REVIEW: Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon

In Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon, Wren thought she had her life settled, with her engagement to Scott, their cute place in Bury St. Edmunds, and her career as an architect. Then everything shatters. Scott tells her he’s fallen in love with another woman and breaks things off with Wren. Living in the same small town unfortunately means they cross paths here and there, which is wreaking havoc on Wren’s emotions. A change is needed. That much she knows is true. So, after a few phone calls, she heads across the pond to visit her father and stepfamily in Indiana for a couple of weeks, hoping it will bring some peace to her life.

I want to wrap him up in my love, try to take away some of his pain. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through,” I whisper.

It doesn’t take long for Wren to find a new daily routine, helping out around her father’s farm while trying to forget her personal woes. Then she meets Anders and Jonas Frederickson, whose family owns the neighboring farm, and she knows her life has just changed. For the better or not remains to be seen. Because while the brothers each have their own dramas going on, Anders catches Wren’s eye right away. He is up front that being friends is all he’s capable of since losing his wife about four years ago. And they both try their hardest to keep things platonic. But soon, Wren is pulled into Anders’ complicated life which forces them to decide if the secret he’d been keeping will push them apart or pull them even closer together.

‘Anders has made it so clear that he doesn’t want anything more than friendship from me, so my mind has been cast into doubt every time I’ve thought I’ve felt a spark between us. But now, that spark has burst into flame.’

With the title: Only Love Can Hurt Like This, you *know* the novel is going to be an emotional powerhouse. And oh, but it certainly was. Author Paige Toon gave this touching romance even more layers by exploring family issues along with the heartrending choices our couple had to make.

‘I didn’t know it was possible to love so fully and hurt so deeply at exactly the same time.’

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Cheating, depression, suicidal thoughts (mentioned), alcoholism, grief. « Hide Spoiler

When the book’s synopsis said “in the spirit of Colleen Hoover and Jojo Moyes” it wasn’t kidding. Because between the subject matter, the level of emotions each character experienced, and the soul-shattering issues they faced, Only Love Can Hurt Like This was one intense story at times. But even with all of that, author Paige Toon kept things from getting too heavy by adding in some lighthearted scenes and sweet moments. It all added up to a book that I simply could not get enough of. Especially after the huge plot twist toward the last third of it. It blew my mind and made me want to go back and re-read some of the previous passages as it changed everything.

The majority of this was written from Wren’s perspective, with Anders’ POV being added in during the last few chapters. There was definitely a reason for it, mostly pertaining to the big twist–something that some readers might possibly be torn over. What I can say is that Anders was a wounded soul who carried the weight of the world on his capable shoulders. He was an honorable guy who loved with his whole heart. And therein was the problem. Anders wanted to do the right thing, even at the cost of his own well-being and happiness.

That was where Wren came into the picture. I thought it was smart of her to leave the UK after her engagement ended, to get some space and perspective while visiting her family in Indiana. She might have been somewhat insecure, but Wren stepped up for those she loved when it counted. And boy didn’t it count when it came to Anders. And his family. What they had been through was heartbreaking. But it was all worth it by the end, as we watched Wren and Anders fall in love, help heal each other as well as mend the issues with their own families. And that was what made this feel cohesive for me–how each character ended up adding to the story and contributed in some way to Anders and Wren’s very hard-won HEA.

QOTD: Do you mind if an author adds in a different character’s POV at some point in a story if it has been told from only one character’s perspective up until that point?

Book Info:

Publication: April 25, 2023 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons |

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 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 serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?