My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon is an emotional romance novel based on heartbreaking situations and secrets.

This book is part of My Fall 2023 Reading List.

My Overview

Wren is engaged and happily living in England. Unfortunately, that ended when her fiancé informed her that he was in love with someone else 🫢. Wanting to get away from the aftermath of their breakup, she heads off to Indiana to stay with her father and step-family. Although Wren has visited her father and step-family over the years, their relationship is simply cordial. This current visit is ideal for healing, strengthening relationships, and new beginnings. Why? Wren and her sister (Bailey) are now adults, and their neighbors (Anders and Jonas) are more than willing to help them move forward. Does this sound simple? It’s not. Anders is hiding a big secret.

This story is much more than the getting away to overcome a broken engagement and finding new love plot line. It’s a romance novel with a lot of depth to the storyline, and each of the characters are trying to overcome heartbreaking situations. Aside from the romance aspect, this is the story about Wren healing from her parents’ divorce and never feeling part of her father’s family. The “earth-shattering secret” the blurb advertises, reveals a heartbreaking and thought-provoking situation.

Overall, this is an impactful story about love, family, marriage, and grief. The writing style and well-defined characters make this is poignant novel. I truly felt that I got to know the characters and understood their difficult situations. As the title states, only love can hurt like this.

My Recommendation

I enjoyed this emotional and thought-provoking story. If you enjoy romance novels with family drama and thought-provoking situations, I think you’ll enjoy this one too. The audiobook narration is great, so I recommend it.

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