It's All in Your Head

A GOODREADS AND BOOKRIOT MOST ANTICIPATED ROMANCE OF 2026

A "poignant and swoony" 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 (Gigi Griffis, author of The Empress).

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.

Author: Sabina Nordqvist
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 02/10/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781538771570


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2026

About the 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.