Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a slow burn romance that ties in heartbreak, family dynamics, trauma and healing as well as mental health. It was a light read that has its share of heavier moments as well. Although a little predictable in some places it was still a very well written story of healing through love and understanding. Wren, recently separated from her Fiancé visits her Father in Indiana for the summer. She meets brothers Ander and Jonas while trying to connect with her Half Sister Bailey. Through the pages of their story you see Wren trying to navigate the relationship with her father, sister and stepmother while falling for the closed off Ander who is struggling to put the pieces of his life back together while also trying to help his brother do the same. An easy and light read.

Ever since I read Someone I used to Know, I've been obsessed with Paige Toon. I read her back list and some are better than others but as soon as I heard she was coming out with a new one I just had to have it. Netgalley was a little slow to give me access but as soon as they did I dropped all other books for this one.
This is a slow burn friends to lovers and that's my jam. But overall this one fell short for me. The writing was simplistic and I wanted more- more from the writing that would draw me in and make me feel. The inner dialogue felt childish and that really put me off.
The overall story was ok- I liked that there were familiar dynamics at play as well as the friendship/ romance but at the same time it has been done before- nothing is really new here.
I gave it 3 stars and I will continue to read and support Paige Toon.

Main Characters:
-- Wren – 33-year-old architect who lives in England, visiting her father and his wife in a small town an hour outside of Bloomington, Indiana, after her fiancé breaks off their engagement because he has feelings for someone else
-- Bailey – 27-year-old event planner, Wren’s half-sister, married to Casey who is a golf pro in the same town as Bailey’s parents
-- Anders Fredrickson – 35-year-old racing engineer who lives and works in Indianapolis; concerned about his brother Jonas’s mental health, so he’s been spending more time than normal at the family farm
-- Jonas Fredrickson – 37-year-old farmer; expected to take over the family farm, which has been passed to the oldest son for generations; their father is resistant to change and avoiding retirement; the Fredrickson property is next to Wren and Bailey’s father’s property

I had high hopes for this book based on the description and the setup. This was my first by this author, and the book has plenty of great reviews. There are also a few that agree with my take on it, so I don’t feel like I’m totally in the minority.

Let me give you the gist.

Wren’s back story: Wren’s parents met while traveling in Europe in their twenties. Her mother was from England, and her father was from the U.S. With his visa expiring, they moved back to Arizona, got married, and had Wren within a year. Her father Ralph worked as a groundskeeper at a local university and began an affair and fell in love with Sheryl, a professor. When Sheryl became pregnant, Ralph chose to stay with her and the new baby (Bailey), and they moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to be closer to Sheryl’s family. Wren’s mother took then six-year-old Wren and moved back to England.

Wren’s current story when the book begins: At 33, Wren is a successful architect in Bury St. Edmunds, planning her wedding to Scott. Strolling through the park one day, she sees Scott sitting with one of his employees. While they’re not touching one another, the scene seems intimate. Several months later, Scott tells Wren that he hasn’t acted on it, but he’s in love with Nadine. Wren’s mother suggests that she take some time away from their small town and go to visit her dad in Indiana.

The similarities between Wren’s relationship and her parents’ relationship make her situation more painful. While she knows her dad loves her, he’s more affectionate with Bailey, and Wren feels very much like a third wheel to both her dad and Sheryl.

The books takes us through the summer with Wren bonding with Bailey, getting over her broken engagement, learning about Sheryl’s missteps as a stepmom, and renovating an old Airstream camper that sits on the property from a previous owner. She and Bailey befriend the neighbors’ two sons, Jonas and Anders, and Wren and Anders develop feelings for one another.

Great basis for a friends to lovers kind of story in a small farm-town setting. The story line lends itself well to a dual point of view between Wren and Anders, but the author definitely did not take advantage of that. Anders returns to Indianapolis several times over the course of the summer, and I think it would be great to hear his side as opposed to Wren thinking, Anders must be doing this or that now.

The author threw in one chapter from Anders’ point of view, and without any other chapters like that, it didn’t make sense. I know why she did it based on the storyline in that particular chapter. All the more reason to have used that POV method throughout.

Finally, and it’s very difficult to describe, something just felt awkward or “off” about the interactions between all the characters. Let me give you some examples.

***SPOILERS*** SPOILERS***SPOILERS***

Wren misreads everyone all the time. She’s 33 years old with absolutely no emotional intelligence. She talks as if she barely knows her dad, his wife, and her half-sister but then mentions that the last time she was in America was just two years ago. When she and Bailey meet Jonas and Anders at a bar, she describes the autographed photos on the walls, and tells us how devastated her father, Sheryl, and Bailey were about missing a presidential hopeful on a campaign tour. At one point, Sheryl mentions that she made a lot of mistakes when Wren was young. All of these things imply that they all actually spent time together and that they spoke relatively regularly. Wren makes it sound like she rarely interacted with them.

The number of times Wren remarked about Anders’ mood and then realized she had it wrong was mind-boggling. At one point, they’re in the Fredrickson’s storm cellar because a tornado is coming, and she mentions that he doesn’t give any indication that he’s pleased to see her again. Jonas is still outside, and there’s a tornado coming! But she’s expecting some indication that Anders is interested in her?

Shortly after in the storm cellar, during the tornado, Jonas sits on an old couch they have in the cellar, and he’s wet since he had been caught in the storm. His mother scolds him about not putting a towel down (it’s a storm cellar 🤔). When he says she never “gave a crap” about the couch before, she tells him to watch his language because they “have guests.” It’s a storm cellar…and they’re in the middle of a tornado! They’re not hosting a dinner.

Anders seems overly anxious about Jonas’s mental health, to the point where he seems afraid that Jonas is going to take his own life. Yet there is nothing to indicate that Jonas is contemplating anything like that. I get it. There are countless examples of people who choose suicide when friends and family had no clue, but if Anders is worried about that, you would think he’s seen some indication, and the reader is never clued in.

Don’t even get me started on the fact that Wren goes bowling and power washes an old Airstream in a dress. 🙄

And when it comes to Anders’ big secret, I didn’t figure out the twist ahead of time, so kudos to the author for keeping that under wraps. I thought maybe he was driving the car during the accident when he lost his wife, and I think I would have preferred that to the actual secret. But I also didn’t care for how the story around Anders’ past developed. His in-laws (especially his mother-in-law), the secrecy—it was just…off.

I absolutely loved this book!! It was sweet and full of love & laughter. It was so heartwarming and I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. I kinda didn’t want it to end. I’d welcome a 2nd novel to see how life continues for these family & friends.

Wren takes off for her dad’s house in Indiana after finding out that her fiancé is in love with someone else. While there, she meets the set of brothers who live next door to her families farm. Immediately, she falls for Anders who is harboring a secret that keeps him from getting too close to anyone. Will Wren uproot her life to continue to pursue him even though it’s obvious he’s pulling away from her?

I found this book to be a bit repetitive and it lacked much emotion until the end. I didn’t find it terribly interesting. Though I was surprised by the secret, the book still carries on without making me feel too much. This is closer to 3.5 stars, but I’ll give it 4 for the ratings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wren is a 30-something British-American who goes to Indiana to visit her father after a failed relationship and broken engagement.

I enjoyed the family dynamics between Wren, her father, stepsister, and stepmother. There was a lot of growth between the characters and I loved reading about that aspect.

I struggled somewhat with the love story between Wren and Anders. I didn’t totally “feel” it and the plot twist towards the end seemed to come out of nowhere. I also found Wren to be somewhat immature given her age.

Overall this was a decent book to read. The really like the author’s writing style and the pacing of the book was really good.

Paige Toon is one of my favorite authors. Her books are full of complex feelings and relationships that make your emotions spill over. Her stories capture my heart (and my tears) in the best possible way.

Anders had me entranced the moment he locked eyes with Wren across the bar at Dirk’s. Throughout the entire book, I had a hidden smile, as if I was the one falling in love. From Anders and Wren’s friendship and budding romance to Wren’s distressed but open-hearted relationship with her sister Bailey (and her dad and stepmom) and even the brotherly love between Anders and Jonas, my heart felt both pulled out of its chest and sewed back tighter again with love and hope all at once.

The way Paige Toon weaves a tale of heartache and hope, loneliness to acceptance, and trepidation to letting yourself fall fully in love gave me chills. I adored every aspect of the book. I even loved the descriptions of Indy and the family farm- I wish I could have attended move night on the farm and gotten popcorn from the Airstream! I *especially* loved the reference to Luis Castro!! Overall, a fantastic, gut wrenching (in all the good ways) novel.

The names the author chose are also beautiful. Well chosen, especially Wren and her Little Bird nickname.

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review of Only Love Can Hurt Like this by @paigetoonauthor.

5/5⭐
As I've mentioned before, the human condition intrigues me. Relationships are complex because people are complex. Different reactions, opinions, perspectives, experiences. Life is rarely simple and this book reflects the messiness of life. I love it so much because of the multi-layered characters and relationships. You empathize with them and go on their journey with them. You care and you root for them. That, to me, is part of a successful book, even if you may disagree with characters' actions.

The book has depth, great place setting, great character development, and good plot development. Though I was able to anticipate the twist towards the end, I didn't care because I wanted to know what happens. Even with the side characters.

Readers follow the characters through the UK, Indiana, and Phoenix but it's not confusing. The pacing and tone of the book are appropriate and right. The writing is wonderful and engaging. It's told through Wren's POV almost exclusively but I had a praise the Lord moment when we finally get Anders' POV 🙏. As I was reading, I kept thinking that the book needs his perspective at some point and Toon delivers! My prayers were answered and it pushed the book to 5 ⭐.

Expect this book to come out in April!

I enjoyed this book, but it did seem a bit YA at times. I know the main character is older, but Wren just acted... young. She is British, just out of a relationship where her fiancee was falling in lover with someone else and heads to a farm in Indiana for the summer. She stays with her dad, who left her mom when she was younger and now has another daughter. Wren and her step-sister work on their relationship while Wren is working on herself.

She meets brothers Anders and Jonas. She tries not to fall for Anders, but she does anyway. He's made it clear that he is not looking to get into a relationship (which is always a sign that the main character will inevitably try to get into a relationship with this character). The twist as to why was a bit of a surprise but made sense (although it was a situation where with better communication we could have eliminated about 100 pages of this book). Overall, it was a good story, but nothing that stood out.

Wren is an architect in the UK, seemingly has it all, when she discovers that her fiancé has fallen in love with someone else. She decides that she needs to get out of town, take a vacation to clear her head, and visit her father in Indiana, USA.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of Wren’s relationship with her father and half-sister. The complexity of a divorced family, and how it affects the children made me want to give both Wren and Bailey a big hug.

Paige Toon is a beautiful descriptive writer. When she set the scenes in the beginning, I was hanging on every word, and envisioning as if I was there in the moment.

The love story in this novel is where I struggled-and, of course, this is supposed to be a romance novel. The relationship between Wren and her love interest left something missing. I wasn’t engaged in their story, and found the side characters more captivating. The “plot twist” at the end felt unrealistic. This is a small town, and I’m supposed to believe that Wren wouldn’t have found out sooner? I know this is supposed to be a slow burn, but nothing happened from 10% to 90% of the novel, then everything finished at once. I wish more had been given to let me connect with Wren and her love interest.

The moral of the story is that it’s okay to love after loss and trauma, and you can’t help who your heart falls for. The reality for me is that I was bored throughout the love story of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been a fan of Paige Toon for a long time, so given the opportunity to read Only Love Can Hurt Like This was such a treat! Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Penguin Publishing Group for the ARC.

In Only Love Can Hurt Like This, Paige Toon puts you firsthand into a heart-wrenching love story, with a twist that will have the reader questioning what they would do for love.

As with all of Paige Toon's books, I enjoyed experiencing this journey through the lens of Wren's POV, and is a must-read for 2023!

Thank you to Netgalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC. I was in the mood for a palate cleansing fast paced rom com read and this was just eh. I thought it started strong and the premise was promising. But, I felt like it was really predictable and about 100 pages too long. Just okay overall.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This was easily a five star read for me. Easily. I loved this so. stinking. much.

I loved that all of our main characters are complicated, but entirely likeable. I loved the complicated and evolving sibling relationships -- and I loved watching Wren worth through childhood misunderstandings/misconceptions with her dad and stepmom.
The main plot twist was *chefs kiss* and completely took me by surprise. Gut wrenching, seriously.
Mostly, I loved that this wasn't just your typical romance, it was such a multi-layer story and it unfolded so beautifully.

I was so invested the entire time.
Beautifully written, incredible story.

Highly recommend if you like: emotional romance, small town romance, "can't help you who you fall in love with" romance.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Paige Toon for the arc of this book!

Fair warning, this book will BREAK you in the best way possible way.

Wren is newly single after her fiancé left her for another women so she decides to come back to small town Indiana & spend some time with her father, step-mom & half sister, Bailey. Her first night in town, she meets brothers Anders & Jonas. After spending more time with Anders, Wren starts to fall head over heels. But does he feel the same way? What’s his secret that’s stopping them from being together? This heart-breaking yet heartwarming love story tells the tale of just how relationships have a funny way of working out in the end.

This book was incredible. I loved the small town farming aspect & how comforting it felt overall. It was definitely a slow burn but the last couple chapters really heat up & make you not want to put it down. This book may be my new comfort book.

Anders is struggling with loosing his wife four years ago, he’s still trying to move on.

Wren has just suffered a heartbreak. To escape she leaves the UK and ends up at her dad and stepmoms door. She’s hoping that spending some time with them on their farm in Indiana will allow herself to get over her loss.

When Wren and Anders start developing feelings for each other, Wren starts considering the future, but Anders is harboring a huge secret. Will his secret be their undoing?

This was a slow burn, closed door romance story that felt more like a coming-of-age story. This book was also long coming in at 400 pages. I really felt the story was too long and drawn out. The pacing on it was incredibly slow up until about the last three chapters. I really just wanted more from this one. I felt that there was so much effort put into Wren trying figure out her life, then Anders keeping secrets. It just all rubbed me the wrong way. I did really enjoy the end where we saw some things from Anders perspective. I feel that if there more of his chapters throughout the book it would have been better.

This mentions its for fans of CoHo and Jojo Moye’s but I got strong Lucy Score vibes. This one is out April 25th – make sure to grab a copy.

I had not previously heard of this author so I didn’t realize how many romances she had under her belt until after I finished reading. This was a sweet story with likable characters. Wren’s fiancé decides he is in love with another woman. He was the most respectful “bad” fiancé I have ever encountered in a book. But anyway, Wren decides to lick her wounds at her father’s farm in Indiana. Her father had also left her mother when she was a child so their relationship has not been a great one.

While hanging out with her half sister, Wren meets brothers Jonas and Anders, who at first glance seem like they could be surrounded by drama but just wind up being really nice guys.

This is a slow burn romance, low on spice with a twisty part. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy on exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Paige Toon for the ARC of Only Love Can Hurt Like This for an honest review.

This was the first Paige Toon book that I have read. This book was beautifully written. The scenery descriptions made me feel like I was right there with Wren, Bailey, Anders and Jonas. The farm sounds like a magical place and the addition of the airstream made it fun!

Wren, who is staying with her dad and stepmother is fresh out of a relationship that ended. She meets Anders and Jonas and the sparks fly on her end for one of the brothers. This is definitely a slow burn romance with more emphasis on the emotional side than romantic. There was enough back and forth that made you wonder what was really going to happen. Was Wren going to go back to the UK or stay in the US?

The twist towards the end of the book was so unexpected and heart breaking.

4.5 ⭐️ this books ripped my heart out.. then put it back! I loved the story and characters. I felt very attached to the characters and invested in the story! Overall great read!!

5 star read for me. It was the perfect book to get me out of me my reading slump. Loved it and the ending was well deserved. This book would live in my head for a few more days. Lol

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin group, and the author Paige Toon for my first ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was a much lighter read than what I am used to. The character development is superb and truly had me envisioning every part of this book.

There was a lot going on in the book, however, I do feel it fell short for me. It was a slow burn, until maybe halfway through the book. That’s when I was really getting into the story, and I wish it had felt like that the whole time.

Beautiful story, beautiful characters, I just craved more from it!