Only Love Can Hurt Like This: An unforgettable love story from the Sunday Times bestselling author

Another great love story from Paige, I have read all her books so far and loved everyone of them. This one got me gripped from the beginning it was very emotional but a sensual and slow romance between Wren and Anders with plenty of twists and turns. I loved Jonas and Bailey and all the other characters as well wish it could have lasted longer. Can’t wait to read more of her books.

As soon as I heard the premise for Paige Toon's latest book I knew it was going to be an emotional read and it sure delivered on everything I was expecting and more. But firstly can we talk about the title, I'm surely not the only one who started humming the well known song as soon as you read the title.When we first meet Wren she's in a bit of a rut, she's not really happy in her job and the direction it's taking her but it's whilst out for lunch that the rug gets pulled out from under her. She sees her fiance Scott at lunch with his colleague and what she witnesses makes her realise that they have strong feelings for one another although they haven't crossed that line yet. This brings about a conversation with Scott and the realisation that their relationship is over. Needing to get away from it all and take time out to think about her future plans, Wren decides to head to Indiana to visit with her dad, step mum Sheryl and sister Bailey. And it's whilst visiting them that her life plans will be turned upside down again...It's fair to say that Wren has had a complex relationship with her dad but during her stay with her family, they are able to put the past behind them and rebuild their relationship. She also gets closer to Sheryl who she had always blamed for the break up of her parents marriage and by default Bailey who Sheryl was pregnant with. The only relationship that the two sisters really had before this trip were the weeks spent whenever Wren spent holidays with them so spending this time together enables them to really get to know one another as adults.Boy can Paige Toon write a brooding leading man and we were lucky enough to be introduced to two, the Fredrickson brothers Anders and Jonas. Anders has returned home to check in with his brother as his family are concerned about his emotional state but it's actually Anders who is struggling with his own demons following an accident which saw him lose his wife. Will he be able to open up himself and take the steps needed to move on?Both Wren and Anders are remarkable characters that you can't help but be drawn to. Although totally different circumstances, both have experienced loss and heartbreak and you want nothing but the best for them, for them both to heal and experience love again. It's hard to say much more without giving anything away but there were a couple of gut-wrenching moments that brought me to tears and I very rarely cry whilst reading.One of the aspects of this book that I really enjoyed was the setting. I've never read any books set in Indiana before and through the descriptive writing I was able to paint a picture as to what I imagined the rural landscape looked like, especially once the creative ideas that Wren and Jonas come up with which have the two neighbouring farms working together to create a fun experience for the whole family. I also enjoyed the side project that Wren embarks on whilst staying with her family, the refurbishment of a long forgotten airstream caravan that she affectionately names Bambi.The title Only Love Can Hurt Like This is certainly apt as it's an emotional read that sweeps you up and doesn't let you out of its grip until the final satisfying page.

Nicely written and an interesting story although the ending was very obvious from the beginning!

This book was a very slow start for me and I was thinking in terms of maybe 3 stars. However, not wishing to write any spoilers, it became an absolute page turner. Difficult subjects handled very sensitively. Give it a go readers!

Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. The chemistry and friendship between the characters was just lovely and seeing Wrens relationship with her Dad and sister blossom was so heart warming. So many different interesting dynamics and relationships all interlinked and coming together to make this beautiful story what it was which is simply gorgeous.

This is a good girly romantic book. It wasn’t brilliant, it lacked some comedy and the characters could have been more likeable but I enjoyed the concept and made for a good, easy holiday read.

Paige Toon has done it again…another heartbreaking and gut-wrenching yet beautifully written novel that I have devoured in just a few hours. This book was well worth the two year wait!Wren, seemingly happy with her life in Bury St Edmunds, is taking a lunchtime stroll when she comes across her fiancé and another woman. The agonising looks of raw emotion that plague their faces are all she needs to see to know that he has fallen in love with someone that isn’t her. Desperate to escape their small town, Wren flees to Indiana to spend time with her Dad, Step Mum and half-sister. Wren’s Dad left both her and her Mum for his other family when Wren was just six years old, so the trip doesn’t come without its own emotional struggles for her, in addition to losing who she thought was the love of her life.I loved (and cried at) the special moments that Wren shared with her Dad, Sheryl, and Bailey. It was touching to see their family dynamic evolve in a way that Wren never thought possible. I particularly loved scenes with Wren and Bailey, and watching their sisterly bond develop.Whilst in Indiana, Wren meets brothers Jonas and Anders, both of whom are facing their own internal battles also. Jonas is struggling with his mental health and Anders is wrapped up with the grief that followed his wife’s tragic accident four and a half years ago. There is an immediate flicker of something special between Anders and Wren, right from the moment they laid eyes on each other. And whilst they both fall deeper and deeper, it’s not something that Anders feels he can ever act on. This leads to utterly heartbreaking exchanges between the two, who are clearly in love but cannot be together…as Paloma Faith once said, only love can hurt like this!I was utterly swept away by Wren and Anders’ story. It squeezed at my heart in a way only Paige Toon’s novels do. Exquisite, captivating and bewitching. A well deserved five stars.

Great book, so many paper cuts from Kindle reader. Only love hurts, yeah right.

I am a long-time fan of Paige Toon. I love her impossible love stories from all around the world. Her books are brilliant travel guides or holiday book companions on any trip!The hard research that has gone into finding unique places is easy to see.Only Love Can Hurt Like This fits this pattern too.Actually, I would go further and call it a book full of mood. The scenes described are like watching a romantic hallmark movie with American country boys as love interests.It's a picturesque story taking place in Indiana - think old houses that have been passed down generations, sunsets over corn fields, the smell, and smoke from barbecuing, and the late summer/autumn feeling when the corn and pumpkins are ready for harvesting. If you like American cutie-pie farmers then this is definitely your call.Wren, our female MC, was months away from getting married when her fiance tells her he has found someone else.When she keeps running into them and is first-hand witness to their happiness, she decides she needs a break from her home town and travels to Indiana, USA to spend some time with her dad and his family.Wren is not unfamiliar with the feeling of being ”replaced” by something better as her parents divorced when she was a kid because her dad found someone new, and it's not exactly ideal family happiness that has ever waited for her at his home as her stepmom and sister makes it hard to feel at home, so she visits them with a feeling of trepidation.The theme of being the one left behind was well explored in multiple ways. I have loved many love stories where the hero ends up choosing the heroine, because who doesn't wish for that happy ending for them. But it has often left the woman left behind into some sort of villain role, where we saw some not-so-pretty sides of her and we have judged her for it, knowing we only saw two seconds of who she was. This story made me feel bad for all the woman that was left behind and normally I didn't have sympathy with while reading.The story was a slow-burner, but I didn't feel bored. It was so much fun spending time with Wren, Anders, Jonas, and Bailey as they spend a summer barbecuing, swimming in their own lake, and having movie nights under the stars.

What a beautiful book 😍

ich mag diemischung aus romance und spannung. gut geschrieben und sehr zu empfehlen. ich hab es in 2 tagen gelesen.

I cried..