This is the second in the Quinn siblings series. This book deals with fat representation, fat phobia, parental abandonment, homophobia, chronic illness, mental health representation and on page therapy. This is also a second chance romance, as Hunter and Jo were childhood loves. There was so much internalizing in this book as there was in the first, as there usually is when a character is dealing with mental health issues but it is done in what I consider the proper way. It is done so beautifully. You literally see the growth Jo does from the beginning of the book to the end and if you read the 1st book you even get to see if from then it was absolutely beautiful to witness.

The fat representation is just always so on point in these books as well. It was also so inspiring to watch Hunter's growth as well. What I really loved was them being loved by the other as they were growing throughout their issues. Katie Duggan, does a beautiful job of representing chronic ill and mental health in her books so please give them a read.


I was given and ARC by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my won.

How to start other than saying I LOVED this book!!! I am a chronically ill ADHD girlie so I saw bits of myself represented in both main characters. Katie Duggan once again wrote a loving, safe story that feels like a validating hug. And I love her for it!

Both Jo and Hunter are fat queer girls with brains that work different than what is considered the norm. And that made them very compassionate and understanding of each other. So so lovely! 'Back to me' is really a story about learning to show yourself the kindness you show other loved ones.

Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, and this story did not disappoint! I loved the reason for the fake dating. It was not to make an ex jealous or to get financial security or to get family to back off. They decided to fake-date to show her ex she had moved on. And I really loved that. Especially since Hunter is such a protective person and really gave the nasty ex a run for her money. Yaaay!

It was never labled as emotional abuse, but in my opinion Jo was emotionally abused by her ex. She was made to feel small, an inconvenience. She was belittled and disregarded. There was no love there, only manipulation. Jo really got hurt in their relationships and is still emotionally healing with the help of therapy amongst other things. She works really hard to get back to the person she was before her nasty relationship, 'back to me' so to speak. It shows how well the title fits!

Hunter is also growing and healing. Also in therapy. I love it when a book speaks so positive about therapy!! Hunter was disowned by her family after coming out and is grappleing that loss yet also celebrating the freedom of finally being able to be herself. Her loud, excited, protective, sapphic self. The relationship she forms with Jo and her family was really nice to see and I'm so happy she found safe people who love her for who she is!
Her ADHD was also portrayed so well!! The special interests, the hyperfocus, the struggle with a lack of structure. Her creativity and bluntness. Also I laughed so hard (because I relate so much) when she spoke out of turn to disrupt someone because she was so excited to speak about a special interest and then realised it was not the right moment and let them continue on speaking. None shamed her for her behaviour and they celebrated her instead, as they should! Her family did not handle her ADHD well tho. It was mentioned but there were never given concrete comments about what they'd say to her in the past. So it was acknowlegded that not everyone handles ADHD traits well, but overall the tone was very positive and uplifting without dismissing the struggles of having a neurodivergent brain.

Jo has type 1 Diabetes and was made to feel like an inconvenience by her ex. Like it was such a bother for other people SHE has diabetes. And also belittled like she could not take care of herself. But she can perfectly manage her own health conditions. That does not mean she always should do it alone. This also applies to her Major Depressive Disorder, she has one lower period on page and lets Hunter take care of her because there is trust, love and understanding. The caretaking scenes were really kind, caring and hopeful. On page she also has one alarmingly low (bloodsugar), she was awake enough she could have managed on her own, but she felt safe enough to let Hunter take care of her. And I loved that. There was enormous growth there!! And it really shows how the right partner will want to hold your hand through hard/low moments. Will want to take care of you because they love you. It gives readers a new perspective if they also see or saw themselves as an inconvenience. Like they have to do the hard stuff alone because they dont want to be a bother or burden. But having health conditions does not make you a burden or any less lovable. 'Back to me' showcases that beautifully!

If you like a book that includes a shitty ex, love, trauma, honey, cowboy boots and dysfunction families this is for you.
This is such a beautiful book. I’ve never read a book that has a playlist before and I think it’s really cool.

Having chronic illness representation in a book is amazing especially when it’s not the main focus of the book, it’s just a daily life thing.

‘controlling my chronic illnesses and simply existing into the mix, and you have one burnt out Jo Quinn.’ I felt that so deep and my maiden name is Quinn so it did make me laugh

‘ i still want you. Even when I'm depressed, or down. Even when I don't seem like I do, I still want you. I'm not going to be perfect at showing it or giving you what you need, but I promise to work at it and be better’

this was beautiful and it really got across how much they understood relationships aren’t perfect, i hate when a book makes everything in a relationship perfect so this was a breath of fresh air to read.

P.s love that you included cross stitch, one of my many hobbies

First off, I loved that Katie Duggan included both Clit Notes and a playlist related to Jo and Hunter in her book. She’s definitely the people’s author!

Something that really stood out to me was the fact that she added resources alongside her content warnings. She might not be the first author to do this, but she’s the first I’ve noticed, and I think it’s such a thoughtful gesture that could really help someone who needs it.

Now, about the story itself—I wanted to like it more, but a few things didn’t quite work for me. There were some typos and formatting mistakes that pulled me out of the story, and the 'breaking the fourth wall' writing style wasn’t my preference. It felt a bit too juvenile for my taste.

The romance didn’t feel super realistic to me either. The whole “I haven’t seen you in 12 years, but the moment I see you, I’m drooling all over you and fantasizing about our past” felt more like something teenagers would do, not grown women. I was hoping for a bit more of a mature slow-burn, getting-to-know-you-again story.

That said, I have to give props where they’re due. This is the first sapphic romance I’ve read where one of the main characters has MDD and Type 1 diabetes, and Duggan handles both with a lot of care and clearly did her research, which I really appreciated.

I also liked the little touches like the design of the text bubbles and phone chats. It’s small stuff, but it made the reading experience more enjoyable.