Review: This Time It’s Real, Ann Liang

I fell for Ann Liang’s debut, If You Could See the Sun, a little while ago. Obviously, I was eagerly anticipating this young adult romance and, well. This Time It’s Real did NOT disappoint. Check out my full review below!

This Time It's Real by Ann Liang
Published by Scholastic Press on February 7, 2023
Genres: contemporary, romance, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Bookshop, Blackwell's
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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?
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.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: (click to reveal)

mention of a previous arm injury, scene at the hospital.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• As a lot of YA contemporary books, This Time It’s Real is carried by its characters. Eliza, our main character, is an aspiring writer, a little-bit lost but deeply passionate. I immediately grew fond of her, loved her passion shining through, her determination, but also loved her fragility, with her friendships and her own heart, just as well. She was such an incredible main character, so easy to root for. I just adored her.

“And this, I think, is my ultimate fatal flaw. Missing people who don’t miss me back. Clinging on to strands of string that shouldn’t mean half as much as they do. It takes so little for me to love someone, yet so long for me to move on.”

― Ann Liang, This Time It’s Real

• This story has the fake-dating trope at its heart and… oh, damn, I thought it was one of the best ways to show off this trope in all of its glory. It starts off a bit randomly, the connection builds itself slowly but surely, the messy feelings come up and. My heart just melts and I absolutely adored these two. The romance was perfect.
• It obviously helps that the love interest here, Caz, is adorable and such a well-rounded character, as well. He’s far from being perfect, even if I guess he has this swoony face and everything. I loved how we got to know him under the surface at the same time as Eliza, how we discovered that he is more, way more than an actor. Loved him so much.

• The inclusion of family was so very lovely here, as well. I really enjoyed seeing Eliza’s interactions with her family and, for me, her little sister was THE perfect addition. The old lady in a young child’s body syndrom, she’s just so fun, I want to hang out with her okay.
• Definitely need to mention friendships here, as well. In the story, Eliza struggles with making friends and keeping friends, due to her family’s constant moving. I loved seeing her connection with her best friend, their calls from across the world and seeing their struggles in re-connnecting, losing each other and so on. This felt really relatable and was such a nice addition to the story.
• I also just want to say: it was SO good to see characters so passionate about what they do. Eliza adores writing. Even if she ends up doing doubtful things to reach her goals, I really enjoyed seeing such a driven main character, wanting to reach for her dreams. Same goes for Caz and his acting!

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, emotion-packed, wonderful YA contemporary romance, I definitely recommend you give This Time It’s Real a try. I loved it SO much and can’t wait to read everything Ann Liang writes.

FINAL RATING : 5 stars!

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📚 Books similar to This Time It’s Real that I’d recommend:

• Check out: 10 YA Books With The Fake-Dating Trope I Recommend (And Want To Read!)
• Read my review of Ann Liang’s debut, If You Could See The Sun

Did you read This Time It’s Real, or do you want to? What’s your latest 5-star read? Let me know in comments!

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