This story starts with a heartbreak. Not only a heartbreak, but her former fiancé lives in the neighborhood in England and she frequently runs into him and his new girlfriend. Her mother suggests a change of scenery. She works remotely and decides to have an extended visit with her father, stepmother and stepsister in Indiana. Her father is a farmer in a small town rural area. Her stepsister and husband live in the town. Next door, another farmer and his wife live, and their 2 sons are a distraction.
This really is a book about growth and relationships. Her relationship with her father, stepmother, stepsister and others is a focal point of this book. The author does a great job in conveying emotion. Should she return to her old life in England, or stay in America where she has found new love.
I really enjoyed this book. Many secrets, personal and family, are discovered in this book. Don't miss this very enjoyable book!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley and the publisher.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it sucks you in from the beginning and is well written. I didn't care for the plot twist, it made me think less of a lot of the characters and made the struggles leading up to it irrevelant (No spoilers). That being said, it was an enjoyable read and I stayed up late to finish it. 3.5/5 stars.
Thanks to Paige Toon, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 🌟

Thank you so much to netgalley for providing me access to Only Love Can Hurt Like This in exchange of an honest review.

This book was stunning from the vibrant cover of the book & intriguing characters to the hypnotizing storyline.

The story draws you in from the first chapter and doesn’t let you go until the very end.

I always enjoy a book that brings about a situation that encourages you to ponder outside of your own situations and this book did just that. It touches on very emotional topics such as divorce, death, complicated familial relationships, love and moving on with life.

This book will stir conversations in your own mind and most likely, with those around you (at least it did for me).

I absolutely adored all the characters and could have see this continuing on as a series (fingers crossed).

𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 is an emotional, poignant story of when a girl, who's been left two too many times, decides to fly to her father's homeland and takes a chance on the man next door as they both heal and let go of their burdens.

- ~ -

I read the author's interview at the end and it was evident she's very wise and that reflects in her stories as well. The way she presents the characters with flaws, kindness and everything it really sets you upto feel a story rather than simply read.

Wren has been through some rough times as well as Anders. They're both grieving: one that never was and the other that never will be again. It's definitely a slow burn but it's worth it.

I liked Wren as a narrator. She's got issues to work through but she's really strong and kind to be able to love with her heart open the way she did (no spoilers but you'll understand if you choose to read).

The whole story was set in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. It had emphasis on friendships and relationships that was well developed. I particularly loved Wren and Jonas's friendship.

An amazing story overall, one that'll stick to me for a long time.

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4.03 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This was an enjoyable read. The plot and the character development was very good. The writer left me enthralled and invested in the relationships and rooting for each person right till the end.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

Given the title of this book, it’s pretty easy to tell it’s not light and fluffy. Wren leaves the UK to visit the US for the summer after she and her fiancée split. She meets Anders, the sort-of neighbor, after coming home from the bar. Wren and Anders have each gone through relationships that they’re mourning, but in separate ways. This is a romance, but not in the most typical way. It’s a real slow burn and most of the focus really isn’t on romance until the end.

Would recommend.

This is the first book I have read by Paige Toon, but it will not be the last. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is not just a romance; it is also about the love between siblings and between parents and children. It was a very enjoyable story with a satisfying ending. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC,

Wow, my heart, though healed in the end, still hurts. While this, I believe, is labeled as a romance, there isn't a lot of swoony fun stuff that romances are made of. There is, however, piles of angst and sad/impossible situations. I feel emotionally wrung out right now, but in a good way. For those of you who enjoy having your heart beat up, dive on in!!!

This book!!! I loved it so much!! I didn’t want to love it, but the mystery with Anders kept pulling me in and wanting to discover more.

A romance story that is mesmerizing and so sweet. I became completely consumed by Anders and Wren’s story along with Wren’s and Bailey’s.

Thank you so much this opportunity NetGalley, penguin and author to read this arc.

This was such a good slow-burn romance! I couldn't put this book down from the beginning. It is an emotional roller-coaster but in such a good way. I rooted for Wren and Anders, I loved the dynamics with the characters and enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Wren has had her heart broken recently and decides to take a few weeks off of work. She travels from the UK to America to spend a few weeks in Indiana on her father and stepmothers farm. Anders is a neighbor who lost his wife years ago and still hasn’t moved on. The two are immediately drawn to each other, become close friends, and fall in love. The ensuing story was at times both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

I enjoyed the evolution of Wren and Anders. I liked the slow build of them actually coming together and the twist in the plot was actually unexpected for me. Sometimes modern romances can be a little predictable but I enjoyed the plot twist and it made the situation they found themselves in that much more difficult and realistic. I also really enjoyed the family element to the story on both sides. Both adults were struggling in their relationships with their family members and I felt the resolution of those issues were dealt with nicely. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

This title definitely describes the book.

Overall, this story is definitely heartbreaking. Of course, we should not be expecting a happily ever after. Just a sense of taking a deep breath.

"I love that I still have a place with them, that I still feel so welcome."

For me, it's a sense of relief.

Wren is suffering from a broken heart after her fiancé announces he's in love with his younger secretary. All the hopes and dreams she has are crushed and the only thing she can think to do is get away. A trip to Indiana to visit her father seems like far enough away from the UK to heal and dig herself out of the hole she finds herself in. What she doesn't expect to find in that hole is two brothers who live across the farm from the families farm with their own emotional baggage. Jonas is still recovering from a broken heart but his biggest concern is the farm. It's a given that he will take over the families business but his father can't seem to let go and the two are butting heads. Anders lost his wife five years ago to a tragic accident and refuses to move on. Wren and Anders spend a lot of time together fixing up the vintage Airstream Wren discovered on the farm, but Anders won't allow himself to get close to her.
Wrens step sister is helping to expand business and everyone is working together to reinvent the farm into a destination wedding location. Jonas will need to prove he knows what's best for the business while learning to set boundaries with his ex. Wren will learn that the things she thought about her family are untrue and that she wasted a lot of time thinking they didn't care about her. As her feelings grow for Anders she realizes that her and her ex-fiance really weren't meant for each other. She is falling hard for Anders but he won't even consider having feelings for anyone other than his wife.
The summer will be healing and Wren will learn so much about herself. Getting closer with her family and spending time on the farm will make Wren rethink her career, her future, and where she wants to live.
The story is filled with love, friendship, second chances, and forgiveness and I really enjoyed the story.

This book was really cute! I have read paige toon’s books in the past and enjoyed them, and this was no different. She is very good at storytelling and setting the scene. I was wuickly transported right to small town rural indiana. I also usually get very bored with slow burn books but this one kept me interested the whole way through.

Thank you netgalley and putnam for this ARC.

This one was a slow burn….and I mean slooooow. What I enjoyed: interesting and unique family dynamics that the protagonist has to work through, THE TWIST, how the author chose to reconcile everything after the twist. I just had the hardest time with this book keeping my attention for the 60%, but because the writing was well done, I kept going. The ending was worth it though!

Thank you NetGalley, Paige Toon, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Paige Toon is a new-to-me author and I felt a bit apprehensive starting this one because the marketing copy implies that her writing style is similar to Colleen Hoover and JoJo Moyes. High praise indeed. Here's what I enjoyed: the close-knit community as a setting, descriptions of the farm, and the way the characters pulled together to achieve a common goal Only Love Can Hurt Like This is an angsty, emotional read which will appeal to many. But it's also a book with pacing issues, adult characters who would rather leave the room/the farm/the country then have a difficult conversation, and one completely random chapter written from a character's point-of-view when he's had zero scenes from his point of view the entire novel. No spoilers here, of course, but I'm still puzzled about the big secret. Or maybe I'm most puzzled about why the main characters allowed other characters to dictate their life choices. In the end, Toon does stick the landing and I was pleased with the conclusion.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

This is not a book I would normally choose. It sat on my TBR pile for quite awhile and when I finally started reading it, I only had the title to guide me. I chose not to re-read the description. All I can say is wow. Only Love Can Hurt Like This delves into so many types of love, so many types of hurt. It was an easy pleasant read that was rather formulaic - until it wasn't. I know my review is vague, but really, going into it without and knowledge let me wander in the story and not anticipate anything until the story presented it.

Wren flees her England province and decides to visit her father and step-family in America when she discovers that her fiancé is in love with another woman. Anders is Wren’s father's next-door neighbor, who is dealing with losing his ex-wife and is struggling to move on. Wren and Anders met and instantly had a bond with each other. Unknowingly to Wren, Anders is afraid to get too close to anyone new due to a dark secret that he is keeping. Everything eventually comes to light, and she learns the true extent of his heartbreak.

I struggled with getting into this book, but around the middle mark, things started to change, and I was invested. The story was beautiful, and the big plot twist made it even more compelling. Wren and Anders's story was an emotional rollercoaster. The romance between Wren and Anders felt real, and I loved that Wren was willing to risk everything with a broken heart for Anders, even though it might end in disaster. I felt for Anders on multiple levels. I loved the side plot about the air stream.

Paige Toon's writing is beautiful, and I am excited to read more of her books. She focuses on not only romantic relationships but family relationships as well. (Wren with her step-sister Baliey, her stepmother, and Anders's brother, Jonas) I loved how she incorporated the advocacy for mental health. Any book that openly discusses depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts automatically wins, in my opinion. I also loved that she spoke about the pressures of being a health advocate for a loved one. That is never an easy situation, especially when not everyone is on the same page. I felt for Anders because he was stuck in the middle, not knowing if it was okay to move on and still respect his ex-wife's parents. The book is a perfect slow-burn second chance romance that explores family relationships and mental health.

Thank you to NetGallery and Penguin Group
Putnam for giving me a copy of the book.

The more Paige Toon I read, the more credit I give to the research she puts into her love stories. Her books take place all around the world, and even though she is clearly a British author, I felt completely transported to the small-town rural Indiana setting and life on the farm. 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. Also, I love how the book explored not only Wren’s romantic relationships, but her fractured relationship with her half-sister, Bailey, her father and new friend/ Andre’s brother, Jonas. I am not one to cry in books and I came really close to shedding tears at the end of this.

This one was super slow. Great premise but simply fell flat. I didn’t find myself rooting for the couple or believing in their love story.