''A moving, unforgettable story about the power we have to change our lives'' Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People''I loved every page of this wild, weird, big-hearted book'' Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures''Will live on in your heart long after the book is over'' Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo''s Got Money Troubles''A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip story, in the grand tradition of Little Miss Sunshine'' Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich''The funniest novelist of her generation'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US National Indie and USA Today BestsellerNew England Book Award Winner || May Indie Next PickFeatured on Tonight Show with Jimmy FallonPeople Magazine Top Books of 2025New York Times Best American Road Trip NovelsAn NPR and Lit Hub Best Book of the YearAt 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.But 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.Before 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.This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for - a fresh shot at love and parenting - but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It''s very possible his heart can''t take it.BUCKLE IN FOR THE ROAD TRIP OF A LIFETIME''Absurdly over-the-top in plot, yet warms like a heated seat'' The New York Times''Miraculous'' John Irving''An ABSOLUTE MUST READ!! . . . Brilliant and heartwarming'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Laughed out loud and also sobbed uncontrollably'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''A rare and special novel . . . an extraordinary reading experience from beginning to end!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''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'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''There is really no way to put my love for this book into words'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of Rabbit Cake.''Bewitching!'' New York Times''Heartfelt, touching and delightfully quirky'' Good HousekeepingIt was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best. Natural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she''s lost her way. A medical school dropout, she''s come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to spend his final days.Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad''s illness, her mom''s judgment, and her younger brother''s recent stint in rehab, but she''s unprepared to find that her former best friend from high school is missing, with no one bothering to look for her. The police say they don''t spend much time looking for drug addicts. Emma''s dad is the only one convinced the young woman might still be alive, and Emma is hopeful he could be right. Someone should look for her, at least. Emma isn''t really trying to be a hero, but somehow she and her father bring about just the kind of miracle the town needs.Set against the backdrop of a small town in the throes of a very real opioid crisis, Unlikely Animals is a tragicomic novel about familial expectations, imperfect friendships, and the possibility of resurrecting that which had been thought irrevocably lost.''Hartnett''s whimsical storytelling casts a spell'' Publishers Weekly''An absurdist, laugh-out-loud family drama about intergenerational healing'' Kirkus Reviews

''A moving, unforgettable story about the power we have to change our lives'' Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People''I loved every page of this wild, weird, big-hearted book'' Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures''Will live on in your heart long after the book is over'' Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo''s Got Money Troubles''A feel-good, feel-sad, warm, dark, and funny road-trip story, in the grand tradition of Little Miss Sunshine'' Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich''The funniest novelist of her generation'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US National Indie and USA Today BestsellerNew England Book Award Winner || May Indie Next PickFeatured on Tonight Show with Jimmy FallonPeople Magazine Top Books of 2025New York Times Best American Road Trip NovelsAn NPR and Lit Hub Best Book of the YearAt 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.But 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.Before 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.This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for - a fresh shot at love and parenting - but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It''s very possible his heart can''t take it.BUCKLE IN FOR THE ROAD TRIP OF A LIFETIME''Absurdly over-the-top in plot, yet warms like a heated seat'' The New York Times''Miraculous'' John Irving''An ABSOLUTE MUST READ!! . . . Brilliant and heartwarming'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Laughed out loud and also sobbed uncontrollably'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''A rare and special novel . . . an extraordinary reading experience from beginning to end!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''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'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''There is really no way to put my love for this book into words'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of Rabbit Cake.''Bewitching!'' New York Times''Heartfelt, touching and delightfully quirky'' Good HousekeepingIt was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best. Natural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she''s lost her way. A medical school dropout, she''s come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to spend his final days.Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad''s illness, her mom''s judgment, and her younger brother''s recent stint in rehab, but she''s unprepared to find that her former best friend from high school is missing, with no one bothering to look for her. The police say they don''t spend much time looking for drug addicts. Emma''s dad is the only one convinced the young woman might still be alive, and Emma is hopeful he could be right. Someone should look for her, at least. Emma isn''t really trying to be a hero, but somehow she and her father bring about just the kind of miracle the town needs.Set against the backdrop of a small town in the throes of a very real opioid crisis, Unlikely Animals is a tragicomic novel about familial expectations, imperfect friendships, and the possibility of resurrecting that which had been thought irrevocably lost.''Hartnett''s whimsical storytelling casts a spell'' Publishers Weekly''An absurdist, laugh-out-loud family drama about intergenerational healing'' Kirkus Reviews