The Road to Tender Hearts
4.25 ⭐️

What a heartwarming story of found family!

PJ is not the most reliable person, but he finds himself with two young kids after their parents pass away. He, the kids, and his reluctant adult daughter decide to travel across the country on an adventure to find love.

I really enjoyed this story. There’s a quirky dark sense of humor and I always love that in a book. While I would have loved a little more on PJ’s final character growth, I do think the ending was beautiful with that mischievous cat!

Thanks to @netgalley for this copy!

A lovely, heart-warming story with fully formed characters with depth. I loved this road trip with substance story. 5 huge stars!!

#coffeeandcurrentlyreading on this beautiful Monday morning- The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett.
‌
I got some bad news this weekend and finished a book that left me a bit unsettled so I grabbed this one, because a good road trip book always makes me happy. This one is doing the trick so far. I love quirky characters and old men in so many books, these are perfect. Plus we get a scene stealing cat and that is giving me all the smiles.
‌
Cheesy, just the right amount, quirky, and fun are adjectives I would give this so far. PJ doesn’t think he has much time left, he has had three heart attacks already, and decides it is time to reunite with his lost love, who happens to live across the country. He sets off on the road trip, bringing along his estranged daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat that seems to have to ability to predict death.
‌
I told you, it’s an odd ensemble and ideal for this book! From Massachusetts to Arizona, page one to the end, we will be entertained. If I am not as happy with the end of this book as I am at the start, I will let you know. I expect to spend a delightful day on this road!

PJ Halliday is a charming mess at 63—lottery winner, recovering alcoholic, hoarder, father to a grieving adult daughter, and still hung up on his high school crush, Michelle Cobb. When he discovers Michelle is now a widow living at Tender Hearts, a retirement community in Arizona, he decides to drive across the country to win her back. But life intervenes: PJ becomes guardian to his estranged brother’s grandchildren—Luna and Ollie—whose parents were tragically killed. Joined by his resentful daughter Sophie and a telepathic cat named Pancakes (who senses imminent death), they embark on a road trip that becomes a journey of grief, humor, and fragile healing. I very much enjoyed this story and was deeply invested in the characters. Hartnett expertly crafts a found-family narrative—PJ, Sophie, the kids, and Pancakes slowly bind together, each wrestling with their own trauma and loss. It’s part dark comedy, part redemptive family drama, and fully heartfelt.If you loved The Guncle for its blend of humor, found-family dynamics, and emotional resonance, you'll also be a fan of The Road to Tender Hearts.

Oh this was just a fantastic book!!!!
I had been in a horrible May slump, but this was a book that was funny and poignant and so WELL written.

Pancakes for life❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Pancakes—yes, the cat—brings you into this story and I immediately fell in love with every character. This dark comedy is full of humor and heart. The laughs are earned as the characters make one bad decision after another. Given what they’ve all been through, their terrible choices made complete sense. I really loved this tender story of found family and forgiveness. As you travel the miles with P.J. and crew, you’ll ride an emotional rollercoaster and love every minute.

Another Winner from Annie Hartnett

I was obsessed with "Unlikely Animals" by Annie Hartnett, so I was delighted to receive an e-ARC of her latest. "The Road to Tender Hearts" delivered on my expectations.

This road trip tale follows four individuals with complicated familial ties as they contend with the tragedies each has faced. Hartnett's signature blend of humor and wry observation, threaded through genuinely dark events, is on full display here. With such difficult subject matter involving children, I wasn't convinced I could smile while reading this, but smile I did. Hartnett deploys absurdist situations as a means to imbue humor into even the darkest of human experiences.

What continues to impress me most is how Hartnett captures the imagined inner lives of both children and animals. Children are often profound without realizing it, and she captures that quality with such authenticity and heart.

While I really liked this book, it didn't quite reach the heights of "Unlikely Animals" for me—I missed the mystery element that made her previous novel so compelling. Still, after finishing the e-ARC, I purchased both the physical book and audiobook—a solid endorsement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for the advanced reader copy. My thoughts on the audio narration can be found on my Substack at https://tarabanuelos.substack.com/.

The Road to Tender Hearts is a quirky, bighearted novel that hit all the right notes for my reading mood. Hartnett has a knack for creating deeply flawed characters you can't help but root for. Here me when I say that in no way are the plots similar, but if you liked the vibes of Margo's Got Money Troubles, I think you'll love this.

I’m entering that feel good stage in my reading. This is a necessary thing I think, based solely on the utter shitshow that’s happening in our country right now, I’m just finding the need to temper my reading with some stories that at the end of the day make me feel good. Makes me believe in the best parts of people and maybe even shed a tear of happiness, you know what I’m saying?
‌
This is one of those books. Annie Hartnett’s books have drawn comparisons to John Irving before and I totally get it. They’re filled with flawed characters who mean well and face their trials and tribulations in life with a dash of dark humor.
‌
Her latest involves a sixty three year old lottery winner, PJ Halliday, who has spent a large part of his millions drowning his sorrows after the dissolution of his marriage following the loss of his oldest daughter. But a light on the horizon comes in the form of news that his lost love Michelle Cobb, the one that got away, is suddenly a widow and PJ decides to set out on a road trip to proclaim his love for her. What was not in his playing cards is the addition of his half brothers grandchildren who end up in his care after their parents unfortunate demises, and a tabby that has a knack for easing people off this mortal coil. What follows is a road trip of loss and forgiveness. Of a series of misfits who are looking for love, for answers, and a shot at redemption. I loved this. There was a moment at the start that I thought it was going to get too dark but it avoided that, as well as becoming a narrative that could easily feel twee.

"The Road to Tender Hearts" by Annie Hartnett offers a journey that is both heartwarming and undeniably quirky. The premise is promising: an old man embarking on a cross-country mission to reconnect with a high school crush, bringing along his adult daughter, two orphaned children, and a cat with a rather unique ability.

What truly shines in this road-trip novel are the dynamics among the unlikely traveling companions. The interactions involving the children and their new, elderly caretaker, PJ, provided genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, adding a wonderful lightness to the narrative. I found myself looking forward to seeing this motley crew reach their intended destinations, and their developing relationships were certainly a highlight.

However, once the initial destinations were established, the journey felt a bit protracted. While the extensive middle section clearly aimed for character development and to build rapport among the travelers, some of their adventures along the way seemed to drag, making the pacing feel a little slow at times. I often found myself wanting to fast-forward to the resolution.

The plot also required a significant suspension of disbelief, and while the book touches on important themes like family, acceptance, addiction, and navigating difficult life circumstances, these complex subjects were generally treated with a lighter hand.

Overall, I'd give "The Road to Tender Hearts" 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's a pleasant read for those looking for a unique road-trip story with memorable characters and plenty of humor, willing to overlook some plot conveniences and a leisurely pace.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

CW: death (including death of a child), murder, suicide, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, terminal cancer

I might have to carve out an extra place in my heart just for this book.

PJ Halliday may have won the lottery but that's about the only good thing going for him. After his daughter dies in a tragic accident, he succumbs to alcoholism, consequently destroying his relationship with his remaining family and losing him his driver's license and job. But all is not lost, because his recently widowed high-school crush is back on the dating market. He just needs to tell a few white lies to get his daughter to drive him across the country to declare his love. The only complication? He's now the sole guardian to his great-niece and nephew as well as a stray cat (who may just be an omen of death). Now, the entire motley crew is starting a cross-country road trip together—what could possibly go wrong?

It takes effort to create writing that feels effortless, but there's something so comforting about a book that is well-done. The Road to Tender Hearts leads you by the hand and guides you through an emotional and richly-layered family saga; no moment is wasted in the telling. I found myself completely drawn in by the characters and their fates, spending as much of the experience laughing out loud and tearing up. Only two chapters in, I stopped and encouraged (forced) by husband to read this with me. (As a native New Englander himself, he says the representation is Biblically accurate.) I would highly recommend this to fans of Fredrik Backman (but really, I recommend this to everyone, everywhere).

The Road to Tender Hearts is a super quirky, yet very dark road trip novel.
PJ Halliday decides to go on a road trip to find his past long lost love from Massachusetts to Arizona. And while it can be funny, it even features Pancakes, a cat who just knows when someone is going to die. Pancakes defintely was my faborite character in the book, and I'm not always a fan of when animals have more personality than humans.
Trigger warnings: pedophilia, family deaths, including one of PJ's daughter, orphans, nd more misery. AND this book is incredibly quirky, but I found the writing style to be so simple, that it seemed amateurish at times.
PJ was insufferable to me, and I just couldn't get over it. It's supposed to be funny, but the depressing storylines didn't meld well together.

I love Annie Harnett. She is one of my favorite authors and I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it can't top unlikely animals for me though. The plot line was cute but had depth and humor. Sometimes the humor leaned a little too cheesy though

Of all the sources I rely on for book recommendations, I think I’ve only seen this incredible novel mentioned once, and that’s a shame! After spending the better part of 5 days with my last book, this one day read was the perfect palette cleanser. It’s equal parts profound and lighthearted, dark and comedic. It’s the most satisfying early 2000s quirky indie comedy in book form.

An alcoholic, his grown daughter, a pair of Irish twin 10 year old siblings he was surprisingly granted custody of, and a cat who is a harbinger of death set off on a cross country road trip… Reminiscent of Coyote Sunrise with added adult themes and language.

Very special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for letting me review this book for my honest opinion. Now go read it!

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the complimentary digital copy of The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Hartnett is three for three on my scorecard for excellent novels, and they just keep getting better! There is some complicated family dynamics going on, but I had no trouble keeping straight the connections between the these singular characters and, as per usual, Hartnett writes child personas from such an authentic place. I lost my father when I was just eight years old, so I really felt for these children who lost their parents, and appreciate the way they were gracefully depicted with all of their magical thinking, failings and foibles.
As with her other novels, there is a sprinkling of mystical whimsy that just adds something special and makes her books so unique. I highly recommend picking up Rabbit Cake, Unlikely Animals, and now The Road to Tender Hearts. All of these stories are told with such humor, tenderness, and light that will melt your heart.

Loved this! It was quirky, heart breaking at times, but mostly heart warming and weirdly fun. It’s a bit Kevin Wilson-esque (whose recent great read is also a road trip.)

I loved this book. Truly.

If you enjoy stories with road trips, found family, love, hope, loss, grief, humor and cats then you will love The Road to Tender Hearts. I did not think that I would rate this 5 stars when I started it, but these characters are ones that I will not forget. They will remain on my mind for a while.

An absolutely lovely read. Once I started this book I found it hard to put down. The story sucks you in right from the beginning and does not loosen the chokehold. Tender and emotional without being cloying. The writing just flows naturally. Great storytelling.

Thanks for giving me an arc of this title. It was an enjoyable beach read, fastpaced and filled with quirky, but fun characters. PJ Hailday becomes the legally guardian two young kids Luna and Ollie Meeklin. Together the kids and PJ take a summer road trip along with his adult daughter Sophie and Pancake, an orange tabby cat. This unique group has lots of interesting adventures along the way.

Unfortunately alot of bad things happen to these characters, but somehow the author manages to still keep the story happy. I love the author's unique writting style as she brings levity to dark things. This is a character drivin escape novel that focus on finding literal found family (extended family that you never knew)

through the story the reader feels emersed in the characters and there world as if you are tagging along on there summer road trip with them. I really enjoy taking the "road trip" with everyone.

Endearing, dark, and quirky! The Road to Tender Hearts had several themes I tend to enjoy - road trips, dysfunctional families, navigating grief, second chances, found family, etc. Similar to The Guncle from an unlikely caregiver and grief perspective, but it also gave me some Little Miss Sunshine vibes (quirky characters, dark, family dynamics, road trip, etc.). The most surprising character of the story was Pancakes, an orange cat that has the ability to predict death.

Thank you for the eARC!