Only love can hurt like this by Paige Toon

Neither of them expected to fall in love. But sometimes life has other plans. . .

When Wren realises 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 does not know that Anders is harbouring 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?

My thoughts:

Thank you to Century Books (Penguin Random House) for a proof copy of the latest book by Paige Toon, Only love can hurt like this. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of Paige’s books before. The kindle version of the book is a daily deal in the UK today (Sunday 21 May 2023).

Paige quickly ramps up the emotional feel of this book as Wren breaks up with the man she expected to marry at the start of the book (this is mentioned in the above synopsis). This leads Wren to head out from the UK to a small town in Indiana, US where her dad lives with his second wife.

Many of us have blended families, and Wren finds herself reassessing her relationship with her dad, stepmother and stepsister. I loved the fruit farm setting which Paige brought to life so beautifully and how Wren realised how much Bailey idolised her.

As the title of book suggests, love is involved, and it isn’t just the end of Wren’s engagement. Whilst staying in Indiana, Wren meets the family with a farm next door, and finds herself spending time with Anders and his brother, Jonas. Will one of the new friendships become more significant for Wren?

This is a non spoiler review so I’m not going to say anything more except to suggest that you make sure you have some uninterrupted reading time and a box of tissues handy, as you experience an emotional rollercoaster journey through this book,

Happy to recommend this fabulous story (even though it made me cry more than once). Another excellent page turner by Paige Toon which I predict will been seen on many holiday sunloungers this summer.