The Shelf cover art

The Shelf

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Shelf

By: Helly Acton
Narrated by: Daisy Edgar-Jones
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £27.99

Buy Now for £27.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 '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'?©2020 Helly Acton (P)2020 Bonnier Books UK Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Women's Fiction Comedy Funny Feel-Good Witty Dream

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Rachel Ryan's Resolutions cover art
One Last Day of Summer cover art
Looking Out for Love cover art
A Year of Mr Maybes cover art
Your Place or Mine? cover art
Fake It or Leave It cover art
Long Time No Sea cover art
The Single Mums’ Mansion cover art
Better Off Wed cover art
Everything's Perfect cover art
We Belong Together cover art
Always on My Mind cover art
Who's That Girl? cover art
The Accidental Housemate cover art
Thank You, Next! cover art
The To-Do List and Other Debacles cover art

Critic reviews

"Just as addictive as reality TV but twice as juicy! Shocking and hilarious, I devoured it and I just want more.” (Carry Hope Fletcher)

“I really loved it! Subversive, feminist and a real breath of fresh air. I inhaled this!” (Laura Jane Williams)

All stars
Most relevant  
Really enjoyed this book. It was fun, empowering and profound. It was beautifully read and the characters were relatable. Highly recommend.

A fun read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. I would recommend this to anyone that is 18-40s who likes reading books and reality tv.

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is brilliant! Some annoyingly sexist characters but they are needed to make the point.
Will definitely be reading more of Helly's books. The narrator was also very good and gave the main character part of her personality.


spoiler
loved that this book isn't about the main character meting a man and living happily ever after but still girly and light hearted.

Fabulous

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great book, easy read, great storyline.
Narrator tells the story amazingly!
Highly recommend a light hearted meaningful girly read!
X

Fab!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love how this wasn’t your stereotypical boy meets girl storyline. Fab idea, super enjoyable listen :)

Different angle

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Uplifting and entertaining. An original idea. I was gripped until the end. Loved the story and characters.

Wonderful Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really loved listening to this (narration by Daisy Edgar-Jones was heaven). I thought the premise of the book was interesting as a reflection of current society: reality TV and the lengths it will go to for ‘entertainment’; social media and the need to stay relevant / ‘liked’; modern relationships and online dating; all reflected from the central perspective of the group of women. The collective group of female characters reflect the nuance of being female and navigating societal pressures. The central message of the novel is a positive one of acceptance, encouraging us to embrace who we are and what we ultimately care about when we disregard societal expectations. The narrative manages to tow the line of being fun and entertaining, whilst also touching on the ridiculousness of the narrative women are fed by society - there are times when I laughed at what appeared to be a silly or old fashioned challenge, and then quickly reflected that those values are sadly still part of the fabric of our society. I’m excited to read / listen to more from this new author! Give it a listen, you won’t regret it.

Enjoyable and thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A brilliant story which was easy to listen to and that reminded me of some past relationships. Daisy Edgar-Jones was a perfect choice to narrate it.

Addictive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really loved this book. Loved the message and really enjoyed it, right to the end! Looking forward to the next one!!

Brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved this as it’s a different story line. Really enjoyed the book and it was complete in a couple of days.

Ugh men 😏

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews