Review: The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Road to Tender Hearts

The Road to Tender Hearts is a story about PJ Halliday, a 60-year old lottery winner, who comes up with a plan to journey across the country to woo his recently-widowed high school girlfriend, who had married his best friend many, many years prior. Before he could set out, however, he finds himself the legal guardian of his niece and nephew, neither of whom he knew existed until now. His daughter becomes an unwilling accomplice in his antics, and the four begin an unforgettable and unique adventure to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community.

I was hooked by page one, because what gets you invested more than a death-attuned cat? Chapter one does an exemplary job of setting the tone for the rest of the book: it's blunt, bleak, but still manages to find humor in the darkness of the world. However, it did, at times, feel excessively angsty, rushed, and I did not feel there was much depth in the characters' relationships with one another. The characters, themselves, were more-or-less one-note. It's true they are able to overcome their differences and come together in the end, but besides PJ, who was still only just starting to make progress in his personal journey in the last quarter of the book, I can't say with much confidence that any one character was much different from how they were at the start, nor do I think they were all that likable. I also found Annie Hartnett's prose to be very direct; it does not leave much to the imagination as it tells you exactly who this cast is and what they're thinking, almost as if you are being guided to feel a certain way about them.

Despite my critiques, I did find the story to be incredibly captivating. It consistently had me at the edge of my seat, wanting to know the fates of the two kids and their borderline-crazy great uncle. I would most certainly read this book again, and I do highly recommend it. 100% worth the read. Out now!

Review: Love is for All of Us

Love is for All of Us is a beautiful and heartfelt anthology of poems about love, acceptance, and celebrating our differences in a world where the goal is, quite often, to "fit in." I was deeply captivated, and frankly, enraged by each shared experience in which the poet describes how they were alienated simply for being themself. It's absolutely devastating to think that even your own family can so quickly turn their back on you for something out of your control, but it truly does open your eyes to how important it is, now more than ever, to love carelessly; to hell with restraint!

I realize how fortunate I am that I struggle to connect and relate to such stories and experiences, but the overall message is one I wholeheartedly support. I find, today, that love is a limited resource. There simply just isn't enough of it. But love is also a necessity; we live and breathe it without a thought. We need it. A LOT of it. It is my belief that only through love and compassion can the world experience positive growth and development in any context; that love, truly, belongs to us all.

When Life Gets You Down

Since I was a kid, I was sure of one absolute truth: Life SUCKS.

When Other People are Undeniably Better than You

Oftentimes, I will find myself doom-scrolling on Instagram; I follow many fellow readers and writers and students, and I can't help but notice how different I am. I like to read, but admittedly, I rarely do any actual reading; I like to write, but I don't write a lot, and what I do write doesn't sound like what I like to read. I enjoy learning, but I don't like to study and I don't do my assignments. Everyone else, they seem so ahead, so advanced. I always feel like I'm stuck way behind where I should be, where they are. I want to be where they are, but most of the time, I can't bring myself to get up and get there. It's an awful feeling: to know you can do something you want to do, while not having the energy or the drive to do it. I hate to be limited. I'm sure many others have felt this too.

I hope you have not. If you have, however, know this:

No matter where you are in life, whether you're doing better or worse than anyone else in any area of life, you are exactly where you're supposed to be, and you will only keep moving forward.

An Ode to Celibacy

I lay in your arms

we kiss and we laugh

your hands on my body

and mine on yours

but our clothes are still on

they stay on all night

for what we share is more intimate than the deepest touch

I lay in your arms

I think

This Is Home

Review: Poetry is Not a Luxury

Poetry is Not a Luxury, an anthology from Simon & Schuester and assembled by @poetryisnotaluxury on Instagram, is a lovely collection that lets you explore the different experience and emotions of a variety of poets throughout the changing of the seasons.

It starts in Spring, then Summer, Autumn, Winter, then Spring again, because spring always comes back. The flowers bloom, the sun comes out, and things just get a little bit brighter. But Winter comes, too, with its cold touch and bittersweet smells. It's more nostalgic, more touching, like a message from a friend you hadn't seen in a while, someone who maybe isn't so much of a friend anymore. 

Then there's the in-between: Summer and Fall; this time of year is one that you will remember when it is cold and dark, much like Winter. A time you can look back on when things are feeling like they are just too much for you to handle. It will bring you comfort and companionship in the form of written word, and you'll find that words hold compassion and kindness and love, so long as you find the right ones.

While reading Poetry is Not a Luxury, I felt myself being able to connect very deeply with many of the poems, feeling every breath and gust of wind they described. It was a great practice in empathy and learning to understand the minds of others. It is a lesson in love and friendship, and a reminder to live in the moment before it's gone.

Check out @poetryisnotaluxury on IG and find this anthology in stores on May 6, 2025. It is absolutely more than worth the read.