I was hearing great buzz about this book so was so happy to be approved to read it! This book was so unexpectedly delightful.

Anders and Wren's romance, one centered around coming home and healing, was a slow-burn that felt so rewarded by the time it reached its conclusion. Both characters had experience moments of loss and doubt and guilt, stumbling into each other's lives when neither was even thinking about finding a life-long partner. The connection they built gave way to such a wonderful bond, a bond that both comforted and terrified them.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This had some really great side characters and plot twists that kept my attention the whole way through. And the epilogue was just the sweetest thing! I had a smile on my face the entire time. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review

A tear jerking love story that will tear your heart apart and put it all back together again. Wren’s fiancé realized he’s in love with someone else, so she decides to spend a couple weeks in America in Indiana with her father, step mother, and half sister to get a change of scenery and try to start healing. Her dad left their family when Wren was a child, so there’s a lot to unpack there. She meets Anders, a neighbor and his brother. The three of them, with her sister, become pretty good friends as two weeks turns to a whole summer. But there’s secrets in Ander’s life. Big ones. When Wren finds out Anders biggest secret, will love prevail?

Great writing, slow burn love and romance, and secrets. Such a good book! I’d love to read it for the first time again!!

I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. Wren and Anders both go through such heart breaking situations and really make quite remarkable breakthroughs, albeit not at the same speed. However, the author writes in such a way that you feel like you know these characters inside and out and that the gut wrenching is happening to you as well, in the most beautiful and authentic way. I highly encourage everyone to read this and let yourself feel all the emotions, because it will run the gamut.

Wow. This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Paige Toon writes the most heart wrenching love stories. Only Love Can Hurt Like This had me hooked and reading late into the night. I fell in love with all of the characters and felt so invested in each one of them that I’m sad to let them go after finishing the book. I will say this particular book really surprised me near the end (you’ll know what I’m talking about once you’ve read it), but it made the story all the more beautiful and emotional. Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam Sons for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ahhh, this book is a heartbreaker! It drew me in from the first page and kept me wanting more until the end. “Watching” Wren flea to meet her dad and his family left me with so many emotions and kept me reaching for the tissues. Beautiful story and so well written

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC**

When Wren finds out her fiancé is no longer in love with her, she decides the best way to get over a breakup is to fly and visit her dad and his “new family” in the States.

While trying to find her purpose in life and how she can fit in a small midwestern town; she meets her neighboring farmers and never thought she would fall in love.

This romance was a breath of fresh air and was not predictable in any shape or form.

Wow, this was heartbreaking and left me with so many mixed feelings. It's such a hard one to rate. But I've settled with 4 stars for one main reason: This book left me with so many questions around some of my core beliefs, and I LOVE books like that.

I really enjoy emotional reads, and I could tell from the first page (beyond the title) that this would be a tearjerker. What I didn't know was that it would bring up some philosophical questions and uncomfortable feelings. I don't want to give any spoilers, but the circumstances surrounding Anders' wife really gave me the ick. It's so hard to explain why without giving too much information, but the plot line really makes you think deeply about how far "til death do us part" goes. I think that one's feelings about that phrase could definitely impact how they feel about this book.

This wasn't a 5 star read for me because I just couldn't get behind Wren's actions after finding out the secret that Anders was keeping. I don't think it was her place to try to influence his decisions at all. She really laid the guilt on thick. And I think if the book ending differently (without the HEA) it would have been 5 stars. I actually had mentally prepared myself for that to happen because it seemed as though it was headed in that direction, and I think the story would have been that much more powerful. The ending also felt pretty rushed.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. This one would be GREAT for book clubs because there are so many good talking points.

My review will be posted to my bookstagram, @Readingwithtrey on Wednesday, March 29.

Unfortunately, I did not connect well with this book, which is a huge disappointment for me because I was really looking forward to reading it. It's been hailed as an emotional, but ultimately rewarding story about lost love, self love, and the lengths you're willing to go to keep love, but I was sorely disappointed. The syntax felt so monotonous at times that even when intense scenes were unravelling, I was bored, and it felt like our MC was too.

It was incredibly dialogue-heavy, with almost no exposition that helped us get to know our main character better. I spent a lot of time wondering what the hell was going on in Wren's head, and wishing she would shut up for long enough to have a single interesting thought about the situation. Especially being that this book is written in first person, I'd expect to have a tiny window into the mind of the main character, but apparently that was deemed unnecessary for this book.

4.25/5⭐️

I enjoyed this one, maybe not greatly but a solid good.

Wren, a 32-year-old architect in the UK, flies to her dad’s in small town Indiana for some healing time following a breakup with her fiancé. She meets brothers Anders and Jonas from a neighboring farm and along with her half-sister Bailey, begins to foster friendships with them. As she begins to develop deeper feelings for Anders, she learns a devastating secret that could change everything.

This story touches on several things. There are misunderstandings and feelings of not belonging to your parent’s new family, growing relationships on limited time together, living up to a parent’s expectations, maneuvering through a minefield of emotions when a heartbreaking situation is revealed, etc.

I liked the characters here, especially the way the brotherly bond was portrayed (I almost ended up liking Jonas’ character more than the lead Anders’), however I was totally thrown by the secret (75% in) and actually surprised by the character that it centers around and a bit perturbed at its not being disclosed sooner. Also I felt that character’s subsequent guilt/emotional breakdown was too overdone and out of character for them. But the wrap up was lovely and left lots of warm fuzzies with it.

An enjoyable story with a few peeves.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the free early arc of Only Love Can Hurt Like This for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This ARC
Paige Toon
Stars: 3/5
Spicy Level: 3/5

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher, and it was good, but I struggled a bit getting into it. My favorite parts were the character growth and development of interpersonal relationships. You get to see the female main character (FMC), Wren, connect with her family, make new friends, and fall in love with a hot Scandinavian farmer/ NASCAR engineer. This is a bonus, especially after Wren's crappy ex has an emotional affair and tells her that even though they've been together for years, the younger woman who works with him is actually his soulmate.

Although this story is mainly about Wren, I liked seeing the full cast of characters change and adapt as situations arose. This was especially important at the beginning since the side characters kept me interested while Wren irritated me. She just felt very I'm not like other girls, I'm a cool city girl who doesn't belong. Wren whined a lot about how her little sister Bailey was prettier and showed up very obviously overdressed to everything. Over time though, she did improve and come into herself as she began to understand who she wanted to be and where her priorities lay. I especially loved watching the relationship between Wren and Bailey develop. It was cute seeing them grow close, support each other, and bond in silly ways. A bit Hallmarkesque, but Wren realizes being in the country and spending time with her family is where she belongs.

The pacing of this book is slow. So if you’re looking for a quick romance, this is not the one to choose. Once I hit the 50% mark, and things started to pick up, I found it an interesting romance, but before then, the pacing was lagging. I still didn’t mind reading it, but very little happens plot-wise until page 150/302. This also means that the ending jumps around and rushes, making it hard to follow and feeling a bit incomplete. The story has heart, grit, and complicated relationships, but the main parts are crammed into a very small space.

Overall it was a pleasant read, but not necessarily something I’d seek out again. Moments between Wren and Anders felt sweet, funny, and realistic, but there wasn't as much as I wanted. The romance was good, but I wanted more of Anders. The book is from Wren’s POV until the end when we suddenly get Anders's POV. It’s a bit abrupt and makes you feel like you didn’t get to know him. I know that he helps out on his family’s farm, loves his brother, and is an engineer for NASCAR, but there aren’t a lot of real moments where you get to know him like you do Wren. I would've liked to see deeper moments with him throughout so the characters/relationship felt balanced. I was absolutely stunned by the plot twist though so that was fun in a very stressful way.

I think, overall, this is still one that I’d recommend. The relationship between Wren and Anders is sweet, and there’s an interesting and supportive cast of secondary characters. While the pacing is a little slow, it’s interesting, and once the secrets start to unravel things really pick up. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover's books and haven’t heard of Paige Toon before, this is definitely one to read.

GRAB YOUR TISSUES!! My oh my! This book was BEAUTIFUL! I laughed. I cried. I couldn’t put it down. There’s definitely a slow burn in the beginning that I wasn’t enjoying but once it hit the 35 percent mark I was consumed. It not only has beautiful romantic relationships but it digs into father daughter and step family relationships. Just so good! Highly recommend!!

Thank you to net galley for the advanced copy of this book. This is the first time I have read this author and I quite enjoyed the story. The two main characters Anders and Wren were interesting as they had both suffered different tragedies but were both deeply wounded and afraid to trust their heart. My favourite character however was Jonas. He was so down to earth and called a spade a spade I like that he was the character they were all worried about at the start of the book and he ended up being the strongest by the end of the story. This was a great romance book with an interesting story. The story addresses the fact that you never know what people are living with until you truly get to know them. I also liked how Wren was able to heal her family relationships. If you enjoy a good romantic story then this book is definitely worth the read!

Everything about this book was *chefs kiss.* One of my first five star reads of the year. I kept hoping it would get a bit steamier, but it was perfect as it was.

When Wren learns her fiancé is leaving her for his business partner, she decides to take some time out of town visiting her father in the U.S., but her father isn’t the only man she finds herself wanting to spend time with.

The premise of this book had me anxious to start reading. When the MC’s fiancé leaves her in the first chapter, it’s hard not to know what will go on from there. I loved the character development between Wren, her dad and stepmother and half sister. I also loved the setting - small town farmland in USA. It felt very Lovelight Farms (which is a favorite of mine).

The overall plot was pretty good. I definitely wasn’t expecting the bomb that was dropped which added depth to the story but also a bit of frustration. I’d like to think that the situation revealed in the book would be handled a lot differently by people in the real world.

Based on the “Colleen Hoover meets Me Before You” description, I really expected to shed some tears, but honestly this one didn’t hit me in the feels like I hoped it would. Also I’m ready for some books that don’t have the dramatic third-act breakup. It just feels too common in romance books anymore. For these reasons, I dropped my rating to 3 stars. Still an enjoyable read, but I really wanted to sob ok!

A multilayered romance with a bombshell plot twist that you won’t see coming!

The story is laced with complicated family bonds and expectations. It’s funny, emotional, and devastatingly relatable. Toon’s ability to connect the reader to the characters is superb, and you’ll be rooting for them from the very start.

This could absolutely be a comfort read, there’s a feel good aspect to it, despite the moments of palpable tension and past devastation.

I blew through this in 24 hours - it’s the perfect weekend read! Highly recommend!

The title is very appropriate for this intense read.
It will slam your heart into the ground.
I love that the author included farming in southern Indiana, an area and field I am very familiar with.
I loved all the descriptions of the work on the Airstream because although I’m not a camper, I just like the thought of it.
The emotions in the book are all over the place and part of it is just tragic and honestly hard to read about.
The combine scenes were my favorite.
It’s a story worth reading.

I love angst books and this one was no exception. It was perfect in every way. I look forward to another read by this author.

This book was so good!! From the issues of dealing with separation and divorce to the love story itself!! The book started off a little slow until the big secret came out. I could not put the book now. I felt all the pain from both sides. Parts of it were soul crushing. But other parts were so funny.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is the first book I’ve read by Paige Toon and I already cannot wait to read more of her work. I devoured this story in one sitting.

Wren flees her small English town with a broken heart and a lifelong worth of hurts and insecurities that are exacerbated when she arrives at her Dad and stepmom’s house in America. She has always felt like an outsider within the family her dad created with her stepmom and half sister, when he left her mother. Wren is in Indiana trying to heal her wounds after her fiance confessed to being in love with another woman and is protecting her heart from further damage by keeping an emotional distance from her dad, stepmom, and sister, Bailey.

On a night out with her sister Bailey, Wren meets Anders and his brother Jonas who become quick friends, but her attraction to Anders is immediate. Unfortunately, Anders is also broken-hearted and not looking to start a romance with anyone, anytime soon.

Slowly, Wren starts to lower her walls around her sister and begins to realize that her childhood heartbreak and feelings of abandonment have caused her to act as an outsider with her family, even when they were genuinely trying to show her affection.

Anders has become important to Wren and helps her understand that she does not see herself clearly and that she is worthy of love and admiration from her family. All the while its obvious that they are falling hard for each other, but Anders is quick to retreat as soon as he feels he is getting too close to Wren. It’s frustrating, but their affection for one another never wavers. Eventually, we learn the true extent of Anders’ heartbreak and why it's keeping him from Wren.

Wren and Anders’ story broke my heart and then pieced it back together. I loved every page of their story. I loved watching Wren heal her relationship with her family, I loved watching her grow her relationship with her sister, I loved the friendship she formed with Jonas, I loved watching her heal her broken heart and risk it all with Anders even knowing it would probably devastate her. Also, the epilogue was perfect.

This is my first book by Paige Toon and it definitely won’t be my last!

This was such a heartbreaking and emotional story of broken people who just want to be loved. This story made my heart swell but break at the same time. I loved all of the characters and just couldn’t get enough. I laughed, I cried and I feel like this story will stick with me for awhile.

I loved Wren and watching her grow from an insecure woman to a woman who knows what she wants and what she deserves. Anders is the perfect man for her despite the adversities he is facing.


This book releases April 25th and I highly recommend it! I will definitely be buying myself a copy to add to my collection.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this digital ARC, in exchange for a honest review.