The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
on April 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Literary
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
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Annie Hartnett’s The Road to Tender Hearts is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you—in the best way possible. It’s quirky, warm, unexpectedly moving, and just the type of story I didn’t know I needed.
At the center of this delightfully oddball road trip is PJ Halliday, a sixty-something lottery winner with a tragic past, a failing heart, and a new mission: win back his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb. But before he can leave his small Massachusetts town behind, life throws him a curveball in the form of two orphaned grandchildren, a drifting adult daughter, and a death-predicting cat named Pancakes. What follows is a cross-country journey full of humor, heartache, and redemption.
Hartnett masterfully balances comedy and grief, letting the heavy moments land without weighing down the story’s charm. PJ is a character who feels like that one slightly off-kilter grandpa or great-uncle you can’t help but root for—sweet, stubborn, and just a little chaotic. The supporting cast is just as lovable and layered, making the journey feel as emotionally rich as it is entertaining.
One of the most poignant lines in the book perfectly captures the emotional core of this story:
“Kids aren’t resilient. That’s something adults like to say to make themselves feel better. To pretend that kids don’t feel as deeply as adults do. But kids are everything that happens to them. They’re sponges. Everything bad, everything good. Every hurtful thing you say. Every loving one.”
The ending was pitch-perfect—heartwarming without being saccharine. It left me smiling and maybe a little teary-eyed. This is a story that embraces life’s messiness while still managing to find beauty and humor in it all.
If you enjoy novels that blend comedy and drama with a generous dose of zany road trip antics and heart, The Road to Tender Hearts should be at the top of your list. It’s a 5-star read for me and one I won’t soon forget.
English (US) · 