Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the complimentary digital copy of The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Hartnett is three for three on my scorecard for excellent novels, and they just keep getting better! There is some complicated family dynamics going on, but I had no trouble keeping straight the connections between the these singular characters and, as per usual, Hartnett writes child personas from such an authentic place. I lost my father when I was just eight years old, so I really felt for these children who lost their parents, and appreciate the way they were gracefully depicted with all of their magical thinking, failings and foibles.

As with her other novels, there is a sprinkling of mystical whimsy that just adds something special and makes her books so unique. I highly recommend picking up Rabbit Cake, Unlikely Animals, and now The Road to Tender Hearts. All of these stories are told with such humor, tenderness, and light that will melt your heart.