Paige Toon create a wonderful romance novel with Only Love Can Hurt Like This. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and while the secret reveal and situations surrounding that were very fictional I still liked how it all played out.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Wren is living in the UK, happily engaged and planning her wedding until her fiancé calls it off. In hopes of finding some distraction to help her get over her heartbreak, she takes a trip to visit her father and his family in rural Indiana for the summer where she realizes there’s a lot more going on than just corn growing in the fields. Growing closer to her father, bonding with her half-sister, and meeting the “not-too-hard on the eyes” neighbors definitely helps her take her mind off of some things…mainly her ex. Although love stories and romance aren’t generally my go-to for reading, I found it difficult to put this book down. And when weeks and months go by and I’m STILL thinking about the characters, I know it’s a good one for sure.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

a charming romance, i enjoyed this read

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

4/5 ⭐ ＯＶＥＲＡＬＬ
1/5 🌶 ＳＴＥＡＭ

If you enjoy:
- Contemporary Romance
- Small Town
- Slow Burn
- Emotional Reads

Wren and Anders story was beautiful, but also heart-wrenching. Two people meet at a time when they both needed it more than ever. They both have tons of healing from past heart breaks just in different forms.

Wren is ready to take a chance, but Anders has guilt holding him back. Their journey isn't easy, but no one said love was. The chemistry, the plot, and the twist will have you invested. I truly enjoyed this read and will absolutely be looking into the authors other works.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the author for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Reading! 🧡

Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Wren and Anders are both alone-and heartbroken. Wren found out her fiance was betraying her, but then she meets Anders while visiting family in Indiana and sparks fly. But most people capable of mature love have baggage of some sort,and being alone does not always mean your heart is free. Anders has a secret he is not quite ready to share. When he does tell it, does it break Wren’s heart all over again, or will it mend it?

I like this novel-a realistic feeling romance with adults acting like grown people with ethics.

Paige Toon’s ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ might appeal to readers fond of romance or chick lit genre. The friends-to-lovers story would interest fans of transatlantic love stories albeit if they do not mind the slow-moving pace of the book.
Synopsis
Wren embarks on a trip to her father’s house in rural Indiana from Suffolk, England to deal with the heartbreak of finding her fiancé is in love with someone else. She is not looking forward to meeting her stepmother and half-sibling in the US, the consequence of his father leaving her mother when they lived in Arizona in her childhood. The pain of her facing the same fate as her mother is not lost on her and makes her resent her father’s family.
On her family’s farm in Indiana, she comes across Anders and his family. She is immediately intrigued by him and soon learns that he is still dealing with his beloved wife’s death a few years ago. Like any forbidden love story, Wren finds herself falling for Anders but upon learning a secret that Anders has been hiding, she must deal with a heartbreak all over again.

What is to like
The rural Indiana setting is very charming. Wren navigating her relationships with her stepfamily and Ander’s sibling is nicely written. Her character is smart and likable, and the reader takes a liking to her. There are also some events that the author has beautifully penned such as the beginning scene where Wren realizes that her fiancé might be leaving her.

What’s not to like
The story is very slow-moving. A large part of the book revolves around Wren waiting and hoping to see Anders and wondering if he is back in Indianapolis where he works or if he is at his parent’s farm who are their neighbors. The big events in the story’s timeline do not happen until the second half of the book and the big climax is not as ‘earth-shattering’ as the book’s cover claims.
The descriptions of Wren wanting to be with Anders or yearning for his company could be shortened for sure. These get annoying after a while and make the reader lose interest in the book.

Book Review Rating: 2.5/5

"An earth shattering secret. A life-changing love story."

Wren visits her father and his family in the US for the summer after the devastating realization that her fiancée was in love with someone else. Anders lost his wife 4 years ago and despises the idea of ever trying to move on.

Through friendship and forgiveness their worlds inevitably collide. This book takes you through multiple avenues of love (friendship love, romantic love, sibling/family love) and learning how to live the life best suited for you.

Anders completely stole my heart from the moment we met him. There is just something about dark, broody handsome men that immediate draw me in! Probably because like Wren, you just want to make them whole again. His dedication to his family and ultimately his wife was remarkable to say the least, and I struggled not being able to reach through the book and hug him sometimes.

Wren is insecure at first, but overtime you can almost picture her blossoming into this new lifestyle on the farm that seems to suit her. By the end, I was audibly cheering her on for using her voice to have her own back and claim the life she knows is right for her.

This was my first book by Paige Toon, and I couldn't be happier with my choice! An absolute treasure for those who love stories of broken hearts finding each other and mending them together.

I’m still working out my feelings with this one. I feel like it was a beautiful show of love and the hurts that come with it, but also at times it felt like it just kept going.

It tackled some super hard topics and I felt like it was done really well. I think Bailey and Jonas were my favorites in the book - their side characters brought so much to the story.

All in all I really enjoyed it, just wish maybe the will they/won’t they was wrapped up a little sooner but also understand why it wasn’t.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

“Only Love Can Hurt Like This” is my first experience with Toon's books and while this one wasn't a win for me, I do think I'd be interested in reading more from her. In Toon's newest book we get flawed characters, heavy topics mixed with moments of joy, and a setting that is 100% Midwest perfection -- all ingredients for a solid book for me. However, things didn't go well for me with this read.

Anders and Wren's relationship is the focus in the book, but it fell flat for me. I didn't feel their connection, nor did I find either of them very likeable. Wren is piecing together her life after heartbreak while Anders is dealing with losing his wife. What unfolds is a love story that's a bit bland. There is a big twist in the book but for me it was way ick. I didn't love it and everything that came after that felt really gross to me. I think my biggest issue is that Wren didn't really seem to grow. She had potential but I found her to be cold and unapproachable so seeing her fall in love was a bit awkward, if not unbelievable.

Again, while this one wasn’t for me, I would read something else by Toon. She has a new book coming out in 2024 so I’m going to keep an eye out for that.

A cute story about a woman wren who is visiting her dad in America to get sometime away from England and the fiancé who left her. Throughout her time she starts to fall for the guy who lives next door but starts to realize there is something holding him back from loving her.

This story from an author I have never read before is one of those writers that can tell a story that stops your world. Clear a day when you buy this book because it seriously is one you will not stop reading until you turn the last page.

Toon tells the story from one end of the spectrum to another; heart-wrenching pain from secrets and hurts, then soaring love that fills the reader with joy. It is an addicting read!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a book that is more of an experience than anything else. It’s simple in its plot yet complex in its heartfelt emotions. The character development of Wren and Anders is amazing.

Since this is the first book I’ve read by this author, I have nothing to compare it to, but I do know that this will not be the only book I’ve read by this author. This is definitely a story you will want to read again and again. Deeply emotional and so damn good. What a romance!

This book will rip your heart out and stomp on it and then put all the pieces back together, but in the best possible way! Talk about emotional damage. I loved everything about it. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon was a roller coaster ride with a heavy dose of family drama for all 3 of the main characters. I really enjoyed it even though I typically veer towards more light read romance books, You will become attached to all of the characters in the book.

This was my first book by Paige Toon and it absolutely won’t be my last. This was such a refreshing romance read and the characters and their situations felt so real and earnest. I think part of me is in my emotional damage reading era because the conflict that is central to this plot broke my heart a little bit but was handled SO well and felt so realistic. The author incorporated themes of grief, loss, mental health, complicated relationships and healing so seamlessly. There were so many things to enjoy about this story - I loved the farm setting, the vintage Airstream restoration and the movie night event. What I loved MOST was the emphasis on different relationships and the bonds that both break us apart and keep us together - there were so many powerful interactions, whether they be romantic, between lost loves, between siblings, between parents and stepparents or between friends - and each was so endearing and meaningful. This was a great story that will stay with me and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Wren is devastated when she finds out her fiancé is in love with someone else, so she decides to travel across the Atlantic with the hopes that spending the summer with her dad, stepmom and half sister will help her heal her broken heart. While staying on their farm in Indiana, she meets Anders who lost his wife four years ago and is struggling to move on.

Beyond just the romance part of the story, the friendships also felt natural and organic which makes for a more enjoyable read. The setting of this book was perfect for the story and made me want to move to a farm in Indiana. Another theme I thought the author did a great job exploring was how children can be deeply affected by divorce even into adulthood.

This was my first Paige Toon book, but I will definitely be checking out her previous work. 4.5 stars rounded up because I didn't want to put this one down and when I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it.

This was a slow burn romance between two adults working through some tough trauma. This was also a story about family and the efforts it takes sometimes to build those close relationships when you are estranged or long distance. There was a lot layered into this story and it paced pretty well. I felt like it was a little too slow at times for me but overall I wanted to keep reading. Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for an eARC.

I really enjoyed this and watching the relationship develop and the emotions involved in that and In family dynamics. I’m glad the author gave us a small part from his pov so we could get a better grasp of his emotions as well.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of the book Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

This is the first book I have read by Paige Toon and its the kind of book you will either love or hate. The first half of the book was really dragging and the storyline felt repetitive. The writing and execution fell flat for me. I could not connect with the main characters Wren and Anders and their romance felt a bit forced. Overall, this book wasn’t for me.

I think you either love or hate this type of book. Both main characters falling in love again without really wanting to. Both having huge amounts of baggage that takes forever to unpack! And then you add in the complicated family relationships. Whoa.

Overall I liked the book. Wren is a lovable MC desire her vulnerability. At times I didn’t care for Anders but by the end of the book I had all the information about him I needed to form a proper opinion… he grew on me and I found I respected him more.