{"product_id":"import-720f8dd0-19ea-4155-9d65-e492aa7f5752","title":"The Road to Tender Hearts: The perfect funny and sad autumn read for fans of The Wedding People and The Correspondent","description":"\u003cp\u003e'A moving, unforgettable story' \u003cb\u003eAlison Espach, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I loved every page of this wild, weird, big-hearted book' \u003cb\u003eShelby Van Pelt, author of \u003ci\u003eRemarkably Bright Creatures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip\u003ci\u003e' \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatherine Newman, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSandwich\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover 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...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The funniest novelist of her generation'      \u003cbr\u003e'A rare and special novel'      \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for - a fresh shot at love \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e parenting - but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It's very possible his heart can't take it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Wedding People\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Correspondent \u003c\/i\u003eand Fredrik Backman.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured on \u003ci\u003eTonight Show with Jimmy Fallon\u003c\/i\u003e     \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e Magazine Top Books of 2025     \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest American Road Trip Novels   An \u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLit Hub \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBUCKLE IN FOR THE ROAD TRIP OF A LIFETIME\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Will live on in your heart' \u003cb\u003eRufi Thorpe, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMargo's Got Money Troubles\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Laughed out loud and also sobbed uncontrollably'      \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Absurdly over-the-top in plot, yet warms like a heated seat' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Marrying the quirk of \u003ci\u003eMargo's Got Money Troubles \u003c\/i\u003ewith the bittersweet tone of \u003ci\u003eLittle Miss Sunshine\u003c\/i\u003e' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGrazia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An ABSOLUTE MUST READ!! . . . Brilliant and heartwarming'      \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Miraculous' \u003cb\u003eJohn Irving\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'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'          \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'There is really no way to put my love for this book into words'        \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback \/ softback | 384 pages | Published May 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GARDNERS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":66049084784908,"sku":"9781035447046","price":13.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0978\/3459\/8749\/files\/9781035447046.jpg?v=1793191933","url":"https:\/\/www.thebookmark.ie\/products\/import-720f8dd0-19ea-4155-9d65-e492aa7f5752","provider":"The Bookmark ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}