Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #theminuteisawyou #netgalley

This is a 3 chapter sampler which I did not realise when I picked it or I wouldn't have because I find that they annoy me rather than entice me to read the book and do not give me much to review the book with. However there was nothing wrong with what I read

I’ve been a fan of Paige Toon’s novels since her debut ‘Lucy in the Sky’ hits the shelves in 2007 and it joined me on my first ever long haul flight. I inhaled it in one go and a love affair with Toon’s books began. Each yearly release was a highlight of my reading year.

And then for some reason, in 2020 (huh, not so mysterious now I’ve looked up the dates…), I couldn’t get into her latest book, ‘The Minute I Saw You’. This had never happened with Paige Toon’s novels before and I was a bit spooked so I put it down.


It’s now 2023 and I’ve not picked up her books since because I got worried I had lost a favourite author.

After a year gap while Paige moved publisher, her 19th novel hit the shelves on April 25th and I began to get fomo again.

So I decided to catch up.

I had three books to read: ‘The Minute I Saw You’, ‘Someone I Used to Know’ and ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’.

I got on with reading. As always, I was on the look out for cameos from her earlier novels - I adore it when authors do this! Sarah Dessen also has her previous characters make surprise appearances as she sets her books across two towns. Paige Toon makes the whole world her playground and yet familiar faces still show up every now and then which I love.


‘The Minute I Saw You’
Attraction is easy... Falling in love can be hard

When Hannah meets Sonny, she's irresistibly drawn to him: he's sexy and confident, but only in town on holiday. That's fine with Hannah - she doesn't do long-term relationships. And luckily for her, neither does Sonny. But before they can even so much as kiss, Sonny receives some shocking news and commits to making serious life changes - ones that can't and won't include romance.

With even a short fling now off the cards, Hannah and Sonny settle for being friends. But as summer hots up and their chemistry shows no signs of cooling, they start to question their reasons for shutting each other out.

Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what's on the other side?

Erm, what was 2020 me’s problem? (Apart from the obvious…) Getting stuck into this book was absolutely effortless. Toon’s writing feels like an old friend’ familiar, comforting and bursting with warmth, just like the characters are.

While Sonny and Hannah are holding closely guarded secrets that were slowly revealed throughout the novel, I never felt distanced from them in the slightest. It was like I was there with them and getting to know them in the same way. Their friends Matilda and Archie were equally as well fleshed out and I felt like I was a apart of the group - all I want when I’m reading a novel like this is to be completely absorbed and feel like I know the characters inside and out. Paige Toon never fails to nail that.

Character cameo: Alice from ‘One Perfect Summer’ and her and Joseph Strike’s children.


‘Someone I Used to Know’
So much can change in half a lifetime…

Then
At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him.

Theo’s wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he’s now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn’t always go to plan...

Now
Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a different direction?

I’m a big fan of second chance romance, especially when we get to see the love story in dual timelines, and ‘Someone I Used to Know’ nailed it. There’s something really special about seeing how the ‘Then’ has shaped how the characters act in the ‘Now’, the links and connections and small moments that make the relationships sing - and this is where Toon shines for me; in the relationships.

Of course, that includes the romance, but it doesn’t stop there. This book marvels in love of all forms: parental, siblings, friendship, and the endless amount of love good foster parents have for the kids in their care. I always tear up in Toon’s novels, but I very nearly sobbed in this one, especially with the big emotional reveal towards the end. She always takes me by surprise.


‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’
Neither of them expected to fall in love. But sometimes life has other plans.

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. 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 harbouring 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?

As soon as reviews started rolling in for Paige Toon’s latest novel I started bracing myself: everyone was being emotionally destroyed by this one! It definitely was a rollercoaster.

The secret promised on the front cover delivered and while I was expecting something along those lines with the lead up to it, it still made me catch my breath. The emotional power in those scenes was incredible. Paige Toon has a gift for writing emotional punches, though I do think they are becoming more deliberate punches in her later novels, rather than more naturally revealed plot twists.

As always with a Toon novel, I got to travel to a new place with ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ - rural farm-life in Indiana. The hard, honest work of running farms and being part of a small community and the romance of a summer in the countryside got to me. I’d never really thought much about Indiana, or Indianapolis where they also spend a reasonable amount of time, other than as the state that John Green lives in, I now feel drawn to spending the summer in the Midwestern country.

Character cameo: A mention of Luis from ‘Chasing Daisy’ (possibly Paige’s biggest tearjerker and a favourite of mine).

Are you a Paige Toon fan? Do you have a favourite of her novels? Mine will always be ‘Johnny Be Good’!

Written by Sophie

I generally really enjoy Paige Toon books and this one was no different, however the subject matter within the storyline was very sensitive but was dealt with incredibly well by the author. Hannah is house sitting for her uncle and also looking after his dog Bertie. She has a job working at the opticians in town which she thoroughly enjoys. However, when she meets Sonny she has instant chemistry with him. However, it becomes clear pretty quickly that both Hannah and Sonny each have their demons to deal with.

The reason behind Hannah’s reluctance for a relationship was very unexpected and was not something I can recall reading in a fictional book before and this made it all the more enjoyable to read about. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoling the plot. In addition to Hannah, Sonny is also reluctant to engage in any kind of relationship due to his past. The nice thing about this book is how each character’s past is revealed. It’s done very slowly and with compassion by the author. I felt like this had an overall different feel to other Paige Toon books I have read but it wasn’t any less enjoyable.

Really loved this short part of this book. I am already interested to where this story would lead to. I have read several of this authors books and really enjoyed them.

’The Minute I Saw You’ is the latest book by Paige Toon.

Some people believe that it’s possible to fall in love simply by gazing into another person’s eyes, but Hannah, who spends her working life staring into the eyes of strangers, has never felt anything out of the ordinary for any of her clients. Then she meets Sonny, and a spark ignites between them that’s hard to ignore and impossible to forget. Weeks later, they cross paths again, but Sonny’s whole demeanour has changed. Gone is the sexy, laidback, confident man that Hannah was so attracted to, and in his place is someone who can barely make eye contact at all. It soon transpires that Sonny is at a crossroads. He’s committed to making serious life changes, but these changes can’t and won’t include romance.
Hannah, who is only temporarily housesitting her uncle’s cottage, has her own reasons for wanting to keep their budding friendship platonic. But as summer hots up and the chemistry between them sizzles, Hannah and Sonny discover that there’s more to each of them than meets the eye.

Yesterday I spent my day with my head buried in Paige’s latest book, a story of new beginnings and friendships.

The story is seen through the narrative of Hannah, who works in an opticians and it’s in this job that she meets Sonny Denton. Both are attracted to each other but agree to be friends, but as they spend more time together, they realise that it’s difficult to maintain a platonic friendship.

I’ve been a fan of Paige’s books for years, they’ve accompanied me on many a bus or train journey, transporting me to another time and place and her latest book was just as absorbing.

Paige has an incredible skill of creating handsome and charismatic men and Sonny was no different, charming, witty and slightly damaged that made the reader want to look after him. I loved Hannah as well, fun and relatable and I really enjoyed the scenes of banter between the pair of them. Both of them have underlying secrets and problems and it’s through their confidence in each other, that they grow strength to face them. There is also the addition of an adorable dog that added a hint of cuteness to the story.

The story is set in Cambridge and is filled with vivid descriptions of the city and the canal activities that was very prominent in the story. The story also included the return of Joe Strike and his wife Alice from Paige’s previous book called ‘One Perfect Summer’ and it was lovely to see the return of the dynamic couple.

A fun and sexy story that was a joy to read from start to finish. Paige has written another tender and uplifting book that will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. ‘The Minute I Saw You’ is an unique tale, with relatable and fascinating characters that stays with you long after you close the final page.

You can buy ‘The Minute I Saw You’ from Amazon and is available from good bookshops.

What a powerful book. This was deeper and a whole lot more emotional than I expected, but it was definitely worth it! The development of the relationship between Hannah and Sonny was beautifully written and what they had to overcome haunted me until I could get back to the story to peel back the next layer. One to be added to your TBR pile immediately.

Just a shame that I was only given the first three chapters to read. However, what I did read was really engaging.

The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon

Having received what I thought was a book to review only to discover it was a sampler is disappointing. I do wish authors/publishers wouldn’t do this. Have read the first few chapters it does have great potential but I don’t feel I can fully give it a proper review but the emotions in the sampler were well written but alas we are left wanting.

I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more as this was just the sampler. The story had me intrigued from the opening and I would love to know what happens so will definitely be pre-ordering it. WHat I really like about Paige Toon's writing is that she doesn't over-labour a point, there aren't huge, lengthy descriptions to wade through, but at the same time the story and characters are still very well crafted and brought to life.

The Minute I Saw You ~ Paige Toon

Another fantastic book by the wonderful Paige Toon. Every year I look forward to her new release and, yet again, this one didn’t disappoint. I read the first few chapters before release thanks to Netgalley and had to but the book as soon as it was released as an e-book.

Set in Cambridge, this is a story about Hannah and Somny. Two individuals affected by different traumas from their pasts. The chemistry between the characters was electrifying, causing you to love them both instantly.

This stort is heartbreaking at times, and I had to reach for the tissues on several occasions. This story is beautiful and touching.

A perfect summer read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookworm #ilovereading #readersofinstagram #theminuteisawyou #paigetoon #romance # summerread #bookreview #2020books

I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

I was kindly given this on NetGalley as they now do audiobooks, audiobooks isn’t really my thing as I prefer to read the pages so I thought I would really struggle with this. Surprisingly I didn’t. The narrator was very witty and put a lot of effort into capturing the characters personalities.
Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as previous Paige Toon's novels I still felt a rush to find out what was going to happen next. This story is about hurt, heartbreak, and what they can do to a person. And how they could lead to love. It really is a fabulous story and I definitely recommend it & I look forward to more of Paige's books. OUT NOW⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy which has the first few chapters of Paige’s new book. As a huge fan of Paige’s books it was good to get a sneak peek before the book was released. It looks like it has characters to fall in love with and I’m intrigued to see how their story progresses. I have bought the book and can’t wait to read it.

I have always enjoyed Paige Toon’s writing, and this is another great book from her.
A change from the usual boy meets girl, they get together, something goes wrong / a misunderstanding happens & theY split, they reconnect and fall deeply in love, this story follows Hannah and Sunny, two people who have been incapable of entering any meaningful relationship due to unaddressed sadness & trauma in their early lives.
The minute they meet in Hannah’s work there is chemistry, they are drawn to each other and the air fizzles with attraction. However, both have to work through their difficulties before considering any ‘relationship’. Shared friends mean they meet up with each other regularly and friendship blossoms, both maintain that they can’t be in a relationship together while working through their issues but they come to find that sharing an emotional burden makes it easier to bear.
A lovely story about friendship, relationships, how our pasts can shape us as adults and how love will win through.

From what I read of this book, I really enjoyed. Always loved her writing style and have read all of her books. Am looking forward to purchasing this book when it comes out.

When I was reading this last night on my kindle, I didn’t realise I requested the sampler! I thought something was wrong. But anyway, I loved the 3 chapters and cant wait to go buy the paperback!

I’m already loving Hannah, Sonny and Matilda!

As always with Paige Toon, the first three chapters are gone in no time and you are left wanting more. I am now hooked and have got myself a copy to read the whole story. Paige has a way with words, gaining your attention and getting you invested in the story from the first page. This book is a welcome holiday read - I should be on holiday now, but the current situation is put a stop to that. At least I can pretend that I am away on holiday with this book!

A fantastic taster of this new book by Paige Toon. Super excited to read the full story. Bring it on!

I love books by Paige toon and what I read of this it didn’t disappoint. A perfect dose of chic lit.

I enjoyed what I read of the book but for some reason was only giving parts of the first 3 chapters. Very disappointed.