This Time It's Real
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?
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Community Reviews
I'll start by saying this much: this is my first time reading an Ann Liang novel, but it will most definitely not be the last.
As a writer myself, any and all main characters passionate about the art of writing flood my chest with a hope that I can't explain. Eliza, in her own annoying, teenager, romance-protagonist way, won me over like that. It's so interesting to be able to get a glimpse of the life of this fictional, 'made up' character whose every trait is so different from mine and yet understand the passion for writing and the validation it comes with it is so universal amongst authors. It felt like reading a diary, in a clever, charming way. Her self-doubts and insecurities, if dared to be seen as two separate things, spoke very clearly to me, and although I couldn't share some of them, especially because I'm older than the main character, I could still relate to her, and I think that's the highest form of praise I can give.
Caz Song is everything you expect him to be and a little more afterward. He reads like a love interest that has a real personality, real aspirations, and a life outside of being simply 'a love interest', which is not direct criticism to anyone but could very well apply to many of the books I unfortunately find myself reading. Caz is refreshing, attractive, and utterly convincing. He is one of those male leads you read about and go, 'yes. I understand why she's in love with you. I would be too.'
The other characters were also lovely, especially their families, with all of their flaws. The insights on the possibility of reconciliation, on believing others and even on finding what truly signifies 'home' to you--everything's just handled incredibly well.
One star less than I would've liked to rate because I felt like we could've gotten more AFTER the conflict was already solved, if only to have an opportunity to feel that same giddiness from halfway through the novel but without the problems weighing down this time. Aside from that, one INCREDIBLY pleasurable read.
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
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