This was a bit different and I really loved the information about the hedgehogs, what a brilliant way of getting the message out there that we need to be taking care of them. We all like to save stuff and keep things but sometimes it all gets out of hand and that is what happens here. Loved the story and the characters.

Who is Sylvia Penton? She is a woman in her fifties and she works as a personal assistant to a professor in a London University. The most exciting thing in her life is her volunteering at the local hedgehog shelter, but Sylvia is far from ordinary and she has a few secrets. She’s keeping a huge secret that could destroy her relationship with her sister and her family (no spoiler!). Additionally, for the last ten years she’s been in love with her boss, Professor Lomax (that’s not much of a secret as it seems that everyone knows about it). She takes care of him and she sees herself as his protector while waiting for him to leave his wife. And when a younger woman threatens her relationship with Professor, Sylvia shows that she is ready to do anything for the man he loves…

At the beginning, Sylvia’s reserved nature and her borderline obsession with Professor Lomax make her an unlikable (and a little insane) character, but the more I read the more I learned about the protagonist of the novel, about her past trauma, and, as she develops, she becomes more interesting and more endearing and I adored her and felt sympathy for her by the end of the book. The other characters are all very interesting and realistic, all with different personalities, some likable, some just detestable. My favourite character was Jonas, the owner of the hedgehog sanctuary where Sylvia volunteers. He is wise and good-natured and I found fascinating all the facts about hedgehogs he described (did you know that needle mouse is Japanese for hedgehogs?).

I liked how the book is written in the form of a diary in which Sylvia pours all her secrets and her feelings. We see her at the lowest and worst time of her life and we see her come out of it stronger and more likable. Her heartbreaking revelations made for a very emotional read, but there were also a few funny moments that made me laugh. NEEDLEMOUSE is a brilliant and refreshing debut that I loved from the first to the last page.

Sylvia is dedicated to her job with a university professor - and when he separates from his wife, she thinks it's finally time for them to the romantic relationship she has been dreaming of for years. Unfortunately he doesn't see her in the same way and a series of desperate moves from Sylvia cause chaos in her life.

Jane O'Connor has done a very good job of writing an unlikeable character in a way that makes you want to find out what happens even as she makes decisions that make you cringe. There are a lot of moments where Sylvia is describing other people and as a reader you can see her lack of awareness of how her behaviour comes across.

I'd certainly read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

A delightful tale of Sylvia, and the troubles she has , mostly of her own making. There's a wide variety of characters, and hedgehogs too.
A charming holiday read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

I am afraid that I gave up with this book about a quarter of the way through. I did not understand how the main character in the middle age of her life did 'not wake up and smell the roses!' Infatuation is all well and good but..... I felt that her friends were not pro-active enough in her defense. Not for me I am afraid.

Sylvia is 52 years old, a spinster and works at the university as a PA to Professor of Educational Psychology Carl Lomax. She's been working for him for 15 years already, in this time unrequitedly in love with him, patiently waiting for him to finally leave his wife so they can be together. When it finally happens she's sure it's only a matter of time for them to get married - well, he takes her to lunch, and he never forgets her birthday, right? The trouble starts with Prof's new student, Lola, but Sylvia isn't afraid of a bit of manipulation to remove the obstacles in her way to happiness. But then something happens, and then she falls out with her sister over an old secret that never should see the light of a day and the only thing that she has is the hedgehog sanctuary where she volunteers. Will she be able to eventually come out of her comfort zones, to see reality how it is, to open herself up?

Jane O'Connor has done a great job with Sylvia's character. Chances are, when you first meet her, you're not going to like her. She is spiteful, unhappy, unfriendly, hell, she doesn't like her own niece, and the only person she adores is her boss, Prof Carl Lomax and she would do anything for him. She collects all his small signs and gestures thinking he has the same feelings to her as she has for him - she's simply in unrequited love with him but she refuses to accept this fact, really she borders on being a stalker. She volunteers at the hedgehog sanctuary because it gives her something to do on the weekends and because it makes her appear nicer to others. And much like hedgehogs, she has been hibernating for years, almost delusional about Lomax, always finding an excuse for his behaviour, her social life non - existent (she was out only when her sister Millie insisted on it).
But. The author, in a brilliant way, reveals Sylvia's story, all the troubles and traumas she has experienced in her life and that have turned her into person she is today, and really, you're going to quickly begin to understand Sylvia and like her, feel a growing sympathy for her loneliness, for her being so desperate to love someone! I actually liked her from the beginning, even though she was a bit of a horror, but she made me laugh so much. The supporting characters were also all sparkingly written - the sanctuary owner Jonas, full of hidden wisdom and warm words, "Prof" and Lola, who got what they deserved, and Sylvia's sister Millie and her daughter Crystal - all full of life and having their own personality, adding tons of depth, reflections and humour to the whole story.

I loved seeing how Sylvia was actually forced by life to change, to rediscover herself, to open up. I actually felt like giving her a standing ovation.

The story was written in the form of diary, so we get only Sylvia's point of view, and the entries are hilariously honest, especially as she can't find the happy medium and writes only unpleasant things about all people but one, and that's, of course, Prof, as she calls him. He, in Sylvia's eyes, can't make a mistake, all he does is right and hands off from him to all other women.

It was very emotional but also entertaining read, sometimes uncomfortable because it tells things how they are. A bitter - sweet novel that is going to make you cringe and then laugh in the next second, brilliantly intersperses sadness and seriousness with plenty of humour and funny situations. I loved the idea for this book, I loved the characters, and the plot is unique, fresh and the way it was written was brilliant, Jane O'Connor has such a great way with words, I can't believe it is her debut novel. The snippets of information about hedgehogs were a frosting on the cake. I personally thought that all of them have fleas and it turns out that's not true for example. Altogether, "Needlemouse" had believable characters and was a thought - provoking story. It was full of twists, turns and heartfelt revelations and it vividly captured the vulnerability of the main character. A great novel about re - evaluating your life, coming out of hibernation, written with poignancy and care. An absolute must - read and I can't recommend it highly enough!

A nice gentle tale of unrequited love and second chances. Sylvia is one of those characters that at times you want to just shake and then at other times you are routing for her to pull her life around, Jane O"Conor has made a the character of Sylivia venerable but not weak and someone, who if you too are in your fifty's and single , that is relatable.
If you're a fan of books like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Cactus then this is a book for you,

I love the title of this book. Needlemouse is the Japanese term for hedgehog and it fits perfectly, both for the little prickly animals and for the very prickly Sylvia Penton.

Sylvia is in her 50s and has been working for 15 years at a university as a personal assistant to Professor Carl Lomax. Sylvia is desperately in love with Prof (as she thinks of him) to the point that she is completely blinkered to him being anything other than perfect. Sadly, Prof is fairly oblivious to Sylvia as anything other than a work colleague. Sylvia's loneliness and her infatuation with Prof have made her into the human equivalent of a hedgehog: very very prickly on the outside but vulnerable on the inside.

I spent a good part of this book feeling that Sylvia was an extremely unpleasant person and I found her behaviour hard to understand. But as the story progressed, things changed for her and she came out of a kind of 15 year fug to realise that she had been somewhat misguided in her feelings and it was a real catalyst for change for her. At that point I really started to get a sense of Sylvia as a character and why she had behaved as she had, accompanied by some deft storytelling on the part of Jane O'Connor, which helped to gradually bring Sylvia back to life again.

Sylvia helps at a hedgehog sanctuary, hence the prickly connection, and I loved that about her. She helps Jonas, who has dedicated so much time to saving the little creatures. Sylvia tells her story in the form of a journal, with little snippets about the life of a hedgehog through the seasons. The journal style strangely doesn't only give Sylvia's point of view as you would expect, but somehow, through her words, we are able to witness Sylvia's absolute conviction in her actions as well as to see that she's also completely out of control.

More than once I felt tears threatening. Sometimes you have to look beyond what you see to find out what a person is really like and that was certainly the case with Sylvia. As a reader, I found that delving deeper into her past and her disappointments helped me to understand her behaviour.

Needlemouse is a really lovely story. It's been described as uplifting and charming and it is both of those, but really only towards the end. More than anything, it's a study in loneliness and how you can build a wall around yourself as a kind of protection only to find that then nobody is able to get close to you. It's a thought-provoking read and the more I think about it the more I think how much I enjoyed it.`

For a debut book making its way out of the starting blocks this was certainly something special. The writing was captivating and hypnotic and I found I couldn't put the book down for even a single second and read it all in one sitting.

Sylvia was a web of wonder for me as far as characters go. On one hand I wanted to detest every selfish and obsessive action she made and on the other hand my heart wanted to break at her lonely and dysfunctional life. She really was the ultimate conundrum and I was fascinated by her. Her manners were akin to the hedgehogs she cared for at the sanctuary.....spiky on the outside to protect a vulnerable centre. But all in all her marmite approach to life turned this book into something special as I don't think I've ever loved a character I didn't like before and this juxtaposition of feelings will ensure that I won't be forgetting her in a hurry.

The first person narrative wraps you up in Sylvia's obsessive world to the point where I felt I was intruding on private thoughts. Her mind is a complex web of layers that have been building over the years and the narrative divulges small hints as to why she has become the prickly woman we see today. It was an absolute joy to watch these layers slowly start to unravel as the plot played on and I can only imagine what she will go on to achieve, which is the beauty of a soft ending.....it allows the reader to imagine for themselves.

Needlemouse is a work of wonder that I know I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Out protagonist or should that be antagonist is one misunderstood woman who I know will attract a mix bag of responses but I absolute love her, obsessions and all. She really is unforgettable, as is this book.

5 Words: Family, obsession, jealousy, love, hedgehogs.

Needlemouse is definitely a character driven novel, and it's one of those where nothing really happens when it comes to action, but by the end you've taken quite a journey in terms of growth. It's got a pretty slow pace, but nevertheless I couldn't stop reading.

I found Needlemouse quite a difficult book to get in to, and this was down to the main character, Sylvia. She's rather bitter and disagreeable, and generally just not a nice person. She's pretty much a straight up bitch for the first half of the book. She's also more than a little bit obsessed with the Prof and it made me feel quite awkward to read at first. Sylvia has a lot of internalised misogyny that made for uncomfortable reading at times, but it made the character seem much more believable and gave added weight to why she was the way she was.

It's a testament to the author's writing that I not only kept reading, but I actually grew to love Sylvia by the end. She has hidden depths and I loved how it all came together. Needlemouse ended up being quite a charming read.

I really loved how I learned a fair bit about hedgehogs while reading this book. A lot of research has obviously gone in to it, and it didn't feel like the author was showing off - what I learned through the characters actions felt very natural.

A very engaging portrait of a woman finally having to deal with reality, not the story nurtured in her head.
Unreliable narrators can be annoying, but this one worked well, with an authenticity that grabbed me, and made me yearn fro a happy ending

I was in permanent cringe-mode for most of the first half of this book, so when the worst finally happened it actually felt like a cathartic release! Jane O’Connor has managed to create a heroine narrator who starts off almost completely unlikable and gradually develops, until you find yourself completely invested in her finally uncurling and letting people past the prickles (yes, the hedgehogs are perfectly symbolic throughout!).

Sylvia certainly has some extremely spiky defense mechanisms: denial, repression, fantasism, manipulation and outright rudeness. Gradually, as events unfold, the reader – and then those around her – realises firstly how much she is hurting from her isolation, and then how desperately she would like to relate to those around her in more positive ways. As the character grows, so she grows on us.

I can see lots of comparison points with books like Eleanor Oliphant, as Sylvia is another socially awkward and isolated woman, struggling with demons of her past, and misinterpreting the social cues and mores around her. One big difference here is Sylvia’s clearly obsessive nature, which makes her a less sympathetic character but in many ways a more interesting one.

This is quite an emotional book, taking us deep into the pain and shame of the main character. There isn’t much action but instead a very thorough and intimate exploration of an ordinary human life in all its suffering but also all its hope. I would recommend this for fans of Stephanie Butland, Gail Honeyman and similar introvert-centred stories.





Tea duly made and delivered, Prof and I then had our golden time together. This is my favourite part of the day, when we spend ten, or maybe even fifteen, minutes going through his diary, discussing the meetings he has to attend and the people who are coming to see him. Often Prof has earmarked time for writing in his daily schedule and this is when my shielding of him becomes invaluable. I see myself very much as his defender, fending off the hordes of students and faculty staff who are desperate for a piece of him. They would suck Prof dry if they had the chance. He doesn’t know the half of it, what I do for him, how I keep them at bay so he can just get on, but he is safe in the knowledge that my loyalty to him is complete.

– Jane O’Connor, Needlemouse


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Needlemouse is a delightful, fun read featuring some fantastic characters. It’s quite a quirky read but a thoroughly enjoyable one about loneliness, love and finding yourself.

Sylvia was a very interesting character who I took a while to warm to as she seemed such a prickly character to begin with. She likes things done a certain, controlled way and doesn’t like it when things don’t go the way she wanted. Her infatuation with her boss was a bit cringy to read about at times and I found myself wondering how it would work out. I did like her slightly evil side though which often had me laughing out loud. How I wish I had the nerve to do similar things, and get away with it, to people that upset me! The other characters were equally great to read about and I loved how different they were to each other. My favourite character was Jonas as I loved his gentle manner and obvious love for his late wife. His memories of their time together was so lovely to read about and brought a tear to my eye.

The book is fairly fast paced as there is always lots happening that kept me glued to the page. The chapters are fairly short and told in a diary format which made me feel more involved in the story. I found I enjoyed going on the journey with Sylvia to discover her own life and the person she wanted to be.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Tess from Ebury publishing for my copy of this book.

Jane O'Connor writes in her author's note that Sylvia is spiky yet intensively vulnerable and this perfectly describes the main character in this gorgeous book. Initially, I didn't like Sylvia. She is obsessive about the Prof she works for, and woe betide anyone who appears in his life as a threat to that 'love'. She is vengeful and spiteful, and there was a touch of the she-devil about her. But it is a testament to O'Connor's writing that as the story develops, we begin to get a deeper insight into Sylvia's life and begin to not only understand why she is damaged and hates the world, but we also begin to feel a deep level of compassion for her. Without giving away any spoilers, a terrible mistake made in her past, and the repercussions thereof, 'deadened me inside and made me defensive and spiteful towards the world'. As her world once again implodes, a surprising connection with her niece Crystal helps her heal her emotional scars and become open to living fully again. Needlemouse teaches us that to forgive yourself for past mistakes is to forgive the rest of the world. To allow people to help you, to be honest with yourself and to once again find the joy in the beauty of the world is a gift that O'Connor has given us. A truly beautiful story with depth and emotion.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for my independent honest opinion. Thank you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a slice of life look at Sylvia,long suffering daughter to an overbearing forthright Mother,sister to Millie who is always in the limelight and long suffering PA to Prof Lomas whom Sylvia is madly in love with and has been waiting 15 years for.

It did take me a while to get settled into the book, mainly due to it being compared to Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. For me this gives readers a wrong impression going into this book as I feel this is different and unique in its own right. Eleanor has an endearing character whose choices are affected by her mental disabilities, whereas Sylvia knows exactly what she is doing and is extremely unlikable in the beginning. This I found hard at first as I had incorrect preconceptions going into Needlemouse. This book deserves praise on its own merits.
The writing style is excellent and despite Sylvia being so horrible, her character was so well drawn that her life and long suffering devotion to her boss could so easily be several people you know in real life.
A Hedgehog rescue centre also features strongly for Sylvia and this gives a very interesting glimpse at these lovable creatures. I loved the friendship with the old gentleman who owns it.
As the narrative continues and we learn more of Sylvia's backstory she does become more likeable.
This is a lovely story about sisterhood, friendship, obssession and the choices all of us make in real life good or bad.

Sylvia is a thoroughly unlikeable character at the beginning of Needlemouse, not to mention deluded about her relationship with her boss. We see the world through her eyes so it takes a while to grasp the extent of her delusion. Eventually her world comes crashing down and she withdraws into herself for a while. Like a hedgehog coming out of hibernation, she slowly starts to recover and makes some new friends. It really is a book of two halves and I definitely prefer who she becomes in the second half. The writing is very assured with well-rounded, interesting characters, especially Jonas and Crystal. I also loved the little snippets of information about the hedgehogs. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy.

Needlemouse is the story of a rather deluded middle aged woman who, over the course of the novel, learns to take control of her life again. She has a funny and rather acerbic inner voice and some of the things she does to further her own causes are wonderfully weird. Over the course of the diary entries, Sylvia slowly let's the reader in on her backstory - honestly, I felt for her but also really, really struggled to buy that the events described and her 15 years of behaviour could be quickly overturned in a matter of months. The relationships in this novel didn't seem strong enough for me to root for any of the characters and the way they may find back to each other. The hedgehogs were cute, but I felt quite let down by Sylvia and her human companions.

"Needlemouse" was a highly entertaining and emotionally intense read that I loved more and more the further I got into the story. At first, I found the main character, Sylvia Penton, prickly, dislikable and pitiable, as I was meant to. Through her admirable characterisation, Jane O'Connor compassionately revealed that underneath the facade, the inner Sylvia was lonely and the traumas she had suffered in her life had created the woman she had become. She had to learn to engage with others and before I knew it, I found myself beginning to appreciate and understand Sylvia.

I was so pleased and surprised by how much I enjoyed "Needlemouse" and I highly recommend this brilliant début.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Random House Ebury via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

For some reason I kept putting off reading this book as I thought it was going to be a bit twee and schmaltzy and I was never in the right mood. I wish now I'd left it even longer as I would still have a great treat in store!
Ms O' Connor takes the age old story of unrequited love and embellishes it with some lovely twists - many to do with hedgehogs. I was really pleased that Sylvia the unlikable anti - heroine was an older woman rather than the 30 somethings who populate many contemporary books and her story unfolded with great warmth and empathy and had me really rooting for her at the end. A truly uplifting read and I look forward to further books by this author.
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Random house for an advance copy of this book.

Sylvia Penton is in love with her boss, the only problem is, he isn’t in love with her. She is pretty sure he is, it’s just he is married and is waiting for the right time to leave his wife. He hasn’t actually told her this, but she just knows it is going to happen. She’s in her 50s, single, lonely and her unrequited love for Dr Lomax is the only thing keeping her going. She is his PA, fiercely guarding his office from inconveniences such as students and fellow colleagues just waiting for him to want her. The only problem is, he seems to have his eye on somebody else.

I found Sylvia to be a bit of an unlikable character (which is not a bad thing), she is sly, mean and at times quite cruel. She almost recognises that she isn’t a particularly nice person, choosing to spend her spare time helping at a hedgehog sanctuary to make herself appear to be a kinder more sensitive soul. The comparison between Sylvia and hedgehogs is obvious as both are prickly, solitary creatures who hibernate. This is further reinforced by the facts about hedgehogs which are used as signposts in the narrative to signal a key moment in Sylvia’s story. I really enjoyed these missives, written by Jonas, owner of the sanctuary and found them oddly moving.

In fact, I found the book to be an emotional read and one which examined those people who have slipped through the cracks. Sylvia’s friends have all married, had children or found places for themselves in society. Her world has become small and her social life revolves around her sister who is married with a teenage daughter. Sylvia is isolated but has no idea how it happened, describing how her weekends went from alcohol fuelled evenings with her friends to weddings and christenings. Things seemed to have slipped away from her and she, like the hedgehogs she cares for has been in hibernation for a long time.

Her love for Dr Lomax, or Prof. as she calls him, is obsessive and is, in some ways a safe way to love without being hurt. Her behaviour is at turns shocking and upsetting and I found it difficult to read. I was almost reading from behind my hands at times and it was at these moments that I went from disliking Sylvia to sympathising with her and her ongoing loneliness. I think I found these moments so difficult to read as I could totally understand her mentality. I think at some point or another we’ve all been slightly obsessive over somebody who wasn’t interested and so, the occasions when she misinterprets or extrapolates something from nothing it almost felt like a jolt of recognition and the waves of embarrassment felt real.

There is some clever writing in this book and some moments which pack an emotional punch. I was almost lulled into a false sense of security, pitying Sylvia and, I admit, judging her quite harshly at times and then, the rug would be pulled out from under me. I won’t spoil it, but there are some wonderfully observed moments of pure sadness and desperation that took my breath away. These moments shine a light on important issues and I read some of these passages with a lump in my throat and fought back tears.

Jane O’Connor writes Sylvia sympathetically. It would have been easy to create a wicked witch type character but even at her worst she is never a caricature. This is razor sharp writing with much compassion and heart and I went from actively disliking Sylvia to understanding her. She is a great character who I enjoyed getting to know and whilst things were wrapped up a little too neatly for my liking I found it a fun read, a very accomplished debut and one which I would highly recommend.