“I found myself laughing out loud at Susan’s prickly character”

“One of the funniest, quirkiest books either of us have read in a long time”

“Original, engaging and totally believable”

“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”

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

“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)”

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

“Heartfelt and funny, this will delight fans of The Rosie Project”

“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”

“Haywood concocts a delightful collection of characters to lead Susan out of her emotionally cloistered life.... A warm, witty portrait of a woman finally creating the family she deserves”