REVIEW: Only Love Can Hurt Like This

“My mother has always told me to trust my instincts. But it’s hard to trust your instincts when they’re breaking your heart.”
― Paige Toon, Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Paige Toon's Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a charming and engaging book that will resonate with anyone who has experienced heartbreak.

Toon's writing is both witty and insightful. It captures the raw emotions of heartbreak and the complexities of navigating life's challenges. The characters are relatable and well-developed, each with unique struggles and triumphs.

While the plot is sometimes predictable, the story is heartwarming and hopeful. Toon explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the power of resilience in the face of adversity.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a delightful and heartwarming read that will leave you hopeful and inspired. It's a perfect choice for anyone looking for a light and engaging read that explores the complexities of love, loss, and finding your way.

Thank you, Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

Book Review:
Title: Only Love Can Hurt Like This
Author: Paige Toon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Does everyone sing the song in their head when they see this book? Just me? Then it's stuck in my head all day!

Heartbreaking. Just shattered. Ugh, moral dilemmas vs. love just gets me every time. What would you do if you fell in love with someone who is harboring a tragic secret? A secret so big that it makes that person opposed to finding true love ever again? You could make this person so happy, and they would be for you, but they just can't get past this secret?
That is the story of Wren and Anders. Although you don't find out the secret until closer to the end, I greedily devoured this book to find out why Anders just couldn't give himself over to Wren. And that secret hurts. It hurts bad. It's truly heartbreaking. Ander is faced with a decision that he feels will break his integrity as a man and as a husband. Just read it. Have a few tissues ready.

Published: April 25th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @putnambooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

this one hurt my soul. Paige toon is like the expert of books that shatter my heart. Loved it so so much.

I almost forgot I had read this one, and when I went back through my notes remembered that I didn't like it very much. I love a good Colleen Hoover novel, and it felt like this author really wanted to pull that type of book off. In my opinion, it didn't really work.
There were twists, romance, and some thriller vibes, but overall not enough to sustain my enjoyment.
I finished it and loved the ending, so that was a plus.

I initially thought that this was going to be a beautiful story of two people coming together during their different tragedies in their romantic life. The book was interesting until I read the plot twist. I have read books before that have a love story while the spouse of the one character is in a vegetable state and honestly, I don’t really think that’s okay because it’s still cheating.

Thank you to netgalley for an advance read copy of this book. I loved it. Its the story about a woman who goes from the UK to the US to lick her wounds and ends up growing so much personally. It's a love story - both romantic and familial. It is well written and even made me cry (which rarely happens with a book).

The only reason it wasn't a 5 star read for me was the epilogue kinda jumped all over the place.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a light easy read that tugs at your emotions.

This was such a good book. It was sad in parts and I laughed in parts. I would definitely recommend this book.

Paige Toon knows how to get you in the fucking feels. This book is about love, family, obligations, grief, expectations, moving on and second chances. I love a romance that also kicks me down and makes me cry.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group!

Wren has loved, and she has lost... in more than one way. When she meets Anders, she soon finds that he, too, has loved and lost. Can this mutual experience bring these two together? Or does the commonality bring forth too much conflict between their hearts and their minds?

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a deep dive into all the different possible relationships and the unique type of love that comes from each one as well as the hurt and the understanding. Paige Toon is able to establish such strength and character growth within multiple characters in a quick, fast-paced read that leaves you laughing, crying, and going through all the emotions. This is a simple read that leaves you feeling anything but simple emotions.

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow this story was absolutely beautiful. I HIGHLY recommend. I have seen great reviews for this author and I can finally say I understand them. Definitely more of an emotional read (I cried but what else is new), but a beautiful story. I truly cannot describe how much I loved this and how much I recommend you pick it up!

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this story. The review has been added to goodreads, storygraph, amzon and barnes & noble.

This was a cute story and I enjoyed reading it. While I don’t think I was intended audience, it was nice and I do think that a lot of people would enjoy this book. I will try a different book by this author in the future.

I was hoooooked until the 75% mark and then it started to feel a little too predictable and flat. I think the story needed more mystery since we knew we were gearing up for the “reveal” at the end. I did like it and thought the romance story was solid enough. I think this by the pool/beach this summer would be enjoyable.

I wanted to like this book, but the writing style turned me off so quickly that I couldn't even force myself to read the whole thing.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wren looks across the way and sees her fiancé. He is talking to his co-worker and Wren feels it in her soul something is going on. Shortly after thereafter, he confirms what she suspects and devastates Wren by ending their engagement. Wren leaves the UK and goes to the US to spend some time with her dad to nurse her hurt.

At the farm next door to her dad's farm, Anders is back at the family farm, helping out even though he has a full time job in Indianapolis.

Wren and Anders cross paths, literally in a field, after a night out at the bar. Anders gets Wren home safely and there are feelings on both sides. However, Wren is unaware of a secret that Anders is keeping from her. Will it completely keep them apart?

This is really a 3.5 chairs. The story is really good, but it just moved very, very slow. I do like to know the characters before they fall in love, but this took most of the book to get to know everyone before anything happened. I almost gave up on it - I am very glad I didn't. There was a twist, I did not see coming.

Only hearing from Anders ( One chapter ) at the end of the book seemed out of place when the rest of the book was from Wren's point of view. The ending had me on the fence. Part of me liked it, but a part of me felt it came out of nowhere. Can't say too much more without giving things away.

I just could not get into this book at all. I tried several times after putting it down for a few days but it just wasn't a book that I could enjoy.

Unfortunately this one didn’t hit the mark for me. I didn’t connect to any of the characters and it was a struggle to keep picking up to read.

"Only Love Can Hurt Like This" by Paige Toon is an emotionally charged and beautifully written contemporary romance that explores the complexities of love, loss, and second chances. From the moment I met protagonist Phoebe Henderson, a talented journalist grappling with the aftermath of a devastating breakup, I was immediately drawn into her world. Toon's writing is poignant and evocative, capturing the raw emotions of heartbreak and longing with honesty and depth. As Phoebe embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing, I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. The chemistry between Phoebe and her charming ex-boyfriend, Oliver, is palpable, and their rekindled romance is both passionate and bittersweet. Toon expertly navigates themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the power of love, creating a story that is as heartwarming as it is heart-wrenching. "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" is a captivating read that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost. Whether you're a fan of emotional dramas or simply looking for a compelling love story, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression. Toon's storytelling is as captivating as it is cathartic, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

This book had me from the first sentence until the end. It's my first Paige Toon novel but it won't be my last. I don't think I'd compare it to Colleen Hoover as some have, because I'm not a Hoover fan. This novel was phenomenal in my opinion. It contains twists and heartbreak, of course, romance and family drama. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!