After a heartbreak, a woman visits family in Indiana to reevaluate her life and maybe even find new love. Wren (Aka Little Bird) thought her life was all mapped out, a fiancé that is dependable and as an architect she loves her job. 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.

Wren decides to visit her father and stepfamily on their farm in Indiana after her fiancé falls in love with someone else. Wren is no stranger to having someone walk out on her life. She hopes the time away from the UK will help her heal and find new perspective. Wren was raised by her mother in England and looks forward to spending time with her Dad and sister during her visit. Finally, the cover. Am I allowed to say that I find it average too? It wouldn’t attract my attention while searching for books in a bookstore. Usually, I like UK covers more than US ones, but I really hope that the US one will be better than the UK one in this case. I liked the fact that all the characters had their own issues. This made them feel real and believable. Many of the characters in this book have suffered loss in their lives in varying degrees, whether it be the loss of a family unit, loss of a relationship, loss of a spouse, etc. I appreciated how the author showed how this affects thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. I thought this was very nicely done. The split family dynamics and how feelings can be felt but maybe not seen as reason when talked about (read book for the answer to that sentence).

Success!

Wren’s fiance has fallen in love with someone else and breaks up with her mere months before the wedding. Their English village, once quaint and comfortable, is now much too small for the both of them. On her mother’s suggestion, Wren decides to fly out and spend the summer with her father, stepmother, and newly married half sister on their Indiana farm. Things are slightly tense, as Wren has never been completely at ease with her father since he left her and her mother for this new family when she was young, but maybe time together will begin to strengthen a weak connection. She also keeps running into Anders, the younger son of the farm next door, who’s visiting from Indianapolis and still reeling from losing his wife four years earlier. The two are drawn to each other despite both of their hesitations, but a secret Anders is keeping threatens their newfound affection. Toon has constructed a very cozy, lived-in world of Indiana farms that's comforting both for Wren and the reader. The tangled web of relations in Wren’s family and her journey to begin to heal some of the wounds of her childhood are the strongest parts of the novel, messy but real. Wren and Anders’ relationship is a bit rushed; it feels more superficial when juxtaposed against Wren’s complicated, realistic family relationships. Some plot threads go nowhere, and others appear out of thin air. Anders’ big secret doesn’t come into the story until two-thirds of the way through, complicating things but without much time for characters to explore or truly reflect on it.

Paige Toon writes such beautiful, emotional love stories. I adored Only Love Can Hurt Like This - it swept me away to the gorgeous Wetherill Farm and I fell in love with Wren and Anders' Beth O'Leary A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. After seeing each other in a bar, Wren and Anders have their first conversation in a cornfield. It is the first conversation, but it will not be the last. There will be many in fact but with all the talking, there is a very important bit of information that is left out.... A delicious, slow burn love story that hit me in parts of my heart I didn’t even know I had. Full of original and complex characters, it left me with the wonderful feeling that love this real can make anything possible.”—Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off ScriptDeep, emotional, powerful, beautifully written with a masterful tender touch - this book is a must-read' Milly Johnson I met Paige Toon in Bristol Waterstones before Covid times along with a couple of other authors there. Totally fun, and great time. When Wren travels to from the UK to the U.S. to spend the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana-their paths will cross, and maybe, just maybe, their hearts will begin to heal. ❤️‍🩹 The characters were nuanced and believable and I really liked getting to know Wren and Anders. I rooted for them and hoped they could find a way to happiness. The supporting cast of characters was equally as likeable.

Anders is struggling to move on after his wife was in an accident four years ago. He goes home to his family's farm in Indiana and visits more frequently now due to concerns about his brother. As the daughter of a librarian Jen's love of books started from a very early age. Her reading obsession continued throughout her teenage years when she studied both English Language and English Literature at college. And, there is NOTHING that I enjoy more than to see two likable people who have experienced great loss and pain, find each other and come out on the other side.I mean sure they should have probably taken her off life support but Jesus Christ these people are insane. And the fact that everyone knew about the wife and just didn’t say anything??? Emotional, angsty, and utterly romantic. I was rooting so hard for these characters to get the happy ending they deserved. This story will have you wiping away tears one moment, and smiling dreamily the next.”–Mia Sheridan, author of Archer’s Voice and Travis For fans of Colleen Hoover, an unforgettable and heartbreaking love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core that asks the question: Is love worth risking everything for?

A moving, remarkably romantic and emotional novel written by one of the only writers who can make me cry! Paige Toon continues to weave the most beautiful, deep stories, and Only Love Can Hurt Like This is her at her absolute best!' Lia Louis From what I can remember, I’ve only ever read one Paige Toon book. I read The One We Fell in Love With a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. While I was expecting a light-hearted romantic read, it had so much more depth than I expected. About 75% of the story is told from Wren’s point of view and the narrator’s interpretation of the character was a seamless fit. Loved her voice tone. When we begin getting Anders’s point of view, it’s at a pivotal point in the story and the narrator brought the right level of angst, sadness and tone I was hoping to hear. Both delivered great performances.If you like books by Mia Sheridan or Katherine Center, you will definitely enjoy Only Love Can Hurt Like This. Paige hits that perfect balance between heartwarming and bittersweet to create a story that will stay with you.