This book was such a delicious treat. Still processing how much I loved it.

Job well done, Paige.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review. I promise to expound when I’ve caught my breath.

Thank you for letting me read this advanced copy! It was my first Paige Toon book. It was only a 3 star for me for the following reasons

The storyline was great but I felt like the writing didn’t flow smoothly.

Spoiler here -
There seemed to be many storylines that weren’t really called for, like her sister and Anders brother, why allude to a possible affair, just make them good friends as is perfectly normal and acceptable for a male and female. I thought we might get more from Ander’s family or the issues with his brother and it rubbed me the wrong way to shed light on some of the serious things he was going through but then turnaround and have a fully encourage and fun drunken night at the bar. Not the best cure for depression.

I did really enjoy some parts of the story and appreciate what Anders had to overcome at the end but I also felt like that came out of left field and there was no prior build up of his first relationship to give weight to the ending.

Overall, a good read, and I want to read another of her books!

This is the first book I’ve read by Paige Toon, and it won’t be the last. This book kept me engaged and the writing was so detailed. And the twist was something I never expected! This book was emotional but so good and captivating!

This book is very warm hearted as it truly focuses on family and how important it is to watch out for each other and ensure that each member feels supported and loved. In going to a small town outside of Indianapolis, Wren often felt that she was the outsider and not part of the family that her father created. However, it was Bailey who highlighted that in fact it couldn't have been further from the truth as both her and her mom wanted Wren to desperately like them and feel included. Of course families are not without complications as evidenced by Anders and Jonas' relationship but they were always there for each other. I was proud of Wren when she put herself first and let Anders know what she needed and deserved. This book ends on such a happy note that it certainly made me smile.

Love is a crazy thing. One minute you think you have found your person only to realize that you were probably more in love with the idea of the life you might have then the person themselves. Then you do find your person and you know they are really the one for you, and you think that you might be their person too but there is something holding them back. This is just such a raw story. One of acceptance for things we can not change. Embracing others and realizing that sometimes to be with the one you love you have to accept them all and the history they come with. I just really enjoyed watching Wren and Ander’s trying to figure out how if at all they could be together. This will be a fun book to recommend and will be perfect for the upcoming summer.
Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

This was like reading a 400-page blog post. Bingeable, basic and boring.

I liked the first few chapters they intrigued me.
I liked the twist and how it was a good conflict for this love story.
~~~~~~~~~~
The writing was repetitive, monotonous and unremarkable. Unfortunately, the characters were difficult for me to love. They weren't written/presented in a way for me to connect with them fully.

There's less dialogue than what I would have wanted, and it was mostly dull. I'd get more passion from visiting a hair salon.

The twist happened WAY too late in the book. It was like stale bread until it finally kicked in after 300 pages.
The romance was just ok. When they finally made love, it was over in about 4 paragraphs. I don't like waiting pages and pages for mediocre sexy time.

My other thoughts are too sploilery so I'll just say that this was a missed opportunity to have a heartbreaking story. Instead, it was just sad. I don't want sad. With a title like that, "Only love can hurt like this." I'm wanting torn from the inside out and emotional death. What I got was wishy washy characters with minimal depth and unimpressive writing.

Only Love Can Hurt Like THIS is a sweet tale of coming to terms with the path your life has taken and fighting for what you love. Paige Toon did a magical job of describing Wren's family farm in Indiana, where she goes to take a break after learning that her fiance has fallen in love with someone else. I couldn't put this romance down which was filled with a big secret, the complexity of family and the lesson of staying true to oneself.

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

Hurt...it is definitely is the best description of this story. There is hurt to go around-different kinds of hurt of course-but all painful for those who are buried in it. Wren escapes the UK in order to heal her own broken heart only to be faced with more pain that she has never truly confronted as an adult. Her neighbors harbor their own pain and secrets and eventually, when it all comes out, Wren and Anders must confront their pasts, their own actions and how to move forward in their own lives. Other characters in the story including Wren's Dad, stepmom and sister but also begin to release the chains of the past. There seemed to be a lot going on with this story but the author brought it all together with a wonderful, cohesive, satisfying ending. Sometimes, some promises are meant to be broken in order to move forward in your life.

I loved this book! I had never read anything by this author before but I had heard good things so I knew I would be in for a treat. Wren is a woman living in England, who we see leave her home and country to visit her father after a particularly difficult break-up, and stay on her father's farm in the rural midwest. Unlike a lot of chick lit books, this was not predictable in some ways and very much more emotionally relatable. I really felt like the story was believable and far less rote than other books I have read. I would highly recommend this book because it was definitely a sweet story, and unlike most other books actually has the high honor of having made me actually cry during it! Please do yourself a favor and snap this up for summer reading. You won't regret it!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This is the first time I've read a book by Paige Toon and I really enjoyed it. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a love story between Wren & Anders.

Wren is from England, but decides to come to America to visit her dad when she & her fiance part ways. Her dad & step mom recently moved to a fruit farm and her half sister, Bailey, is nearby as well. Anders' family run the farm next door and even though he is away for his job in the race car industry, he is back often to help his family as needed when he spots Wren at bar for a night out with her sister.

Anders' has a set of problems all his own that holds him back from letting his true feelings for Wren come to the surface. The two of them get to know each other as they work the farms and work through their issues individually and together and I was hooked on it all.

This was great escapist entertainment meaning it would suck me in so I wanted to keep reading and didn't think about my long to-do list.

When Wren finds herself dealing with the aftermath of a broken engagement, she decides to cross the pond and spend the summer on her dad & step-family's farm in Indiana where she meets Anders, a brooding farmer who lost his wife four years ago.

As their feelings for each other grow over the course of the summer, their potential relationship is hampered by a big secret that Anders is hiding, and it ultimately becomes up to Wren if she should walk away or stay.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I thought that the plot was really well written and incredibly detailed, almost to the point where I felt that it was as if this book contained two separate stories that came together seamlessly -- Wren's adventure to find herself post-divorce, and then Wren and Anders' relationship and its challenges once his secret is uncovered.

I also found that the characters were very well developed, and I enjoyed how each character had their own issue or struggle that they were dealing with, which really helped add more dimension to everyone, especially the supporting characters.

I found this story to be unique and unlike anything I had read before and overall, I would give this book 4 stars.

Talk about a slow burn!

If you’re not into slow burn, this one is not for you. It is the definition of a slow burn. But when it hits, it’s good.

This story was heartwarming, emotional, and cute. I did find myself tearing up as Wren healed from her childhood traumas. I also really like watching the story unfold for her and Anders. I really loved him as the MMC. I felt like he was the definition of a gentlemen and it was cute. The town was very cute and quirky. I loved all the side characters, as well.

The only I didn’t care for was that I felt like this was advertised as romance. I felt like it was very much so women’s fiction.. which is fine. I like women’s fiction. I just felt a little let down when it wasn’t what I was made to think, ya know?

I enjoyed most books I read by Paige Toon, and Only Love Can Hurt Like This is no exception. This love story is as angsty and as emotional as you would expect any book from Paige Toon to be. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is described as a heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core. I must say, I had mixed feelings about the secret once it was revealed because I found it a little too much, but Paige made it work in the end. I recommend this book to Paige Toon's fans and readers who love angsty romance.

This touching, beautiful story is one I will be recommending as a must read!

Wren's fiance has fallen love with someone else, and she decides to get some distance from the new couple by spending some time with her father and his second wife in a small farm town in Indiana. Wren lowers her defenses and bonds with her father and half sister, and begins to develop feelings for the man next door, Anders. There are plenty of complications and a bombshell of a secret to be revealed as the connection between the two grows.

I loved the characters and enjoyed seeing Wren learn to open up and let her family in. The tender moments where they talked about their past were well written and beautiful parts of the story. Watching the family bonds grow was just plain heartwarming.

The growing relationship between Wren and Anders was enjoyable as well, even when the surprise was dropped and things grew truly emotional. I was moved to tears several times by this beautiful story about love, family, and the emotional connections that grow between people.

The farm setting was fun, and I adored the storylines about how they were growing the farms through events and markets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Penguin Random House for my gifted ARC. Publication date 4/25/23*

Move over Colleen Hoover and JoJo Moyes and make room for Paige Toon!!

WOW!!!! Let me say first, I am not a big romance reader, but every once in awhile I am in the mood for one and this one did not disappoint!! I am definitely glad I picked this one up!

When Wren finds out her fiancé is in love with another woman, she decides she needs to get away. She decides to go on a 2 week vacation to the US to visit her dad, stepmom, and stepsister. She stumbles upon Andres, the sexy neighbor, who has not exactly told Wren the whole truth. As she gets closer to him and the truth comes out she has a very hard impossible decision to make.

Definitely pick this one up Tuesday when it comes out. I couldn't put this one down! I absolutely loved everything about it. The family dynamics, friendships, love, loss, and hurt. 4.5 stars from me!

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

Wren flees to UK for a getaway on her dad’s farm in America when her fiancé breaks off the engagement, leaving her heartbroken. She spends her summer falling in love with Anders, the next door neighbor farm brother who lost his wife four years ago and is still not quite ready to let her go. Despite the undeniable chemistry in their unspoken words, it is an impossible situation. One secret will change everything.

💗💔💗💔💗

This sweeping novel takes us from the park in London with its gravel terraces and Victorian townhouses to the cornfields and breathtaking landscapes of Indiana, following our MFC Wren as she begins to heal from her breakup. The characters are incredibly relatable, especially the two main characters Wren and Anders. You can feel how palpable their draw is to each other as your heart beats alongside theirs.

We follow Wren through heartache and then the tethers of a new love while meeting other enriching characters. I had so many emotions while reading this book, there were quips that made me laugh and sometimes miscommunication that made me angry, and tender moments that tugged at my heartstrings. Nothing like a good neighborly romance to set your heart aflame.

No spoilers as always, but the earth-shattering secret is intense. Phew. This is the first book in months that I cried during, several times. 🫣 (There is also plenty of comic relief!!) Can you love and hurt at the same time? This novel shows you not only can you, but you will.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author for my advanced review copy. This was one for the books!

I wish I could form words and sentences that could actually do this book justice. It is beautiful, sad, and all of the things in between. It shows how messy and hard grief and healing can be. But also shines light on how much power we hold in our own lives. It hides secrets that I didn’t see coming. It made me cry at least five times (but who’s counting). I genuinely enjoyed this book and all of the emotion the story held. Highly recommend this one.

Thoughts: I wouldn't I'd rank this up there with CoHo, but I did like the emotional ride author Paige Toon offers in Only Love Can Hurt Like This. Two brokenhearted people determined not to fall in love again, yet love finds its way to them once again. The first half of the story centers mostly around Wren finding herself and her place in her family after her fiance falls in love with someone else and breaks off their engagement. Wren hopes that spending some time away from England and her former fiance and in America with her father, stepmother, and half sister -- whom she's always felt like a visitor around -- will help her heal. It's around this time that she meets Anders, literally the farmboy nextdoor, who's dealing with family issues of his own. Lots of self-discovery, friendship building, and dealing with all the feels rounds out this story. I wish it wasn't as neatly wrapped up as Toon makes it by the end, but it's still a sweet story with a lot of complications. Wren and Anders are cute together, even when trying to just be friends, but I wish there was a bit more passion between them throughout the story.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchance for an honest review.**

Wren and Anders have both been through hard times and both feel stuck. Family plays a big part in both their lives and secrets abound. Now they just both have to figure out that communication will be key to moving forward through the twists and turns in life.

I had not read any of Paige Toon's previous works but I'll definitely look for her previous novels now. The characters of Wren & Anders and their story of finding love again with each other after they are both broken hearted by very different circumstances is a slow boil and a fun read. And also a tear jerker! At the same time it was heart warming to follow Wren form a relationship, as an adult, with her father, stepmother and half sister. This book is due out in a few days and it will surely hit the best sellers list. #onlylovecanhurtlikethis #netgalley #paigetoon