The Cactus will be compared to Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine…there is terrible poignancy

Legal battles, lapses of logic and the joys and fears of motherhood are explored in this astute, funny and moving novel of a woman learning how to let go

Quirky, poignant and extremely readable

A brilliantly comic novel about the flawed, controlling and utterly endearing Susan, who, while engaging in a family feud with her feckless brother, embarks unwittingly on a journey of personal enlightenment

‘Funny, compelling, well-written…for fans of Marian Keyes who demand a bit of grit in their comic writing’

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine will love The Cactus … wonderfully funny and astute

This book is charming and easy to read, the perfect tonic to this absurdly grey February

Read it if you loved Eleanor Oliphant

An ideal read for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

The trend for “up lit” continues to make its mark, in titles including Sarah Haywood’s debut The Cactus (rigid, lonely-but-doesn’t-realise woman in her 40s falls pregnant and is forced to make connections; great cover)

Hilarious and endearing … anchored by the splendid character of Susan

An original, engaging and totally believable character

Susan Green is an independent and endearingly prickly woman whose life is spiralling out of control. You’re gonna love her.

If, like me, you never stopped to think what a child born of The Rosie Project‘s Don Tillman and Bridget Jones might be like, there’s one way to find out. Read Sarah Haywood’s The Cactus. Meet Susan Green. She doesn’t understand how funny she is, which is delicious.

Equal parts intelligent, funny and devastating, Haywood breathes life into an unlikely heroine in a bold, emotionally-charged debut.

Glorious…it twists and turns through human nature wonderfully. Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Rosie Project … a book you just want to read at any opportunity.

Heartfelt and funny, this big-hearted debut will delight fans of The Rosie Project.

A joyful, funny and very insightful story. Incredibly well written and wonderfully imagined. Effortlessly entertaining with captivating observatoins.

There’s been a trend for ‘difficult’ female protagonists … but set-in-her-ways Susan is difficult in her own unique way

A heartfelt and charming story of one woman’s transition from a solitary, orderly existence to a messy life full of love.

I adored this book. LOVE LOVE LOVED it.

A warm, witty portrait of a woman finally creating the family she deserves

A very readable, often funny tale of how sometimes we think we have life under control, but really, that’s just impossible; it’s better to just go with the flow and actually enjoy ourselves along the way. A very useful life lesson.

A very compelling and enjoyable read

Funny, touching and so beautifully written, with a twist that knocks you off your feet

Best cover. Kick-ass feminist, quirky story within. The definition of win-win.

Susan is a fantastic character, who you end up loving deeply by the end

I fell in love with the warm, feminist heart of this novel

Warm, uplifting, funny and bittersweet

Gloriously funny and poignant, The Cactus introduces us to Susan Green, a 45-year-old woman who’s seemingly in-control life begins to unravel in a very messy and, er, prickly way. You will love her.

Insightful, funny and incredibly entertaining. Haywood has created a character who is both irritating and intriguing in equal measure and I bloody loved her!

Wise, witty and introspective The Cactus is a terrific debut that cannot fail to move you … candid and warm

An immense pleasure . . . I loved this novel very much

Refreshingly different and often unpredictable, yet providing enough hope to keep the reader turning pages

Haywood’s novel is humorous and reveals the vulnerability of someone who believes she’s above all that. It poses the question: do we ever really have control over anything in our lives?

Sarah Haywood’s charming, funny, poignant debut, The Cactus, is that rare gem, a story of womanhood and motherhood that is never reductive and seldom predictable

A brilliant read

If you liked Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, then you’ll love The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. Quirky, funny, compelling, you can’t help but love, and cheer for, the main character Susan

A witty tale of a unique and unforgettable woman who is learning to love and be loved. It is a quirky, warm and entertaining read which certainly packs an emotional punch.

Brilliantly acerbic . . . told with the wit and intelligence of a modern Jane Austen

One of the best books I’ve ever read, purely for the main character Susan – one of the best, most likeable, quirky, funny characters in any book I’ve ever read. I couldn’t have been sadder for this book to end. I don’t want to give anything away but if you’re going through any change in your life, not really sure what you’re doing or feel a bit lost, this is the book for you.

I think everyone recognises a little bit of themselves in Susan