I was in the mood for a psychological thriller and Like a Sister really fit the bill! Lots of twists, red herrings, tense moments, and a fast-paced ending. Kept me guessing who the vilain was up until the reveal. Add to that a feisty, strong yet vulnerable protagonist who I loved, a troubled relationship between sisters and between fathers and daughters, and this is a smart, highly entertaining thriller you don’t want to miss. Murder, mystery, and relationships - this book has it all and did each element really well. 4.5 big stars

Like A Sister
By Kellye Garrett
In a family ravaged by tragedy, loss and the ego of their father, music mogul, Mel Pierce, half-sisters Lena and Desiree, haven’t spoken to each other for years. But when Desiree is found dead, of a suspected overdose, in a park in the Bronx, near the home Lena shares with her aunt, Lena is convinced Desiree was on her way to see her. Why? Did her sister need her?

Her guilt at not having been there for her little sister in her hour of need, drives Lena to put on her Strong Black Woman cloak, set aside her grief, and search for the truth. To bring justice for a sister she loved, and failed to protect.

Kellye Garrett, the multi award-winning author of the critically received Detective by Day series, brings her quirky, sometimes snarky, but absolutely unique voice, and her incredible world-building skills, to this riveting mystery. She captures in poignant detail how Lena’s simple life with her aunt, in her neighborhood of Washington Heights, bumps up against the glitz and glamor world of music royalty and social media influencers.

Lena is a smart and determined protagonist, and like a magician, Garrett unspools the mystery, making everyone a suspect until the twisty end. She shows how the bond between siblings is often complicated, but also unbreakable, even when they’re not talking to each other.

A big thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

I need to break the habit of starting a new book late into the evening (especially on a Sunday) 🤯 . This book kept me up late into the wee hours of the morning. I mean, once you read it yourself you will understand.

This was my first novel by Kellye Garrett, but it will not be my last . I have heard that Garrett, writes "cozy mysteries" , I can promise you, this one is not in any way shape or form "cozy" . This is definitely a thriller and I loved every bit of it!

Like A Sister, is going to completely twist your mind . Quite a few times I was left speechless . This is a fast paced , suspenseful read that will keep you on the edge of your seat .

Five Stars 🌟 🌟 🌟🌟🌟

I'm not normally a fan of crime or thrillers unless there's a strong supernatural element, and even then, it takes a special kind of narrative to capture my interest. "Like a Sister" is one of the crime novels that I found absolutely captivating. It starts off with a woman, Lena Scott, who has just learned of her reality star half-sister Desiree's death due to an overdose. The first chapter ends on one of the most epic cliffhangers that will make readers want to leap to the next page to find out more.

The way that the narrative was paced and different scenes of the past and present were interfiled made things more interesting. It's refreshing to see an #ownvoices thriller from a fantastically gifted writer with a knack for keeping readers on the edge of our seats.

This was a brilliant mystery. Twisted and dark but also packed with humour and wry observations, LIKE A SISTER is a highly-entertaining read that'll keep you guessing throughout.

Former reality TV star and social influencer Desiree Pierce is found dead at a Bronx playground the morning after her 25th birthday party. Desiree’s half-sister Lena Scott is a graduate student at Columbia and has been estranged from Desiree. The police and gossip sites are ready to write off Desiree as another poor little rich girl but Lena knows that Desiree would not OD on heroin since she hated needles.

Lena is determined to find the truth about Desiree's last days. The trail leads Lena to New York's hip hop and club scene and forces her to interact with Desiree's current and former friends Erin, Zarah, Free and Naut, as well as their estranged father "Murder Mel" Pierce. This was a fascinating and absorbing read on how consumerism, wealth and the power of social media can take a young Black woman on a deadly, tragic journey. BRAVO!

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Mulholland Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

#LikeASister

“Former reality star Desiree Pierce found dead in lingerie in Bronx with cocaine and no shoes” is the headline that lets Lena Scott know her younger sister is dead. Desiree always went after publicity as a reality TV star and a social influencer. Lena knows all of Desiree’s faults, after all she hadn’t spoken to her for two years because of her drug use, but she knows her sister did not overdose on heroin as the police think because she hated needles. So Lena decides to investigate herself and unravel the mystery of her sister’s last days.

What follows is a delightful and dangerous look at the New York hip-hop and club scene, the world of influencers, daily life in the Bronx and more. Desiree and Lena share the same father, hip-hop king Mel Pierce but while Lena distanced herself from his lifestyle, Desiree embraced it. Helped by Desiree’s best friend Erin, Lena discovers long buried family secrets and comes closer and closer to the truth without realizing she is in danger herself.

Like a Sister is a gem. Auntie E (recipes, please), Karma Dodson, Erin Ambrose and “Murder Mel” Pierce are vivid characters. Well-described settings make you feel like you are there - for example, the backstage security checks at Free’s concert. This is the first thriller I’ve read by Kellye Garrett and it won’t be the last. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mulholland Books and Kellye Garrett for this ARC.

A young woman who is estranged from her sister and father - a popular internet influencer and a highly-successful entertainment mogul respectively = needs answers when her sister is found dead in the Bronx, assumed to be an accidental overdose. That would never happen. She hated needles. And she would never be caught north of Manhattan. Unless she was trying to connect with the sister she hadn't spoken to ever since a fateful car accident.

I struggled a bit at first with this book. Though our protagonist is level-headed, rides a bike to get around town, and lives with an aunty in an unfashionable area while going to graduate school, there's a barrage of brand-dropping to the point that it seemed to be more about wealthy excess as a way of life than about solving the mystery. (I also felt the narrator's constant use of metaphors were sometimes a stretch, though there's certainly a precedent in American crime fiction to use clever similes going back to the hardboiled tradition.) But the more I read, the more absorbed I was. The damage done by excessive consumerism and display of wealth through social media is a major theme, and it's refreshing to read a Black author writing about Black people without focusing on poverty, but at the same time being honest about how racism shapes the lives of even the most successful people living in a racist society. It's honest without making it the focal point. And that's one of the strengths of the novel, it's not about white folks. I ended up really enjoying it, and it has some great twists and turns.

I really like this thriller. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was really happy with it. It’s basically a story of a reality star that’s gone missing and that her sister basically investigate the crime. I love true crime and even though this is technically a fictional story I could see it being true. I was completely transfixed the entire book.

A page-turning, suspenseful thriller, Like a Sister deserves all the advance praise it’s receiving. Kellye Garrett is masterful at pulling in the reader with twists (I gasped out loud at more than one revelation) and through the wry observations of protagonist Lena Scott. I’ve been a fan of Garrett’s writing since her debut, Hollywood Homicide, and Like a Sister elevates her storytelling to the next level.