Ugh, this was a tad too dramatic for me. I'm just not a fan of this author's style and it has nothing to do with her books at all - they just aren't for me. A bit too much forbidden/insta love, lots of longing and impossible situations as well. The comparisons to Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes are spot on so if you like them definitely pick this up. Many thanks to @prhaudio for the ALC and NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

When I first heard this book talked about someone said that it was similar to a Colleen Hoover book. I do not think that is an accurate description as CoHo books tend to pack an emotional punch all the way through. Only Love Can Hurt Like This takes a much more subtle approach. The story starts off with the heroine watching her fiancé interact with another woman in such a way that causes her to question their feelings for each other. After their engagement is called off, the heroine goes back home to visit her father for a few weeks. In this visit she becomes acquainted again with her half sister, step mother and also the neighbors the next farm over. What we then get from the story is a portrayal of grief and starting life over from two different perspectives. Plus, life on a small farm which is big win for most people.

This book is really like a warm hug even though it deals with heavy topics. The characters were 100% relatable and the story also had a realistic quality to it that I appreciated. I appreciated how the author also discussed the distance father/daughter relationship and I felt this at my core.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Group for allowing me to read an early copy!

Mixed feelings

While reading this book I thought it was good, a very slow burn romance set in a small town near Indianapolis on a farm. Wren, the female lead character comes to the US from her home in the UK after a bad breakup to visit her Dad and his family for a couple of weeks. She meets the neighboring farmers, including their two sons Jonas and Anders shortly after arriving.

While Wren feels an attraction for Anders, she finds out he is still grieving his wife 4.5 years after she was in an accident. Anders vacillates between being friendly to Wren and running away from her. Slow burn, right?

Then the entire story explodes at 72% and everything changes. I refuse to write spoilers so I can’t go into detail, but I completely understand the description of earth-shattering secrets and life-changing story. Very emotional but also affirming.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley, for the advanced copy.

Oh, you guys. This one chewed on my heart and spit it out, and I cried like a baby. My husband came home and asked me what was wrong, and when I told him, he asked why he didn't know these friends of mine. He couldn't believe I was going through so much without him knowing. I had to explain it was because they were my fictional friends. That earned me an eye roll, but also a glass of wine to calm my feelings. This is the one, y'all. This is my favorite of the year so far. Buy this one, and be prepared to go through every emotion possible.

What do you do when you realize your fiance is in love with a co-worker? Wren let him go, and took a break to leave the UK and visit her American dad. While visiting her dad, Wren meets the family next door which includes the brooding Anders. Who doesn't love a good brooding male love interest? Anders is plagued with the loss of his wife four years ago. Wren isn't aware of everything going on with Anders in his personal life, and if the truth comes out, will Wren be pushed away or will they be able to find their way back to each other?

ONLY LOVE CAN HURT LIKE THIS by Paige Toon is the story of a woman attempting to get past a hellacious breakup in her native England by staying with her father and his new family in the United States. Before I was a quarter into the book, I was tired of this character, the creaking plot structure, all the surface moments that felt contrived to deliver the emotion and plummet into another world that I expect from a romantic story. I plowed on, hoping for better, but unfortunately better never arrived. That said, there is so much to like with the complexity of family relationships, the brutal reality of a farming life and community, the dropping this broken-hearted woman into a totally different land with nothing familiar, no one to lean on except for herself. I received a copy of this book and these are my own, unbiased thoughts.

This book was a delight to read! I love it when authors mention songs and musical artists in their novels. It adds another layer of setting the scene and atmosphere. Paige Toon is a master at drawing the reader into the world of the book. I enjoyed the slow burn and chemistry of the main characters. I was absolutely moved by this book, There is plenty of heartache but also humor. I was rooting for the characters the whole way. The characters have a lot of pain and past trauma and we see how they grow and heal emotionally. The plot twist had me totally freaking out in the best way. I loved the side characters just as much as much as the main characters. I can’t wait to pick up my next Paige Toon novel.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy in exchange for my honest review,

This was my first book by Paige Toon, and I absolutely enjoyed it! The characters and setting were so well-developed that I felt completely immersed as I was reading. Although I've never been to Indiana, I felt like I had because of the vivid descriptions.
Wren, while a bit of an over-thinker, was likeable and easy to empathize with. Anders was such a great male MC- honorable, caring, and keeping himself at arm's length due to his dedication to his wife.
I would love to read more by this author! Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this arc. This book was alright. I didn't really find anything spectacular about this book. The family dynamic from both main characters was interesting. Overall wasn't giving me the wow that I wanted. I do think this would be enjoyable for other readers and would still recommend.

This book was just not for me. I found it to be short on any really interesting characters or even events. It dragged on for me with predictable people doing predictable things.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is the first book I’ve read from Paige Toon. After Wren's fiancé falls in love with someone else, she finds it hard to recover from the heartbreak, while Anders is still struggling to move on from losing his wife four years ago. Wren hopes to find solace during her summer stay on her dad's farm in Indiana, but her life changes when she meets Anders amidst the cornfields and fireflies. However, Anders is hiding a secret that could impact everyone if he acts on his feelings for Wren, leaving her with a tough decision on whether to walk away or stay. The author addresses heavy topics throughout the book such as infidelity, chronic illness, and child death. The writing style being compared to Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes piqued my interest. However, I found that the execution fell short. While the beginning was captivating, the middle dragged on, and the final quarter of the book felt rushed with little explanation. Additionally, the "secret"/twist was obvious to me which was a letdown as the author could have explored other facets of the story. I couldn't connect with the main characters, Wren and Anders, and their chemistry felt forced. Some characters, like Bailey and Jonas, were well-developed, but others, such as Casey, were underdeveloped. Overall, this book wasn't for me, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Oh the feels! This book was very emotional, but oh so good! I loved the story, the characters and I’m so glad I chose to read this. Paige is a new-to-me author, but she is amazing. I love her writing and am looking forward to her other books. Highly recommended!

Contemporary Fiction

Stabbed through the heart in the best possible way!

Chris Bohjalian once said - and I'm paraphrasing here - that in order for a book to be great and memorable it needs to break your heart. This book took my heart on a roller coaster ride - it went from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. A new favorite.

Wren has traveled to Indiana to visit her father after she and her fiancé called off their wedding. She is heartbroken and looking for an escape. Her father got another woman pregnant when she was 6 and he left her and her mother to marry this woman and raise that child. Shortly thereafter, Wren and her mother moved back to England where her mother is from. Over the years, Wren has visited America a few times, but has never felt close to her father, his wife and her half-sister, Bailey.

Bailey is recently married and Wren's father and stepmother have moved to a farm to be closer to her. When Wren visits she is swept up into the workings of a hobby farm. She and her sister get closer and forge a friendship. The women also become friendly with the two brothers on the nearby farm - Jonas and Anders.

Jonas is known as the town playboy and is hung up on an ex-girlfriend. Anders has come home because he is worried about Jonas. The four of them develop a wonderful bond. Wren develops feelings for Anders, but they both say that a relationship is not in the cards for them. Anders is grieving for his wife, whom he lost in a go-kart accident. It's the little things that make the difference and eventually the two can no longer keep their feelings hidden. But can their love survive?

You know that in any literary relationship a couple will have to overcome some kind of major hurdle before they can find the love. And boy do Wren and Anders have a major hurdle to tackle. I loved what the author did with this story and she will be forever on my MUST READ list, now. The author's note at the end explains that she had heard about two real-life situations similar to what Anders experiences and this novel grew from there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and author Paige Toon for an ARC of this book.

This was my first Paige Toon read but will not be my last! I have already requested a couple of her backlist books at my local library.

I loved everything about this refreshing book. From the description of Indiana to the sisters love and trust of each other and of course the love story of Anders and Wren. Wow! Toon can weave a story and make you feel as if you are there.

This started off a little slow but kept my interest enough that I finished it & enjoyed it by the end. The characters were interesting & the story was very heartfelt. The setting is hard to beat. I will be looking into more Paige Toon books in the future.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

What an emotional read! This story was so beautifully written — lighthearted and heartbreaking all at the same time. It’s a slow burn type of book but doesn’t necessarily read as a slow burn. The interactions between Anders and Wren are engaging and keep the plot moving. I couldn’t stop reading this book, but I also didn’t want it to end.

Side note: I was born and raised in Indianapolis, so I absolutely loved all of the Indiana references all throughout the book!

This was my first book by Paige Toon, but I will definitely be looking at her backlist now!

A big thank you to Putnam Books + Netgalley for allowing me to be an early reader for this one!

Obsessed, wow this book is such a page turner. I read it in one sitting. The chemistry between fmc and mmc is perfection. The side characters are so well developed. My only wish is that the ex would have realized he made a big mistake but that’s just the petty in me.

Now this is my kind of love story. ONLY LOVE CAN HURT LIKE THIS is a tender novel of longing, devotion, moving forward after loss.

In the wake of a canceled engagement, Wren leaves the UK to spend the summer with her father in America. She doesn’t plan to make roots in this small Indian farm town but when she meets the reserved but ruggedly handsome widow, Anders, she begins to imagine her life in new ways.

As a Midwest gal, I felt deeply connected to the rural setting and the small town secrets kept me invested in the story. The slow but steady love between Wren and Anders felt authentic and the lack of cheesy banter was a welcome reprieve. This love story is completely perfect for summertime reading and has firmly landed itself a spot in my summer reading guide!

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: April 25, 2023


Many thanks to Putnam books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This comes out April 25th and if you love a little bit of a tragic, will they, won’t they love story this book is for you!

After Wren calls of her engagement, she needs to get out of town so she goes from the UK to Indiana to visit her dad for a few weeks in the summer. Her dad lives on a farm with her step-mom and close to Wren’s half sister. Wren meets their neighbors on the farm, two brothers, Jonas and Ander’s. Wren is taken my Anders pretty quickly but there’s little movement in their relationship and she comes to find out why and how that secret will rock her world.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Indiana and Indianapolis. I loved the characters and how they all interacted together and even though Wren and Anders were a slow burn, I was intrigued by their relationship and shocked by the secrets that come out. It was a very unique twist for a romance and one I could t imagine combating in real life. Definitely Colleen Hoover vibes from that. My only slight critique was the epilogue was a little long and even though I love an epilogue and was so thankful for it, it could have just been additional chapters in the book or even a novella sequel.
.

Get out the violins. This wasn't a bad story, but was too much "Oh does he love me: for me. The entire family could have used a good therapist and some lessons in communication.

Wren learns that her fiancé has now fallen for one of his workers. To get away from it all, she leaves the UK and heads to the US to visit her dad, stepmom and half sister in farm country. The neighbor's sons are gorgeous, brooding and unlikable at first, until one gets under her skin. Of course he is not available.

It really isn't a bad story and the unavailability reason is a different take from most other stories which is an area that had not been explored in other books, so I thought that was a good topic to bring to the surface and make us consider. Wren does consider it and decides not to interfere, which may or may not be the right way to handle it.

All in all, if it hadn't been so hand wringing I would have liked it more. Pet Peeve, ok so he has a different color flaw in one eye, so what? Why was it mentioned about 10 times? Seriously, one mention was enough- we get it so why is the author hung up on it? It seemed a really dumb thing to fixate on.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Wren and Anders meet when she comes to stay with her father and his second family after her wedding is called off. Anders has lost a wife. She is mending a broken heart and trying to fit in with het half sister. He has a brother to worry about. They become friends with all the things they share in common. But Anders can't or won't accept that they are more than friends. He has been keeping something from Wren. Something big.
Likable characters and a good plot. A good summer read. Thanks to NetGalley for an enjoyable ARC.