Audiobook Review: The Cactus

The Cactus
by Sarah Haywood
Pages: 384
Published by Park Row
Publication Date May 7, 2019
Goodreads

In this charming and poignant debut, one woman's unconventional journey to finding love means learning to embrace the unexpected.

For Susan Green, messy emotions don't fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. She has a flat that is ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic, and an "interpersonal arrangement" that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan's greatest fear is realized. She is losing control.

Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan's due date draws near and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.

During quarantine, I binged-watched a lot of Netflix and I also binged-listened (is that a thing?) Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club picks. The Cactus is another selection.

I’m not sure if it was due to the british humor or my quarantined-self needed something different but I found this novel to be dry. The plot, a 40something stuck in her ways when life throws her curveball was interesting and held my attention enough to finish the book. However, getting from point a to point b took forever and the narration dragged as well.

Throughout most of the story I wanted to slap Susan and tell her to wake up and smell the coffee. Rob was way too good for this stick-in-the-mud and I never understood what he saw in her.

As a whole, it was a bit dull and was a lite-read if a bit of a snoozefest. If you enjoy books about insufferable Karens that give it a go. Otherwise, I’d suggest skipping it.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• Reese Witherspoon Book Club Challenge