Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of romance novels. I may have been 20 years ago, but my tastes have evolved considerably since then. But I was curious about Paige Toon. Romance with bite, rather than romance with fluff, I was assured by friends whose opinions I value. And after reading this, I may well be a convert.

I’ll admit the blurb didn’t exactly set my world on fire: Girl gets dumped by fiancé and beats a retreat to father and stepfamily in rural Indiana, where she falls for the guy on neighbouring farm, who happens to be a brooding hunk with a complicated history. Of course, he is!

The cynic in me wasn’t expecting too much from the story, but I found myself enjoying Toon’s writing. It’s effortlessly readable, easily drawing you in to both the characters and the setting, and I quickly realised there was much more depth to the book than I’d anticipated.

I was especially intrigued by the secondary thread about protagonist Wren’s awkward relationship with her Indiana family. With the father who abandoned her, the stepmother who enticed him away, and the dazzling half-sister who is everything Wren longs to be but isn’t. Toon handles this with sensitivity and a keen understanding of family dynamics and readily evokes sympathy for Wren’s angst.

Conversely, the main storyline of the developing relationship between Wren and Anders built up rather too slowly for my liking, causing the narrative to stutter in the middle of the book. So much so, I started to think my initial reservations were to be confirmed.

Then, suddenly, out of the blue, BAM!

Why did no one tell me of Toon’s penchant for seismic plot shifts? This one is a humdinger and reveals a heartbreaking moral dilemma that is so cleverly disguised, it blindsided me completely. From this point on I read like a dervish and finished the book an emotional wreck.

A beautiful and poignant story of second chances that has won Ms Toon another fan.

I really enjoyed this book, it was another emotional book for me, but well worth the tears.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I'll start by saying I'm a huge Paige Toon fan and I've loved all her books but I actually think she has surpassed herself with this latest offering.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This has everything I have come to expected from a Paige Toon book - a gorgeous setting, relatable characters and an intriguing storyline with just a couple of little twists to take it away from your standard predictable romcoms.

I 100% fell in love with it all and was rather bereft when I turned the last page despite the fact I'd spent the previous half an hour crying my eyes out 😂.
From an emotional point of view Toon's writing completely tugged at my heart strings and I was totally thrown by the twist in the tale.

I could have read another whole book about Anders and Wren and still been captivated by their story as I was not at all ready for this one to come to an end.

A big 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me. Definitely recommend this ❤️❤️

I haven’t read many Paige Toon books, but after reading this, I will be certainly picking up more by this author.
This book really reminded me of one of my all time favourite books, Me Before You
The book is so full of emotions and is truly heart wrenching
I almost shed a couple of tears. Which is not like me!
The book follows Wren and Anders, who are flawed themselves and it just adds to the real feel of the book
I really enjoyed this book and will read more by the author. Thank you for my early copy of the book.

I absolutely love Paige Toon and this book didn't disappoint. When Wren travels to visit her family after a painful break up she does not expect to meet anyone .Anders has suffered his own loss and is holding back on something important. I absolutely adored the two main characters and their journey. Paige has captured their emotions beautifully and I could not put this book down.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is the heart-stoppingly emotional new novel from best-selling author Paige Toon.

Wren thought that she had her entire future figured out – until she realised that the fiancé she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with was madly in love with somebody else. Heartbroken, lonely and desperately needing to heal from this indescribable pain, Wren decides to take some time out of her life by spending the summer with her dad and his step-family in Indiana on their farm. Wren intends to get some much-needed rest and to figure out what she is going to do with her life. Romance is the very last thing on her mind – until she crosses paths with Anders and her world ends up tilting on its axis…

Four years ago, Anders had lost his wife and he is still wracked by grief, pain and despair. Unable to move on and struggling to get over his wife’s death, Anders is certainly not looking for a relationship. But Wren awakens something deep within him which he never thought he would experience ever again. Anders has fallen in love with Wren, however, he is harbouring a secret that is preventing him from acting upon his feelings for her. Anders knows that he has no other option but to walk away, but how can he turn his back on the woman who had changed his whole life? Yet, he knows that even if he were to stay, once Wren founds out the truth she would never want to see him ever again.

Paige Toon’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This should come with a warning: keep a huge box of tissues nearby while reading this book because it will make you cry buckets. Poignant, intense, dramatic and heart-breaking, Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an affecting love story that will keep you eagerly turning the pages late into the night.

Paige Toon aims for the heart and does not miss with her epic compulsively readable romantic tale, Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

Anyone that knows me knows I like a good weepie now and again , whether that be a film or a book. So this title caught my eye on Netgalley! Also I had seen alot of love for this author, and having never read any of her books, thought I would give it a go.

Unfortunately it wasn't for me. I've said before that I can do romance books as long as the 'will they, won't they' isn't the main story. This one had too much of that for me; it was full of lusty glances and staring, 'one step forward, but two steps back' and a lot of assumptive thinking from the main protagonist; I also felt that some of the subplots were peppered into the story, but not really explained or resolved.

Then the twist!! While I had empathy for the situation, and felt it was plausible, I just couldn't get on board with some of the decisions around it; that was me though, not the book.

To be fair, the writing was lovely and emotive so if you love a 'will they won't they' romance , you will probably love this book, out now!!

While I'm placing it firmly in the 'not for me' pile, I'm interested to know if any Paige Toon fans enjoyed this book, or would recommend another one instead?

⭐️ 4 ⭐️


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Another brilliant, captivating read from Paige Toon.

The small-town setting provides the most wonderful backdrop to the story — I felt as if I’d been transported to rural Indiana by Toon’s beautifully descriptive prose, in fact I was sorry to leave it all behind.

I loved the well-drawn, relatable characters, particularly Wren and Anders. The character-driven plot is well-paced with an unexpected twist that took me completely by surprise.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a heartwarming read, a story of love, friendship and family dynamics. I highly recommend.

This was another emotionally charged, heart wrenching novel from Paige Toon that had me turn into a complete wreck!

She has a way of writing that rips your heart from your chest, tears it into little pieces and puts in back - sometimes mended; sometimes not…

I loved the chemistry between Wren and Anders - a look can truly say a thousand words and our true feelings can be seen in our eyes; deep into our soul.

This book wasn’t without some highly emotional moments where I felt choked up and close to tears which is no mean feat for me.

I felt this is my heart and loved every word of it.

Oh my heart!! Please take alllll of the stars and more.
I loved everything about this book from the complicated characters, the setting, the growth, the love & so much more!

This was my first book by Paige Toon, but I’ve not been living under a rock, so knew to expect a powerful story. So, I went into this story prepared for an emotional experience, but I really wasn’t prepared for this. Within the first couple of chapters, I knew that I would become a fan.
Wren is a sympathetic character, born and raised in Arizona, she is the product of divorced parents who now live in separate countries. When her father met and fell in love with University lecturer, Sheryl, his marriage ended and then Bailey, Wren’s half-sister was born. Wren has battled with feelings of abandonment for most of her life and has never really bonded with her father’s new family. Now, broken-hearted after learning of her fiancé’s attraction to another woman, Wren flees to Indiana, to try and bond with her estranged family.
That, in itself, is a powerful premise for a heart-rending story, but we then meet brothers, Anders and Jonas. They are of Scandinavian descent, with a family farm and ageing parents. Jonas works on the farm while Anders works in motorsports. As we learn more about the brothers, we discover a devastating secret that is difficult to even imagine.
I felt every emotion as I read their stories; I was desperate for Wren to reconnect with her family and discover that time can heal all wounds. I was mostly drawn to Wren’s relationship with her sister and felt a deep heartache as she slowly discovered that Bailey’s memories and experiences were loaded with a similar level of regret, but a determination to make a connection that would endure.
The location in Indiana was perfect. I could imagine the winds pushing across the prairie, and the corn in the fields reaching for the sunshine. With Wren’s profession as an architect, there was plenty of detail relating to the buildings in and around the story, and this all added to my enjoyment.
Central to the story of Wren’s growing attraction to Anders, was the loss of his wife. That brought tears and I wept as though the pain was my own. Wren and Ander’s love story is equal parts beautiful and devastating. I instinctively knew that I was in safe hands with the author, but the ride was one that I needed to be strapped in for.
I now get the hype, the praise, and-the many wonderful reviews that have been written about Paige Toon’s books. She’s a very gifted and talented author.

I adore Paige Toon's books and Only Love Can Hurt Like This is another gorgeous read.

Filled with heart and warmth, it's a heart-wrenching story of grief and lost chances, but it's also a story about love and the healing power of friendship and family.

Wren leaves the UK to put some space between her and her ex-fiance Scott when he breaks off their engagement. Wren's Dad lives in Indiana after leaving her and her Mum for Sheryl. Things are awkward at first but as Wren spends more time there she finds a closeness with her Dad, stepmom and half-sister that she's never felt before.

She also falls hard for Anders. But Anders is a broken man and when Wren discovers why, it's seemingly hopeless that he could ever feel the same for her.

But as with all great romantic stories, there is always hope and this story will leave you with all the feels.

Absolutely loved this book. Paige Toon is one of my favourite authors and she just gets better and better.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an escapist read but beautifully written and full of emotion, a story of love, loss and moving forward.

This is the story of Wren who, having split up from her fiancé, decides she need to escape and goes to visit her father and step family who live in Indiana. Whilst there, she meets Anders, the son of a neighbouring family family but he is dealing with the loss of his wife four years previously - their connection is undeniable and a friendship is quick to form, but can they find their way to make it something more than friendship?

Whilst Wren and Anders and the huge secret preventing them forming a relationship are at the heart of the book, there is much more to the story than just romance. The side characters add so much, each with their own story to bring. It’s also a story of family dynamics - I particularly enjoyed seeing Wren’s developing relationship with her father who left when she was just a small child, as well as with her half-sister Bailey. Toon did a great job of bringing the setting to life and I found myself transported to rural Indiana, almost tasting the fresh peaches!

It’s a book that will give you all the feels as you fall in love with all the characters and root for Wren and Anders to have their happy ending - and it’s a journey I very much enjoyed.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an amazing love story with a heartbreaking secret at its heart. It is beautiful written in a way that only Paige can! I fell completely in love with this story, felt every emotion and like I was there amoung the corn during harvest or sitting by the lake feeling the warm rays of sunshine.
These characters are going to stay with me forever it is such an amazing read.
I can't recommend this book enough. Another beautiful, heartbreaking and emotional story from Paige Toon.

As soon as I heard the premise for Paige Toon's latest book I knew it was going to be an emotional read and it sure delivered on everything I was expecting and more. But firstly can we talk about the title, I'm surely not the only one who started humming the well known song as soon as you read the title.

When we first meet Wren she's in a bit of a rut, she's not really happy in her job and the directon it's taking her but it's whilst out for lunch that the rug gets pulled out from under her. She sees her fiance Scott at lunch with his colleague and what she witnesses makes her realise that they have strong feelings for one another although they haven't crossed that line yet. This brings about a conversation with Scott and the realisation that their relationship is over. Needing to get away from it all and take time out to think about her future plans, Wren decides to head to Indiana to visit with her dad, step mum Sheryl and sister Bailey. And it's whilst visiting them that her life plans will be turned upside down again...

It's fair to say that Wren has had a complex relationship with her dad but during her stay with her family, they are able to put the past behind them and rebuild their relationship. She also gets closer to Sheryl who she had always blamed for the break up of her parents marriage and by default Bailey who Sheryl was pregnant with. The only relationship that the two sisters really had before this trip were the weeks spent whenever Wren spent holidays with them so spending this time together enables them to really get to know one another as adults.

Boy can Paige Toon write a brooding leading man and we were lucky enough to be introduced to two, the Fredrickson brothers Anders and Jonas. Anders has returned home to check in with his brother as his family are concerned about his emotional state but it's actually Anders who is struggling with his own demons following an accident which saw him lose his wife. Will he be able to open up himself and take the steps needed to move on?

Both Wren and Anders are remarkable characters that you can't help but be drawn to. Although totally different circumstances, both have experienced loss and heartbreak and you want nothing but the best for them, for them both to heal and experience love again. It's hard to say much more without giving anything away but there were a couple of gut-wrenching moments that brought me to tears and I very rarely cry whilst reading.

One of the aspects of this book that I really enjoyed was the setting. I've never read any books set in Indiana before and through the descriptive writing I was able to paint a picture as to what I imagined the rural landscape looked like, especially once the creative ideas that Wren and Jonas come up with which have the two neighbouring farms working together to create a fun experience for the whole family. I also enjoyed the side project that Wren embarks on whilst staying with her family, the refurbishment of a long forgotten airstream caravan that she affectionately names Bambi.

The title Only Love Can Hurt Like This is certainly apt as it's an emotional read that sweeps you up and doesn't let you out of its grip until the final satisfying page.

Wow this storyline was simply amazing and I can’t stop thinking about it.

I instantly knew this was going to break my heart but yet I could not stop turning the pages from the start. Wren was your girl next door and thrown into a turmoil when her fiancé admits he loves someone else. But what a great way to heal your heart then to go to America and spend the summer there.

Wren was just so easy to love, you felt for her and rooted for her all the way through. Her meeting with the brothers, in particular Anders was a great distraction. Anders was a great male character and despite his flakiness you just loved him. Ever woman’s ideal 😝 gentleman, mysterious and easy on the eye.

I fell in love with this story.

REVIEW
⚠️cw: suicidal ideation, depression, grief ⚠️
When Wren's fiancé unexpectedly ends things, she needs to get away from her hometown, and all of the reminders of him. She travels to Indiana, where her father and step-family live. There she meets Anders, whose family owns the neighbouring farm. As their friendship grows, Wren has to face the reality that she's falling in love with him. But Anders has a secret.
I felt completely invested in this story from the first page, and wow! What an emotional rollercoaster. My heart broke for Wren in the first couple of chapters, because that fear of bumping into your ex with their new love is so relatable. I loved the journey Wren went on with her father and step-family, and I really enjoyed her friendship with Bailey. It was lovely to see Wren start to flourish in Indiana, and how, because she finally spent longer with the family, she began to lose her resentment and empathised with them.
But this is a book layered with several expertly woven storylines, and the ones involving the Fredrickson family were particularly emotional, especially Anders'. There's SO much I want to say about his and Wren's relationship, but I absolutely won't spoil anything. Instead, I'll just say this. It's rare that I don't see a plot twist coming (usually from miles away) but the one here REALLY shocked me and broke my heart in equal measure. I'll just say I really loved their relationship, and Anders was such a GOOD man. I also found the storyline highlighting depression incredibly moving and realistically written. There are so many beautifully observed moments about friendship, family, and duty, and I couldn't put this book down. I was emotionally wrecked by the end but in the best possible way. Clearly, I've been sleeping on Paige Toon's novels. She has a new fan in me.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 💔🙈😬😂💔😢💓🥰😂😢💓😯💔😢😢🥰😂💔👏🏻😉😍🥺💔💓😍💓

Title: Only Love Can Hurt Like This
Author: Paige Toon
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 416
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Romance
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:
Wren’s world is shattered when she realises her fiancé is in love with another women and she doesn’t know how she is able to recover from this. Across the pond, Anders is also struggling with heartbreak, he lost his wife four years ago and is unable to allow himself to move on. Wren hopes that spending the summer with her father and step-family is the break she needs and that will help her to heal. There, amongst the cornfields and farm life, she crosses paths with Anders and once more their worlds are turned upside down.
Wren is struggling to break down Anders’ wall, she knows he is hiding his feelings, but Anders knows admitting how he feels will cause a serious fall out for everyone, but walking away from Wren is just as hard, but would Wren stay, if she knew the truth?

Review:
Thank you to Anne at Radom Things Tours for my place on the book tour!
Paige Toon is one of my favourite authors and one of the authors I first ever fell in love with, therefore, when this invite dropped into my inbox, I didn’t need to read the description to know I needed to get my hands on a copy of this book! I did still read the description though… and it would have still been a yes from me! I must also comment on the striking and eye-catching front cover, it is a thing of beauty!

There is just something about Paige Toon’s book that I find comforting, there hasn’t been one that hasn’t managed to warm my heart and I was really excited to get lost in another one of her stories and it is definitely safe to say, she lived up to my expectations with this beautiful book!
From the prologue, I knew this book would be one that would resonate with me, it didn’t take long for certain lines to pull on my heartstrings, especially this one, “It’s hard to trust your instincts when they’re breaking your heart.” This had me feeling many emotions and I was eager to read on to see what else she had in store for me.

I loved Paige’s descriptions and the way she set the scenes, I could visualise it all and it was almost as if I was there watching it all unfold. She really did create some beautiful scenes in my head. The chapters were also the perfect size, I loved that they weren’t overly long, keeping me engaged and the story moving at a perfect pace.

It didn’t take long for me to become invested in the characters, I wanted the best for them and there wasn’t one I disliked! My heart really did go out to Wren at times, I could feel her sadness and it really did get to me! The characters were all complex in their own way, they all had issues, but this made the believable and Paige does a fantastic job at raising awareness on certain issues and highlights how they can change a person. I could definitely feel the chemistry between certain characters too and at times it was that intense, I wanted to bang their heads together!

As to be expected, I connected with the writing style instantly. I really enjoyed the light-hearted humour Paige used, it was perfectly placed in the story and definitely had me smiling a fair few times. There was a lovely balance of tender moments too, which did have me feeling quite warm on the inside. In fact, at one point, I did feel myself welling up, which is unlike me, so Paige definitely got under my skin with this one!

When reading a romance, you kind of expect what will happen, there are hints as to what the ending may be, but honestly, knowing what to expect with this book really didn’t matter. I still enjoyed every minute from start to finish and Paige managed to still knock me sideways with some of her twists and turns!

This was such a feel-good read, a perfect little escape from reality and the ending left me satisfied, I would still love another instalment though, even if it was with the other characters as the main focus because I honestly feel like I’m going to miss them! I have nothing but praise for Paige as she has delivered again with another fantastic book!

Erm I can't even describe to you how much I loved this book. I'm late to the party, this is my first Paige Toon book but honestly. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

The story follows Wren, who after breaking up with her fiancé, goes to visit her Dad in America to try to heal her broken heart. Soon after arriving, she meets brothers Jonas and Anders and has an undeniable attraction to the latter. She notices right away he's closed off and hard to break through his barriers, but a storm forces them into close proximity and they can't deny there's kinship there.

Things are never simple and Anders has a lot of things going on, which complicates things too, without saying too much this story really pulls you in and holds you.

Now, I actually really adored that it wasn't pure romance based. The Indy 500 references, the airstream conversion and the event planning were all really well done and brought a lot to make this story really pull me in. I loved the architectural side of Wren too and I adored all the supporting characters. Bailey, Peggy and Jonas were just fantastic and the growth and change in the characters as the story went on really showed depth and maturity. I also liked that this story was about adults and not teens too, it was a nice change to read.

You know that feeling you get just before something good or bad is gonna go down, that knot of anticipation feeling? I genuinely had this in my tummy reading this and I was genuinely invested in every step right to the end. I didn't want it to end there.

Amazing book. Loved it. ❤️❤️

The wee book lady xx