The Road to Tender Hearts

"A moving, unforgettable story" — Alison Espach, author of The Wedding People

"The funniest novelist of her generation" ★★★★★

"I loved every page of this wild, weird, big-hearted book" — Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

"A rare and special novel" ★★★★★

"A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip" — Catherine Newman, author of Sandwich

Discover the book everyone's talking about — an unforgettable road-trip novel about second chances, found family, and a cat called Pancakes, who can predict when someone is going to die...

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.

Perfect for fans of The Wedding People, The Correspondent and Fredrik Backman.

• Featured on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
• People Magazine Top Books of 2025
• New York Times Best American Road Trip Novels
• An NPR and Lit Hub Best Book of the Year

Buckle in for the road trip of a lifetime

"Will live on in your heart" — Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo's Got Money Troubles

"Laughed out loud and also sobbed uncontrollably" ★★★★★

"Absurdly over-the-top in plot, yet warms like a heated seat" — The New York Times

"Marrying the quirk of Margo's Got Money Troubles with the bittersweet tone of Little Miss Sunshine" — Grazia

"An ABSOLUTE MUST READ!! ... Brilliant and heartwarming" ★★★★★

"Miraculous" — John Irving

"Some stories find a way to dig down deep into your heart, burrow there, and then stay for good. I think this will be one of those for me" ★★★★★

"There is really no way to put my love for this book into words" ★★★★★