It’s All in Your Head by Sabina Nordqvist: Review
Welcome to my review of It’s All in Your Head by Sabina Nordqvist! I was so extremely excited for this book for the disability rep, and it was one of my goals this year to read more books with disabled/chronically ill characters.
Title: It’s All in Your Head
Author: Sabina Nordqvist
Genre: Adult Romance
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: 02/10/2026
It’s All in Your Head Description
A “sexy, swoon-worthy” romance about a woman with a rare neurological condition who agrees to fake-date the hot guy in her chronic pain support group—only to discover he’s an Olympic snowboarder whose career-ending injury is as infamous as his dating history (Nisha J. Tuli, USA Today bestselling author of Not Safe for Work)
Your fake relationship shouldn’t come with chronic feelings.
Skylar is done with offline relationships—especially romantic ones. Living with chronic illness means she’s heard it all before: unreliable, high-maintenance, too much. She’d rather spend her free time in her online chronic pain support group, and lately, she can’t help but notice Pike, the hot new guy with a penchant for broody poetry. When a chaotic night in the group forces her to pose as his girlfriend, she reluctantly agrees to keep up the charade in real life. Surprisingly, he’s thoughtful, sweet, and—most importantly—doesn’t flinch at the things that have scared others away.
Fake dating gets a lot more complicated when she discovers Pike isn’t just some guy. He’s a professional snowboarder whose career-ending injury is as infamous as his playboy past. He won’t talk about that, though. He’s fine. Really. But pretending to be in love with Skylar turns out to be the least depressing thing he’s done in months. As they spend more time together, she starts to notice the cracks in his carefully crafted image, and for once, he doesn’t mind being seen.
After all the bed-sharing and late-night talks, it becomes harder for both of them to pretend. But just as things start turning real, the paparazzi catch on, wanting the scoop on how everyone’s favorite Olympic medalist is doing post-accident. Dating while disabled comes with challenges of its own, but public speculation and invasive questions are something else entirely. If their newfound feelings can’t survive the spotlight, their not-so-fake relationship may be over before it ever truly begins.
Review
“‘That’s the hardest part about invisible disabilities,’ I say. ‘Learning to exist with pain when no one acknowledges its existence.’”
It’s All in Your Head was the right book at the right time. My body constantly betrays me, so it was comforting to read a book where the main characters dealt with chronic pain, medication side effects, medical gaslighting, and ever-changing accessibility needs.
The romance was surely romancing in this book too. Pike starts off very prickly, but that’s a man right there. He might not have been great at standing up for himself, but he was great at a lot of other things. This book was also a lot steamier than I expected (let’s talk about that piercing), and I loved how the characters navigated intimacy as their pain affected what they could do when.
There was also so much to take from this story, like being honest with yourself about what you truly need, even if it might disappoint others. Not being afraid to lean on your support system but also not tolerating ableism, even from those who love you.
I just loved this one a lot, and it was a breath of fresh air for the romance genre. I so desperately hope we get books from Skylar’s friends’ perspectives because I love this world the author created and feel like there’s more to be discovered with those relationships.
*Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.*
Author
Sabina Nordqvist began writing as a way to distract herself from chronic pain and illness, and before long, she couldn’t stop creating imaginary worlds and swoony book boyfriends. When not immersed in her latest project, she’s likely doing physical therapy, reading, or searching for answers to her latest mystery symptom. A polyglot with three nationalities, she’s spent many years abroad and loves nerding out over intercultural communication and the languages she’s picked up along the way. IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD is her debut novel.
Where to Buy
Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
