Society of Lies: Reese's Book Club
A Novel
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4.0 • 1.2K Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We loved the dark academia vibes of this chilling mystery set amid the hushed secrets of the Ivy League elite. Maya is returning to the hallowed halls of Princeton both for her 10-year anniversary and for her little sister Naomi’s graduation. But when Naomi drowns on campus under shady circumstances, Maya has a terrible feeling that her sibling’s tragic death wasn’t an accident. We were riveted by the two timelines in this slow-burn thriller. One goes 13 years into the past to show us Maya, then a recently orphaned college student, getting wrapped up in a heinous pyramid scheme in order to help care for her young sister. The other slowly reveals how Naomi got involved with the same sketchy crowd—with a volatile love triangle to boot. A trio of POVs colors Society of Lies with a sense of foreboding—one that grows deeper and darker by the minute.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Film editor Brown sets her sights on the lily-white world of Ivy League secret societies in her underheated debut. Naomi, the younger sister of New York City art dealer Maya, who is half-Asian, half-Black, is preparing to follow in Maya's footsteps and graduate from Princeton University. Naomi's commencement ceremony lines up with Maya's 10-year reunion, so Maya prepares to reconnect with old classmates as she heads to New Jersey for the weekend. Not long after she arrives, authorities pull Naomi's body from a river near campus. Though her death is ruled an accident, Maya fears her sister was murdered. From there, the perspectives and timelines split: Naomi recounts the months leading up to her death, while Maya conducts an investigation and reflects on her own time at Princeton. When Maya learns that Naomi ignored her advice and joined the same secret society Maya belonged to—one mostly populated by the white children of well-connected families—she revisits a decade-old campus death and worries she neglected to sufficiently warn her sister about the nasty games played by Princeton's elite. Brown has a knack for atmosphere, but her pacing drags, and it's difficult to differentiate between the voices of her protagonists. This struggles to stand out from the pack of campus thrillers.
Customer Reviews
Hard to remember who was who…
This book was entertaining, but I did keep loosing track of who was who. I thought the end was a bit hokey.
Nice and twisty thriller!
Recommend for fans of dark academia! The timeline jumps often felt choppy which is why I only gave 4 stars.
Good but drug out
I liked this book and I found the secrets of Ivy League society secrets compelling. It was good but felt like it just went on and on in circles. There was a great twist at the end but felt the story drug on to get there