Only Love Can Hurt Like This
by Paige Toon
Description
In the spirit of Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: is love worth risking everything for?
An earth-shattering secret. A life-changing love story.
When Wren realizes her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.
On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.
Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths, and their worlds are turned upside-down again.
But Wren doesn't know that Anders is harboring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have a serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?

The book cover and title drew me in first. The story was a good read. I do not usually go for romance books. But, the title and cover... I felt it held up very well. I was rooting for Wren, throughout. There was hurt pain doubt. I am sure Love stories will love this.

I wanted to like this book, but it wasn’t working for me. I felt like the story didn’t progress smoothly. It felt very choppy and I had a very hard time connecting with the characters.

I feel like the concept was nice, but the delivery just wasn’t working for me.

Not to say that this book isn’t nice. I’m sure some will find it more enjoyable than others (as is expected), but for me, it’s not something I would pick up and read again.

Man I really really enjoyed this book! I was definitely drawn to it when it talked about a tragic love story.. anticipating a good ugly cry.. however I didn’t! There was one part where I did shed some tears and my heart broke for Wren..

It was such an easy read and definitely hooked me quickly. I loved the character growth of all of the main characters. I truly wasn’t sure where the story would go and thought early on that she would fall for the other brother..

I would have loved for Jonas to have his own book.. I think it would have been a fabulous story! I loved him. His brotherly love and how he was as a friend..

I loved how the relationship between Wren and her Dad/step mom/sister grew!

There really wasn’t much that I didn’t like.. So I give this a solid 4-4.5⭐️

If you love a good heart wrenching love story.. put this on your TBR :)

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley.

Wren's fiance is in love with someone else. She goes to her dad's farm in Indiana with the hopes to heal.

Anders' parents have the farm next door. He is also healing from the loss of his wife.

Okay, I liked this book a lot. I really liked Wren as a character. My favorite plot of the story was about Wren forming a relationship with her dad, stepmom, and half sister (her dad had an affair and left her and her mom). The story between her and Anders was fine, although sometimes it was frustrating. All of the characters in this make the book especially charming.

Some spoilers ahead


*Spoilers*
There were so many issues characters were dealing with and somehow they were all wrapped up perfectly at the end. That doesn't happen in real life. It would have felt more realistic and more of an honest story had this not been the case. Seriously, Wren solves her entire life - has a new great job, great family relationships, she is friends with her ex fiancé, the one thing that is keeping her and Anders from getting together is somehow resolved.... okay? Don't get me wrong, the story was fantastic. It's so well written and I was lost in each page. However, this being the ending was such a letdown for me.

This is a story of two broken hearts coming together, family dynamics, grief and healing.

The story is fast paced, and well written. The characters are enjoyable and easy to love.

I think I enjoyed the relationship between Wren and Bailey just as much, as the blossoming romance of Anders and Wren.

I would recommend this books to readers who also enjoy CoHo stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book!

First I would like to thank NetGalley, Paige Toon and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review.

The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis sucked me in. I wanted to get my hands on this and once I did I consumed it. I have never read Paige Toon before but I certainly will now. I just love her style of writing, you feel every emotion with how descriptive it is.

Wren living in the UK as an architect, happily engaged until she witnesses her fiancé in a peculiar position with his employee and to get away from seeing him around with his new girlfriend she heads to America to visit her estranged family, her Dad, step mom and half sister.

It's there where her journey of growth takes place, she meets Anders and realizes Scott was not her soulmate, she works through her doubts and insecurities while also allowing friendships and love to blossom. I really love Wren's character, I felt empathy for her during her struggles and rooted for her throughout the story.

At first it appears as a slow burn romance in a small town setting with a little friends to lovers but it's more than that, you've got relationships and family dynamics mixed in with tragedy and heartbreak. Each character had to work through something and because of that it never felt predictable.

I was never bored and I breezed through it, I didn't see the twist coming but I wish it was handled a little better. Anders should have groveled more, the transition to the epilogue felt a little abrupt because of that but in the end I was happy and satisfied with the epilogue.

4.5 stars. Beautiful story that has stuck with me, looking forward to reading more from this author.

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is one of those rare books where the story stays with you long after the last page, This amazing emotional story had me up all night reading. I fell in love with Wren and Anders they were two powerful characters whom you were rooting for till the very end. This was the first book I read but Paige Toon but it definitely won’t be my last.

Great romance about family dynamics finding love after tragedy. Great read and well written characters. However I think the author over simplified the break up of Wren and Scott. He was not a good guy he had an emotional affair with a coworker.

I consumed this book in less than 12 hours.
I dont normally do that im a mom I have mom things to do.
The prolouge definitely pulls you into the story immediately.
Wren doesn't necessarily catch her husband cheating, but there is this ominous foreboding that at something is going to happen with him and another woman.
I enjoyed this story because it was more than a romance. The romance was there and it was the slowest of burns but there also growth in other relationships in Wrens life.
Her hurt and her pain that she experienced with her parents divorce and her father's new wife seemed to be just from miscommunication on all of their parts.
It was nice to see the growth and understanding come to frutation between her and he sister Bailey.
The plot was predictable but the story was still enjoyable even though I knew what was going to happen next. I do wish the big twist would have been more twisted. Overall I would give this book 3.75 ⭐️