45-year old Susan Green thrives on her well-organised lifestyle and her spiky (hence ‘the cactus’) demeanour.
But her unexpected pregnancy is about to turn her world upside down.
I’ve seen this novel consisted to ‘Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine’ and they are similar.
I think that Susan is a less believable character and - for the first half of the book - wasn’t completely drawn in.
But I did find myself growing to like Susan and indeed this novel, and finding the second half much more of a page-turner.
Less dark than Eleanor Oliphant and more of a traditional boy-meets-girl, I would recommend it as a satisfying read that grows on you.
I am pleased to give my honest view, having been a free copy of the book by NetGalley.

I really loved it.
It definitely has a ‘Eleanor Oliphant’ feel to it, in the sense that the story is very much about the protagonist’s journey and how the story weaves around them, rather than a huge climax or fantasy.
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I thought the character development and scene setting were great. I really got a sense that Haywood knew these places and each setting of the scene was personal and well done.
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I felt like the different truths about Susan were revealed in such a natural way that told you about her past and why she is the way she is without feeling like a bombardment of information and an attempt to over dramatise the story.
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Overall I’d give this book a 4/5 and I’d recommend it to anyone that wants a really good and lovely story.

I should start by saying that my review is, perhaps, coloured by the fact that I could really relate to Susan, the main character in this book. Her situation, less so, but I did have an immediate connection. I'm not sure whether that made me like the book a little more than perhaps might otherwise have been the case?

Susan Green is independent and has to be in control. She doesn't need or rely on anyone. But, as those of us with a similar disposition know, there are some occasions when that just cannot be and we need others. Oddly, I did not click onto the obvious metaphor of a cactus until I was almost at the end of the book - perhaps I was a little too self-absorbed?!

Susan's characterisation, which forms the bulk of this fist person tale, is brought to life not only by the written word but also how it is presented. Short, acerbic, clipped sentences, yet, at the same time, with a warmth and vulnerability that makes her likeable.

An enjoyable, if a little long, read, appealing to those who like character studies

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

This is a delicious book in the vein of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (I mean, it's really VERY similar in terms of first person narration even if the story is different. On the plus side, it's far less traumatic.).

We see the world through the eyes of Susan Green, eyes that see the world differently. She doesn't have time for any of that human emotion nonsense and wants to make sure that she's in control of her own life.
Susan is a beautifully written character, something of an unreliable narrator as she doesn't admit many things, even to herself. I particularly loved how little she cares of what other people think of her, as long as the things she does care about are taken care of, she's happy.

This book is full of feminist under(and over-)tones; Susan is independent, unconventional in her approach to pretty much everything, incredibly belligerent and difficult to get to know. None of this changes for her to get her happy ending, she just finds the right people to spend her time with that appreciate her for who she is.

The story is very heartfelt, she has to deal with the loss of her mother while dealing with her family members - she doesn't really fit in with them and struggles to find any common ground.

Overall, I found this book really funny and uplifting. It's also going into the very sparse pile of 'books I will read again', I feel like there's something else to be enjoyed in that book every time you read it.

Susan is a self-possessed person, she has had to be. Growing up with a dysfunctional family, her father died of alcoholism and her mother doted on her younger brother, Susan left home and now, at the age of forty-five, finds herself in a dead-end civil service job and pregnant. Susan has controlled her life to protect her self from the outside world and emotional ties but when her mother dies she realises that maybe something has to change.
I found this book strangely endearing despite myself. Susan is a complex character and, whilst sone plot turns defy logic, the reader is longing for her to find love and contentment. The story is bouncily written and the final 'twist' is flagged up and really obvious but no less welcome for that. One step up from chick lit, this is an undemanding but enjoyable read.

‘The Cactus’ is a lightly amusing, readable novel about an unmarried, socially awkward, 40 something woman coming to life for the first time. There’s nothing wrong it, but it suffers from the fact that it came out around the same time as the excellent ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’, which tackles a similar subject matter with more success.
Whilst Eleanor raises against the world a bit, Susan (the heroine of ‘The Cactus’) just kind of muddles through and there’s a lack of any dramatic tension as a result.
It’s not a bad book, it’s just a little too gentle and uneventful.

I must be one of the few people reviewing this book who have not read Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine (I have a copy and will read) consequently I have no comparison. I found this a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read. I liked Susan, the main character, I found her very interesting. I found the book thought provoking, funny and sometimes sad. I thought that the characters were very well drawn. The story is a mite predictable, but in some ways this is part of the pleasure. The analogy with a cactus is well done, frequently prickly, yes they will thrive in most conditions, particularly with neglect but to flower they need care and attention.

Susan Green is independent and in control, and doesn’t need anyone in her life. Until, suddenly, it turns out that she does. The metaphor of a cactus is the perfect metaphor for heroine of Sarah Haywood’s book The Cactus – self reliant and able to thrive in any conditions. But sometimes what we think is perfect isn’t at all, and life’s curveballs end up bringing about situations that might upset things for a bit, but end up working out alright in the end.

Following her mother’s death, Susan’s life is transformed, through legal battles, relationships, and a surprise pregnancy. She’s forced to confront the way she lives her life as changes happen to her – despite her assertion that one should never be victim to circumstances.

To reflect Susan’s direct approach the prose is acerbic and the sentences short, which can get a bit grating, but works as a way to inhabit her interior world. is described as being this year’s Eleanor Oliphant (the most overused marketing phrase in the publishing world) but she’s a fully formed character in her own right – and a prickly one at that. Yet she’s easy to warm to, and makes The Cactus an enjoyable and easy read.

I feel as though this book was trying to be another Eleanor Oliphant, with it's quirky protagonist. But it just doesn't work as well. You don't have such an emotional connection with her and to be honest I found her quite annoying most of the time. It also annoyed me how it's set in the UK yet has the American spelling of "mom".

Yes, the main character is a lot like Eleanor Oliphant. Yes, the plot is a little predictable, but YES the story is a great feel-good unputdownable adventure. A real page-turner.

I loved this book. It was funny and insightful at the same time. A beautifully written book. A must read!

Hard to believe this is a debut novel. Really enjoyed reading it. I noted that some readers say it is rather like Elinor Oliphant but I haven't read that so obviously can't say. A quick, satisfying read.

This has some of the Eleanor Oliphant about it in that it appears to be a humdrum, everyday account of a dull life. But from early on the characters engage and intrigue in a pervasive and totally enjoyable way. The dilemmas encountered by our heroine are both everyday and extraordinary by virtue of her attitude toward them. And even when we think we know what will happen next the story turns, not much but enough to alter the course of the narrative in a most satisfying way. One of the most compelling modern dramas I have read and one that is wonderfully sparely written.

Ooh, the prickly cactus can be soft. Fantastic first book with brilliant characters who evolved beautifully. More please.

I love a dysfunctional heroine, so this is definitely a book that I would love. Well written and very entertaining. Nothing like I've read before, although similar to Elinor Oliphant is completely fine (another dysfunctional heroine). And yet I was somewhat deflated by the ending, which was predictable and boring, and I thought, out of synch with the rest of the book. Still worth a read, though.

I wasn't too sure about this book at the start, I found it very difficult to get 'involved' in Susan's story. I didn't like her, I didn't believe that any woman could behave or think like she does. I put the book down for several nights and it took me a while to decide to give it another go. But as the story continued Susan developed into a softer human being. As the plot twists started to unwind, it got a lot more interesting and believable and I ended up enjoying the book. I am glad that I decided to pick up the book again and give it a second chance

It took some time to 'get into' this book! I wasn't sure that I wanted to continue reading it and several times nearly put it down. Yet something kept me interested. A very quirky book. The characters develop very well and the ending is rather unexpected!
If you pick up this book be prepared that you may find it slow to start but it is worthwhile sticking with it.
Sarah Haywood surely must have known a person (or perhaps it is a composite of persons) to be able to write such a rounded character as Susan. Each thing that she says , or does, seems to be so true to type. It certainly is very interesting to see how she develops. Watch out for the ending!

At first, I wasn't too sure about 'The Cactus'. Here we had the very bitter and prickly Susan who was not like the bright, chatty characters that I had so often met in other books. I didn't like her so much, maybe because she reminded me of the introvert inside of me. But thanks to the character development, seeing Susan soften up and rely on the support she has towards the end was what made it a book worth reading. Also it made me sympathise with Susan and explained why her personality was essentially... like a cactus. It took a while for 'The Cactus' to pick up. I was about half way through and just thought to myself "How is this not the end already?!" But as the drama and plot twists start to unravel, it definitely got a whole lot more interesting.

Overall, this book was a delight to read. At the heart of 'The Cactus', it's about family and meeting a character like Susan was actually quite refreshing.

I loved this book. Slightly predictable, but a new type of female voice and actually laugh out loud funny - a statement which I usually find untrue, but I certainly let out a few chuckles reading this. Yes, it’s jumping on the bandwagon of a “Sheldonesque” narrator, but it’s very well done and tied into a lovely, genuine story.

Highly recommended.

What a brilliant debut novel. Susan Green is a fabulous character with plenty of wit and sarcasm. I couldn't put this down - loved it!