'Like A Sister' Author Reveals Who She'd Like To See Star In A Movie Based Off The Book

Oxygen Book Club highlights books in the crime sphere each month and features exclusive interviews, guided discussions, and more.

In the dead heat of summer, you just want to curl up with a book that'll keep you tearing through the pages from the suspense and leave your jaw dropped by the twists. That's exactly why Oxygen Book Club selected "Like A Sister," a fictional thriller by Kellye Garrett, as its July 2022 Book Club pick. It's the story of a woman, Lena Scott, who wants to find out what really happened to her reality star half-sister, who was mysteriously found dead in the Bronx the morning after her 25th birthday. With a main character you enjoy spending time with, plenty of shocking moments, and a focus on race, sibling rivalry, and reality TV, this book is a summer must-read.

Oxygen digital correspondent Stephanie Gomulka recently spoke with the author, Garrett, to learn more about what inspired the novel, how she incorporated social media into the book, and who would be her dream cast for a movie adaption.

"I think first, I just wanted to do a really fun beach read," Garrett said of why she chose to write this book. "I love mystery novels, I love domestic suspense. I hadn't seen a lot of Black women in that, so I wanted to include that. But I just wanted to have a fun beach read that talks about sibling rivalry, that talks about daddy issues, that talks about a lot of things including reality tv, which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures."

There is a real-life crime that inspired her to write the book, too. Garrett notes that the first chapter of the book starts with a headline from the Daily News — and it was indeed a headline from the Daily News that gave her the bare bones of the story.

"It's actually based on a real-life headline from the Daily News about a pregnant former reality star found dead in the Bronx with cocaine in her system and no pants on. So that's the actual headline and the book has something similar," she confirmed.

But while the book certainly deals with dark subject matter and heavy themes, Garrett found it was important to incorporate some lightness into it, particularly through the protagonist, Lena.

"I think every book should have humor in it. It's not a humorous book, but I think Lena's outlook is it's better to laugh than to cry," she told Gomulka.

As for her dream cast? Well, she said she's always envisioned Lena looking like Tessa Thompson. As for Mel, she'd like to see someone like Omari Hardwick in the role.

For more on Gomulka's interview with Garrett, watch the videos, above.