The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts is a darkly comic novel about PJ Halliday, who embarks on a journey to reunite with his high school crush, bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat that can predict death. The novel explores themes of Grief as a Transformative Force, Redemption Through Responsibility, and Finding Connection Amid Life’s Fragility. This unlikely group of travelers embarks on a road trip adventure that doubles as a meditation on what it means to find home and second chances later in life. Hartnett crafts a story that is both heartbreaking and hilarious, a reminder that even in the final chapters, life can surprise us with new beginnings. Annie Hartnett’s previous novels are Rabbit Cake (2017) and Unlikely Animals (2022). Her work has garnered critical acclaim and a devoted readership for its unique blend of heartbreak and humor, as well as its quirky characters. Hartnett earned her MFA from the University of Alabama and has received numerous literary fellowships and awards. The Road to Tender Hearts received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, and became a national bestseller.

The source material comes from the 2025 PRH eBook edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of mental illness, child abuse, child death, death by suicide, substance use, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Despite winning over a million dollars in the lottery, 63-year-old PJ Halliday is unhappy as he struggles with substance use after losing his daughter and his marriage. PJ remains friends with his ex-wife, Ivy, who, along with her partner, Fred, looks out for PJ since he’s had three heart attacks. However, PJ’s relationship with his youngest daughter, Sophie, is strained, as she is often the one who must care for him when he drinks too much. Ivy and Fred leave for a trip to Alaska, and PJ feels left behind and lonely. He goes to their house to borrow food and makes friends with a cat named Pancakes, who has escaped from the animal shelter. Though PJ does not know this, Pancakes has a penchant for hanging around people who are soon to die. PJ learns that his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is recently widowed. He decides to take a road trip to Tucson, where she lives in the Tender Hearts Retirement Home, and propose to her. He resolves to get sober and hopes to begin his life anew in Tucson.

PJ’s niece kills her husband and dies by suicide, orphaning her two children, Ollie and Luna. His niece leaves the children with PJ, their only living relative. PJ calls Sophie for help since Ivy is gone. Belinda, the social worker assigned to the case, brings the children to meet PJ and conduct the house inspection. Secretly, PJ hopes the placement is temporary, since he isn’t interested in raising children, but he still purchases beds, a trampoline, and iPads for the children. PJ decides to take the children on his road trip, and since his license is suspended due to drunk driving charges, he asks Sophie to join them and be his driver. Sophie is recently unemployed and struggling with depression. Though her relationship with her father is strained, she says yes for a change of scenery. Luna is convinced her father is Mark Stackpole, a soap opera star. She agrees to go on the road trip to Arizona only if they can stop in Texas and meet Mark at the soap opera convention where he’s making an appearance.

The group sets out from Pondville in Fred’s Volvo. PJ wants to see all the sights along the way, so their first stop is Niagara Falls. Pancakes travels with them, and at each stop, anyone Pancakes encounters dies soon after. As they travel, PJ begins telling stories from the past, including stories about Kate, his daughter (and Sophie’s sister) who died as a teenager. The more he speaks about Kate, the sadder PJ becomes, and he struggles to maintain his sobriety. Twice, he leaves their motel at night to find alcohol, which upsets the children and frustrates Sophie, who longs not to be her father’s caregiver. The night before they’re to arrive in Sugar Land, Texas, to meet Mark, PJ walks back to the motel from the bar, and a car hits him. The next morning, Sophie and the children search for PJ and find him bleeding in a ditch. PJ insists they still drive to Sugar Land so Luna can find Mark.

They arrive at the soap opera convention, and Luna confronts Mark, claiming she is his daughter and asking him to take a paternity test. Mark agrees to take the test, provided he can waive his parental rights. He offers to send PJ money monthly to care for the children if he signs an NDA. Mark’s cold reception hurts Luna, and she feels betrayed that PJ would accept the money. She and Ollie run away, taking Pancakes with them. A police officer pulls them over and learns the Volvo is stolen. With the car missing, Sophie and PJ take the bus to search for the kids. They find them at the mall. Luna wants to run away to Mexico, but Ollie wants to return to Pondville and live with PJ and Sophie. Both PJ and Sophie realize they love the children and apologize to them for failing them. They promise to care for them and protect them. PJ wants to pursue sobriety and be the best caregiver he can to the children and repair his relationship with Sophie.

The group arrives at the Tender Hearts Retirement Home just as the funeral for Ed Cobb, Michelle’s father, is happening. At the funeral, PJ thinks he sees his dead mother. After the funeral, PJ declares his intention to propose to Michelle, but she reveals that Ed was PJ’s biological father, thus making her his half-sister. PJ, Sophie, and the children remain at Tender Hearts for two weeks, and PJ begins attending AA meetings. Fred calls and reveals that Ivy has terminal brain cancer, and they weren’t in Alaska but instead at the Mayo Clinic for treatment. Fred asks PJ to return to Pondville immediately because he and Ivy want to get married before she dies. PJ and the kids fly home, and as soon as they arrive at Fred’s house, Pancakes runs to Ivy and jumps into the bed with her.