This Time It's Real

by Ann Liang

Overview

Get ready to fall in love in this hilarious romcom about a girl who begins a fake relationship with the famous actor in her class, perfect for fans of Meg Cabot and Jenny Han.

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?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338827118
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/07/2023
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	16,900
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Ann Liang is a graduate of the University of Melbourne. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling 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 overambitious to-do lists, binge-watching dramas, and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who's a good dog. You can find her online at annliang.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/02/2023

Constantly uprooted by her mother’s consulting career, 17-year-old Eliza Lin has lived in six countries and attended 12 elite schools. After years of impermanence, Eliza struggles to fit in anywhere, and feels that her senior year at Westbridge International School in Beijing is going to be her worst one yet. She speaks “mediocre” Chinese and has no friends, prompting her to bury herself in writing. Though she’s initially stumped by a homework assignment to detail a close relationship, she invents an imaginary boyfriend, and the resultant essay, posted online, goes viral. When a popular literary website reaches out to Eliza with an internship opportunity for which she’s expected to offer romantic advice based on her purported relationship, she approaches classmate and wildly popular actor Caz Song with “A Strategic, Mutually Beneficial and Romantically Oriented Alliance to Help Further Our Respective Careers.” Eliza is an enchanting, hilarious, and vulnerable heroine, while Caz proves the quintessential teasing, noble love interest; their cotton candy–sweet budding relationship and ensuing romance make for an irresistible tale by Liang (If You Could See the Sun). Main characters cue as Chinese. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for This Time It's Real:

* "Eliza is an enchanting, hilarious, and vulnerable heroine . . . an irresistible tale by Liang." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A sweet and emotional love story." — Booklist, starred review

"An angst-y, heartstring-tugging romance between two sympathetic leads . . . Irresistible fun with unexpected sincereity." — Kirkus Reviews

“A total delight. Laugh out loud funny, sweet, and romantic, this is a sparkling gem of a book." — Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries series and No Words

"Ann Liang's This Time it's Real has it all — a messy but lovable heroine, fake-dating, Beijing! In short, a fun rom-com with loads of heart that is easy to fall for." — Emiko Jean, New York Times bestselling author of Tokyo Ever After

"Poignant, charming, and threaded with undeniable tenderness. The fake dating delivers both epic swoons and profoundly heart-melting moments, and Eliza's journey from self-contained to self-assured is beautifully empowering. I can’t wait to read more from Ann Liang." — Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow and See You Yesterday

"An ordinary girl and a C-drama actor having to fake date, what's not to love? Funny, heartfelt, with the absolute best setting of an international school in Beijing, Ann Liang delivers a swoon-worthy story about taking chances and falling in love. A sparkling romcom from a talented new voice." — Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and XOXO

"A poignant coming-of-age story and a sweet exploration of what it means to find a place (or a person) that feels like 'home.' Fun and fresh!" — Kat Cho, New York Times bestselling author of Once Upon a K-Prom

“Ann Liang pens a rich cultural world in this sparkling coming of age story with beautiful takes on identity and authenticity, and so much heart I thought mine was going to burst. Caz and Eliza are absolutely delightful!” — Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

“At once laugh-out-loud funny and taut with romantic tension, This Time It’s Real is all the best parts of a fake dating romcom.” — Adiba Jaigirdar, award-winning author of The Henna Wars and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating

“In This Time It's Real, Liang's writing shines, weaving in cultural elements seamlessly while taking us through Beijing. A fun fake-dating romance to lose yourself in, filled with squeal-worthy moments.” — Gloria Chao, author of Rent a Boyfriend and When You Wish Upon a Lantern

"A pitch-perfect romance! This Time It's Real is a ridiculously fun and adorable fake-dating, slow-burn story full of humor and charm. Perfect for fans of Gloria Chao, Sandhya Menon and Jenny Han.” — Suzanne Park, author of Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous and The Christmas Clash

"Liang hits every mark in this wildly fun fake-dating adventure straight out of my romcom dream journal. I loved every minute of it!" — Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the Summer

From the Publisher

2022-11-29
High school senior Eliza Lin, who recently returned to Beijing with her family, is stunned when her school assignment goes viral.

Eliza’s English essay, published on the school blog, describes her relationship with her devoted boyfriend in vivid prose—and turns out to resonate with lovelorn readers worldwide. It even catches the attention of a staff member at Craneswift, a website known for jump-starting the careers of acclaimed writers. Craneswift offers Eliza a six-month paid internship during which she’ll write weekly blog posts about her relationship and offer advice on romance. The internship is everything an aspiring writer could dream of, but its success rests upon a lie. Having grown up moving from country to country due to her mother’s career, Eliza has difficulties forming friendships, much less romantic relationships. Her boyfriend might be imaginary, but the opportunity is too good to pass up. Eliza strikes a bargain with Chinese American classmate Caz Song, a television heartthrob, to participate in a fake dating scheme in return for her help with his college application essays. The relationship can also rehabilitate his reputation, battered after a recent scandal. Pragmatism soon gives way to soul-searching as Eliza finds herself falling for Caz, whose smooth public persona hides unexpected vulnerabilities. This compulsively readable story comments on identity, social pressures, and the demands of the entertainment industry while developing an angst-y, heartstring-tugging romance between two sympathetic leads.

Irresistible fun with unexpected sincerity. (Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews