This was a really weird one, to be honest. The idea of a world where being single is the norm and being coupled is the exception was a great concept, but the delivery felt off, and I didn't really find myself suspending disbelief enough throughout to actually enjoy the plot. Loved the banter between Millie and Ben, but the rest fell flat for me

I read and enjoyed The Shelf by Helly so i was very excited to read this one and it didnt disappoint. Another great bookQ!

This was a quick and easy read that did make me laugh in places, just not enough depth for me and I struggled to connect to the characters.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Witty, irreverent and thought-provoking, Helly Acton’s The Couple is a highly engaging romantic comedy that is immensely enjoyable.

Millie is perfectly happy with her life. She has everything she has always wanted – a successful career, a great support network of family and friends who always have her back and a grumpy cat who never fails to bring a smile to her face. Millie might be single, but she has got absolutely no plans to change her relationship status. Romance is a complication Millie can do without and who needs a partner when your dream job is within reach? Becoming her company’s youngest Innovation Director is going to make her ecstatically happy. But little does Millie realise that her new job might just make her wonder whether she had been too hasty in writing off relationships for good…

When Millie lands a new project at work, she is tasked with launching a pill that will stop people from falling in love. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and a chance for Millie to prove you do not need a partner to be happy and fulfilled. Millie thinks that her plan is foolproof – until she begins working with charming and funny Ben and she finds herself drawn to him and the more time she spends with Ben, the more she falls for him.

With her whole career resting on this project’s success, Millie finds herself forced to make an impossible choice: her job or a man who has come to mean everything to her. Will Millie make the right choice? Or is she about to make the biggest mistake of her life?

Helly Acton’s The Couple is a romantic comedy with a difference and one that will certainly keep readers turning the pages. A deft and compelling exploration of relationships, affairs of the hearts and the pressure society puts on people who march to the beat of their own drum, The Couple sparkles with ingenuity, humour and pathos and will raise a smile and touch readers’ hearts.

A fun, complex and entertaining read, Helly Acton’s The Couple is a clever and ingenious tale readers are going to love.

THE COUPLE HAS A GREAT PREMISE

The moment I saw the synopsis of The Couple, I knew in my bones that Helly Acton wrote this book for me. See, I love books that turn our social norms upside down and examine how life could be instead. Also, I basically spent my twenties single, which drew a lot of pity from friends. They made unsolicited comments, “Are you sure you don’t want to get married?” or “I’m happy to introduce you to someone!”

As a result, I often wondered why dating had to be the norm. What if that was the odd choice? Well, that’s precisely the concept of The Couple.

INTERESTING BLEND OF GENRES

Helly leaned right into it and established a world where to be single was practically a life goal. In fact, life became more expensive as a couple because of increased taxes and rents. Overall, her satirical take worked so well that it had me in stitches right from the very start.
While The Couple entailed familiar dystopian elements of increased social isolation and the quest to eliminate love and romance, it didn’t come with state surveillance. It actually read more like a contemporary book, just in an alternate universe where the attitudes towards romantic love were different. Yet it also managed to be a lot more diverse as LGBTQ+ couples and heterosexual couples were treated as equals.

WHAT I ENJOYED

As for the characters, Millie was quite likeable. She didn’t exactly stand out and she had no special talents, so by and large, she was ordinary. She strived for a promotion at her company, enjoyed a quiet personal life and had great friendships. That is, until a new colleague rocked her boat.

Anyway, it’s her journey and how she came to grapple with an off-kilter trajectory that made The Couple such a delightful read. Learning about the pill that her company would market to end romantic feelings set off an ethical dilemma for Millie. Her resulting search for answers sucked me even deeper into The Couple. That’s why I’m so glad I received an early copy for review, even though I didn’t manage to post my book review earlier this year.

I definitely recommend picking up this book. It richly examines relationships from the familial to the platonic, to the cordial and the romantic. Despite the morally grey themes, it also is rather hilarious. A great combination, if you ask me!

I absolutely loved Helly Acton's debut novel 'The Shelf' and it was one of my favourite books of 2020, but this book was the complete opposite of that book and I feel like that may be why I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed that one.
I think this book had a very interesting plot and there were some thought provoking messages throughout the book, but something about this just fell flat for me.
I still really enjoyed Helly Acton's writing but this book simply was not a new favourite for me.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me but I know plenty of people will love and thoroughly enjoy it.

What a fun and refreshing take on single life! Helly Acton has taken the traditional views of how everyone is expected to get married and thrown a spotlight on how being single might be the better alternative. This was funny and quirky, definitely gave me food for thought. I loved the characters and the chemistry between Belle and Ben was palpable! An easy read from cover to cover and an overall crowd pleaser.

After reading and loving Helly Acton’s first novel “The Shelf” last year, I knew I’d be in for a treat with her new story: discovering an antidote for love. In this world, couples are treated the way we do singletons – oh, don’t worry, relationships don’t last forever, you should be focussing on you and your dreams, how to even make decisions when you always have to check with someone else? Everything was flipped, from the reality shows focussing on breaking couples up, to people’s attitudes towards parents staying together to raise their kid, even the meal deals for a single plate! And when you look at it backwards, you realise how weird our own society is in the way we treat relationships, singletons and co-parenting.

We follow Millie, a creative manager working at one of the fastest growing hook-up apps, as she first meets Ben, a chaotic new member of the team who has very different ideas about love. As they work together on a marketing pitch for a new pill that will stop you from falling in love, they prove that old adage: opposites attract. They were super cute together, balancing each other out and learning new perspectives on the (dare I say it?) benefits of relationships.

The whole thing was pretty bizarre but very fun. The friendships especially made it for me; the network of friends Millie has around her all bring some balance to her need for control and, in Ruth’s case, shows that you don’t lose your identity or your friendships by being in a healthy relationship. It might have been a bit corny in places but it was a fascinating new spin on a romantic novel, brought to us by Acton’s brilliant writing style.

I thought this was such a refreshing and unique read with an interesting concept. This was written very well and I will definitely be looking out for more from this author

Had been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it wasn’t for me. It just lacked a good plot to get you excited and wanting more. It was very slow paced and never picked up

Let’s face it, our society does not like ‘singletons‘, a word first introduced to us in the brilliantly funny novel Bridget Jones’ Diary. This novel, with its ‘smug married couples‘ was revolutionary when it was released in 1998.

Yet over 20 years on society is still shaming and pitying people for being single, especially women.

When author of the Radio 2 Book Club Pick, The Shelf, Helly Acton found herself divorced at the age of 30 after living a life of a serial monogamist, she realised she really enjoyed the single life. Yet society did not. She says in the introduction to her brand new novel, The Couple:

I wrote The Couple, to shut down the single pity party and put relationships attitudes in reverse. I wanted to imagine an alternative world, where we’re taught that being single isn’t something to be embarrassed of…a society that doesn’t constantly question why women are single…show Mr and Mrs Smuggy McCoupleFace and the general public how ridiculous it is to assume that being single makes you ‘abnormal’ and that being in a relationship is the route to all happiness.

Only released on 27th May, The Couple is smart and revolutionary as it completely turns societal beliefs on their head. In this novel ‘we’re all conditioned to think that being single is the right path. That we can’t possibly be happy if we aren’t living our lives alone, cooking for one, caring for no ones needs but our own.’ In this simple yet brilliant reversal, this book is an unflinching portrayal of the judgemental, shaming society we live in and wrongly buy in to. I loved it for this.

The Couple is Millie’s story who is living the ideal, single life full of friendship, a loving (but slightly pressurising mother) and a job that fulfils her. Millie is on the cusp of achieving her ultimate life goal of becoming chief creative officer of a top, award-winning company before she is 30, something Millie has dreamed of since she was a child

She couldn’t be happier, yet there are a few things that are unsettling her; firstly her close friend and ‘work wife‘ Ruth is now in a couple. Millie cannot understand Ruth when she says ‘How many times do I have to tell people that being in a couple is not an affliction? There’s nothing wrong with us.’

Also Millie can’t seem to get her new colluegue Ben out of her head. He is charming, funny and so easy to be with. However he is a bit odd as he has had a girlfriend in the past…

When Millie is given the chance to work on the Oxytoxin creative campaign, she can’t believe her luck. Oxytoxin is a new pill that prevents people from falling in love. As well as giving Millie the ultimate career boost, this pill is destined to change the world for the better. Yet as she is paired up with Ben to work on the campaign, Millie increasingly struggles to supress her growing attraction towards him. Are these the ‘unnatural’ feelings that science and society are aiming to stop?

And if she did ever choose to become part of a couple, wouldn’t people think of her as odd?

Using wry humour, Helly Acton does not shy away from the ‘well meaning’ condescending and pitying attitudes that many single people are forced to face by strangers, friends and family. Furthermore she uses her narrative as a vehicle to showcase how society discriminates against single people and how societal judgements can be so isolating.

For some The Couple may be uncomfortable reading, but I found it refreshing, thought-provoking and clever.

Thank you Helly Acton for this great read. Also thank you to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to be part of The Couple blog tour. To follow the tour and read the reviews from my fellow book bloggers, see below. Thank you also to Zaffre Books and NetGalley for arranging my advanced digital copy of The Couple.

The Couple was released on 27th May 2021, so is available now to read.

Happy reading everyone! 🙂

I absolutely loved this book! The thought of being able to take a pill to switch off romantic emotions is controversial yet there are many out there that would! This is the situation Millie finds herself in when she is creating a campaign for a new pill which does exactly this.

I loved the twist in this how couples are considered different and how you are encouraged to be single! I found this aspect of the book was completely different to other books out there.

I really liked the characters and found them relatable! I really liked Ben and that’s not just me being biased cause he’s Welsh 🤣
Overall it is another fantastic book from Helly Acton! Can’t wait to see what she has for us next!

Not for me, got 50% through and just wasn’t enjoying myself. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style or the tropes that were used so I didn’t finish it.

Thank you to the publishers at Zaffre as well as NetGalley for the e-ARC that you kindly gifted me!

Rating: 4.5.5!!

The Couple gave me major 'Black Mirror' vibes. It is based in an alternative world where being single is the a societal norm compared to being in a relationship. However, I thought this plot sent out a very important message: that the relationship you have within yourself is much more important than the relationship you have with others.

The two main characters, Millie and Ben were extremely likeable. I related a hell of a lot to Millie. She liked routine and she hated change. What a mood. Ben on the other hand was the polar opposite. Change excited him, he loved to travel and most of all, he wanted to be in a couple. I absolutely loved the scenes of Ben and Millie. Watching Millie grow as a person and seeing their fondness of one another blossom was just everything AND the added humour was spot on.

The plot was nothing like I had ever read before and I think that was why I adored this book so much. It was original, it was gripping and it was fun. I really did adore this book and I cannot wait to read some more of Helly Acton's work very soon!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for a proof of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a rom-com that turns society on its head. Being in a couple is completely frowned upon and instead the norm is to stay single forever and use an app called Slide to meet for no-strings sex. Millie has always completely believed in the single life but when she has to promote a pill that can stop you from feeling romantic love ever in your life at the same time she meets Ben who she is strangely drawn to she has her doubts.

I love all the little details the Helly has added into the novel, changing song titles, tax schemes, Valentine's day (to St Bridget's Day) and even food deals available. All to reflect the pariah status couples suffer.

Overall it makes the standard women's lit formula even more likeable. Great book.

Told in a kind of alternative universe where falling in love and being in a couple is frowned upon, Millie is a high flyer, on track to become chief creative officer at Slide, an online app that encourages single people to meet for dates and sex. She has a great group of friends, a controlling mother who wants her to succeed at work and is good at her job.

Society is set up for single people – children are born using sperm donors and raised in single parent households, convenience meals are for one, tax and rent are cheaper for singletons and anyone in a couple is considered to be some sort of freak. Ruth her manager at work and good friend, is in a new romantic relationship with another woman called Sam and Millie can’t quite get her head around how anyone would fall in love and why anyone would want to be in a couple, seeing only the negatives.

Millie along with new creative Ben, is tasked with creating a marketing campaign for a new drug, Oxytoxin created by the scientists at Slide. Just two tablets of Oxytoxin, stops the glands from releasing the blend of hormones that create the sensation of falling in love. The way the company sees it, Oxytoxin protects you from having your heart broken by preventing you falling in love in the first place. And if you already have a broken heart, it mends it. As part of their research, Ben and Millie speak to prospective users of Oxytoxin who say why they think it would be good for them. And as they spend more time together, Millie starts to question what she has always thought about single life.

I found the premise of The Couple quite thought provoking. My instinct on reading the blurb was that a tablet to stop someone falling in love is a terrible idea – I can’t imagine not being able to fall in love and spend my life in a couple with my partner. But the book makes several convincing arguments why single life is perhaps better – less distractions, not having to take anyone else into consideration, avoiding the heartbreak that can come with being in love. While taking tablets is a pretty extreme way to stop it happening maybe there is something in it?

I read and enjoyed The Shelf last year so was really keen to read The Couple. Not too heavy, but written well addressing lots of issues, The Couple is a fun and enjoyable read that I very much enjoyed.

I did enjoy this one but not as much as her first book. The writing was good and I did laugh out loud in some parts but I found the concept of being in a relationship to be frowned upon really hard to get my head round. Likable Characters and a refreshing plot worth a read.

Helly Acton likes to use stereotypes to her own advantage. With "The Shelf" it was the nation’s (the world’s?) obsession with the reality shows/finding love on TV shows - showing us, the readers, what a ridiculous concept that is, really. And how the right decision would be just, perhaps... to stay single.

In "The Couple" she examines the nation’s (the world’s?) obsession with the singles - one should always be one part of the couple, otherwise one just cannot be happy. Relationships rock, right? Acton turns this "truth" upside down - what if being in a couple would be strange and frowned upon, what if being single would be universally accepted and a desired relationship status? Excellent idea, alas, poorly executed. The cliches were cringe-worthy, the characters - stiff, the main male character, actually, the only real male character, Ben, - was incredibly annoying from the moment he appeared on the pages. Stop with all the jokes! Start telling [the story], not joking around...

I didn’t believe friendship between the female characters, I didn’t find the "forbidden" love story cute or convincing. I found the whole story poorly executed. Excellent idea, really great, but the execution of plot, the development, the never-ending jokes, the reverted cliches - I found myself constantly rolling my eyes. It was so hard to finish "The Couple" - it took me a long time.

And you know what, I don't even remember how it ends... I guess with "the couple".