The Shelf
-
-
3.4 • 69 Ratings
-
-
- £7.99
-
- £7.99
Publisher Description
'One of those delicious books you just can't put down. Utter PERFECTION!' Marian Keyes
Selected for the Radio 2 summer book club.
A funny, feminist and all-too-relatable novel about our obsession with coupling up, settling down and the battle we all have with accepting ourselves, The Shelf introduces the freshest new voice in women's fiction.
Narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Gentleman Jack, Cold Feet, War of the Worlds)
Ever feel like you're losing a race you never signed up for?
Everyone in Amy's life seems to be getting married, having children and settling down (or so Instagram tells her), and she feels like she's falling behind.
So, when her long-term boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday, she thinks he's going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when, instead, she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf.
Along with five other women, Amy is brutally dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper'.
While inside the house, will Amy learn that there are worse things than being 'left on the shelf'?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Fuelled by her experiences in the world of online dating, Helly Acton delivers a cleverly subversive take on the dating game with The Shelf. Centred around a morally dubious reality TV show that’s captured the nation, Acton’s debut is a scathing commentary on the realities faced by a generation of anxious, single millennials—captured by her lead character, Amy Wright. With thoughts of a dream wedding dashed, Amy finds herself dumped by her boyfriend and placed on the eponymous dating show. Here, she finds herself pitted against a furiously competitive field of fellow dumpees all desperate to prove themselves “wife material”. Packed with entertaining formatting, vitriolic tweets and emoji-filled text messages, the chapters break down the weeks of gameshow life and capture the harm normalised in the name of entertainment.
Customer Reviews
Interesting concept, uncomfortable
Interesting concept but it did feel very forced. Made me feel incredibly uncomfortable about how women are portrayed but I guess maybe that was the point. It was enjoyable but not sure if I’d have preferred to read it myself.
Had to put it down
This book tries to provoke a reaction by being overtly sexist - at least for the first 12 chapters. Maybe there is a satisfactory resolution later on, but I wouldn’t know, as I had to put it down. Just irritating really.
Funny and uplifting
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really grew attached to all the characters. Nice work! :)