Sylvia has been in waiting for some time. Waiting for Prof to notice her, waiting for something to happen, waiting for her life to begin. She takes small pleasures at his touch, his attentions, but when his new and attractive PhD student arrives, Sylvia realises she will have to take matters into her own hands if she is going to keep Prof safe. Not to mention that she has a few secrets of her own, that are eating her up inside ...

Needlemouse is the perfect title for this story and the character of Sylvia (not to mention being a super-cute translation of 'hedgehog' from Japanese). The whole 'hedgehog personality' became a bit laboured in places - the title is there, you don't need to refer to her as prickly again! - but it still worked well overall. I thought the regular volunteering at a hedgehog sanctuary might also quickly become tiresome, but O'Connor managed to ensure that this wasn't the focus of the whole novel.

Overall, this was a light and easy read - with some really cringey and uncomfortable moments. Thankfully, these continue to help the main character grow and, also thankfully, Sylvia's voice gradually develops across the story. Her own voice may put some readers off to start with, but it does change and grow. She is initially vindictive, silly and uncomfortably anxious, but learns to find her own self.

Without spoiling it, I'm also satisfied with the ending - I was worried it might go one way (and meet the stereotype for this kind of novel) but I was pleasantly surprised instead.

This is an enjoyable book that I read very quickly. Sylvia was bizarre and so insecure initially, all prickly and really not so nice a person. It was interesting to see her character almost wake up and develop into the end result.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This is a book of two halves, as the blurb suggests.  The dreadful secret of Sylvia's love-obsession with 'Prof', takes most of the first half.  For any introverts around, it can be uncomfortable reading.  Here's someone they might recognise, keeping all her secrets to herself, and agonising over the behaviour of her more extrovert companions.  I recognised several people, both friends and myself.

It is a testament to Jane O'Connor's writing that Sylvia and her friends are so aptly captured on paper.  The writing flows well, and the plot descends into a quagmire of Sylvia's making with an inevitability born of human failings.

But then.... she wakes up, as the blurb says.  Part of the awakening is brought upon herself, and part is imposed upon her.  After that, she reassesses her life and we find out all about Sylvia's past.

This is where I felt betrayed.  The author has chosen to make Sylvia a product of severe trauma, making out that her introversion is caused by her troubled past, her family and her relationships.  If readers believe Ms O'Connor, every introvert will now be poked and prodded by his or her extravert friends to find what horrors lurk in their past to make them turn out this way.

I take violent exception to this. Just let introverts alone, let them be themselves. You might as well write a novel about a person of colour turning out not to be of colour after all. They just fell in a vat of something when they were a baby.  Seriously. This is the best comparison I can make with what Ms O'Connor is alleging.

It may be a cause of Sylvia's behaviour, but don't paint her like thousands of other people, people we know well in our day to day lives, and then say it was the events of their past that made her that way, and that eventually she'll find happiness.

In fact, the hedgehog sanctuary, and many other animal sanctuaries are also sanctuaries for us. Traumatised or natural-born introverts.

It may be quirky and charming, but it's also irritating, uncomfortable and patronises the perfectly reasonable trait of introversion. Extroverts will love it. Hedgehogs should play a much larger part in it, to my mind.

Poor old Sylvia, dedicating her life to one man, her boss, who she dreams will one day love her. The reader longs for this to happen & is carried along her journey hoping for a happy ending for Sylvia. I thoroughly enjoyed following Sylvia's journey with her

I love hedgehogs and that is what initially attracted me to this book. I usually struggle to maintain an interest in a story if I can't warm to the main character but Sylvias behaviour was just so bizarre that I had to keep reading to find out what on earth she would do next! Bless her!

Very enjoyable - 4 stars

Needlemouse is an unusual novel absorbing and carefully structured. Its anti-heroine, Sylvia, must come to terms with both obsession and a life that often feels empty to her. Her journey is surprisingly gripping. Sylvia is fixated about the professor who's PA she is. It is destructive and hopeless because she misreads his flirtations for true love and is forever waiting for him to declare himself. Her obsession leads to disaster. She comes to terms with what is 'all possessive' later in the novel. Along the way we are given snapshots of Sylvia's past and gradually we begin to understand her. She was always overshadowed by her sister, Millie, whom she adores though she does make one terrible mistake that is totally destructive to this relationship. When this mistake is revealed it's a turning point for Sylvia and she begins to put her life into perspective. She loses everything dear to her but gains self realisation. I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery of characters thrown up in this book. I liked Millie better than Kamal for whom I have little sympathy. I enjoyed the office staff and loved Crystal the petulant teenager who has a heart of gold. I was entertained by Martha , the professor's arty wife and by his somewhat outrageous and strident student, and ,for a time, his muse. All these characters are vivid and engaging. Most of all I liked Jonas whose hedgehog sanctuary is a wonderful retreat , an anchor and Sylvia's safe place where she truly finds herself. The hedgehog sanctuary snapshots are a beautiful inclusion. This is a novel about relationships and one to be savoured. It is a very complete story and it's highs and lows are subtly executed. There is writing at its best in this book and I highly reccomend Needlemouse to any reader who enjoys domestic tensions and believable, ultimately loveable characters.

I started off really disliking the main character in this book, Sylvia. She was a middle aged spinster who was secretly in love with her boss (Prof). She was very spiteful and disillusioned and would do anything to protect him in the hope that her feelings were reciprocated. As the story unfolded, it very cleverly unravelled and other characters in the book were pivotal in helping Syliva change her perspective on life, when she felt she had lost everything. Definitely recommend this book.

My thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was okay but annoying. The major concept is that of a socially awkward character with an uncomfortable adoration of someone utterly oblivious and undeserving of them. It felt like a very human book because what's most interesting about Sylvia's character is that she encompasses quite a lot of character traits which a host of people can probably relate to on some level, and she's a really great example of all of them. Jane O'Connor somehow manages to convincingly capture the avoiding, awkward, dismissive and slightly frosty nature of a reclusive personality and the jealous and bitter nature of someone with an unhealthy outlook on love.

The majority of the story has us following Sylvia through her life, which frankly couldn't be more monotonous if it tried as she works as an assistant to a University professor she adores and does very little else. As you can imagine, he couldn't care less about her although he does manage to buy her lunch or expensive gifts from time to time so as to lead her on and toy with her emotions. I couldn't stand either character, and I'm still unsure if that was actually the point of the whole thing!

Sylvia is without question one of the most irritating women I've read about. She constantly complains about people, particularly other women, has this insane need to validate herself by belittling any relationships anyone has and she is insufferable in her devotion to the professor. It isn't even that she speaks about him often, or that she is blinkered to his poor behaviour towards her which she frequently excuses (although those things are admittedly annoying enough in themselves), but rather it is that she is supposed to be a 52 year old woman and she behaves like an immature little girl conniving against other girls in the playground for being supposedly prettier than her! It's ridiculous.

Whilst I can appreciate that the author has tried to create an honest and quite funny representation of a number of typical and familiar scenarios and behaviours, I just can't bear to read about them if they're incessantly moaning and being petulant. At first I felt quite sorry for Sylvia, finding some connection with her in her blind and unrequited adoration, but even her eventual realisation of the fact she deserved better from her life wasn't enough to forgive her awful personality.

There seem to be an influx of books lately with slightly off-the-wall lead characters, from lonely Eleanor Oliphant to The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder's lead Jasper, who is on the autistic spectrum. It's a much-needed departure from the run-of-the-mill, everyday characters we're usually served up.

In Needlemouse, this character is the wonderfully spikey middle-aged Sylvia. Serving as the PA to a man she's deeply in love with, Sylvia is fiercely protective of his time. Dreaming of a happy ever with him, she's happy to wait it out while he leaves his wife for her. However, as the book progresses, it becomes clear this is an reciprocated love affair. It would easy to images feeling little sympathy for Sylvia, as she's presented as a tough cookie, often bordering on unpleasant. However, she's a complex creature and as her character unfolds throughout the novel you find yourself relating to her more and more.

It's a beautiful blend of Ruth Hogan's sentimental writing with Gail Honeyman's touch of eccentricity in character development and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I chose this book as the protagonist helped to look after hedgehogs. I rather disliked her, though. She wasn't a nice character, even if she did like hedgehogs.

I really liked this, especially the references to hedgehogs throughout.

It was well written and almost comforting in a way - great characters that I really bought in to.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance chance to read this pre-publication date. An ideal summer holiday read....I enjoyed it.

Sylvia Penton is a loner - she lives alone, dedicated to her job, she immerses herself at weekends in her work at a hedgehog sanctuary - much like her hedgehogs she hibernates in her own world. Her secret, however, is her love for Professor Lomax - her employer and a married man - a love that is, perhaps, an infatuation. People, in fact, think Sylvia to be much nicer than she is. This is an enjoyable, rather compulsive read. It's difficult to really like the protagonist. Somehow, however, you may end up hoping for the very best for her nonetheless. There is little doubt that Sylvia is lonely and your eqmpathy may grow. Engaging, refreshing and an altogether different read which is difficult to put down. Recommended.

When I first started this book I thought it was going to be too slow and I would have to give up on it, how wrong I was. Once I got to know the characters I really empathized with them. We have all loved someone who hasn't reciprocated our feelings. We have all done crazy things in the name of love- although travelling to Italy to spy is a bit extreme. As someone who is estranged from my sister I could relate to the main character and her loneliness. All the way through I was wondering why the book was called Needlemouse but this was answered before the end. A lovely book to while away a few evenings with.

This book is charming! Sylvia is a hilariously flawed character that any reader is likely to come to love quicker than they could anticipate. If you like The Rosie Project or Eleanor Oliphant you'll love this!

I really enjoyed this novel, although I had some initial reservations about the main character Sylvia. She is a middle aged single woman who has been secretly in love with her employer, the ‘Prof’ for years.

Sylvia is a person who has built many prickly barriers up around her and lives a lonely life. She volunteers at a local hedgehog sanctuary and learns that the ‘Prof’ is really not all he seems and is not the one for her.

By the end of the book, I was really rooting for Sylvia as I discovered the reasons why she acted the way she did. The ending was really heartwarming and Sylvia learned to love herself and break down those prickly barriers.

I raced through this book, from the first page I was hooked.
Now I tell everyone about it, that’s how much I truly enjoyed it!
Roll on pub date 27th June. A delightful heart-warming read that I highly recommend.

The title of this book does not do justice to the story that is told..
At first I didn’t like the Sylvia, the main protagonist, but as her story is revealed and her carefully, created world unravels my sympathy for her grew.
It is disappointing that the ending is predictable but hey –most people like an ending with no loose ends.

52 year old Sylvia has led a relatively quiet life, never married and has no children. She helps out at a Hedgehog sanctuary run by Jonas an elderly retired teacher from his back garden. He carries on with the help of Sylvia but most other volunteers tend to come and go and Jonas pays most of the vets bills himself as donations are limited apart from the odd bequest. Even Sylvia isn’t that dedicated to the rescue of Hedgehogs and does it more to fill her spare time and for the companionship she shares with Jonas, now a widower.

At the beginning of the book Sylvia comes across as a very brusque and off-hand kind of a person, someone who is fond of her own company and likes to keep herself to herself. However as the book moves on, more of Sylvia’s past is slowly revealed and the reader begins to realise that much of Sylvia’s aloofness stems from a desire to protect herself from hurt.

She works as a Personal Assistant to Professor Carl Lomax or ‘Prof’ as Sylvia fondly refers to him. She’s worked at the University for 15 years and has spent most of that time living in hope that one day Prof might leave his wife, notice Sylvia and dreams of living a happily ever after romance with the man she has idolised and looked after for so long. However unrequited love can be a lonely and often frustrating path but Sylvia hangs on and looks forward to her monthly lunch out with the professor and the one day a year when he takes her out for her birthday. When the new PhD student Lola, thirty something single mum turns up for her frequent meetings with the Professor, Sylvia feels threatened and sets out to both protect the Professor and her own love interest too, with less than favourable results.

This is a gentle and humorous story and yet quite moving in some parts. Sylvia leads quite a self imposed isolated life. She sees her sister regularly, kind of tolerates her teenage niece Crystal and has the company of Jonas at the Hedgehog sanctuary when she drops in to help out. But that is her life and her loneliness tends to seep through the pages at times as she wonders where her life has disappeared to.

The chapters are based loosely in a kind of dated journal format. With each passing season, there is a short passage that tells us a little tidbit of information on Hedgehogs. I liked this extra information that was included. I like the inferred analogy between a hedgehog and Sylvia, prickly on the outside but only to offer protection of their soft and vulnerable underbelly.

Just as Sylvia can be a force to be reckoned with and at times you wonder if she’s beginning to lose the plot, you can’t help but feel empathy for her and the situations she gets herself into. The other supporting characters in the book all added to the story but my favourite had to be Jonas for his kindness and his calm, philosophical outlook on life.

I really enjoyed this book, would definitely recommend it and hope there will be further books by this author.

Spinster's story of obsession, vindictiveness and atonement.

Eleanor Oliphant. The Cactus. Needlemouse. Three books on a theme I am very much enjoying lately. Sylvia is such a vivid creation - now middle-aged, she's spent her child-bearing years as personal assistant to a university professor, professionally an ideal aide, personally a women keeping herself looking impeccable for the man she adores.
"This i s my favourite part of the day, when we spend ten, or maybe even fifteen, minutes going through his diary..."

Having little life away from his office, she volunteers at a hedgehog shelter to have something philanthropic to give her more likeability.

Looking back on her faded youth, mistakes she's made, the time she's spent on her Professor, her jealousy and hackles are raised when a mature PhD student begins to spend more time with her Professor Lomax. As Sylvia determines to keep her beloved to herself, her dream of a fairy tale ending begins to tear.

We gradually see Sylvia's past, her relationship with her sister, the hedgehog work that she does to "make people think I'm a nicer person than I actually am", and despite the fact that she really shouldn't be likeable, her delusions and unfulfilled desires make her at least a little sympathetic.

I just adored following the path with Sylvia, from the inevitable lows and 'wake up' moments, to her moments of realisation and connection. What thirty/forty-something cannot identify with the feeling of ageing and being surpassed? "It was about a disturbing new feeling of being left behind and past my prime. A new younger generation of women seemed to be... rising up from the ranks of their career-driven mid-twenties..."

There are some truly heartfelt revelations and moments, some pain evident on Sylvia's part, beneath her prickles she is vulnerable. She does some really awful things, but likewise doesn't seem to realise that she is also capable of some compassionate and kind acts.

If you were an 'Eleanor' fan, this will most likely also be your cup of tea. I loved it, I loved Sylvia, I want to see a film version for a talented mature actress.

Obsession in love, being blind to reality - something all of us have surely at one time or another felt to some degree. The secrets of family, the need to connect with someone... all the most human of experiences.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.