This is my first read by this author and it was an easy read. This book is a nice romance that involves dealing with grief and hardship. The book wraps up in a good way. I will read more books by this author. Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I'm was so excited to have received this ebook! I couldn't wait to set it.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon is a book I blasted through.
I didn't realize just how much I would truly enjoy this book! Until I opened it and didn't stop.
I didn't expect this one to affect me as strongly as it did. But here we are.
But I adored this book. I loved the characters and their journey, their story. My goodness their story.
This is a really well-drawn portrait of two people, who are grieving and find hope and happiness.
One thing I especially loved about the book was the way that the experiences of the main characters were so relatable.
A heartfelt and hopeful story about grief, hope and love.
And y'all the emotions that roll here is something... WoW!
It's safe to say I loved OLCHLT by Pagie. We have to lick mom oh wait actually I have five five more to do

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

G.P. Putnam's Sons,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, G.P Putnam's Sons and author Paige Toon for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"You can't help who you fall in love with...."

When Wren realizes her fiancé is in love with someone else, she decides to take some time and visit with her father and step-family in Indiana. Wren gives herself a few weeks in Indiana to refocus and refresh while trying to mend a relationship with her father, half sister and step-mother. Wren meets the "boy next door" Anders and their secrets, struggles and desires start to unravel.
Will Anders share his secrets with Wren? Will Wren find love or is she looking in all the wrong places to move on?
Each character is multilayered which makes this romance more than just the typical boy meets girl......this story is well written even to the last word on the page.
The plot description was well developed making the characters and settings relatable and colorful.
Paige Toon was successful in her deliverance of depicting love, living life and the importance of family.

Maybe Bambi will make an appearance again in a sequel......

Slow burn friends-to- lovers book set in a small town. This was my first Paige Toon book but will not be my last. I read this in one sitting. Easy to get into as the character development was.perfectly thought out and the storyline was beautiful.

Heartwrenching story. This one will make you feel so many emotions. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, I am obsessed with Paige Toon's writing style. It's very elegant, but it wasn't flowery to the point of illegibility. I was sucked into the pages. Not to mention how many beautiful lines she included about grief and moving on.

The main plot is amazing, but the subplots are something else entirely. Normally I feel like books have too many subplots. There were a lot in this book, but I didn't notice until I thought about it. Each one was interwoven in a way that wasn't cluttered or confusing. The epilogue helped wrap everything up nicely as well.

The messages in this story are absolutely perfect. From Wren's relationship with her stepmom and half-sister, to Anders's moving on from his wife and everything else, it all resonated deep inside. Nothing was corny or unnatural. In my opinion, this is the best book with life messages I have ever read.

This is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend this enough.

First of all, thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was my first read my Paige Toon but won’t be my last! What I liked about this was it was a slow burning romance. Nothing too spicy 🌶️ which was refreshing. Loved that it touched a little on mental health and that love doesn’t always come at the perfect time. Also loved the slow build of the characters and how realistic the setting of the book was. I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR pile!

This book is about a girl named Wren who catches her fiancé cheating on her. She is devastated so she ends up going to spend some time with her Dad and step mom in Indiana. Meet Anders, the boy next door. Wren eventually develops feelings for Anders but knows he has secrets from his past.
I enjoyed this book. It was easy paced, humorous, and fun read. But once I figured out Anders secrets from his past, it threw me for a loop. I am still not sure how I feel
about it. It truly left me
thinking what would I do if this were to happen to me. It definitely makes you think and ponder even after finishing the book. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I give it 3.5 stars.

I received an arc for this via Netgalley. I’m not going to lie to you guys but it took me 3 whole times to get past page 2 but once I did, the story hooked me. This is woman’s fiction with romance involved. What a beautiful story on love, loss and healing.

I love the relationship dynamics in this story. Between parent and child, friends, and even love. There was such depth to this. However, this somewhat fell short for me. There was something missing. I think it had to do with it feeling rushed almost, and this story is built on a huge secret but I figured out the secret fairly quickly so maybe that’s why it disappointed me.

This was beautiful though, the writing and especially the love in this. Solid contemporary women’s fiction.

From the very first page I was captivated by this story. Full of love, grief and hope this book was beautifully written and will stick with me for a while.

This was just what i needed after reading heavier books. Who doesn't love a good love story? Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

This was the first book I read by Paige Toon. Usually books take a bit to get into, but not this one. It hooked me in right away. It was filled with love, laughter and some sadness. I love how the author developed the characters overtime throughout the entire book. The banter back and forth between some of the characters was hilarious. The author didn't shy away from real life very hard issues. It really felt like it was a true story.

I had higher expectations for this book, and it fell a little bit flat for me to be honest. I did enjoy though.

Nothing but positives to say about this one!

This was my first read from Paige Toon and I can definitely say I am thrilled to get my hands on her other books as soon as possible.

This small town, farmer, Indy car themed novel was packed full of hysterics, sexy banter, and lots of character growth and development as well.

Wren has a piece of my heart. Family abandonment and step family relationships can be hard to navigate and reading about her vulnerability was something I could really relate to.

If you’re looking for a heartfelt, steamy and sexy romance look no further than author Paige Toon.

CW: traumatic accident (not by a main character), parental affair, mentions of suicide.

This was a heartbreaking story of love lost and found. Wren learns her fiancé is in love with someone else and travels to visit her dad in American to get away for a while and nurse her broken heart. She meets Anders who is nursing his own broken heart but is it possible for their broken pieces to be put back together? And must they do it alone? There were times I was really rooting for the characters and invested in the plot, but then other times it felt like too many moving parts at once. There were a lot of relationships that needed attention. Family, Step-family, siblings, parents, ex's, in-laws, neighbors, friends... just a lot to keep up with and feelings to work through. All that to say, I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and the friends, but still questioned some of their behaviors. There were times Anders and Wren separately felt a bit too martyr-ish when I wanted them to be selfish. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a reminder that it's better to have loved and lost than to never love at all.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was surprised by this story! I've never heard of or read anything by this author but I really enjoyed this. It was a slow burn, which I sometimes struggle with. But I did find myself reading through it quite quickly. I was attached to these characters and wanted to find out how their love story would unfold.

Wrap up in a blanket and settle down, as this book will make you want to read until you are all the way done. It was such as creatively written book that I didn't want to put down. The characters are incredibly likable but have flaws that are not shied away from. There are some heavy moment in the book that make your own heart hurt for what they are going through. There are no real plot twists in this story and it was fairly predictable but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book.
This is a classic girl breaks up with fiancé, goes away to take a break and falls in love with another boy. Most of the story was just enjoyable to read about the characters and how they became friends. The only drawback to this book for me was how Anders (main character) dealt with his "wife" and how Wren deals with all the information along with her feelings. Three quarters of the book was leading up to why Anders can't commit, then BOOM and then the rest of the book felt rushed to finish. I do like how the author tied up all loose ends with this book but again, which is nice as a lot of other books leave so many questions.

I will definitely look for more Paige Toon books as I did throughly enjoy this book and how the author writes.

This was my first book by this author and excuse me while I go read her entire back list now. I’m in love with her books. Great style of writing and epic romance with twists and turns. Love it!

Another great story that could go on and on, and that would be just fabulous. This book is so easy to get into and stay in. Most will be able to relate to at least one of the characters if not more. Especially if one has gone through a divorce as a child or even a step parent. Great read with many twists and turns. Will be recommending this to someone wanting a feel good story that is easy to get lost in.