Booksmart

'Remarkably Bright Creatures' Interview with Shelby Van Pelt and Olivia Newman (Bonus Episode)

Booksmart

Show Notes

In this very special mini episode of Booksmart, Sunny is joined by the brains behind Netflix’s adaptation of 'Remarkably Bright Creatures', author and executive producer Shelby Van Pelt and Director and writer Olivia Newman.

This conversation sees Sunny talk to these incredible minds about the book-to-screen adaptation process, the difficulty of grounding a story about an octopus in reality, and so many more wonderful insights.

This was such a wonderful chat that we just knew we had to share it in its entirety with our audience.

Head to Netflix to watch this amazing film now, you will not be disappointed.

More from Booksmart

Oct 12, 2026

In this bonus episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny and Allie meet with Canadian author Bal Khabra, of the beloved hockey romance series Off the Ice — which includes Collide, Spiral, Revolve, and Embrace.

Oct 6, 2026

In this very special episode of Booksmart, co-host Sunny had the sublime opportunity to interview English actress Daisy Edgar-Jones for the Sense and Sensibility junket held in Sydney last week. Edgar-Jones plays Jane Austen's beloved Elinor Dashwood, the sensible older sister of Marianne and Margaret Dashwood, whose emotional restraint is tested when she grows attached to Edward Ferrars. The actress is no newcomer to book-to-screen adaptations, having risen to prominence for her roles as Marianne Sheridan in Normal People and Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing. She is also set to star in the upcoming production of Gabrielle Zevin's novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Listen to hear the stars' thoughts on adapting classic literature, maintaining your sensibility, curating the perfect angsty playlist, working with Australian author and screenwriter Diana Reid, and reading Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass and ACOTAR series. Sense and Sensibility arrives in cinemas across Australia on October 15th, 2026.

Sep 28, 2026

Welcome back to book club friends! Things are heating up down under, hence our desire to choose Jenny Jackson's New England set contemporary novel 'The Shampoo Effect' as our September book club pick. The hype surrounding this book has been hard to ignore, with VOGUE calling it one of the "best books of 2026". Many readers have likened the reading experience to overhearing juicy gossip about a friend group you know only tangentially. But does the story, focused on one accidental pregnancy and a tight-knit group of dysfunctional friends in their 30s, live up to the buzz? Fortunately, the answer lies in this loving diss (about a book that would have been a far better television show). Warning: this episode contains spoilers for the book's central plot twist. You can purchase The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson online from QBD Books using the following link:

Sep 23, 2026

The BookTok girlies have been blessed with yet another book-to-screen adaptation with Ali Hazelwood's 'The Love Hypothesis' dropping on Prime Video. But the real question is, does this adaptation and its stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman have chemistry?

Sep 8, 2026

In this episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King take on the current romantic fiction boom and share which new love stories you should be reading.

See all episodes →