This book is funny, heartwarming and uplifting. At the beginning I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go but I am beyond pleased with where it went, especially the ending. The language, dialogue and narration style were all perfect.

A wonderful journey, in which I felt connected to all the characters.

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this book. The Shelf is about a new reality TV show where 6 men dump their girlfriends/wives on live TV and leave them on 'the shelf'. The women then must compete to become 'the keeper' i.e. the perfect partner and if they decide to do so they have the chance of winning £1 million.

The Shelf is essentially a reality TV show in a book and now I LOVE reality TV so I had really high hopes for this. Unfortunately I just found it quite unoriginal and a little cliche which is a shame. A lot of the ideas for games and tasks have been done on other reality TV shows e.g. the baby task on Love Island, and whilst I appreciate it fitted with the purpose of the tasks, I think that a little more thought could have gone into this aspect of the story.

I liked Acton's move to bring feminism to the forefront of the story; the contestants all clubbed together to essentially go against the challenges and horrible ex-partners and the horrible men running the show. However, it all felt a little one dimensional and repetitive as the story went on. I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the women and I would have liked for there to have been some more emotional and deep moments in the book. It all just felt a little too fictional for my liking (and yes I'm aware how silly that sounds as of course it's a fiction book, but I do like to imagine the story happening in real life and I like to be able to connect with the characters as if they are real). 2.5 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and zaffre for a free copy of the e-book in exchange for a review.

I was dubious as to whether I would like this book or not but glad I stuck with it as it turned out to be a great read. It was a relatable book for today’s society and about having to fit into social norms etc. The writing style was interesting and once I got used to it was an enjoyable read. Definitely worth a read but stick with it!

I really wasn’t sure about this book to begin with as it isn’t like my usual type I’d read but I really wanted to see what happened! I’m glad I did as I enjoyed it in the end.

The Shelf has a really interesting concept, picking up on current popular culture trends around dating reality television, feminism, and influencer culture. As someone who enjoys some reality television, I didn’t hesitate to request this when it came up - it sounded like it would be right up my street. And it should have been. Unfortunately, the execution fell a bit flat. The book lacks depth. There is not enough time to really care for the characters, and they are all one dimensional - both inside and outside of the house. The author’s viewpoints and attempts to set out a message were also far too obvious. I felt like I was being doused in didactic messaging about feminism and the dangers of bad relationships and influencer culture. It could have been much more subtle but still had the same impact. I made myself finish the book because I hoped the challenges or messages would be more insightful as the book progressed, but it stayed at a surface level throughout. Disappointing for me personally, but I think it could be a good book for someone else (particularly BIG fans of Love Island) so have rated accordingly.

Amy thinks her boyfriend Jamie is going to pop the question on a secret holiday he has planned.  Instead he dumps her live on a new reality TV show called The Shelf.

She is placed in a house (think Big Brother) along with 5 other women, Jackie, Gemma, Hattie, Lauren and Flick where they have to do tasks and get lessons on how to be “a keeper” with the winner taking away the million pound prize.

All the characters were a mix of different ages and backgrounds and all relatable.   It’s a funny feminist read about friendship and self development with a really good ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

Helly Acton has landed a brilliantly contemporary, entertaining, and character-led novel that delivers sharp, punchy blows to the misogynistic lens of reality television. I wouldn't have thought that a fictional reality TV show could make for such a addictive read, but OH MAN was I reading this with the same level of compulsion as I did when watching Love Island in the times before That Virus came and put a stop to it. The difference here is that women's voices are placed in central focus and smash their way into through the reality TV medium with empowerment and self-reliance as the driving force of change within each character.
The last few chapters were so uplifting that I finished this book with a huge grin on my face. I LOVED The Shelf!

Very modern storyline based on a big brother reality show concept. I liked Amy, clearly she’s destined for a great relationship yet it seems so familiar what many people put up with in a relationship. Whilst it was fun the tone shows the reader growth of character. 

Easy reading, light hearted female holiday book.,

** Thanks to  Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for this review. 
The Shelf is a brand new reality tv show - think big brother meets love island - where newly dumped singletons compete to be “the keeper”, a sexist notion of being the perfect girlfriend / wife material. Oh and mostly against their well as their partners signed them up for the show and then leave them dumped, single and “on the shelf”.A series of challenges, like the infamous love island baby one, are meant to demonstrate their compatibility for the winning title by showing their strengths in areas like motherhood and grooming.

The main character Amy escapes a two year relationship with Jamie; who made condescending comments about her abilities, appearance and their relationship as a whole. We see Amy go on a journey of discovery as she recognises that very relationship with Jamie was not a healthy one, and she rebuilds the parts of herself throughout the course of the book. 

I loved the different women the show highlighted and how the social media element of being judged and gleaned was used to show them not fitting to the chauvinist viewpoint of becoming a “keeper”. Even the character of Flick who wanted to be a stay at home wife and  mother  and was the stereotype for the “housewife” winner, undergoes tremendous growth in order to appreciate herself more and put herself first.

I love that this book didn’t glamorise a stereotype and didn’t end with a “boy meets girl happy ending” like in most chick-lit and romance fiction. However I did find the ending predictable and a lot of the challenges being like love island felt a little unoriginal and distracted from the self love arc. 

In one instance, Amy says “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt from the women around me is that listening to your gut is more important than obsessing over the size of it”. It really highlights a feminist aspect of the novel whereby a woman doesn’t have to bend to the expectations of someone else and can instead succeed and grow under her own terms rather than being oppressed by societal pressures.  Whilst this may be initially be a story about love and failed relationships, at its core it’s a story of self love and a journey of discovery.

Really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down!! So true to life in a fun and different format, also displaying the solidarity of the sisterhood 🥰

This is an interesting take on Big Brother. If you were not a man hater before, this book could certainly make you one!

The premise of this one is what peaked my interest: six women hoodwinked by their partners find themselves newly single and signed up to a reality tv show (by their now exes!) in which they compete to become “The Keeper”. 

The Shelf is an immensely readable book and one that does keep the interest throughout. 

Initially I was in a blind rage as I read the early chapters. I couldn’t understand why any of these intelligent women would agree to stay on this TV show that in essence was about belittling them and turning them into doormats aka The Keeper whose aim in life was to be some sort of misogynistic male’s fantasy life partner... 
So you can see why I was seething! 
And yes okay, these women were given £10k just to take part with a chance to win one million pounds so that would make anyone think twice... so I told myself to chill, after all I did read the blurb and so knew that I would have to stomach some patriarchal nonsense and kept reading. 

And I’m glad I did keep reading!

Because The Shelf did a wonderful job of being very intersectional with its feminism (on the female side of things); there was a nice diversity of background and viewpoints among the contestants. And happily there were many examples in the book of the six contestants rebelling against the misogynistic aims of the programme’s producers. Ultimately the book’s message was about becoming comfortable with being true to yourself and not beholden to any life partner i.e. that we don’t need a romantic partner to feel whole; yes it’s nice to find someone to love and to love you, but that sacrificing your identity and sense of self for another person is not what a loving relationship means. 

I enjoyed reading about each of the main female characters and felt that every single one of them brought a unique storyline to the table. It’s very refreshing to read a book where women of all ages and backgrounds are celebrated to such a great degree. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of the character Flick. She could so easily have been used to down women who choose to be full time homemakers but instead Flick’s views were respected just as much as the career focused characters. 

Where the book fell short for me was with the depiction of the male characters. I don’t want to get on the “not all men” campaign because that drives me batty! The point is there are A LOT of men out there that are clinging to their fragile male egos and their toxic masculinity so it’s important that these types of patriarchal, sexist attitudes are called out, and this book certainly did that in spades! However, I would have liked more nuance with the male characters. Although it was okay to let the majority of the exes be scumbags because what sort of self respecting man would sign up his partner to be belittled on a television show. And I’m quite content that the TV guys also fitted the misogynistic stereotype. But the book was desperately crying out for a more reasonable male character. The closest such character was Dr Hicks who provided counselling / therapy to the female contestants and seemed to care about their mental well-being more than TV ratings, but even he was too stereotyped and engaged in too much of the woman shaming aspects of the television show. 

I’m also somewhat disappointed by the book’s ending. It was a little too cookie cutter for me and I thought it could have been a little more open ended. While I appreciated the aims of the epilogue which showed how The Shelf benefitted each of the women it was just too neat and tidy for this reader. 

Overall, however, this was an entertaining read that I would recommend to fans of accessible light fiction that want a quick but satisfying read.  


*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I really wasn't convinced I was going to enjoy this book when it got to the reality show description which just seemed to outrageously sexist and misogynist and who on earth would make a show like that and who on earth would watch it and then I realised that with things like Love Island in this world it wasn't such an insane and unrealistic idea at all! 

So, Amy has been dumped live on TV by her, frankly, awful boyfriend of two years. She's in a house with five other women who've also been dumped on live TV and they have to compete to find out who will win the title of "The Keeper" and a massive cash prize - to be honest, the amount of money offered as the prize was slightly unrealistic, but that was a really small thing to get "that would never happen" about. Things, however, don't got quite the way the producers of the programme might have wanted. The women don't fight, they realise it's all bullshit and somehow, even though they all want the big prize, they bond and find out they all have things that they can give each other in terms of life lessons. 

It takes a little while for Amy to see that her ex should never have been her boyfriend in the first place. She's 32, most of her friends are married with children and she was feeling left behind. She was settling because she was scared that without a boyfriend who might marry her she was nothing. 

This was a funny read from start to finish and the finish was a fist-pumping "YES" of an ending.

You do not have to be a fan of reality tv shows to enjoy this so if you aren't a fan, do not let it put you off. You will absolutely fall in love with Amy the main  character of this book and you will experience so many different emotions with all of the characters. I cant recommend this book enough !!!

A different read for me as I am not a follower of reality programmes etc. I actually enjoyed this story and found myself caught up in it as Eva and her house mates tried to overcome the way their relationships with their partners were going.

I absolutely loved this book! I’ve been in a reading slump and finding it difficult to concentrate on books for the last month or so, I chose this one as I thought it looked cheerful and I like reality tv shows. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did and raced through it in a day! The main character Amy is really likeable and the female friendships she builds along the way are heartwarming. Although it’s a lighthearted read, Acton packs in a lot of more serious issues in just the right way. I finished it feeling satisfied and ready to get reading again. I really recommend this book for a heartwarming, happy, fun read. 
Thank you so much to netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This was a weird book to start with, I was not sure at all but I am glad  I carried on with it. It was funny at times, made you hate men at times. Loved it

After a couple of chapters I thought "here we go another anti-men rant!" However, the more I read the better the book became.

At 32 Amy finds herself on a reality TV show for 4 weeks with other various girls. Cue the chance to explore all what is wrong with this sort of programme involving celebrity life coaches, influencers (whatever they are?) and some humiliating tasks. Yes, I'm grumpy.

I am still not sure if the whole book is 'tongue in cheek' especially the male producers and various guests that pop in to the TV set. I loved Miss Prim and Miss Proper. Thankfully the humour (sometimes black) takes this book to an immensely enjoyable read. 

There is one message and the  feminist one comes across strongly - but why was Amy in her relationship with pillock Jamie for 2 years!?

A funny, insightful, bingeable read with feminist themes that are nuanced and inspiring. I confess I was dubious about the book's claims to be feminist, expecting something along the lines of 'all housewives are anti-feminist' and 'only single, career-driven, bold women are real feminists' sort of cookie-cutter ideals. And I am so glad to be wrong!

The women on 'The Shelf' are so varied in socioeconomic background, age, career and lifestyle - I was pleasantly surprised that one of them is bi/pansexual! - and they were all rendered excellently. Each woman felt realistic and distinct, and I absolutely loved this portrayal of boss women working together, not against each other. Flick's arc in particular was very well done. I'm so happy that it's shown that housewives/homemakers who are happy and fulfilled in their role aren't automatically anti-feminist. Feminism is about women having the agency to decide their lives, about dismantling double standards and having society properly recognise their contributions and sacrifices in whatever form they take.

There is a vivid contrast between Amy's perspective on her fellow contestants and the viewpoints held by most of said contestants' exes (and male show host, many audience members etc.) on the women's myriad relationship-ending 'flaws'. The show tries to whittle down the women to one adjective - for example, the ambitious and outspoken lawyer Jackie Adu is made out to be 'Selfish Jackie' by the host and producers. It soon becomes clear that it's not a particular trait that these men don't respect. They simply do not respect women. Of course, we can't forget the 'but not all men!' aspect. That's obvious, but it's shown well through the character of Dr Hicks, the show's therapist. While he's not perfect, Hicks is convincing as an academic and professional, and genuinely cares about helping the contestants instead of the ratings and sensationalism.

There were only very small issues keeping this from a full five-stars. Very occasionally, the sarcasm and writing style was somewhat confusing, and there was an odd comment about Thailand. Amy mentioned how much she wants to go to Thailand, and that there's 'something in the air. It's probably opium.' which kind of brought me to a screeching halt. I do hope it was a joke! If it was, then it brings me back to my earlier point about unclear sarcasm.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! I'd say it's a fun beach read, apart from the boiling rage you may feel at some of the more misogynistic characters and comments.