I took a bit of time to get into this as the main character Susan is (intentionally) a bit prickly. I found she grew on me though, found her journey fascinating. I do wish the story had continued further down the line as I really would have liked to know how her relationships with over key characters progressed. I did enjoy how some of those relationships grew quietly while others stormed along, but it did make me wonder where things would be five or ten years in the future!

I really enjoyed this book. The story is narrated by Susan Green, who is clearly what is now described as 'being on the spectrum'! We soon discover that, at the age of 45, Susan is expecting her first baby, which she fully intends to bring up by herself. After all, it can't be that difficult for someone as well organised as her, can it?! Susan's mother has recently died, and has stipulated in her will that Susan's younger brother, Edward can stay in the family home for as long as he wants. When it is eventually sold, the proceeds will be split between the two of them. Apart from needing her inheritance ready for the arrival of her baby, Susan can't stand her brother. She sets out to challenge the will, determined to prove that Edward coerced their mother in to favouring him. I really recommend this book as a great read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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The cactus is known for having a prickly, but often beautiful, exterior to keep it safe from harm and, with the right amount of nurture and attention, it flourishes. Our lead character, Susan Green, is a fan of cactuses, cultivating quite the collection, but the cactus is also the perfect metaphor for her unique character. She puts up barriers to protect herself from the world, is straight talking, highly logical, not a fan of other people ("If it wasn't for the fact that I have colleagues, office life would be bearable"), not a fan of emotions and defines herself as, "an autonomous and resourceful woman." She doesn't quite see the world the same way as everyone else: Feelings and bonds with other people are a weakness. She is capable of feelings, she just chooses to believe a majority of them don't affect her. A prime example is her friends-with-benefits relationship with Richard, which suits her fine, she gets to have dates and sex without the possibility of love taking control away from her perfectly planned life.

So yes, she is quite an individual character and this is very much a character led book, so your enjoyment of it will depend on how much you like Susan. BUT there is also enough of a plot line to keep things ticking over: When two major life events cause chaos in Susan's organised world, she is forced to delve into her past and stumbles across one or two family secrets. We are also given snapshots into her childhood, including her complex relationship with her brother, which helps adds depth to her personality. I have to say, I did find Susan difficult to warm to, however, her saving grace was her (not always on purpose) humour and her lovely character development that meant, by the end, you did start to see things Susan's way.

Like her attitude towards romantic love, Susan thinks friends are also a bit of a waste of time, but when her neighbour, Kate, essentially forces friendship on her, this gives Susan a more human touch (she can veer slightly on robotic side in places) and they have an interesting (and topical) discussion on what being a feminist means to them, weighing up Susan's more rigid view: "That's how a feminist is: iron-willed, Teflon-coated, in total control of every aspect of her life", against Kate's more modern approach to the subject:"What it boils down to is knowing that women are equal to men, and living that knowledge. It's about ensuring that equality is recognised in the home, in the workplace, in public life." Susan and Kate are both strong female characters, and I liked how these very different women are used to explore the idea that there is no set way to be a feminist, giving this book another layer to enjoy.

So overall, yes, the plot twists were no surprise, and in places the story felt a little slow, but this was 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.

I loved the character of 'Susan' with her quirks and set ways and eventual softening. A well-written book with interesting characters and plot development.

At the age of 45 Susan has several life changing events to deal with, and in doing so she finds herself out of her comfort zone and discovering things about herself that change everything. Susan is as prickly a character as her beloved cacti, and whilst she is hard to like initially, as her defences begin to weaken, she became far more endearing.The book reminded me in some ways of Eleanor Oliphant, (which I adored), but lacks the emotional nuance of that book. This is far more lighthearted and it wasn't difficult to guess where the plot was going. That being said, this was a lovely book to read during the dark and miserable days of January.

Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Loved this book - the story of Susan. She is 45 and stuck in her ways. All changes when her mother dies and she is forced to spend time with her brother Ed and his friend Rob.
A quirky and enjoyable read

Susan Green is as prickly as her cactus collection, and lives her life in a very specific way: designed to rely on no one and be independent at all times. When her mother dies and the will is patently unfair, Susan's carefully organised existence starts to unravel, and she slowly realises that her chosen way of life may not be the best approach for all circumstances.

Susan is a lovely character whose flaws are clear yet charming. She's the ultimate unreliable narrator, although that's a little heavy-handed at times. The plot is enjoyable yet a little predictable in places, with some unexpected twists and turns that I did really enjoy.

If you were a fan of 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', then 'The Cactus' is an absolute must-read.

Thanks for the copy of this book.

I had previously enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant and the Rosie Project books so this one appealed to me also. There were genuine moments of solid hilarity, the immediate one that springs to mind is the protagonist explaining to the baby how, by refusing to eat her breakfast, she is the architect of her own misery. For the most part though, while I did find this a fast read, the prose was bogged down by so much exposition and so many extraneous details that I found myself skim reading at several points. There's a part where Susan is talking to her neighbour about what she thinks a feminist is, and it seemed so unnatural and strange a conversation to be having that I couldn't help but feel the author's breath on the back of my neck.

I have very mixed feelings because at the heart of this book are some very interesting characters, and I enjoyed the slow reveal of the big secret behind the protagonist's relationship with her mother as well as a nice portrayal of how people are a mix of good and bad, but on the whole I'm not sure it'd be a series I'd be too keen to continue with. The final chapters where Susan is set up with a new living situation just seem so very far removed from how she's been living for 45 years that it seems kind of unbelievable.

I think at the moment I'm definitely liking stories involving characters with quirky personalities - slightly oddball, perhaps on the spectrum. I recently read 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman, which I absolutely loved, and then more recently 'Three Things About Elsie' by Joanna Cannon, which was also delightful. 'The Cactus' is along a similar vein, and it did not disappoint.

Susan Green likes order and logic; she does not like time-wasters, mess or emotions. She lives alone, but has a very pleasant, no-nonsense agreement with Richard, who she sees once a week for theatre, dining and ...other activities. But soon Susan's order and routine are thrown into disarray as she finds out a)she is pregnant; b)her mother has died and left the family home to her awful layabout brother Edward. Sensing something sinister is afoot, she decides to try to contest the will while at the same time going through the stages of pregnancy. All she needs to realise is that help is closer to hand than she thinks.

I loved it.

This is in some ways similar to two other books I read this year, Britt-Marie Was Here and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, in that the main character is a very controlled, inflexible woman who is hard for others to like and who experiences some sort of event that begins to break down her barriers and let other people in. Susan is a prickly cactus of a woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant at age 45. Following the death of her mother, she decides to contest the will, which favored her brother. Of course, things happen along the way that force her out of her comfort zone, and she finds herself making friends and changing and growing as a person. I liked this a lot. Susan was one of those lovably unlikeable characters that I can't help but enjoy. 4 stars, rounded down from 4.5.

I really loved this, Susan the main character was a bit reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant but the story was completely different. Was slow paced but very readable.

The Cactus is an easy enough read for a rainy day, but there is a rather on-the-nose moment when Susan's friend points out that she can't truly enjoy a book where the characters aren't likeable, and I felt a twinge of empathy because while characters like Susan (or The Rosie Project's Don Tillman,who is referenced in the blurb for this novel) are meant to be portrayed as obsessive, reserved and stand-offish, it doesn't really endear them to the reader. It also makes me feel slightly uncomfortable, as if we are poking fun at people on the autistic spectrum.
I realised that Susan is the eponymous cactus and that her prickly demeanor would soften as the novel unfolded, but really, it didn't much, and why would it? People who are socially awkward and introverted aren't doing it on purpose and are unlikely to change in their forties. So I couldn't really get behind the character development, and also felt the writing was far too slow at times, insisting on unravelling threads that really didn't beed unravelling because the unfolding tale was perfectly clear. A small example of this is when a secret birth certificate is revealed to exist. We can accept that it exists because there is no reason for the revealer to lie, but nevertheless we have to go through the whole process of Susan making a phone call, telling a friend to go find it, having to listen on the phone while the friend does so and reads it, thus confirming what we already knew. It's small but it happens a lot and can be frustrating. I don't need to know the exact name of the park Susan goes to or the details of what she does with Quality Street wrappers on a car journey or a description of the every object in her aunt's house - there was just too much extraneous detail.
Having said that, I finished it and didn't dislike it - it was mildly entertaining.

“Because I’m not reliant on anyone emotionally or financially, I can’t be hurt. That’s how a feminist is: iron-willed, Teflon-coated, in total control of every aspect of her life.”

At forty-five, Susan Green shares certain characteristics with the cactus plants she keeps on her desk - prickly and self-sufficient. She has her life arranged precisely how she wants it - her flat, her job, her personal life - and certainly has no intention of changing it. But when her mother dies - and leaves a will favouring her feckless brother Ed, causing Susan to immediately launch herself into battle - and at the same time Susan is confronted with the hitherto unimagined prospect of becoming a mother herself, her life starts changing in some very unexpected ways. What does it take for a cactus to finally bloom?

I loved the sound of this book, but it was a bit of a slow burner for me initially. Susan is not obviously very likeable, at least to start with. She comes over as judgemental, intolerant of others’ failings and apparently lacking in any warmth or humour, though I did like her independence and determination. As the story continued, though, I was drawn in and found it ultimately to be a very compelling and enjoyable read, and Susan a very engaging character.

The basic premise is not, in itself, that original - a woman who shuns any kind of vulnerability as a defence mechanism against being hurt, who gradually becomes more open to new experiences and connections with other people. However the story is very well executed and I grew to really care about Susan - my heart broke for her at times.

One advance reviewer described Susan as a cross between Don Tillman (The Rosie Project) and Bridget Jones. I can certainly see where the former comparison comes from - both highly rational, uncomprehending of others’ less rational choices, and lacking in social graces - but I’m afraid any similarities with the latter are completely lost on me. (And Susan would undoubtedly be appalled at the comparison.) To this reader, Susan is more reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant.

Not all the characters are believable: Susan’s jolly-hockey-sticks friend Brigid is a caricature, though an amusing one - I don’t believe any modern forty-five year old woman routinely addresses another as “old girl”! I did like neighbour Kate, and Ed’s friend Rob. Aunt Sylvia and her fairly awful daughters are very convincingly drawn. I’ve definitely known Sylvias...

Although it was, as I’ve said, initially a bit of a slow burner, ultimately I loved this just as much as I’d hoped, and didn’t want it to end! (It’s perhaps unlikely, but a sequel would be lovely... I really do want to know what happens next.)

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Delightful gentle romance develops as events conspire to break down the barriers Susan has erected around herself to protect her from the hurtful things that happened as she was growing up. Enjoyable light read but it would have been so much better if the twists in the plot hadn’t been so clearly signposted from the start.

Eh... this wasn’t it for me. It’s a slow build and I just couldn’t get into it. Susan’s personality wasn’t balanced well enough. She was too hard without the wit needed to be found endearing. I enjoyed the storyline and watching her grow and blossom but her brother really annoyed me. I was hoping for more of the sarcasm that comes with “Bridget Jones’ Diary” but it just didn’t deliver for me.