Anxious Hearts
If crushing anxiety and an all-consuming drive to succeed rule your life, can there still be room for love?
When the pressure becomes too much.
Kelly O’Mara is an outstanding junior doctor in her late twenties, preparing for her specialist paediatric exams. She is determined to be the best, even if that means sacrificing friendships, a social life and any chance of romance. But the pressure she puts on herself is becoming unbearable.
Finn Walsh has a successful acting career and a familiar face on television. Away from the cameras, he lives with an overwhelming fear that any mistake could end in disaster. Anxiety and self-loathing make everyday life a struggle.
Kelly and Finn have been inseparable since childhood. They have always understood each other when nobody else could. But as their fears and expectations intensify, a rift opens between them, and both begin to spiral. Can they find a way back to each other before they lose themselves?
Written with compassion and humour, Anxious Hearts explores love, mental health and the impossible standards we set for ourselves.
Where to buy
Paperback ISBN: 9781786586100 · Published 2 September 2025. Retailer stock and pricing may vary.
Meet Barney Conroy.
For stories with more laugh-out-loud mishaps, explore the Barney Conroy trilogy.
Explore the trilogy