This Time It's Real

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, by New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang.

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?

ADD TO MY SHELVES

Recommend book

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jan 2, 2024

368 pages

Average rating: 7.45

11 RATINGS

Community Reviews

Write a review...

Dalene Mactier

Jul 31, 2025

8/10 stars

"This Time It's Real" by Ann Liang is an enjoyable young adult read. The book had a wholesome feeling. The main character, Eliza Lin, was relatable, and her journey of self-discovery was intriguing.

The plot is engaging and interesting, but there were a few times when it felt a bit too predictable. Despite this, it is a a light and enjoyable read with themes of first love and self-discovery. There were moments where the situations Eliza Lin found herself in felt a little too perfect, but this didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the book.

In summary, "This Time It's Real" is a young adult fiction novel that is likeable, wholesome, albeit not always believable, but then again, I'm too old and too cynical to be the right demographic.j

fortunedaze

Jan 08, 2025

6/10 stars

This was a cute, easy read. Taking off points as the internal monologue was a bit much for me.

faipurins

May 03, 2023

10/10 stars

immediate hands down a favorite book of mine, DEFINITELY !!!! and i’m pretty sure the fact i finished this book in one day (for a procrastinator like me heh) really says a lot already, hehe. literally nothing to say except that ann liang is easily my top 3 writers now, and that moment i saw This time it’s real in the bookstore by Ann Liang I immediately rushed to pick it up 😭🫶 I’m so in love with her books (especially this book especially Caz Song :)) it’s unreal ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ definitely giving more than 5 stars for this I got diabetes and probably my fever was cured from this. from laughing !!! this book literally provided me all the serotonin I needed T_T and it was a sick day for me yesterday, so I can safely say that this book was the sole medicine I needed (figuratively) <33 kicking my legs up in the air every time I will reread this (which I most definitely will!) <3

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.

CREATE YOUR CLUB

More books by this author

A Song to Drown Rivers: Deluxe Edition

If You Could See the Sun

I Hope This Doesn't Find You

A Song to Drown Rivers