Society of Lies

By Lauren Ling Brown
** Publication Date 1 October 2024 **
4.5 stars

It’s hard to believe this is a first novel for Lauren Ling Brown. The incredible way this was written, I can only imagine a wall of notes with strings connecting different people and themes together. It is a sincerely wild ride through a secret society and the lengths some people are willing to go to protect their lives and livelihood.


Maya is Black-Asian. She’s never quite fit in. Ten years older than her younger sister Naomi, she attends Princeton, while her sister lives with a relative’s family in California. It was the only way after their mother suddenly died.


At Princeton, Maya works so hard to achieve, to study and try to make it so that Naomi can have a better life someday. Just as before, Maya doesn’t really fit in until she meets Daisy. Daisy is a member of Sterling, an eating club. Princeton had outlawed secret societies many years before, but eating clubs grew out of that ban. Daisy convinces Maya to try to become a member, and wanting a place of connection, Maya agrees.


Not all is right in Sterling, but Maya has her group - Cecily, Kai, and Daisy - and they stick together through everything. Though when a classmate suddenly dies, the four know their are secrets they will be forced to keep for a lifetime. So when Naomi wants to attend Princeton, Maya cringes. It only gets worse when Naomi also joins Sterling. Maya kept secrets for years trying to protect those she loves, and now Naomi is right in the middle of it all.


Truly exceptional thriller. Never saw the ending coming, which is an amazing mark of a thriller. I would gladly line up to read every novel that Lauren Ling Brown writes. If they’re even half as good as this one, they’ll be excellent.