Six women. Four weeks. One house. Who will be left on The Shelf?

Everyone in Amy's life seems to be getting married (or so Instagram tells her), and she feels like she's falling behind. So, when her boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday to a mystery destination, she thinks this is it - he's going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf.

Along with five other women, Amy is dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper'. Will Amy's time on the show make her realise there are worse things in life than being left on the shelf?

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.

The Good Place meets Sliding Doors, Begin Again is an uplifting novel about life's what if's, missed chances and new beginnings. Despite living firmly in her comfort zone, Frankie McKenzie feels unsettled. She can't help feeling something's missing. Is it a home to call her own? Travel? A more rewarding job? A relationship? Before she can work it out, she dies in a freak kebab-related accident after yet another dud of a first date. But life isn't over for Frankie. Instead, she is offered a second chance: Frankie can revisit key moments from her past to see if different choices will lead her away from that fateful takeaway and on to the fulfilling life she's always dreamt of. Soon, Frankie will see what her life would have been if only she'd caught that one-way flight, accepted the marriage proposal or attended the intimidating job interview. Will she finally find her Mr Right? Or discover she already had? What would you change if you could begin again? Praise for Helly Acton: 'A romcom with a difference' Sarra Manning 'Genius, funny and thought-provoking. 5 stars' Carrie Hope Fletcher 'Warm, witty and thought-provoking' Abbie Greaves 'A fresh, funny, razor-sharp take on society's views of relationships. It's feminist, it's provocative and a total joy to read' Hannah Tovey 'Helly's writing is filled with such humour and warmth, it makes me laugh and think whilst seamlessly tackling complex ideas about modern society. What a triumph!' Abigail Mann 'Funny and clever. I loved every single line' Lucy Vine

The author of The Radio 2 Book Club Pick The Shelf returns with a new hilarious and thought-provoking novel. 'A romcom with a difference' Sarra Manning What if . . . 'Don't worry, you'll find someone soon.' 'So, why is someone like you still single?' 'Don't you get lonely, being all on your own?' Became . . . 'Don't worry, you'll find yourself soon.' 'So, why is someone like you in a couple?' 'Don't you get bored, being with just one person?' Millie lives in a society where being single is the norm. She's happy, she's successful and she has a close-knit group of friends (not forgetting her very grumpy cat, Bruce). Her life is perfectly organised and she likes it that way. The last thing she needs is romance messing it up, thank you very much. That is, until she is partnered with a new colleague, Ben. He's everything Millie's not; spontaneous, chaotic and disorganised, not to mention annoyingly attractive. Together they're tasked with launching a revolutionary new pill that prevents you from falling in love. So, when Millie starts to develop feelings for Ben, she knows she could lose everything she's ever worked for. Will she risk it all for love? 'Funny and clever. I loved every single line' Lucy Vine 'So clever. I loved it' Sophie Cousens 'A fresh, funny, razor-sharp take on society's views of relationships. It's feminist, it's provocative and a total joy to read' Hannah Tovey

The author of The Radio 2 Book Club Pick The Shelf returns with a new hilarious, thought-provoking and funny novel. 'Genius, funny and thought-provoking. 5 stars' Carrie Hope Fletcher 'Helly's writing is filled with such humour and warmth, it makes me laugh and think whilst seamlessly tackling complex ideas about modern society. What a triumph!' Abigail Mann 'So clever, so thought-provoking, I loved it' Sophie Cousens 'A fresh, funny, razor-sharp take on society's views of relationships. It's feminist, it's provocative and a total joy to read' Hannah Tovey 'Funny and clever. I loved every single line' Lucy Vine Millie is a perfectionist. She's happy, she's successful and, with a great support network of friends and family (and a very grumpy cat), she's never lonely. She loves working at a big tech firm and is on track be promoted to her dream role. The last thing she needs is romance messing up her perfectly organised world. Besides, normal people just don't have romantic relationships. Everyone knows that being in a couple is a bit . . . well, odd. You know, like having a pet snake or referring to yourself in the third person. Why rely on another person for your own happiness? Why risk the humiliation of unrequited love or the agony of a break-up? No, Millie is more than happy with her conventional single life. So, when Millie lands a new project at work, launching a pill that prevents you falling in love, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. That is, until she starts working with Ben. He's charming and funny, and Millie feels an instant connection to him. Will Millie sacrifice everything she believes in for love? Look out for Helly's debut novel The Shelf.

The PERFECT Christmas read for fans of Love Island, Love is Blind and Married at First Sight! 'Utter PERFECTION!' Marian Keyes 'Fun, fresh and thought-provoking' Lindsey Kelk 'A witty, life-affirming page-turner' Woman & Home 'Fun, thought-provoking and unapologetically feminist' Daisy Edgar-Jones 'This brilliant novel is a really fun read. Very entertaining!' Jo Whiley She can't believe she didn't see this coming. Well, not this. How could anyone anticipate being dumped on TV? 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 heartlessly 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'?

Millie is a perfectionist. She's happy, she's successful - and, with a great support network of friends and family (and a very grumpy cat) around her, she's never lonely. She has her dream job at a big tech firm and is on track to become the company's youngest ever Innovation Director. The last thing she needs is romance messing up her perfectly organised world. Besides, normal people just don't have romantic relationships.

Everyone knows that being in a couple is a bit... well, odd. Sure, everybody has that one coupled-up friend who messes up the numbers at dinner parties, but it's a bit eccentric. You know, like having a pet snake or living off the grid. Why rely on another person for your own happiness? Why risk the humiliation of unrequited love or the agony of a break-up when you can do everything yourself? No, Millie is perfectly happy with her conventional single life.

So when Millie lands a new project at work, launching a pill that stops you falling in love, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. That is, until she starts working with Ben. He's charming and funny, and Millie feels an instant connection with him.

Is this the spark that science and society are trying to suppress? Will Millie sacrifice everything she believes in for love?