Unfortunately, I did not connect well with this book, which is a huge disappointment for me because I was really looking forward to reading it. It's been hailed as an emotional, but ultimately rewarding story about lost love, self love, and the lengths you're willing to go to keep love, but I was sorely disappointed. The syntax felt so monotonous at times that even when intense scenes were unravelling, I was bored, and it felt like our MC was too.

It was incredibly dialogue-heavy, with almost no exposition that helped us get to know our main character better. I spent a lot of time wondering what the hell was going on in Wren's head, and wishing she would shut up for long enough to have a single interesting thought about the situation. Especially being that this book is written in first person, I'd expect to have a tiny window into the mind of the main character, but apparently that was deemed unnecessary for this book.

4.25/5⭐️

I enjoyed this one, maybe not greatly but a solid good.

Wren, a 32-year-old architect in the UK, flies to her dad’s in small town Indiana for some healing time following a breakup with her fiancé. She meets brothers Anders and Jonas from a neighboring farm and along with her half-sister Bailey, begins to foster friendships with them. As she begins to develop deeper feelings for Anders, she learns a devastating secret that could change everything.

This story touches on several things. There are misunderstandings and feelings of not belonging to your parent’s new family, growing relationships on limited time together, living up to a parent’s expectations, maneuvering through a minefield of emotions when a heartbreaking situation is revealed, etc.

I liked the characters here, especially the way the brotherly bond was portrayed (I almost ended up liking Jonas’ character more than the lead Anders’), however I was totally thrown by the secret (75% in) and actually surprised by the character that it centers around and a bit perturbed at its not being disclosed sooner. Also I felt that character’s subsequent guilt/emotional breakdown was too overdone and out of character for them. But the wrap up was lovely and left lots of warm fuzzies with it.

An enjoyable story with a few peeves.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the free early arc of Only Love Can Hurt Like This for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This ARC
Paige Toon
Stars: 3/5
Spicy Level: 3/5

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher, and it was good, but I struggled a bit getting into it. My favorite parts were the character growth and development of interpersonal relationships. You get to see the female main character (FMC), Wren, connect with her family, make new friends, and fall in love with a hot Scandinavian farmer/ NASCAR engineer. This is a bonus, especially after Wren's crappy ex has an emotional affair and tells her that even though they've been together for years, the younger woman who works with him is actually his soulmate.

Although this story is mainly about Wren, I liked seeing the full cast of characters change and adapt as situations arose. This was especially important at the beginning since the side characters kept me interested while Wren irritated me. She just felt very I'm not like other girls, I'm a cool city girl who doesn't belong. Wren whined a lot about how her little sister Bailey was prettier and showed up very obviously overdressed to everything. Over time though, she did improve and come into herself as she began to understand who she wanted to be and where her priorities lay. I especially loved watching the relationship between Wren and Bailey develop. It was cute seeing them grow close, support each other, and bond in silly ways. A bit Hallmarkesque, but Wren realizes being in the country and spending time with her family is where she belongs.

The pacing of this book is slow. So if you’re looking for a quick romance, this is not the one to choose. Once I hit the 50% mark, and things started to pick up, I found it an interesting romance, but before then, the pacing was lagging. I still didn’t mind reading it, but very little happens plot-wise until page 150/302. This also means that the ending jumps around and rushes, making it hard to follow and feeling a bit incomplete. The story has heart, grit, and complicated relationships, but the main parts are crammed into a very small space.

Overall it was a pleasant read, but not necessarily something I’d seek out again. Moments between Wren and Anders felt sweet, funny, and realistic, but there wasn't as much as I wanted. The romance was good, but I wanted more of Anders. The book is from Wren’s POV until the end when we suddenly get Anders's POV. It’s a bit abrupt and makes you feel like you didn’t get to know him. I know that he helps out on his family’s farm, loves his brother, and is an engineer for NASCAR, but there aren’t a lot of real moments where you get to know him like you do Wren. I would've liked to see deeper moments with him throughout so the characters/relationship felt balanced. I was absolutely stunned by the plot twist though so that was fun in a very stressful way.

I think, overall, this is still one that I’d recommend. The relationship between Wren and Anders is sweet, and there’s an interesting and supportive cast of secondary characters. While the pacing is a little slow, it’s interesting, and once the secrets start to unravel things really pick up. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover's books and haven’t heard of Paige Toon before, this is definitely one to read.

GRAB YOUR TISSUES!! My oh my! This book was BEAUTIFUL! I laughed. I cried. I couldn’t put it down. There’s definitely a slow burn in the beginning that I wasn’t enjoying but once it hit the 35 percent mark I was consumed. It not only has beautiful romantic relationships but it digs into father daughter and step family relationships. Just so good! Highly recommend!!

Thank you to net galley for the advanced copy of this book. This is the first time I have read this author and I quite enjoyed the story. The two main characters Anders and Wren were interesting as they had both suffered different tragedies but were both deeply wounded and afraid to trust their heart. My favourite character however was Jonas. He was so down to earth and called a spade a spade I like that he was the character they were all worried about at the start of the book and he ended up being the strongest by the end of the story. This was a great romance book with an interesting story. The story addresses the fact that you never know what people are living with until you truly get to know them. I also liked how Wren was able to heal her family relationships. If you enjoy a good romantic story then this book is definitely worth the read!

Everything about this book was *chefs kiss.* One of my first five star reads of the year. I kept hoping it would get a bit steamier, but it was perfect as it was.

When Wren learns her fiancé is leaving her for his business partner, she decides to take some time out of town visiting her father in the U.S., but her father isn’t the only man she finds herself wanting to spend time with.

The premise of this book had me anxious to start reading. When the MC’s fiancé leaves her in the first chapter, it’s hard not to know what will go on from there. I loved the character development between Wren, her dad and stepmother and half sister. I also loved the setting - small town farmland in USA. It felt very Lovelight Farms (which is a favorite of mine).

The overall plot was pretty good. I definitely wasn’t expecting the bomb that was dropped which added depth to the story but also a bit of frustration. I’d like to think that the situation revealed in the book would be handled a lot differently by people in the real world.

Based on the “Colleen Hoover meets Me Before You” description, I really expected to shed some tears, but honestly this one didn’t hit me in the feels like I hoped it would. Also I’m ready for some books that don’t have the dramatic third-act breakup. It just feels too common in romance books anymore. For these reasons, I dropped my rating to 3 stars. Still an enjoyable read, but I really wanted to sob ok!

A multilayered romance with a bombshell plot twist that you won’t see coming!

The story is laced with complicated family bonds and expectations. It’s funny, emotional, and devastatingly relatable. Toon’s ability to connect the reader to the characters is superb, and you’ll be rooting for them from the very start.

This could absolutely be a comfort read, there’s a feel good aspect to it, despite the moments of palpable tension and past devastation.

I blew through this in 24 hours - it’s the perfect weekend read! Highly recommend!

The title is very appropriate for this intense read.
It will slam your heart into the ground.
I love that the author included farming in southern Indiana, an area and field I am very familiar with.
I loved all the descriptions of the work on the Airstream because although I’m not a camper, I just like the thought of it.
The emotions in the book are all over the place and part of it is just tragic and honestly hard to read about.
The combine scenes were my favorite.
It’s a story worth reading.

I love angst books and this one was no exception. It was perfect in every way. I look forward to another read by this author.

This book was so good!! From the issues of dealing with separation and divorce to the love story itself!! The book started off a little slow until the big secret came out. I could not put the book now. I felt all the pain from both sides. Parts of it were soul crushing. But other parts were so funny.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is the first book I’ve read by Paige Toon and I already cannot wait to read more of her work. I devoured this story in one sitting.

Wren flees her small English town with a broken heart and a lifelong worth of hurts and insecurities that are exacerbated when she arrives at her Dad and stepmom’s house in America. She has always felt like an outsider within the family her dad created with her stepmom and half sister, when he left her mother. Wren is in Indiana trying to heal her wounds after her fiance confessed to being in love with another woman and is protecting her heart from further damage by keeping an emotional distance from her dad, stepmom, and sister, Bailey.

On a night out with her sister Bailey, Wren meets Anders and his brother Jonas who become quick friends, but her attraction to Anders is immediate. Unfortunately, Anders is also broken-hearted and not looking to start a romance with anyone, anytime soon.

Slowly, Wren starts to lower her walls around her sister and begins to realize that her childhood heartbreak and feelings of abandonment have caused her to act as an outsider with her family, even when they were genuinely trying to show her affection.

Anders has become important to Wren and helps her understand that she does not see herself clearly and that she is worthy of love and admiration from her family. All the while its obvious that they are falling hard for each other, but Anders is quick to retreat as soon as he feels he is getting too close to Wren. It’s frustrating, but their affection for one another never wavers. Eventually, we learn the true extent of Anders’ heartbreak and why it's keeping him from Wren.

Wren and Anders’ story broke my heart and then pieced it back together. I loved every page of their story. I loved watching Wren heal her relationship with her family, I loved watching her grow her relationship with her sister, I loved the friendship she formed with Jonas, I loved watching her heal her broken heart and risk it all with Anders even knowing it would probably devastate her. Also, the epilogue was perfect.

This is my first book by Paige Toon and it definitely won’t be my last!

This was such a heartbreaking and emotional story of broken people who just want to be loved. This story made my heart swell but break at the same time. I loved all of the characters and just couldn’t get enough. I laughed, I cried and I feel like this story will stick with me for awhile.

I loved Wren and watching her grow from an insecure woman to a woman who knows what she wants and what she deserves. Anders is the perfect man for her despite the adversities he is facing.


This book releases April 25th and I highly recommend it! I will definitely be buying myself a copy to add to my collection.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this digital ARC, in exchange for a honest review.

I’ve officially read my first five star romance of the year! ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This,’ Paige Toon’s upcoming release was a tearjerker, I’m not going to lie.

Toon’s novel begins when Wren and her fiancé break up. He falls in love with his co-worker and Wren decides to leave England and visit her father in the US to clear her head. Heading to stay with her father, stepmother, and half sister on a farm makes her anxious, but all starts to disappear when she meets Anders her first night there.

I’ll stop with the summary because I don’t want to give too much away. One of my favorite parts of ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ was the family dynamics and seeing how much Wren and Anders care for their families, but realizing that sometimes you have to put yourself first.

This story was a perfect second chance at love tale and now I think I might have to take a visit to Indiana (?) Toon included perfect side characters and great individual character arcs to top off the already perfect love story. I highly recommend ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley, Putnam, and Paige Toon for this ARC, pub day is April 25!

This is my first Paige Toon read and I will be going back to read all of her other books. This one was amazing, emotional, happy, heartbreaking, all of it.

Wren takes a trip to America to visit her dad after her engagement ends when her fiance falls in love with someone else. What was intended to be a quick two week trip, turns into a life-changing summer. She meets Anders, his brother, and his parents who have a farm next to her dad and step-mom's. This summer allows her to connect with her family in a way she has never done before and gives her the chance to bond with Anders. The problem is, he has a secret that has the potential to shatter her heart.

The characters, the topics, the feelings are all so flawlessly written. For anyone who craves an emotional connection with fictional characters - this book will fill your bucket.

This was an exceptional read. The emotions I felt for the characters of this book were overwhelming. I cried, I laughed, I mourned. The brothers were such astonishingly good men who made your heart melt with compassion and love. The sisters struggling to come to terms with their parents mistakes made my heart wrench. I would definitely recommend this book.


Thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and offer my critique of this book.

This was my first read by Paige Toon and I was not disappointed. Paige can write!! I fell in love with this book and the characters. I am not one to cry in books and I came really close to shedding tears at the end of this. This will give you all the feels. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good heartfelt story. Also I can't say enough about the cover of this book. That was the a big reason I wanted to read the book. It just drew me to this book.



Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This felt very much like a Hallmark Movie, but with a bit of a twist. After a breakup, Wren leaves England to go visit with her father and stepmother in Indiana for a couple weeks in the summer. Shortly after getting into town, her and her stepsister go out to a bar and thats when Wren first lays eyes on Anders, who turns out to be from the farming family next door. A friendship blossoms, Wren grows feelings, she extends her stay and there's even a harvest. But Anders can't seem to let go of the wife he lost years ago.
I felt the book started a bit slow but once it picked up steam I enjoyed it. I do like Hallmark movies so even though this felt predictable at times (with the exception of the twist but I won't give spoilers!), I did like the plot. I'd give this a solid 3.5 but will round up to 4.
Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley and the author for access to this arc.

This is first book that I've read by this author. Enjoyable story although predictable at times. The characters all have interesting back stories that gradually come out and will give readers a deep look into their lives. Ander's surprising twist is heart breaking and emotionally drives the story. Loved Bambi! Recommended.

The first half of this book was just ok, but I was interested in the romance developing so I kept going. The twist at the end I did not see coming and was unexpected for a romance and not a thriller. I also loved to the evolution of the characters and the lessons that Wren learned about herself throughout the story. In the end I cried for the last few chapters of the book and epilogue. I fell in love with Wren and Anders and their story. I felt like the epilogue went on forever and most of it could have been included in the actual story. I think these characters will stick with me for a long time.