Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book. It has not influenced my review.

Summary: Wren's fiance falls in love with someone else. With a wedding cancelled and a heart broken, Wren goes abroad to Indiana to visit her dad, stepmom, and half sister. People she feels she barely knows. There she meets Anders, a man who lost his wife four years ago. Even though neither of them is ready for a new relationship, they find themselves drawn to each other over and over again. But, Anders has a secret. Can Wren handle another secret? Can this love survive a secret?

Review: I loved this book. Loved it. I sat down to read it at 930pm and didn't put it down until I finished it at 3am. I found that Wren's maturity throughout the book, from how she handled her fiance being in love with someone else, to how she handled things toward the end of the book. This was my Paige Toon book, and I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future. I think she wrote a beautiful, honest story about trying to find love after betrayal and after loss. She specifically captured how messy and freeing and debilitating it can be to fall in love again.

Wren sets off for her father’s American heartland home for a vacation after she discovers her fiancé is in love with someone else. Heartbroken, she’s hoping to temporarily escape her problems and sort out her head. Luckily, she forges a friendship with her half-sister and befriends a couple of local (handsome) brothers. Anders, the handsomer of the two, is giving mixed signals but Wren can’t help to fall for him. Yet, he’s hesitant and no one understands why.

Holy wow did they make their lives so much more difficult for no reason! I struggle getting through books/movies/shows that base an entire “plot twist” on semantics and lack of communication. YOU ARE AN ADULT! The last 80 pages I was like “there is not enough happening to stretch the conclusion this long” and then they did some new ridiculous thing that I was eye rolling and laughing at the absurdity. Maddening.

Also, why was Casey literally not a real character in this. I felt like most of them were very 3 dimensional and easy to get along with, and this man was literally non-existent and I was supposed to blindly trust and like him? A man?? Absolutely not.

But, it did make me feel a lil emotional. It was a rollercoaster, but if I’m feeling a little sad that’s definitely something worth noting. Characters were written well and it was just spicy enough at the end to keep me intrigued.

I just finished this book and I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. I love all of the characters! This took me through so many emotions. I laughed. I sad cried. I happy cried. That twist was WOW! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me a copy of this arc to review.

ARC REVIEW

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heartbreaking, slow-burn, and fantastic plot. Can we learn to love again?

The story having stayed with me long after the last page was read. Wren and Anders journey through growth, grief, and healing is breathtakingly beautiful. With every chapter leaving you wanting more. Only Love Can Hurt Like This is a true love story in the making. Would definitely recommend!

THANK YOU to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alright, I didn’t hate the book necessarily so the three stars might look like I did- but the storyline had potential. The twist was interesting and added some depth to the story.

Unfortunately as a whole this book was a big miss for me. I usually really relate or connect with characters and it helps me get super sucked in. It took me a long time to read this and I think it’s a few things….

I couldn’t really connect with the main character, I felt like it was a totally lifetime movie with terrible acting. Like do rugged country guys really run up and grab their friends that are girls and swing them around when they see them and have only known them for a couple weeks?….no. It just all seemed so fake and over the top and hallmark. Then there would be an f bomb and then it’s like wait- maybe not hallmark?! I’m so confused.

Anyway- still read it. Enjoyed parts. Had to push through some spots. I’m thankful for the arc as always! I do love reading and this still brought me some literature joy.

I was trying to wait to read this book closer to pub date… like in 2023… but I couldn’t contain my excitement and I devoured this!! Paige Toon has this way of writing stories that are both light hearted and heart breaking at the same time and the book hangover right now is real!

Synopsis: Needing a fresh start and a place to heal her broken heart, Wren decides to visit her dad and stepmom on their farm in Indiana. There, she crosses paths with Anders, the son of the family who lives next door and the two begin a special friendship. As feelings start to emerge, Wren is hesitant to move forward as she’s been left behind one too many times while Anders is harboring a secret and afraid to get too close to dealing with his past.

Thoughts: 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.

Read if you like:
-Emotional romances
-Farm-life activities (e.g., corn mazes, tractor rides, peach picking, barn renovations)
-Event planning
-British heroine
-Sister relationships
-Lots of Indiana references

Thank you Putnam for the ARC! Pub date 4/25/23

If I could describe this book in three words they would be: slow-burn, heartbreaking and beautiful. I fell for Wren and Anders romance. It gutted me. I thought I knew what I was getting into and yet I never could have prepared myself for how much I loved this book and these characters. This book is about sacrifice, misconceptions, honor, healing and longing. If you ache for something as beautiful, angsty and heartbreaking as Colleen Hoover or Taylor Jenkins Reid then this is a must-read. This book will get in your feels and won't let you go. I will definitely be checking out more by this author!

I loved this so much! This was my first book by Paige Toon and I definitely want to read others.

Wren had her heart broken by her fiancé, who just months before their wedding tells her that he fell in love with someone else. As a means of escape, she travels to America to stay with her father. While there she befriends the neighbors Jonas and Anders. As her feelings for Anders develop she starts to uncover things about him that make a relationship very complicated.

Once again, I found myself relating to the insecure main character 😂 Wren felt very relatable and real in her insecurity. We explore the “one who was left behind” trope in multiple ways with her.

All of the main characters were likable and easy to root for in my opinion, though I was pretty confused about the relationship between Casey and Bailey. Most of what we were shown was a husband needing to grow up and love his wife instead of his friends and gaming, but then we were told that Bailey and Casey were perfect for each other. Their relationship was a relatively minor part of the story though.

There is a twist about halfway through the book that I didn’t see coming, but looking back I could see that it really was plausible.

The pacing was good. I didn’t feel that it was dragging along and I finished the book in less than 24 hours!

This was also a fade to black romance, which is what I prefer.

This book had me in tears so many times and I definitely recommend it!

I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay wow. Where do I start? I’ve followed Paige Toon for some time and adored her books. People compare her to being the UK version of Colleen Hoover and that is so accurate! I adored everything about this book. Tears were shed. Feelings were felt. I love Wren. I love her family. I love the airstream. I love the farm. I love Anders. This is her best book yet and I have zero chill considering this comes out in FIVE months.

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a sweet and heartbreaking story. I loved Wren and her pragmatism. She loves Anders so completely and poor Anders is the steadfast kind of guy all women dream of. It's so hard to watch them go through everything they went through. Such a good, emotional read. This was my first Paige Toon book but it won't be my last.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

Only Love Can Hurt Like This is one of the most moving love stories I have ever read. Quite literally, I could feel the emotion from the characters they are just so well done.

The beginning is excellent. Wren’s transition to America and life on two different farms in a small town is interesting. The friendships she develops upon arrival are heartwarming. The twist in the book is breathtaking. However, the story seems to go on far too long. At first I didn’t want to stop reading and then I didn’t want to keep reading but fortunately the book crescendoed in a gorgeous way at the end. 3.5 stars

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

An unexpected favorite. I was Immediately engrossed in the the story of Wren, Anders and their families.
Wren, a stuffy English woman, who was recently dumped, dealing with abandonment issues by her father.
Anders, the sexy next door neighbor and race car driver who appears aloof and uninterested, dealing with family problems of his own.
The story unfolds like peeling back an onion. Wren and Anders get closer and the big secret is revealed. A heartbreaking turn of events that threaten to shatter happily ever after. An emotional read that will stick with you long after the last page.

This one was HEARTBREAKING. It was painstakingly good. I loved every page - 5 stars! Highly recommend to a book club.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Solid 3 stars for me. I only really got into about 80% in, but knowing I had to write a review is what kept me reading. It was sooooo long. It seemed as if there were a lot of unnecessary details like the name and artist of a song that was playing. Skimmed right over.
I liked the characters, but I do feel as if Wren was a bit of a wet blanket. Always putting herself down got old, quick. Have some confidence, girl! She was an architect for Pete’s sakes. One thing that bothered me, but I’m not even quite sure why, was the amount of drinking that Wren needed to do to “loosen up.” Every time she drank, she explained what she was drinking and how wasted she was. I didn’t care for that piece. Or, pieces, since it happened more than once.
Anders and Jonas were both likable, as were their parents and Wren’s parents.
The storyline kept me guessing but it did seem to drag on forever and then everything happened in the last 10% of the book.
Overall, I still enjoyed it. I really did like the “twist” in the storyline. It was unexpected.

Special thanks to the Penguin Group and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

As the story begins, we meet Wren, and Anders along with their families, and we watch them on their journey to love. A pull they feel is undeniable, so they’re slow to act on it. But we also find out there is a secret Anders is holding back, that prevents him from ever being able to freely love Wren. (This secret had my jaw on the floor).

I think this book had me feel every emotion possible, happiness, sadness, grief, guilt, hopefulness, and relief. It tugs at all your heartstrings and will emotionally wreck you in every way possible. And then as you finish the book it puts you back together perfectly.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable love story, this is the book for you!

My first title by Paige Toon and it won't be my last! I fell in love with the book from the beautiful cover and from the very first page, this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster that I never wanted to get off of. I found myself smiling, laughing, gasping, crying, and healing all over again through the pages of this book.

You cannot help but fall in love with every single character and the growth they each experience throughout the book is phenomenal. Days later, I still find myself smiling when I think about this book and the characters I've come to love from the book.

If you're looking for a small town, slow burn romance with some unexpected twists and turns- THIS IS IT.

thank you for the opportunity to provide an honest opinion in exchange for an ARC.

Loves this book from beginning to end. I felt all of the feelings with Wren- I felt her heartbreak, felt her falling in love, to her pain in that love. My first book by Paige Toon, I will be definitely looking to read more of her work.

ARC REVIEW
Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A tear jerking right person, wrong time love story.

❤️ Wren travels from her small village in the UK to visit her estranged father on his farm in Indiana after being dumped by her fiancé. There, she discovers family relationships she didn’t realize she needed and falls fast for Anders, the visiting son of the neighbors.

This was a heartbreaker. Here’s what I liked:

❤️ The slow burn. Wren and Anders are both working through some trauma. It was nice to see them slowly push against their feelings yet still succumb to them. They are perfectly matched.

❤️ It’s not just a romance. Wren has to build and work on relationships with her family. I really liked seeing her and step sister Bailey work at being not just family but friends.

❤️ The setting. I learned so much about farming, architecture, and Indy racing. But it was included smoothly and didn’t bore me.

❤️ The secrets they keep. No spoilers, but there is more to the story than what is first presented.

All in all, I laughed and cried. That’s the kind of read I love.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

Release date: 4/25