'Tiny Beautiful Things' ' Kathryn Hahn Is a 'Mess' in First Trailer as Author Praises Star's 'Sheer Brilliance'

In PEOPLE's exclusive First Look at the Hulu series based on Cheryl Strayed's book, Hahn plays a mother on the brink of personal combustion from divorce, grief and parenting a teenage daughter

Hulu is taking a deep dive into the Tiny Beautiful Things that make life worth living.

PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer for the Kathryn Hahn-led Hulu series, which shows a mother on the brink of personal combustion as she deals with divorce, grief and parenting a teenage daughter.

"My life is a mess. My husband kicked me out a few days ago. My daughter hates me," says Hahn's Clare. "How did I get so far from the person I wanted to be? What would I tell my 22-year-old self?"

She has some immediate ideas: "Stop worrying whether you're fat. Who gives a s---? Stop obsessing about your nose. Your nose is perfect. Don't take your mom for granted. She won't be here forever."

Elizabeth Morris/Hulu

As Clare deals with the stress of losing her marriage, as well as finding her daughter in situations she doesn't approve of, Clare crumbles under the pressure of adulthood. All the while, flashbacks show her early 20s — when she truly believed her life would end up differently.

It's then she's pitched the idea of writing an advice column, which isn't exactly a job Clare feels qualified to do at the moment.

The relationship with her daughter parallels that of her own life with her mother. "Someday you'll look back on that one Christmas when your mother gave you a mustard yellow coat," Clare says, while an adult version of herself cries into the coat on the front porch. "Don't hold it up and say it's too puffy because your mother will be dead by spring, and that coat will be the last gift she ever gave you."

Jessica Brooks/Hulu

Tensions rise with her own daughter. "I wish you weren't my mom," the teen says.

"I could die tomorrow, and if I did, you would never forgive yourself because that would be the last thing that you'd ever said to me," Clare says back.

But her daughter leaves another point hanging: "You're not the only one who could die tomorrow — so could I."

The trailer questions: "What does it mean to heal? To move on? To let go?"

Erin Simkin/Hulu

The series is based on the New York Times best-selling novel Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed. In a conversation with PEOPLE, Strayed shares what it's like to work with Hahn.

"She has this extraordinary way of being funny and deep and vulnerable and smart and exceptional and also like all of us in her every move," Strayed says of Hahn. "I feel so honored she said yes to this role. She's sheer brilliance."

The Reese Witherspoon- and Laura Dern-produced series isn't the first time Strayed has teamed up with the Hollywood women. She's also the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and consulted on the film led by Witherspoon.

Hulu

"The long road to adapting Tiny Beautiful Things for television began with the friendship forged among Reese and Laura and I, back when we were making Wild together," Strayed tells PEOPLE. "We knew we wanted to collaborate on another project because, quite simply, it's so much fun to work with people you love and respect. And of course that wonderful collaboration only deepened and expanded when Lauren Levy Neustadter, Liz Tigelaar, Kathryn Hahn and so many others came on board."

She adds, "I often say 'we are all Sugar,' and I believe that's true in the making of this show. There's a little bit of truth and beauty from every person who was part of bringing it to the world."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Tiny Beautiful Things premieres April 7 on Hulu.