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.

DNFing at 5%. Not interested and based on the reviews I don’t think I will be hooked later on. Thanks anyway for the ARC and hoping others love this more than I did.

Wow! What a surprise! It had the twists and pace of Colleen Hoover but more heart than I expected! Such a fun and powerful story!
Wren discovers her fiance is in love with someone else and decides to spend the summer with her father in Indiana. Her path crosses with Anders who is grieving the loss of his wife.
The book was heartbreaking and unforgettable. It was emotional, deep, and shocking. I can't wait to read more by this author.

What a beautiful story about instant connection and second chances.

Fans of Katherine Center will love this one! It is heart wrenching and such a gorgeous story, highly recommend!

TW: depression, talks of suicide

I did not mesh well with this book. It seems I’m in the minority, but none the less, I just couldn’t engage. I think a big part of it is the writing and dialect between the characters. It just felt off to me, as if people wouldn’t really talk the way they do in this book. And this is a huge one for me, it can completely throw off a book for me.

I’m just going to say this book wasn’t for me

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I didn't feel a connection between the two main characters and I felt the friendships in the small farm town were too easy and unrealistic.

Having lived on the Kentucky-Indiana border it was difficult for me to romanticize Southern Indiana and farm life. Some people dream of this lifestyle but moving from an adorable town in the UK to southern Indiana? That's a no for me.

The big secret that was revealed in the last 100 pages also felt cheap. Overall I don't recommend 😕

SOOOO good!!! Deeply emotional and captivating, While this story was a slow-burn full of angst, I never felt bored! There was a great cast of supporting characters that made Wren’s summer on the farm feel not only realistic but also healing.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon is a brilliant novel which expresses the joy of love, but also the pain and doubt it can bring. Anders lost his wife four years ago, but hasn't been able to move on. Wren's fiance broke up with her in England, so she flew to her father in the States to get over him. When Wren and Anders meet, sparks fly, but is it too early for them to be in a new relationship? A great summer read! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book not knowing if I would like this new to me authors writing style, and I’m so glad I stuck it out. The beginning wasn’t keeping my interest until about the 70% mark, then I was fully invested to continue reading. I have to say to anyone trying to decide if they should read this, “READ THIS BOOK” you won't regret it. To me this seems like a slow burn romance with heartbreak and sorrow. Some tough decisions to be made by the characters with lots of different emotions and feelings to consider. It will make you cry.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this from NetGalley for my honest review!

Let's all just take a minute to admire this beautiful cover.

Then we can all feel the pain that is delivered behind the title, "Only Loe Can Hurt Like This"

I am ashamed to admit this is my first book by Paige Toon but I can guarantee it will not by my last.

I was instantly pulled right into the storyline, I fell in love with Wren and Anders. Paige Toon is compared to Colleen Hoover but quite honestly, I enjoyed her writing style much more. I was incredibly emotional while reading and rooting for Wren to just get her happy ending. Everything was so real and it played out like a movie right before my eyes! My fingers are crossed that this is turned into a movie as I hope it gets an even wider audience than just us readers.

This has book of the year written all over it!

Teaser :

For fans of Colleen Hoover, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: Is love worth risking everything for?

When Wren realizes 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. 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?

Every now and then I need a Hallmark style book to take my mind off the real world.
Paige Toon’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This was just the ticket.

Architect Wren’s world is not at all turning out according to plan. She is not in love with her current job and her fiancé has decided that she isn’t the one after all. She flees the UK for rural Indiana in hopes of resetting herself. Her father and step mother own an orchard in the country where families can come by to pick fruit by the season. The quaint setting is exactly what Wren believes will help her move forward. In an effort to get to know her younger half sister Bailey, she agrees to a night out in the small town. At the local dive bar, where Wren is vastly overdressed, she lays eyes on Anders who wrecks her plans.

Anders lost his wife four years ago and is having a hard time recovering from that loss. He is not in any place for a relationship, and is harboring a secret that is draining him. He works all the time for a racing team in Indy and comes home often on the weekends to check on his brother at their family farm. On one such visit he and his brother Jonas meet Wren and Bailey. Despite his attempts to avoid Wren, they find themselves running into each other in the small town and the rest is history as they say.

Wren and Anders story is at times heart-wrenching and a little predictable, but that didn’t stop me from reading. Sometimes we all need to read a sweet love story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and of course the author Paige Toon for the advanced copy of the book. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is out now. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much I wound up buying multiple copies to give to my book club friends. If you love slow burn, small town, heart warming romances that will make you smile and cry-this is the perfect read. This is my first book by this author and I will be reading more. Just an engrossing and captivating read!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!

I loved the cover of this book. It reminds me of a Colleen Hoover cover. 
This book deals with a lot of loss and heartbreak. Two people who are on opposite sides of the world just happened to cross paths. The two will start to help each other heal and maybe in time their hearts will come together. 
I liked this book and the storyline that was given. Classic betrayal and loss for both characters. Just like Wren's mother always said, "Trust your instincts", I am glad I did because this book is great.