When seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin’s essay about meeting the love of her life unexpectedly goes viral, her entire life changes overnight. Now she has the approval of her classmates at her new international school in Beijing, a career-launching internship opportunity at her favorite magazine…and a massive secret to keep.
Eliza made her essay up. She’s never been in a relationship before, let alone in love. All good writing is lying, right?
Desperate to hide the truth, Eliza strikes a deal with the famous actor in her class, the charming but aloof Caz Song. She’ll help him write his college applications if he poses as her boyfriend. Caz is a dream boyfriend — he passes handwritten notes to her in class, makes her little sister laugh, and takes her out on motorcycle rides to the best snack stalls around the city.
But when her relationship with Caz starts feeling a little too convincing, all of Eliza’s carefully laid plans are threatened. Can she still follow her dreams if it means breaking her own heart?
- Title: This Time It’s Real
- Author: Ann Liang
- Publisher: Scholastic Press
- Publication Date: February 7, 2023
- Genre: Rom Com, Contemporary
- Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
- Targeted Age Range: Young Adult
- Rating: ★★★★★
This Time It’s Real opens up with a dedication to “all the cynics who secretly still believe in love”, and I think that this book could genuinely convince the biggest cynic in the world to believe that love exists. This Time It’s Real follows seventeen year old Eliza, who has recently moved back to Beijing. Rather than getting too personal for a school essay that’ll be posted online and shared among her peers, she decides to fabricate a story about a boyfriend. When her essay goes viral, and she’s offered an internship due to the essay, she finds herself in a situation. The only solution? Make a deal with Caz Song, a famous actor in her class. In exchange for help with his college essays, Caz will pretend to be her boyfriend, and go along with whatever she needs for her internship.
After loving If You Could See the Sun, I was a little anxious to start This Time It’s Real. I often do get nervous about reading highly anticipated reads; there’s this level of disappointment that I always mentally prepare myself for. But I shouldn’t have worried as I devoured This Time It’s Real. I sat down, and finished it all in one sitting, desperate to know what happened next.
A core part of Eliza’s arc is her learning to let people in. As someone who also grew up moving around quite a bit, and never feeling like they were truly at home, Eliza’s perspective really resonated with my younger self. Especially her being a romantic at heart, but a bit of a cynic. There were so many times where I just wanted to give Eliza a hug, and to tell her that things will get better, that people don’t always leave, and that it’s worth it to open up.
One of my favorite things about This Time It’s Real was how the characters communicated. When Eliza and her best friend from home were struggling with their long distance friendship, I loved how Eliza reached out and communicated her thoughts, and how the two characters worked through that together. Eliza’s dynamics with her family were also so endearing, particularly her relationship with her younger sister.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Caz, who is just so charming. As a rom com girly at heart, I love the fake dating trope, and I think Liang just did it marvelously. The pining and tension were palpable, and watching Eliza and Caz fall in love was so sweet. The way the two of them were able to connect and open up to each other in a way they weren’t able to with other people made my heart swell.
Ann Liang has a way of writing that just pulls you in. This Time It’s Real felt a little bit like a movie in how atmospheric it is. At times, it felt like Eliza and Caz were my friends, people I knew personally, and I was just hearing their story. Their struggles, their flaws, their love all felt so authentic and genuine. I honestly adored This Time It’s Real, and I know I’ll be rereading it at some point this year. I couldn’t recommend this one more highly.
Links for This Time It’s Real: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookstore.org | IndieBound
Ann Liang is a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne. Born in Beijing, she grew up travelling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. When she isn’t writing, she can be found making over-ambitious to-do lists, binge-watching dramas, and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.
