Review - The Shelf by Helly Acton

 

 

Title: The Shelf

Author: Helly Acton

Pages: 416

Publisher: Zaffre

Release Date: 18th June 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads: 

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 o 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'?

 

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley*

Thirty-two-year-old Amy is feeling the pressure to get married and have children.

She has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Jamie, for two years. When Jamie springs a surprise holiday on Amy, she thinks that he is finally about to propose.

However, instead of finding herself on a beach, Amy is suddenly on the set of a new reality show called The Shelf where Amy and several other women are dumped live on TV. Amy must compete with her new housemates to reach the final and be named The Keeper by taking part in degrading tasks.

Can Amy learn to love herself again?

Who will be crowned The Keeper?

Contemporary books can be hit or miss for me, but I ended up enjoying The Shelf.

I am glad that The Shelf is not an actual show, because the basis of it was so sexist and demeaning that it infuriated me.

The contestants on the show had different personalities and views, so it was interesting to see how they interacted.

Amy was a likeable and relatable protagonist. I enjoyed reading her journey.

The writing style was easy to follow and I found that I read the book fairly quickly.

While I wasn't blown away by this book, I did enjoy it and it made me think about the pressure we can sometimes put on ourselves to reach certain milestones such as marriage and having children.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.