someone is trying to cover up a crime. Maya searches for answers while also contemplating the accidental death that happened while she attended Princeton. The story of the two deaths is told in three timelines alternating between the sisters’ points of view. You follow both sisters on their quest for the truth and into the danger and darkness that follows. I think the sisters were both well written characters that far outshine the setting. The side characters are a bit obnoxious, but I guess that is to be expected with an elite college and exclusive secret society. The two mysteries unroll slowly and overall, I think a few conversations between characters could have trimmed down the overall book without impacting the story. The tension stays high throughout the second half of the book and the ending delivers in true form to the genre expectations. This is a good fall/ back-to-school read for mystery lovers."

Nicole Falche

"Loved the setting of the book being st Princeton and felt like the book was pretty descriptive which kept me engaged throughout. I liked the character development of both Maya and Naomi. I was questioning Maya’s friends the entire book though - it seemed like she was pushed to drink or drugged too many times for it to be a coincidence and pinning everything solely on DuPont would have been way too obvious. Good twist ending but I definitely wasn’t shocked. Quick, easy read and overall enjoyed it. "

T E

Taryn Eckart

"For the 1st 75% of the book I was giving it 4 stars. The characters and setting were set up well. I enjoyed the time jumps and how everything was woven together. But it dragged on. The pacing was too slow. And then it got messy during the climax and I really didn’t like the resolution. So I bumped it down to 3 stars."