<u><b>The Road to Tender Hearts</b></u>
Annie Hartnett
Release Date: April 29, 2025

ARC courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley.

The epigraph from Clark Griswold (National Lampoon’s Vacation) sets the tone for this raucous cross country trip of a novel, following PJ Halliday, along with his daughter, two orphaned children he “inherited”, and Pancakes the cat, to the Tender Hearts retirement community seeking to be reunited with his recently widowed high school sweetheart.

While mostly light-hearted, the novel likewise deals with serious issues of grief, love, relationships, and forgiveness. The writing is sharp, and the narrative complex, as Hartnett takes us on a compelling journey through human imperfection and second chances.

I really enjoyed The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. It's a well-written, heartfelt novel that tackles difficult topics—like loss, addiction, and family estrangement—with a surprising blend of humor and hope.

Hartnett has a talent for exploring emotional depth while still keeping the story engaging and even light in places. The characters are complex and relatable, especially PJ Halliday, who’s navigating personal struggles and a complicated family past. One of my favorite parts of the book was Pancakes, a cat with an unforgettable presence that adds a unique and magical touch to the story.

Themes of healing, second chances, and the idea that we’re not defined by our past really stood out to me. The “finding father” aspect especially resonated. If you enjoyed The Guncle, I think you’ll connect with this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I still need to go back and read Hartnett's debut, Rabbit Cake, but this newest book of hers cements her on my auto-read list. This is a road trip novel full of heart and larger-than-life characters. PJ Halliday is 63 years old, a former lottery winner who is drinking himself to death in the small town of Pondville, Massachusetts. The plot of this novel sounds ludicrous, so I'm not going to try to write it out, but trust me when I say that PJ, his estranged adult daughter Sophie, two young children that end up in PJ's custody, and Pancakes the cat make for an absolutely fantastic cast of characters as this oddball group embarks on a cross-country drive. There are so many interesting twists and turns in the story, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. If you liked The Guncle, you will adore The Road to Tender Hearts. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

If you have a dark sense of humor, or just a twisted sense of humor, and you are in need of a laugh? This is the book that you will want to pick up upon release day!

I'm not sure what I expected reading this one, though it's one I'm glad I didn't read the blurb about! If I had, I might not have been so willing to pick it up which would have been sad as oh man did I laugh over this book. It was utterly absurd, but in a good way (if that's possible).

The start of this book is an utter mess - it's a disaster right from the start but once you get past that and into the heart of the book, it does improve some. PJ Halliday is an alcoholic (trying to recover) and former millionaire winner - he's been basically trying to drink away his pain since losing his daughter suddenly 14+ years prior and it's caused him to lose his wife, his other daughter, and pretty much anything/everything else. What I loved though was his perseverance; he'd see his house, he'd acknowledge his daughters former room, and then he'd go on about his day - he really is a mess though, and suddenly he sees a light - could he become the guardian to 2 tragically orphaned kids?

What follows is just an epic road trip - the young girl wants to meet her "real" father, as she just knows he's this professional actor, and PJ wants to reunite with his former high school sweetheart in a romantic way - aka, driving across the country to make a grand entrance. Instead it's mishaps, misfortune, and a whole bunch of antics and things that are just so absurd - but it's the type of absurdity that keeps you laughing and asking "what's next?" Throw in a younger boy that is really hurting, worried about his sister, and just desperate for love, Sophie the 20yr old daughter of PJ that is really just lost and trying to coast through life, and an adorable but twisted orange cat named Pancakes. If it sounds like a mess? Well, it is!

The emotions are all very real, and the choices that are made sometimes are wrong, but there is a lesson learned each time, and the twists?? Can't say I ever saw them coming but they worked with the overall crazy/insane plot, so I just kept on rolling with it!

I found myself shaking my head more than once, and questioning my sanity for continuing to read this book on more than one occasion but when I read the last page I found myself really leaning into thinking about the story - seeing the growth arcs, the realization that sometimes things lead to the most unexpected paths but they're the ones you are meant to take. The grief, the love, and the strength to keep going all are recurrent themes in this book and it's a powerful take on life and all that it entails.

What a wild ride this story was. The characters were all flawed and quirky and the plot itself was just crazy enough to still be believable. I loved being in the car with PJ, Sophie, Luna, and Ollie. Between the devastation surrounding this family and the comfort and forgiveness they all found with each other, the underlying themes of family, moving on, and surviving this crazy life was heartwarming even in all its oddities.

Tender hearts, indeed! This was super cute and cheesy, I loved the cast of characters and the relationships in the book. Pancakes the death predicting orange cat was definitely the star of the show here! Also, the beginning of the story and what happens to the kids parents was one of the most engaging hooks I have read in a long time. I found PJs character to be slightly annoying in the middle, but feel like the character arc totally redeemed him in the end. Total feel good book, feeling all of the warm fuzzies.

Thank you to random house Ballentine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

I really loved “The Road to Tender Hearts” by Annie Harnett. It was so full of charm that it might be my favorite book of 2025. PJ Halliday should be a happy man, having won the million-dollar lottery a few years back. But his life is full of tragedy, and he can’t stop drinking. He never got over the death of his oldest daughter and his wife left him for a man that ultimately became his best friend. He barely can manage on his own. So what is he going to do when his ex-wife and her new partner (whom he meets every day for breakfast) decide to go on an extensive cruise to Alaska. He’s worried his life will be nothing but empty days. But that’s not to be. First, he somehow adopts a cat with magical powers. Then, he becomes the guardian of his brother’s two grandchildren who are suddenly orphaned because of a murder/suicide. And his younger daughter, who he’s had a poor relationship with shows up to help. And then they all set off on a road trip.
This book deals with some heavy issues such as death, family estrangement, child abuse/neglect, but it is done in a heartwarming way that is full of hope. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.

A book full of quirky characters, that I couldn’t help but root for. I didn’t always agree with PJ’s decisions I liked reading to see where they got him. There were lots of dark moments with lighter moments to balance the story out.

PJ's 63 years have been full of tragedy, and more stress might kill him - he's already had three heart attacks. He drinks away his lottery winnings, masking the grief of losing his eldest daughter in an accident, and then his marriage as a result. When he finds a stray cat who can predict death and then becomes the guardian of his estranged brother's very traumatized grandkids, PJ takes the oddball gang on the road to look for his old high school love, all of them kept in line by his resentful adult daughter. There's so much trauma surrounding this group, but PJ manages to be optimistic and find humor in the face of great tragedy. And there's a cat who serves as an agent of death! This title is irreverent and dark, but full of heart. I've never been so happy to watch things go so wrong.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

CWs - Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, War

the road to tender hearts is a bit heavier than the wacky road trip premise that the description of the novel hints at. a big theme in this book is how addiction is something that is not easy to recover from. sometimes this journey can be a bit non-linear and despite best hopes to stay sober, that is often better said than done. if hartnett had spent more time developing this more in a “show not tell” manner this would’ve been so much stronger. at times the writing feels fredrik backman like but it doesn’t quite get there as a result of not trusting the audience.

Take a roadtrip in a “borrowed” red Volvo with the most quirky, chaotic, sympathetic, thrown together family you’ve ever met.
This story will make you re-think the phrase “getting there is half the fun”
You have to read it to believe these misadventures!

Introductions;

PJ Halliday: Obstinate, irresponsible, generous, kind-hearted, unkempt, alcoholic, retired postman, former lottery winner.

Sophie Halliday - PJ’s unemployed, undirected, slightly unhinged 20 -something daughter; desperate to change her trajectory.

Luna and Ollie Meeklin - the recently orphaned grandchildren of PJ’s horrible, hated half-brother. Strangers to PJ, but now his wards as next-of-kin. 10 year old troubled “Irish Twins.”

Pancakes - the most intelligent and enchanting passenger on board. Orange tabby cat and sometimes mystic.

The chaotic cuteness of this family reminded me of the 2001 cult classic , all-star cast film “The Royal Tenenbaums”
directed by Wes Anderson.

If anyone knows how to get ahold of Wes Anderson, he should read this book ASAP!!! (Wow, Gene Hackman would have made a great PJ… maybe Owen Wilson or William H Macy could pull it off…)

I apologize for the overtired cliche, but this one honestly WILL make you laugh and cry. Its expected release date is 4/29/25. It would be an amazing addition to your book club list.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the honor of reading this before the release date. And thank you to Annie Hartnett for the magic on the pages.

This one was funny and heartwarming and tender. It’s about family and being there for each other.

It follows PJ, his daughter Sophie, two orphaned children, and a cat who travel cross country. On the trip, they come across different people and find themselves in some interesting situations.

It was wild to me how in each place someone dies. I didn’t keep track, but there were a lot of death of side characters.

I just loved the interactions between everyone. And this whole story. This was so enjoyable and such a great read.

Thx PRH audio for the advanced listening copy.

The majority of this book felt like a fever dream, in the best way. While it took me a little while to catch on to the writing style, it quickly became a book I had a blast reading as PJ, Sophie, and the kids went on all of their adventures. The little thoughts thrown into the story from characters randomly cracked me up. Some of the more sensitive topics were jarring at times but I did like how all loose ends were tied up by the end and it was overall a heartwarming story with quirky lovable characters.

Heartfelt and quirky story that covers themes of grief, parenting and found family. Hartnett’s humor is unique and clever. I will never forget some of these characters - definitely memorable!

Pj’s ex wife and her new boyfriend are going to Alaska for 3 months. That shouldn’t sound like an issue, but since they still take care of PJ, it’s a bit of a problem. When he sees that Michelle Cobbs husband has passed, he knows he needs to go after the one that got away. Before he can head out though, he finds out that his great niece and nephew have been left to his care after their parents horrific deaths. Surely a road trip would be good for the kids right? After all, he is meant to get his license back in a few days, and he hasn’t had a drink in a week!

Oh my god, this book 🥹. This book has the storyline and humor of The Guncle, so obviously you know I loved it. There were several times I laughed out loud while at the gym. I’m sure people were wondering what was wrong with the crazy lady but I don’t even care! PJ is the most easily hatable but somehow loved character I have read in a while. I was rooting for him the entire book, and I loved the relationship he built with the kids, as well as the one he was trying to heal with his daughter Sophie. Plus pancakes? Pancakes the cat was just perfection. My goodness writing this review there is just so much I want to say but I don’t want to dive too far into the weeds here! Ollie and Luna beyond adorable, even when they were getting into a bit of trouble :::cough:: pineapple purse. Overall this book had a cast of characters I didn’t realize I really needed right now in my reading! I highly recommend picking this one up if you need a comical and heartwarming read!

Thank you to @randomhouse for my gifted copy of this book!

Have you ever read a book and through tears you were incredibly sad to realize it was the last page and you would no longer be going on this hilariously, rocky road trip anymore? That is exactly how I felt when I realized this quirky, fun, but beautiful book had ended.

PJ, a sixty-three year old Massachusetts lottery winner, who has drank himself through the tragedies of his life, reads in the local paper that his high school sweet heart just lost her husband. Since she lives in Arizona, in a retirement community, he decides to set off on a road trip to capture her heart because PJ believes she was the "one who got away". With an additional cast of characters like Pancakes the Cat who has a penchant for cozying up to people on the brink of death; Sophie, PJ's troubled daughter; and two orphans who PJ has inherited, this book takes you on a crazy ride through the United States that is not only hilarious but heart warming. I absolutely loved it!!!

I have read all of Annie Hartnett's novels, but this is my favorite. This book is being published April 29, 2025 and I highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. Please send me all of Annie Hartnett's future books. Hartnett's novels are completely original and a joy to read! #NetGalley #TheRoadToTenderHearts

Oh this was such a fun and heartwarming read.

63 year old $1.5m lottery winner PJ learns his first love’s husband has died. Filled with unearned confidence, he packs up a car he technically doesn't have permission to use and embarks on a cross country road trip in pursuit of an old flame while seeing as much of the country as he can. His passengers? The two newly-orphaned "Irish twin" 4th graders now in his care, his semi-estranged daughter, and a cat that can predict death.

This book is, appropriately, very tender. The characters are flawed and quirky but endearing nonetheless. It is very well-paced and readable, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes complex relationships, questionable life choices, intergenerational friendships, and very tender moments between family and friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published on April 29, 2025.

Where do I even start...

Summary
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.

The first few chapters are dark, like *really* dark and had I not read Harnett's other books I may have just DNFd right then. But, because I had, I figured I'd attempt to get past the crazy setup, I also usually enjoy the road trip aspect in books so I was hopeful.

Well, the "old man on a mission," PJ was an absolutely horrible human -- I get that he has some unhealed trauma but 63 and acting absurd, selfish, and reckless for a majority of the book was a huge turn off, never once did I feel badly for him. So why did I keep reading?

Some of the shenanigans were kind of entertaining, entertaining or couldn't look away from the car wreck type of situation. I also grew to love the kids in this novel, they have had a shit time in life and I just wanted someone to reach in and be consistent and loving.

I've read two others by Annie Hartnett and here's the order and what I rated them:
🦊Unlikely Animals⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐰Rabbit Cake⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐱The Road to Tender Hearts⭐⭐⭐.75

I really did enjoy Tender Hearts but PJ killed it for me.

Have you read any of Hartnett's books?
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PJ Halliday just needed a second chance. He's 63 and already had three heart attacks. His oldest daughter died suddenly and his marriage dissolved soon after. He did win a million-dollar lottery, but he's pretty sure he's at the end of his life.

He reads an obituary of an old rival...the rival who married his first love. That second chance he needed is looking like it's going to be that old sweetheart in a retirement home across the country.

Suddenly, he's the guardian of two young children - his estranged brother's grandchildren. He figures he might ask his daughter Sophie to come along; she can babysit these surprise children. To add to the rag-tag group, Pancakes, a former nursing home cat...who has a history of predicting death, has shown up outside of PJ's home.

PJ as a character, on paper, sounds like a pain in the ass. He's a man who need redemption and The Road to Tender Hearts provides that. We all need a redo sometimes. Sometimes, we all need that fresh start, before its too late.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Annie Harnett proves yet again that she can create a novel simultaneously heart-warming and darkly, tragically humorous. In Road to Tender Hearts we meet PJ, an alcoholic who practically lives with his ex-wife, Ivy, and her soon-to-be-husband, Fred. As PJ bumbles through his days, he is tortured by his inability to get over the loss of his oldest daughter on her prom night, strengthen his relationship with his younger daughter, and live independently even though he won $1.5m in the lottery on a scratch-off ticket.

When Ivy and Phil leave for a months-long vacation without him, PJ is lost. That is, until he is swept up in a whirlwind of new people in his life. First, he is adopted by an orange cat recently escaped from the assisted living facility where it was rumored to be able to predict the deaths of the facility’s inhabitants. Then he inherits two children after their parents’ almost absurd deaths. However, the oldest of the two children informs PJ that she strongly suspects her dead father isn’t really her father but instead is a well-known soap opera star.

To prove that theory and to find his long, lost high school crush, PJ loads up the cat, the kids, and his reluctant daughter in Fred’s old red Volvo and hits the road. On this epic journey, PJ learns that he needs to take responsibility for his actions, his life and, most importantly, his drinking.

The scenes and characters throughout this novel are vivid and often absurd (at times laughable). In spite of being related by blood, the characters fall into the found-family trope --and a large, kind, and big-hearted family at that. I began this one hoping for a read as whimsical and fun as the cover art, and I was not disappointed in the least.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine for the ARC of this book through NetGalley, which I received for my honest review. This book will be available to the public on April 29, 2025.

#TheRoadtoTenderHearts #NetGalley #annieharnett #books #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #nerdventureswithbooks