Only Love Can Hurt Like This, a review by Kristin

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Only Love Can Hurt Like This
By: Paige Toon

Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Published By: Penguin Group Putnam; G.P. Putnam Sons
400 pages

Find It On: Amazon | Goodreads

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Wren is engaged and believes that she’s getting married. A date has been set and plans have been made. But then she sees her fiancé with a woman that he works with and realizes that he’s in love with her. Seeing them around town doesn’t get any easier. To get away, she flies from the UK to the US to spend the summer with her dad and step family. They own a farm in Indiana and she’s hoping time spent there will help her heal. When she crosses paths with Anders, she can’t help but to feel something for him. But he’s made it clear that he cannot be with another woman. There’s a secret he’s keeping, and if he falls for Wren, lives would be in an uproar. Can she walk away and be hurt all over again? What if the truth is too much for her to stay?

Wow. That’s the first thing I thought while reading this book and after being done with it. Just Wow. I don’t normally give books 5 stars, but I had to for this book. It’s a slow burn type of book but doesn’t read as a slow burn. The interactions between Anders and Wren are engaging and keep the plot moving. I couldn’t stop reading this book, but I also didn’t want it to end. What makes this book special is that there is so much love between all the characters. Characters in friendships, relationships, family, or friends. While of course I loved seeing the relationship blossom between Wren and Anders and felt all their angst and desire when they wanted each other but had to walk away, the relationship I loved seeing blossom the most was that between Wren and her dad. I don’t have a relationship with my dad, but it made me smile that these two were able to grow in their relationship. I also loved seeing the relationship between Wren and her half-sister Bailey grow; I’ve always wanted a sister! It was also enjoyable to read about Wren’s friendship with Anders’ brother, Jonas. Toon did a great job switching up the dynamic between the brothers, with Anders looking out for his brother first and then Jonas looking out for his brother. I really cannot say enough good things about this book. It all comes down to this: I loved it! Everyone needs to read this book.