The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

The Road to Tender Hearts follows PJ Halliday, a grieving, alcoholic widower who impulsively sets out on a cross-country road trip hoping to reunite with his high-school sweetheart, but ends up traveling with his estranged adult daughter, two newly orphaned nieces and nephews he’s suddenly responsible for, and a mysterious therapy cat rumored to predict death. As the chaotic journey unfolds, each character confronts their own trauma and disappointments, forcing PJ to face his guilt, sobriety, and failures as a father. What begins as a misguided quest for romantic redemption becomes a messy but heartfelt search for healing, family, and second chances.