The Road to Tender Hearts

More about the book

A darkly comic and warm-hearted tale follows sixty-three-year-old PJ Halliday, a lottery winner in Pondville, Massachusetts, whose life has been marred by tragedy, including the loss of his eldest daughter and a broken marriage. Spending his days at the bar, PJ feels the weight of his past and the toll of three heart attacks. However, upon reading the obituary of his old romantic rival, he discovers that his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is now single. Inspired, PJ plans a cross-country trip to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win her back. Before he can embark on this journey, PJ unexpectedly becomes the guardian of his estranged brother's orphaned grandchildren. Rather than cancel his plans, he decides that the kids could benefit from a change of scenery. He also invites his adult daughter, Sophie, who is navigating her own struggles in her twenties, to join them as a babysitter. Adding to the mix is Pancakes, a therapy cat with an uncanny ability to predict death, who appears at PJ's doorstep. This adventure could be PJ's chance for redemption in love and fatherhood, but he must confront whether he has the strength to embrace both roles once more, all while grappling with the fragility of his own heart.