This was such an enjoyable read, and one that I honestly didn't want to end! I wanted to spend time with Wren, Anders, Bailey, and Jonas forever. This was my first book by Paige Toon and it certainly won't be my last. Only Love Can Hurt Like This follows Wren, who lives in the UK and is on holiday visiting her dad in rural Indiana right after her fiancé tells her that he's in love with someone else. While there, she meets Anders, who is struggling to move on after his own loss of his wife four years prior. And well, this is a romance novel so you can put two and two together! Such an amazing book and highly recommend.

Wren is blind-sighted when her fiance suddenly tells her he has fallen for someone else. Everything they had planned together in this small town in England is thrown off course, and Wren desperately needs to get away. She decides to visit her father's family in Indianapolis, where she encounters the neighbors' two friendly but mysterious sons.

This romance story is filled with interesting and likable characters and the family dynamics represented are relatable and very complicated, as real families always are. Toon is adept at evoking serious emotion, like the gut-wrenching pain Wren experienced from her fiance's betrayal, and the feelings of hurt and abandonment from her father when he decided to start another family.

Even though a lot of the story has a lighthearted tone, there are very serious topics that play a major role in the central conflict, and the emotions that are conveyed are powerful and deeply resonant. The end result is a well-balanced, easy-to-read, but still very impactful story. The ending was a little too neat and tidy to be realistic, but it was still a satisfying conclusion to the story.

A heartbreaking story, I was hooked from the beginning. My heart was so invested into these MCs it hurt so much. The writing was excellent, kept me reading the suspense of finding out the secret was torture.

If slow-burn romance is your thing, this book will be a solid choice. The action doesn't happen until the end of the book and getting there is tedious and redundant. The writing is nice and I appreciate the setting, but the pacing wasn't exactly my preference.

Ask me if I like romance books and I'll so no. Then ask me if I liked this book. Also no, because I loved it! This was some serious small town sadness and I was here for every heartbreaking moment of it. This book will tear you apart and piece you back together! Again, I don't read much romance but I wanted to read this in an attempt to expose myself to different genres. That being said, I don't have much to compare it to in the way of romances but I did really enjoy this and will read more contemporary romance in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for my ARC of Only Love Can Hurt Like This. These opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it.
Super emotional but also overdramatic at times. MIT seemed to rush to a finish but then the epilogue was a mini book of its own.

This book wasn't for me. I found very little chemistry between Wren and Anders. They hardly spent time together and there conversations were always dull. No sparks whatsoever! The twist at the end seemed callous.

This was my first time reading a book by Paige Toon, but it won't be the last
This book was beautiful, just exquisitely written and full of heart. I loved all the relationships in the book: lovers, friends, family. But the main love story...talk about a long, slow burn. I loved it and just had to keep reading.
Thank you Netgalley for the complimentary eARC. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the characters & felt they were well developed. The twist in the plot lost it for me & the overall cheese factor at times.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5⭐️
✨
Summary: When Wren realises her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover. On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on. Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal.
✨
Review: What a tear-jerker, This book cut right to the core for me. I knew going into it this book was going to be a HEA moment but I also knew (from the title this was going to bring every emotion I have through it all). I really enjoyed it. I think it also ended at the perfect point. The author didn't drag it out and I appreciated that.

While I wouldn't say this book is the emotional upheaval of many of Colleen Hoover's books which I love, I did enjoy it. It's heartfelt, emotional, and has a plot twist that I wasn't expecting. Overall, I enjoyed it and thought the narrator did a great job too!

Only Love Can a hurt Like This is a very sweet book. After Wren breaks up with her fiancé she moves to small town Midwest to spend a quiet summer with her estranged father. Quickly, she meets multiple people who will change her life and visa versa. I loved reading Wren and Ander’s relationship and uncovering the skeletons in his closet. This was such a fun read and the perfect summer romance.

This was such an emotional roller coaster of a book. I loved the family dynamics and I liked the romance. I listened to the audiobook version and I loved the narrators. They were both perfect fits for the characters.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This was my first Paige Toon book. I hate to say I didn’t love this one… buuut…

It started off strong; I was loving the character Wren and was so rooting for her after her fiancé broke off the engagement. There were even a few laugh out loud moments. But somewhere in the middle it started to get repetitive and rather boring sadly.

I was waiting for the inevitable HEA, but there was just nothing “exciting” or “thrilling” to reach that moment. The “twist” wasn’t much of a twist for me. Oy, this one just wasn’t for me.

I did think Toon’s writing was beautifully and would definitely read another novel by her.

This was such a good "slice of life", emotional romance. Great but very emotionally draining. A book about love on many levels.

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon. This was unforgettable and heartbreaking. It took me a while to get into this book but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I also love a book that’s based in the Midwest because it’s one of my favorite places. All the music references were such a nice bonus with this book.

This was a very heartwarming and sweet romance, with a good finding yourself type of story. I really, really loved the setting in rural Indiana, which I would not have expected, but the author painted such beautiful picture. Some parts were a bit tough for me to read, but overall I really liked it. Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

Huge for fans of Colleen Hoover, I absolutely devoured this book and felt so drawn into the characters and their story. It's definitely true that Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

This is my first Paige Toon book and it won't be my last! I love when I read a book and feel like I totally relate to the characters. Wren and crew had me hooked from the start. Being an Indiana girl myself didn't hurt either, it was great to see those references. By the end, I had laughed and cried and I will definitely be picking up another book by this author!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This
An earth-shattering secret. A life-changing love story.

When Wren realizes her fiance is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.

On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But 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 fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?

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

This book was such a happy surprise for me, oh my gosh!! I love loved the characters and their relationship! The chemistry was SO good! I felt such a deep connection with the characters which makes me so happy. This is my first Paige Toon, but won't be my last!! It was so great! The twist!! OMG highly recommend this!