First of all i want to thank Netgalley, Paige Toon and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I think Aerosmith hit it right on the head LOVE HURTS!!


This is my first book by the Author Paige Toon. i must say i was impressed. I truly enjoyed the read and i loved the characters and getting to know them. Wren was hurt by love and leaves the UK for the states to visit with her father , stepmother, and stepsister Bailey. Her fiance' Scott fell for a co worker and friend and left Wren to deal with the aftermath. So on her visit to her father's farm she meets Anders and his brother Jonas. Anders is dealing with his own pain of losing love but in a whole different way. There were some heartstrings pulled in that story line. But all in all i loved the book and will read more by this author. I recommend this book for those who love Colleen Hoover ( one of my favorites)..

3.5 because I find it very tough to give 4 stars to a romance (the lit snob in me?). I enjoyed this book and it actually brought me to tears. There is a lot of complexity here--complicated relationship histories, sibling relationships, parent-child relationships, careers...I found the characters quite believable even from the will they / won't they perspective. Minor critiques are the frequent alcohol use and the too tidy bow at the very end. I am going to look up other titles by this author for when I want to dive into another romance for a weekend. Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon is another hit from this author. I love the will they or won't they concept of these characters, Wren and Anders. The visual descriptions this author provides makes the reader feel immersed in the settings. The last few chapters were heart breaking so have some tissues handy.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of Only Love Can Hurt Like This.
If you are looking for a good contemporary romance then this one is a go to. It did start off a bit slow and took awhile to get into the story but overall the story was really good and I enjoyed the characters Wren and Anders. You get to know both of their stories. Not only do you get a good story but also you get to read about family, love, relationships, grief, you name it. I am sure many will love this book.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This written by Paige Toon, oh my goodness, I have no clue what to say. This book was so so beautiful, yet it shredded my heart into a million little pieces while it was trying to stay together. I have <b>NEVER</b> read a book by Paige Toon before, but this definitely won't be my last. Paige Toon is the type of author who can write a novel that can stop your world. I was such an emotional wreck reading this book, so Paige, you owe me a few boxes of tissues. The characters were so lovable, but had some of their own baggage they had to let go in order to set themselves free. This book will be the type of story you will never ever forget. I devoured this book in almost one day, but I had to keep my emotions in check, let me tell you, that <b>DID NOT</b> work at all, I was sobbing, I was smiling, it was just a crazy roller coaster ride that you all have to experience for yourself. Only Love Can Hurt Like This deals with some extremely heavy things such as rebuilding family relationships, loss, grief, and betrayal. I loved every second of this book, all the way until the very last page, it was so beautiful, gut wrenching, and overall just an amazing story. I can't recommend this book enough, <b>EVERYONE</b> needs to read this beautiful love story, so you can all experience the pain it brought on.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

<b>An unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth shattering secret and it's core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?</b>


🎵Playlist🎵
Only Love Can Hurt Like This- Paloma Faith (repeat 10 hours)

Wren and her fiancé Scott are recently just engaged, and living in the United Kingdom. When Wren is out for lunch one day, she sees her fiancé, Scott talking to another woman, Wren notices something out of the blue, Scott and this woman are looking at each other like they are in love, Wren decides to let it go, but that same night, Scott decides to tell Wren that he's in love with someone else. Scott never had an affair with this woman, but my heart absolutely breaks for Wren having to go through this. Wren thinks her heart will never recover, so she decides to fly to Indiana where her dad, step mom and step sister own a peach farm. Wren believes leaving the United Kingdom and coming to America will heal her heart tremendously. Wren's dad left her and her mom for the woman he was having an affair with. My poor girl Wren can never catch a break. Wren is so excited to spend some much needed time on the peach farm. Wren gets closer to her step mom and step sister Bailey, but it does take some time and you will watch their relationship build, it's honestly the sweetest and most heart warming thing I have ever read in a heart breaking book. Bailey never once judged Wren, she welcomed her with open arms.

Wren and Bailey decide to go out and have some drinks one night, Wren and Bailey get so drunk it's hilarious. They decide to leave the bar, but Wren doesn't want to go home just yet, she wants to take a walk and do some much needed thinking. Wren is so intrigued about the fireflies, that she wanders into a corn field and gets lost. In the corn field, Anders and Wren cross paths, and their worlds are turned upside down. Anders and his family own the farm next door, but they run into each other in the corn field the night Wren got lost. Wren and Anders start spending time together, and they both start catching feelings, but Anders is harboring a <b>HUGE</b> secret. Anders lost his wife Laurie in a go karting accident, that's not the secret, but in order to find out the big secret, you'll need to read this beautiful book. Wren doesn't know that Anders is harboring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious consequences for everyone. I was completely shocked at the big twist, I didn't see it at all, but let's be honest, it did break my heart that Anders kept in from Wren. The idea of the peach farm was so cute, it made me feel like I was right on the farm picking peaches. Despite the heart breaking moments, there were still times when I had a huge smile on my face.

This was the first book I've ready by Paige Toon and, sadly, I wasn't wowed. It is a very slow-moving, slow-burn romance - the major secret isn't revealed until you get nearly three quarters through the book. I also found it to be repetitive at times. I'll definitely give the author another chance, but this one was mediocre for me.

After her fiancé admits to being in love with someone else. Wren knows she needs to get away. So she leaves the UK behind to visit her father and his new family in Indiana. On her first night out she meets Anders, a beautiful but infuriating man whose family owns the farm next door. Her hatred quickly turns to friendship, and while she begins to feel more, Anders has a pretty intense secret.

This may have been my first Paige Toon book, but it will certainly not be my last. This book hit me in all the feels. So many times throughout the book I just wanted to send both Wren and Anders to a good therapists couch, but I still loved them regardless. Reading this book I felt hope, love, devastation, grief, and so much more. I can only imagine what both Wren and Anders were going through and feeling and I did not envy the position either was in. I would be doing a disservice to this book if I didn’t mention the fabulous side characters. Jonas and Bailey were so fun and added so much to the story! Overall this book was a delight!

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed several aspects of this and was genuinely shocked at the some of the plot points. I felt like it was surprising and unique enough to keep my interest without being way too predictable. However, it was the sudden POV shift for one chapter at the end that kind of threw me. I understand the need for Anders's perspective and the depth of understanding it added, but I also felt like his POV should have been included throughout rather than throwing it in once at the end as a way to connect the plot details. I also felt that Wren's perspective often read too much like a diary entry, so it would have been refreshing for Anders's perspective to have a more even distribution throughout.

I adored this romance! I found that it had a lot of similarities to The Simple Wild which is another of my favorites! I loved the small town/rural setting, the hard-working and generous male MC, the strong and thoughtful female MC and the sweet and quirky side characters. The plot was emotional, but had just the right amount of comic relief, and not a lot of banter. It basically had everything that I would want in a romance! Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for my early digital copy! I’ll be sharing this recommendation for a long time!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Wren was a fantastic MFC. Her growth after coming to America was spectacular and it was so much fun to see her connect with her dad’s side of the family. I enjoyed how she became a part of the farm life there and really embraced. The slow burn of her romance with Anders was fantastic and I loved her friendship with Jonas. But then the reveal came and SPOILERS AHEAD…
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For the way I view marriage, there was cheating in this book. It’s a controversial situation for sure, but in the end it didn’t sit well with me. Some will disagree and that’s okay.

I still really enjoyed Paige Toon’s writing and will definitely check out her other books on my TBR.

Thank you to Penguin for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

This book is like a breath of fresh air!! There is so much I just loved packed in! Small town Indiana, family farms, sisters, split family dynamic, secrets, betrayal, hope, friendship and love! So GOOD!!
Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?
When Wren realizes her fiance is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover. She hopes that spending the summer with her dad and stepfamily on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal.
There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she meets and befriends Anders, a neighboring farmer that is still struggling with losing his wife a few years before.
When the two cross paths, their worlds are turned upside-down again...
I was so surprised by this book!! The setting was absolutely picturesque! I just love how much of the book is set in Indiana, in a small farming community, which is so much like where I live! Indy 500 and IndyCar racing, you-pick farms, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, farm houses, porch swings and barns with twinkling fall lights! I could absolutely feel what it was like there! Such a simple setting, but just perfect for this story!!
And what a story it is!! It's bittersweet and emotionally charged and I could not put it down!! I absolutely loved the characters! The epilogue was just perfect!!
Highly recommend!!

This was a ‘Read Now’ ARC so I received it without submitting a request. I wanted to read it because I liked the summary and it seemed like a nice, easy romance to get me back into reading. I’m probably going to get a lot of hate for this review because it’s a far cry from the 5-star reviews that are flooding in for this book, but this is my honest opinion…

Why 2 stars:
- I’m not a fan of insta-love and it seemed like Wren fell INSTANTLY for Anders
- All the race talk really made me want to watch the Formula 1 documentary series on Netflix lol
- The book dealt with some serious issues that were heartbreaking and incredibly difficult, buuut it didn’t pull on my heart strings like it did for everyone else
- Sweet, but forgettable

If you’re looking for a somewhat heavy, sweet romance, maybe give this one a try! I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This brings you Wren hiding out at her biological dad's house for the summer after losing her fiance to another woman. Reconnecting with family in a small town and finding herself is just what she needs.

This was definitely a case of it's not you it's me. This one just hit me at the wrong time and I had a hard time getting into it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wren and Anders’ story was so powerful that it sometimes took my breath away! What a beautiful and gut-wrenching book.

Also loved all the side characters in the story, they complemented the story so well. And the title of the book is so fitting!

Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam Sons for the advanced copy for review.

Wren finds out that her fiancée has fallen in love with someone else.
Anders lost his wife and is struggling to move on.
They're half a world apart, but meet when Wren spends time with her dad in the states.

Y'all this is such a slow burn and I loved watching the cat and mouse of Wren and Anders. Not even cat and mouse so much as friends to angsty wanna be lovers who can't be and then there's a plot twist that I really wasn't super okay with. I still liked the story and how the author navigated the plot twist but it still felt icky to me. There was also something in the epilogue that I still can't get out of my head that is bugging the crap out of me. Regardless of the ick and the eye twitch thing in the epilogue I'm still giving 4 stars.

Have I found another great contemporary romance author?? This was my first book by Paige Toon, and I loved every minute of it!

If you like books by Mia Sheridan or Katherine Center, you will definitely enjoy Only Love Can Hurt Like This. Paige hits that perfect balance between heartwarming and bittersweet to create a story that will stay with you.

I went into the plot mostly blind - so in turn, I won’t give away too much in this review. But if you love small towns, tight knit families, hunky country guys, and dark secrets - you’ll love it as much as I did.

Thanks to Netgalley, Putnam, and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

"An Earth shattering secret. A life changing love story"

This was my first time reading this author and when the twist came I did feel a bit shattered...like wait, this isn't what I signed up for. Such a touchy subject and I wasn't sure how the author was going to pull it off.

Wren has hopped across the pond to visit her father, step mother, and step sister in Indiana. A product of a broken marriage, her dad cheated on her mom with her now stepmom, Wren has always felt a bit out of place visiting them in the states. While out at the local bar with her stepsister Bailey Wren encounters handsome local boys, and brothers, Anders and Jonas. While getting to know her family, and doing a bit of soul searching herself, she becomes close to the brothers next door. Both men have some angst, issues, and one big whopping secret.

Again, such a touchy subject for me, but I felt like the author did a good job on handling it with compassion. The blurb touts this book as a book for fans of Colleen Hoover. While I agree the heartache element is there it is lacking the spice and quick pace that readers have come to know and love from Mrs. Hoover. I will say this story is unique and the characters were all likable. It was nice to see Wren heal from family trauma and find herself, and love, along the way. Thank you to penguin Group Putnam, GP Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

Shattered. Absolutely shattered. This book shattered my heart in the best way . No words. I physically cannot.

This is the first book by Paige Toon that I've read and it left me feeling all kinds of emotions.

In the beginning, we're introduced to Wren, who flees the UK for Indiana after she realizes her boyfriend is in love with someone else.

Wren's parents divorced when she was young - her dad and new wife ended up in Indiana, while Wren and her mom went to the UK. Wren never felt close to her father and his new family, and yet, Wren finds that small-town Indiana is the place she needs to be to find solace and heal her heartbreak.

Wren and her half-sister, Bailey are enjoying drinks at a local bar, when Wren sees two handsome brothers playing pool. Anders, the younger brother, looks her way and she's spellbound. Turns out Anders and Jonas's family's farm is right next door to Wren's family's farm. How convenient!

During her visit, Wren struggles to not only feel comfortable and a welcomed member of her family. Toon crafted an interesting family dynamic that we see evolve into a caring and loving relationship.

Wren and Anders. Each is dealing with a loss, while slowly falling in love with each other. We're privy to Wren's thoughts and emotions, yet left wondering why Anders is so closed off and unable to share his feelings with Wren. I don't want to spoil this for anyone, but when it's revealed why Anders is struggling to share his heart fully with Wren. The last few chapters were so beautifully written and I can't image what Toon felt writing those scenes.

Yes, this is a feel-good love story, yet it's also an emotional roller coaster of love, loss, betrayal, pain, and a deep sense of "what would I do in that situation".

Wren and Anders' love story will leave you longing for more. Love isn't easy and "Only Love Can Hurt Like This' reminds us that love is worth fighting for, love can conquer obstacles, and when you find the one, love truly wins.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book grabbed my attention from the start and kept hold of it until the very last page. It's my first story by Paige Toon, but I loved her work.

While each of her characters had something they were dealing with, some were doing better with their problems than others. But as they each opened up and began to rely on one another, giving and receiving the support they needed, there was this beautiful shared heartbeat that developed.

I truly enjoyed the characters, relationships, setting and storyline. It's not an easy read, but it is a simple one filled with love.

Thank you Paige Toon, Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advance review copy. I look forward to reading more of Paige's stories in the future!