The Road to Tender Hearts

A Novel

By: Annie Hartnett

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • 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—by the beloved author of Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals

“A miraculous novel—an actual and spiritual road trip you won’t forget.”—John Irving

At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already.

But when PJ reads the obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.

Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also thinks he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter who's adrift in her twenties, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home.

This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a fresh shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.

©2025 Annie Hartnett (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A long-suffering family finds joy. A clairvoyant cat has premonitions of death and other supernatural talents. Vultures are hoping two orphaned children will stay alive. A dead daughter’s hat talks to her father. A miraculous novel—an actual and spiritual road trip you won’t forget.”—John Irving

“A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip story, in the grand tradition of Little Miss Sunshine . . . I fell in love with the characters individually but also as one big, messy family, which is what this tenderhearted book is all about.”—Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

“The Road to Tender Hearts is a brilliant and poignant journey of family, forgiveness, and rediscovery. This road trip has it all—a cast of quirky characters, unhealed family wounds, attempts to rekindle lost connections, even a cat that can sense death, but most of all, it’s great fun! Hartnett, like always, has drawn such complex, endearing, and hilarious characters, you’ll root for them to the very end. This novel will leave you thinking about your own journeys—both the ones taken and the ones still ahead. It’s a moving, unforgettable story about the power we have to change our lives.”—Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People

quirky lovable dysfunctional family tales

Well, this was my first 4 star rating for Annie Hartnett. I liked The Road to Tender Hearts a lot, but I did not love it as much as the other two books of hers I've read and rated 5 stars (Unlikely Animals and Rabbit Cake.) She set the bar pretty high, though, so keep that in mind. I don't think anyone does a better job at quirky character driven fiction than Annie Hartnett. She once again has a completely odd ball family with dysfunctional dynamics that become completely lovable by the end of the story. I did have the feeling with this novel that it was a little bit over the top (even for her) with the crazy happenings (I won't spoil anything but suffice to say there are people dying all over the place in this one). But the cat, Pancakes, who is an "Agent of Death" was such a great character, I forgave Annie for the increased level of cuckoo in this one. This story centers around PJ, a divorced, 60 year old alcoholic who has breakfast with his ex wife and her boyfriend every morning, and ends up inheriting two slightly messed up kids and takes them on a road trip to meet his high school crush who is newly available again as her husband has just died. Hartnett's plot lines are really just a string to connect the characters in her novels and are always a bit ridiculous but in a good way. That being said, you really have to enjoy quirky and even somewhat crazy characters and slightly unbelievable plot lines to enjoy any Annie Hartnett. This is a solid recommendation but fell just shy of 5 stars for me. (So sorry!) I do think there are a lot of trigger warnings for this one which is mostly off the page but alluded to and includes: child abuse, murder, suicide, domestic violence, incest, alcoholism and accidental teen death.

Heartfelt and heart warming

A lovely tribute to grief, collective and individual, and the power that love has to move us forward even when we don’t think we want to.

Heartwarming

Adored this book. Such a sweet, funny, tragic story. If you love books with found family, grief, hope, roadtrips, cats and humor you will adore this one. I didn’t think I would like it as much with the narrator but it really did work nicely. I laughed so hard, I cried, this book was just so sweet.

Great story

This is the best I've read this year. perfect narration. I look forward to listening to it again.

Brilliant!

Wow! What a delightful gem. The characters insist that you fall in love with each of them. I was hooked from the beginning. Beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks on audible over the years and this is the first time I’ve written a review - take that as a sign to read this book :)

Full of life❤️❤️

Love it all. Well done and full of heart. Loved all the characters in the story

Sweet story

Perfect narration for an absolutely lovely story. What a wonderful book! I’m so glad to have read this.

The complexity of relationships and families.

Loved the unpredictable way the story unfolded. There was a lot of forgiveness and acceptance in the relationships which was uplifting. A sweet message of the way life works out even amidst sorrow.

The best book I’ve read

This book was perfect! Quirky, funny, sad and full of heart! Couldn’t wait to know the ending but didn’t want it to end

So Much Fun

I loved everything about this book. The narrator was perfect, the characters were so funny and flawed but in a good way, the storyline moved quickly, and the cat Pancakes was a bonus. It also has themes about forgiveness, starting over, compassion, and love for family. Don't miss this one...you will love it.