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'One of those delicious books you just can't put down. Utter PERFECTION!' Marian Keyes
This Radio 2 Book Club pick is 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.
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'?
About the author
Helly Acton is a copywriter from London with past lives in Zimbabwe, the Middle East and Australia. She studied Law at King's College London before working in advertising. She is the author of
The Shelf (2020) which was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick and
The Couple (2021). Her latest novel is
Begin Again. Helly currently lives in Berkshire with her husband, Chris, their two young boys, Arlo and Jack and their little dog, Milo.
Summary
'One of those delicious books you just can't put down. Utter PERFECTION!' Marian Keyes
This Radio 2 Book Club pick is 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.
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'?
Foreword
Six women. Four weeks. One house. Who will be left on The Shelf?
Report
I absolutely LOVED The Shelf. One of those delicious books you just can't put down. So many gorgeous witty one-liners. Utter PERFECTION! Marian Keyes
