Another exceptional book from Annie Harnett! She has a unique voice and is adept at writing heartwarming, witty, quirky novels that manage to deal with difficult topics with both humor and depth. Hartnett is brilliant at creating characters that you can really fall in love with. I absolutely adored these characters, all of whom are flawed in some way, sometimes make bad choices, but still manage to warm your heart. I loved this one as much or even more than Unlikely Animals. I will read anything she writes in the future! If you want a hopeful, adventurous, emotional, witty read and enjoy some quirkiness (there is a cat that is one of the stars of this book!), then you will also love this book! Also would recommend for fans of Kevin Wilson.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: 4/29/25

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine for this ARC of 'The Road to Tender Hearts' by Annie Hartnett.

This was a really enjoyable road trip-based novel populated by a cast of complex and engaging characters.

From top to bottom, there's not a single perfect individual in this - every one of them, from children to the oldest characters, is flawed in some way by events and experiences in their younger lives (and usually for some very dark reasons). They find themselves thrown together through an unlikely set of circumstances and must learn to live with and love each other. They're all on a road trip seeking different outcomes, outcomes each one thinks will make their lives (and everyone connected with them's lives) better but there are many twists. turns, and reveals along the way.

There's a lot of comedy and lightheartedness in this book but it's mirrored by a lot of serious issues including alcoholism, child sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, murder, suicied/self-harm, and abandonment. It's a real triumph for the author to be able to include so much comedy and humanity against a backdrop of all of that human suffering.

This would make a real good film or TV series.

Before I begin my review, there are two things you should know.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate this opportunity! My review will not be influenced in any way by the gesture, but I appreciate the opportunity.
You should know that Annie Hartnett has captured my heart with her two first books, Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals.

“A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death.”

Even though this is “just a fiction” piece, I highlighted more sections than I do in most non-fiction pieces because there were just so many moments of true humanity displayed. Between exes, people who barely knew each other, and between PJ (the main character) and nearly everyone he met.

All of the characters are deeply flawed, each pulled my heartstrings. I found myself wanted to be with them, talking to them, understanding them more. This book truly pulled me in for the ride!
There is adventure, excitement, and my favorite kind of humor that Harnett produces in a way that is subtle, dark, yet still somehow hopeful (I know, I don’t get it either!), and ends up leaving you wanting more and more.

Each set of dialogue seems to be edited to perfection.

This book, the plot, the ending---it’s everything I wanted from this book.

Were there unanswered questions? Yes. But, this book is a representation of the hardships of real life, and life often leaves us with many unanswered questions.

As usual, Annie Hartnett won my heart over again.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a fierce love for everything Annie Hartnett writes. This love blossomed from the first moment I read her debut novel, Rabbit Cake, and intensified to a near obsession with Unlikely Animals and the perfection of when it arrived in my life. That’s why I was overjoyed—and just a tiny bit nervous—when I was approved for an ARC of her third novel, due to be published in April—The Road to Tender Hearts. I just knew that I was going to love it.

But what if I didn’t? After all, Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals had set the bar incredibly high.

Well, friends, I just finished the last page of The Road to Tender Hearts, and I can say, without hesitation, that I had absolutely no reason to worry. The Road to Tender Hearts is yet another beautiful work of art, one that is currently settling itself into my heart next to Hartnett’s other two novels. Her whimsical style of writing is on full display in The Road to Tender Hearts, and the characters she has crafted are beautifully flawed.

The story follows the journey of PJ Halliday as he unexpectedly finds himself the guardian of two orphaned children. As they set out on a cross-country journey, along with PJ’s youngest (and sole surviving) daughter and newly acquired cat, Pancakes, they come to know—and love—all the messiest parts of one another. Hartnett somehow managed to make PJ lovable and kind-hearted while he made very irresponsible, foolhardy decisions regarding the care of the children, his relationships with his loved ones, and his sobriety.

I found myself getting increasingly frustrated with PJ as the book progressed, which, in turn, brought me closer to understanding PJ’s daughter’s anger and resentment of her father. The children, Luna and Ollie, were perfect representations of children who had experienced profound trauma while still maintaining their naivety regarding the workings of the world. As for Pancakes, well, I always love a good animal character, and Pancakes is no exception. Hartnett managed to provide him with his own distinct personality and use him as a vessel for the tiny hint of magical realism that gave this book one of many touches of whimsy amidst deeply emotional themes.

And that, ultimately, is what I love most about Hartnett’s works. In all three of her books, she has taken serious subjects such as death and helped readers find the magic and humor in everyday life, even when things might feel bleak. The Road to Tender Hearts is quirky, sweet, tragic, and poignant, all in one beautiful little package, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with it as I have.

PJ Halliday is living on borrowed time. Despite winning the lottery, he lives in a small town in Massachusetts where he grieves the loss of his daughter and marriage, has had 3 heart attacks, and drinks quite a bit. When he reads in the obituaries that his high school sweetheart's husband has passed away, he believes that this is the chance he missed years ago, and decides to pack up the car and drive out to Arizona to win her over.He's acquired quite a few passengers by then, his other daughter,  his niece and nephew, who are also recovering from a tragedy, and a nurse home cat named Pancakes. You'll get caught up in the road trip and be rooting for PJ as they get closer and closer to their destination.There are some great characters here, and the book starts out with Pancakes, who is very endearing. At the local nursing home, Pancakes predict who will die next by showing up in their room hours or days before and sitting on them. The fact that he shows up at PJs door after escaping the home, gives you a sense of foreboding, and you hope this time that Pancakes is mistaken. The inner monolog of the cat alone is worth the read.Then there is PJ's ex-wife and fiance, whom he has breakfast with every day, who seem very tolerant of him and grounded. There's his estranged daughter who gets coerced into doing all the driving, then the precocious children that ride along with them. This is an endearing story and you'll be sucked in from page one. I haven't read any of this author's other books but will now have to check them out!

4 stars.

PJ Halliday is sixty-three and lives in Pineville, Massachusetts. He won 1.5 million dollars on a scratch off a few years ago. He goes to his ex-wife and her boyfriend’s (his best friend) every day for breakfast. He lost his eldest daughter when she was in high school and barely speaks to his youngest…or she barely speaks to him for lots of good reasons, not the least of which is his problem with alcohol.

Then he reads the obituary of an old high school friend and finds that his death means his old flame, Michelle Cobb, is back on the market. He decides to drive cross-country to her home in Arizona to pledge his love. However, before he can leave, he receives an inheritance of sorts from his only brother, from whom he has been long estranged: two young children, Luna and Ollie, his brother’s grandchildren. He is also adopted by a cat named Pancakes.

So, naturally, PJ, his daughter, the kids and Pancake end up hitting the road, seeking both Michelle and Luna’s potential father (she believes) a soap opera star. It’s all a long story. I enjoyed every minute of it.

This was quite cute, not laugh at loud funny, but amusing. It’s filled with well-drawn, endearing characters, especially Pancakes, but also Ivy and Fred, PJ’s ex-wife and best friend who are incredibly well-rounded despite being absent for most of the book, Hartnett is just that good. I would definitely look for more from her. This isn’t my normal sort of read, probably (I tend toward the more dark and depressing) and maybe it’s just what I needed in my life. Worth looking out for.

This book was really funny. I enjoyed the quirky characters. If it were a movie, I'd totally watch it. The plot twists were wild, which made it all more hilarious. A cat that predicts death?!

I loved this book so much!! Funny but dark. Sweet but sad. All of the characters were perfectly written. If Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe made a baby with Nothing to See Here, you’d end up with this masterpiece.

Prepare yourself to fall in love with everyone in this novel, no matter how flawed, difficult, and hopeless they seem. PJ Halliday claims all those descriptors, plus alcoholic and hoarder, yet he is thrilled by optimism when he discovers that a high school crush, his "one who got away" is newly widowed, and he wants to go to Tucson from his home in Pondville MA, to try again. This sounds like a simple road trip story except PJ's is fraught with "buts." He lost his license and totaled his car because of his drinking, he has recently taken custody of his estranged brother's two grandkids orphaned after a murder-suicide., and come on, wouldn't a road trip be good for those children? He ropes his disapproving daughter into driving, "Borrows" his ex-wife's fiancee's car, and they're off to the Tender Hearts retirement complex in Tucson. From this set up I'm sure you can imagine what this is going to turn into, but you will be wrong. It is much, much more than that, and you will end up snorting with laughter through your tears.

If you haven't read Annie Hartnett's earlier books, Unlikely Animals and Rabbit Cake, pick those up to fill in the time between now and this novel's April 2025 pub date. She in such a warm and imaginative writer, a true delight for readers of lit fic, magic realism (wee touches), family soul, and more. What a beautiful novel, fulfilling, delighting, and satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance DRC of this lovely novel.

My favorite kind of weird, wonderful book. If you liked Annie Hartnett’s other books, or Family, Family by Laurie Frankel or Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, you will love this one too. We join a motley crew of PJ, a loveable screwup who has spent down his lottery fortune, his semi-estranged daughter, his newly acquired distant relative children, and a supernatural and mischievous cat on a cross country roadtrip. Dark and funny and sweet and absurd, all my favorites.

PJ is a rather aimless 63 year old millionaire lottery winner who, through a series of strange events, becomes guardian to his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Though he doesn’t really have much of a relationship with his daughter, he believes he can take good care of them, at least for a while. The
kids, his adult daughter and a one-Earle’s cat set out on a road trip to surprise his high school first love who has recently been widowed. Along the way they face their share of mishaps and foibles.

I had a really hard time with this book—it was a slog for me to get through. The narrative was all over the place and I felt the humor fell flat a lot of the time. I think the author was going for a Kevin Wilson type novel but didn’t achieve it.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I LOVED this book. I can't stop talking or thinking about it. I've enjoyed Annie Hartnett's other titles but nothing can compare to this one.

4.5 stars

✨I 100% chose this book based on its gorgeous, colorful cover, and I’m so glad I did. What a charming and endearing story of new beginnings, family, found family and navigating the elder years.

✨At the heart of the story is a main character that is tragically flawed yet potentially hopelessly lovable. When I say flawed, I mean he’s a drunken, hoarder bum that you can’t imagine having any redeeming qualities. You’ll have to read the book to find out for sure.

✨Other characters include two orphaned children, an ex-wife and her new husband, a semi-estranged daughter and a cat that is equal parts absolutely adorable and a harbinger of death. Each one is fleshed out with care, and I fell in love with every one.

✨This is a big-hearted story told with depth, warmth, humor. I highly recommend.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Precocious children
✨Cats with questionable morals 😹
✨Heroic anti-hero main characters
✨Found family
✨Blended family dynamics
✨Road trips
✨Starting over narratives
✨Deep stories laced with warmth and humor

Yep this is why I read. When you get a good book and sit down and open to the first chapter and forget everything but that world. This is that kind of book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed in the cross-country element going on through this book. The characters worked well overall and was realistic and enjoyed the feel of this. Annie Hartnett wrote this perfectly and wanted to read more.

Annie Hartnett is a master at telling a warm, feel-good story. PJ, the town drunk, is a likable fellow. He is on good terms with his ex-wife and fiancee, so much so that he walks to their house every morning and eats breakfast. Sophie, his adult daughter may be the only person that really dislikes him. Well, except for his dead brother, who still plays a large role in family dynamics. When a horrific incident occurs and PJ's nephew and niece become orphans, PJ has no choice except to take care of him. He enlists Sophie's help and the four of them are off on a road trip to find PJ's old girlfriend. The whole drive I was rooting for PJ to stay off the alcohol, for Sophie to understand her father, and for the children to make it through a very tough time. This road trip is in turns funny, heart warming and just plain crazy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion.

The Road to Tender Hearts made me laugh and packed a serious emotional punch to the gut all in the same page. I loved PJ, flaws and all, and I loved the kids, sass and all, and I loved Sophie, drama and all, and I loved Ivy and Fred and Kate and most of all I loved Pancakes. I can't recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Net Galley for this amazing ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this book from Hartnett’s unique writing style and use of perspectives to every one of the characters she included. If you want a sweet, feel good story, The Road to Tender Hearts is for you.

After reading and loving both Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals, I was thrilled to see the author has a new book coming out. The Road to Tender Hearts has all of the signature elements I love from Annie Hartnett. The characters are well developed as are their sometimes unconventional relationships and families. There is a touch of magical realism and I loved the humor throughout the story. I’m looking at you, Pancakes!

If you haven’t read this author, start with any of her books as you simply can’t go wrong. I will be getting a hardcover for my bookshelves as soon as I can and I will review the audiobook once I get a copy. Many thanks to @randomhouse @netgalley @annie_hartnett for an ARC of this unique

Spin the emotional wheel on this one. It is : funny, sad, quirky, love filled, thrilling, and amazing!
PJ Halliday is million dollar lottery winner and a 50 something dad. Sophie is a 20 something daughter of PJ. Luna and Ollie were PJs brothers grandchildren until they became orphaned. And last but not least is Pancakes the cat, who can predict when someone is close to death.

One day PJ reads in the paper that his high school sweetheart has become a widow. PJs heart is all-a- flutter. This is second chance to win her heart. He sends her flowers and decides to visit her at the Tender Hearts retirement village in Arizona.

Before he can finalize his road trip plans he receives a phone call from social services saying his brothers grandchildren until, Luna and Ollie , are orphaned and would PJ consider taking them in. PJ says yes.

Luna and Ollie arrive and start to get settled in when PJs daughter Sophie shows up worried about her dad.

Despite all the confusion PJ announces he wants to drive to Arizona and win back his high school sweetheart. So they all pile into the car, Pancake the cat included.

And so begins the amazing journey, “ The Road to Tender Hearts”.
Annie Hartnett has created characters that live and breathe on the pages. As a reader you will become part of their family riding in the backseat of the most unforgettable road trip ever!

Open the book to the first chapter, spin the emotional wheel and begin an amazing road trip with your family the Hallidays.

I sincerely want to thank NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of, “ The Road to Tender Hearts.”