Tuesday, April 25, 2023

4.25.2023 - Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Paige Toon - 5 stars!

Wren was living in the UK, working as an architect, and engaged to be married.  But then she glimpsed a look shared between her fiancĂ© and his coworker and she knew it was over before he even told her.  Hurting, she escapes to Indiana, to stay with her dad and stepmom.  Her dad left her mom when Wren was very small and she has a tenuous relationship with them and her half-sister, Bailey.  She meets her parents' neighbors, Anders and Jonas, who work on the family farm in addition to their other jobs.  There's an instant bond between Anders and Wren, but with Anders still mourning for his wife and Wren still smarting from her rejection, is it the right time?

This is much more than standard rom-com fair.  It's a look into family, familial expectations, doing the right thing at all costs.  It's looking at situations with a different eye and not being quick to take offense - definitely a lesson for all of us.  All of these characters have issues they are dealing with and each one felt real and totally fleshed out.  It was odd that Wren always wore dresses to do mucky work - is that how they dress in the UK?  But I loved spending time with this group, seeing Indiana through their eyes, seeing Bambi come to life (you just have to read it to figure out that reference!).  Great read!

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