I thought the book was well written and I liked the story but do wonder if the market is being swamped with books on these lines and not sure this is the best of them.

An extraordinary debut - witty, well written and totally engaging.

The Cactus is a metaphor for the main protagonist, Susan, who could easily be compared to the main character in Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Susan finds herself pregnant at 45 and the book follows her trials and tribulations and her attempting to get her share of the inheritance her mother left her and her arch nemesis; her brother Edward.

Initially Susan comes across as an abrupt, borderline rude, defensive and snappy character. But give her a chance and you will warm to her quirky personality. There are many flashbacks to her early life and upbringing and how she is now, it's clear she's somewhere on the autism spectrum - although very high functioning.

I have to say I loved this book and it had me laughing out loud in parts. It sparkled from beginning to end as we go on a journey of discovery with Susan. It's very character driven, with the plot centred around Susan's pregnancy and her legal fight contesting her recently passed Mothers will. The side characters are well written and believable; her brother Edward, his friend Rob, Kate from the upstairs flat, her Aunty and cousins, her friend Brigid from university, although some are more likeable than others.

It's a great story that took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughter, sadness, anger, frustration and sympathy and gave me many insightful moments as well as a few chuckles. Susan has a few issues and problems, but her story is well written and witty and it's nice to see how things start changing her (being very careful what I say here). The book will tug on your heart strings as it does deal with some pretty meaty topics. Funny and poignant the narrative flows along easily and before you realise it you'll be halfway through.

With huge thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press / Two Roads for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. For fans of Eleanor Oliphant, I would definitely recommend it.

The story line centres around Susan, who is dealing with her mother's death, her wayward brother and becoming pregnant in her forties.

I loved the dry humour of Susan, I could understand her logical approach to life. In my eyes, she was a cactus. She puts up an exterior so no one can hurt her, she can get on well without any outside help...but take the time to nurture her and she will bloom.

All of the storylines were feasible and relatable. I did enjoy the love story and I liked the decisiveness of it, strangely in line with Susan's character. I did see one part of the plot twist coming (but it was subtly weaved in!) but I definitely didn't expect plot twist two!

If you're looking for a meaningful but easy going read, I'd definitely recommend this!

Thank you to @netgalley for the chance to review.

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By the end I did enjoy the book, it just seemed to take a long time to get to the later stages of the book where it finally stopped being boring and quite enjoyable to really start enjoying it properly.

Susan has her life all set up! A job that suits her logical, analytical style. Her own home, bought by her and lived in by her alone. A friends with benefits arrangement. Oh, and minimal and well managed contact with her family. She is sometimes viewed as cold, distant, prickly or difficult to know but she’s not bothered by that, in fact she rather likes it. But then her mum dies. And Susan’s world is flipped upside down and she goes into a flat spin.....this book is warm, engaging, funny, a little dark at times and thoroughly engaging. Read it!

This book in the definition of English humor. It should even come with a warning: Don't read it on a rainy morning!

I loved every chapter. But the character can get to be a bit too bitter at times. She's a new kind of lol.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

I admit after first few chapters I found myself slightly bored with this rather old fashioned 45 year old woman. But after persevering a little longer I grew to quite like her and her predicament of being pregnant with no real friends or partner, she seems as prickly as her cacti
When she starts to open up to Kate and then Rob about her life it becomes clearer why she is the way she is and like a cacti she actually starts to bloom, resulting in an ending I could never have guessed.

I loved this book - maybe because I can identify with her and I love the way Susan breaks free at the end.
Initially I was told if you like - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine you will enjoy this. I can totally see why and agree whole heartedly.

This book is funny and a joy to read and I would love to know if there will be a sequel.

I fell a little bit in love with Susan, despite finding her hard to understand initially. As frustrating as her behaviour can be at times, she has good intentions, and I enjoyed reading about her growing relationships with those around her as she learns to let other people in. A lovely story.

What an enjoyable and quirky novel that should be a must on anyone's reading list. Susan, aged 45 is totally in control of her world keeping the cactus of the title firmly lined on her desk to ward off her colleagues. Her life is ordered to the last degree with her Mother and feckless brother Edward in London, her job allowing her avoid personal interaction with others and even her controlled love life a series of appointments with Richard, a like-minded person, then her Mother dies and she is pregnant and this begins to unravel her life and mean that she also has to interact with her brother's pal Rob who is staying at her late Mother's home as well as a neighbour Kate who she has never bothered with before. It is a beautifully written novel about life and what can happen to order when things change.

Wonderful. Susan is a prickly as her cactii,- trying to come to terms with pregnancy in her 40's, her mother's recent death and her obnoxious brother's wind-ups .Keeps the readers interest throughout and has an unexpected outcome. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I initially found this book hard to get into and found it difficult to connect with the main character Susan - who was 'as prickly as a cactus'. However as I read on more and more depth was added and the reader was able to find out why she acted in the way she did. Several themes are running at the same time focusing on her current situation where she is pregnant and initially wants to bring up the child independently. Her mother dies and she does not get on with her brother who is now staying in her mother's house. She has difficulty getting on with her extended family but all's well that ends well - just how I like it!

I enjoyed this very much, the writing style took a little time to get used to, but it was worth persevering!
The book is about Susan, a 45 year old single woman living in London, her mum passes away and a battle ensues between Susan and her brother Edward over their mums will. During the story, Susan reveals that she is pregnant, and finds out some long hidden truths about her family.
I have one little annoyance - Susan’s mother is referred to as Mom throughout, as the book is based in London and Birmingham, this didn’t feel right to me as I associate this with American authors. Maybe it’s just me!
My favourite character was Rob, a true gent and someone you would want to have around at a difficult time in your life.
My thanks to John Murray Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Susan Green, the rather unlikable protagonist in 'The Cactus' is losing control - or, perhaps, life is just becoming more complicated than it already was. She is flawed in more ways than one but, overall, unfortunately, she is not very nice. It was hard to cheer her on and generally hope for the best, not to mention feel any empathy toward her, as the story progressed. Well written with some amusing elements and some sad but rather predictable with an equally predictable result.

Let’s address the Oliphant in the room.

The Cactus has garnered a lot of comparisons to 2017’s breakout novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: both are stories told from the perspective of a rigid, awkward woman who has her views and values flipped upside down. But while Eleanor Oliphant is an endearing character, Susan in The Cactus is, well... prickly. It takes a lot more time to warm up to her.

It’s unfortunate that these two books are so similar because it’s impossible to read one without thinking of the other. But this was still an interesting read about a flawed character who the reader goes on a journey with.

(Thanks to the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

At 45 Susan has her life just the way she wants it. She has a job and flat in London, away from her family, which quite her independent nature.
I really enjoyed this book. In the first few chapters I was unsure what to make of things. Susan is obviously socially awkward, but still manages to handle normal social interaction relatively well. As the book progressed I grew to love her, despite her fierce independence and refusal to accept help or support.

I found Edward infuriating, and could see why Susan didn't get on with him. I would find him equally annoying and unlikable. As we learn more about their childhood it becomes clear that the resentment is deep seated and has been steadily building over many years.

I did find the story a bit predictable in places, which is one of the reasons I haven't gone 5*. I understand that the story isn't the sort of story that lends itself to major twists, and is more about the journey, but I still felt it was a bit too obvious how everything would turn out.

I did feel that Haywood did a good job of describing Susan's thoughts and feelings, and explaining how her view of people changed as she learnt more about them. I particularly liked the friendship she developed with Kate, her neighbour.

Overall I found the book to be very enjoyable and well written. It was easy to read, and Susan was an endearing protagonist despite her awkwardness. I'm giving a 4* rating, and will be looking out for more books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray press for a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this tale of a mid-forties, set-in-her-ways woman finds herself pregnant and having to deal with complex family drama.

Susan Green is reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant and this will appeal to readers who enjoyed that story too.

I warmed to Susan, the product of a troubled childhood, who seeks solace in routine and things being ‘just so.’

She is independent - fiercely so - and do, although I loved the book, I am almost disappointed in its typical fairy tale ending of girl ends up with boy.

This took me a bit to get into - there seems to be a wave of ‘quirky characters’ at the moment, and whilst I have enjoyed most of it I also got a bit fatigued with the concept.
The Cactus is great, however - the main character does not profess to suffer from any complicated mental conditions. She’s just prickly, fairly unlikeable to start with, and then grows on you as she’s given the chance to develop within the story, but also stay true to herself and her reasons for being who and how she is.
Well written, well thought out, great supporting cast of characters - Im so glad I stuck with it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a feel good factor and it is very amusing. Susan, the main character, is a sensible 45 year old with a law degree, a steady job and her own flat in London . She lives a very ordered and organised life, She is happy with her lot until her mother dies at almost the same time that she discovers she is pregnant. She decides to contest her mother's will, which creates a chain of events that change her life. While a lot of what happens is predictable it is still very enjoyable, a fun read and definitely leaves you smiling! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Two Roads for an ARC.

This book was an amusing read, sometime I chuckled to myself, and other times I had a small cringe. We all know a Susan, and the dysfunctional family is a common occurrence these days - some of the revelations were obvious, which I think was intentional to make you realize things as Susan did, as others were a little shock.
I loved this book though, its an easy read with some topical sections thats a must for anyone wanting to escape into the real world of feminism and being single in your forties.