Society of Lies: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

by 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 Here

How 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.

• ISBN10: 059372335X
• ISBN13: 9780593723357
• Publish Date: 1 October 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Div of Random House, Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593723357

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Promising Debut. This is one of those debut books where it absolutely shows flashes of brilliance... yet also doesn't fully come together. But not in any objective-ish sense, just more of a more nebulous "there should probably be more *there* there". And because it isn't objective-ish and because I can't really put a finger on exactly what my ultimate issue is here, the book by default retains its full 5* in my own rating system.

 

Ultimately this *is* a reasonably solid mystery-thriller (part of the issue is the tension between the two and the book constantly switching gears and never really settling on one or the other, even just in a "this genre is dominant and that one is a touch secondary" manner) that keeps fans of both genres reasonably satisfied throughout. Set at Princeton among its real life eating clubs, and featuring such real world issues (even well outside Princeton at State colleges) as tutoring a kid getting particularly preferential treatment due to being a Legacy, this is one of those tales that will excite some and turn off others, but I thought it worked well enough for what it was. Far from a Dead Poets Society, this is really more of a The Skulls level tale, but primarily featuring 2 sisters each in two different timelines each.  

 

And I think, ultimately, that is the key to enjoying this tale - if you approach it ala The Skulls (and if you haven't seen that movie from current Dr. Odyssey Joshua Jackson's Dawson's Creek years, you should) - you'll likely have a great time with this tale. If "Dark Academia" is 100% not your thing... you likely won't have such a great time here.

 

Very much recommended.