The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

Discover a darkly funny, hopeful, and uplifting novel about second chances, found family, and an unexpected road trip. This story follows sixty-three-year-old lottery winner PJ Halliday, whose life in Pondville is overshadowed by past loss and a failed marriage. When PJ learns his high-school sweetheart is single, he plans a drive to Arizona to win her back, but a tragic incident leaves him the sole guardian of his estranged brother's grandchildren. Joined by his daughter Sophie and Pancakes, a therapy cat rumored to predict death, PJ embarks on an unforgettable journey.

This novel has received high praise, being named a US National Indie and USA Today Bestseller, a May Indie Next Pick, and featured on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. It is recognized as an NPR and Lit Hub Best Book of the Year.

• "A moving, unforgettable story about the power we have to change our lives" - Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People
• "I loved every page of this wild, weird, big-hearted book" - Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
• "A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip story, in the grand tradition of Little Miss Sunshine" - Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

• Second chances and life affirmation
• The formation of found family
• Darkly funny and heartwarming narrative

• Author: Annie Hartnett
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Dimensions: 128 x 34 x 196mm
• Item Weight: 260 g
• Publication Date: May 21, 2026
• ISBN-10: 1035447045
• ISBN-13: 978-1035447046
• Publisher: Mountain Leopard Press

Perfect for fans of The Wedding People, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and the works of Fredrik Backman, this is a must-read contemporary fiction title.