This time it's real / Ann Liang.

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Title:

This time it's real / Ann Liang.

Author:

Liang, Ann (Young adult author), author.

ISBN:

9781338827118

9780702324291

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

337 pages ; 22 cm

Abstract:

When seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin's entirely fictional essay about meeting her perfect boyfriend goes viral at her international school in Beijing, she has to make a deal with the handsome and charming Caz Song to play the part--but when the relationship starts to feel real all her career plans are suddenly threatened.

Eliza Lin's essay about meeting the love of her life unexpectedly goes viral, she gains the approval of her classmates at her new international school in Beijing, and a career-launching internship opportunity at her favorite magazine. Unfortunately, Eliza's essay is completely fiction. All good writing is lying, right? To hide the truth, Eliza strikes a deal with an actor in her class, the charming but aloof Caz Song. She'll help him write his college applications if he poses as her boyfriend. When her face relationship with Caz starts feeling a little too convincing, it will threaten her plans--and may break her own heart.-- adapted from jacket

Reading Level:

Ages 14. Scholastic.

Grades 10-12. Scholastic.

Subject Term:

Chinese American teenagers -- Juvenile fiction.

Man-woman relationships -- Juvenile fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Juvenile fiction.

International schools -- China -- Beijing -- Juvenile fiction.

Chinese Americans -- Fiction.

Chinese American teenagers -- Fiction.

International schools -- China -- Beijing -- Fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Fiction.

International schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Dating -- Fiction.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / Contemporary.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Careers, Occupations, Internships.

Chinese American teenagers. (OCoLC)fst00857241

Dating (Social customs) (OCoLC)fst00888094

International schools. (OCoLC)fst01744253

Man-woman relationships. (OCoLC)fst01007080

Chinese Americans -- Juvenile fiction.

Man-woman relationship -- Juvenile fiction.

School stories.

Geographic Term:

Beijing (China) -- Juvenile fiction.

Beijing (China) -- Fiction.

China -- Beijing. (OCoLC)fst01205740

Genre:

Young adult fiction.

Fiction. (OCoLC)fst01423787

Humorous fiction. (OCoLC)fst01726649

Juvenile works. (OCoLC)fst01411637

Novels. (OCoLC)fst01921742

Romance fiction. (OCoLC)fst01921732

Romance fiction.

Humorous fiction.

Novels.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Teen Fiction Book Hardback	120791003052518	T LIA	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

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?

Reviews (4)

Bookseller Publisher Review

Ann Liang's This Time it's Real is a vibrant young adult romantic comedy with its heart in the right place. When 17-year-old Eliza Lin's school essay about her fabricated love life goes viral online, she scrambles under the sudden spotlight and makes a deal with Caz, the charismatic young actor in her class. The pair soon launch into a fake dating scenario that benefits both Eliza's writing career and Caz's public image. While the narrative set-up--a cheesy romantic essay written for a high school assignment goes viral online, receiving literary acclaim so far as to get a prestigious editor to approach a student--is a little contrived and unconvincing, Liang still charms the reader with her endearing and relatable protagonist. Fiercely independent, achingly self-conscious, and labouring under the belief that there is 'something fundamentally unloveable' about her, Eliza tries to preserve the threads of stable connection and belonging she has in her life, while defensively trying not to connect too deeply to the new people she is surrounded by. Liang skilfully captures the surreal nature of an adolescence impacted by internet fame and the painful reluctance to be vulnerable that romance brings out, as well as creating a grounded sense of home after a childhood untethered to one place. Lovers of Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before will adore this warm and vivacious novel. Shivani Prabhu is a freelance writer and a nonfiction editor for Voiceworks . Books+Publishing is Australia's number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Publisher's Weekly Review

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.)

Kirkus Review

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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In Liang's contemporary YA romance, a viral essay leads to fake dating, leads to real love. When Eliza's essay about her boyfriend unexpectedly goes viral, there's just one problem: none of it happened. Not only is the whole story the essay is based on made up, but she doesn't even have a boyfriend. When Eliza gets both popularity and a once-in-a-lifetime internship offer based on her essay, she comes up with a solution: a mutually beneficial fake-dating arrangement with Chinese drama celebrity Caz Song, who also happens to go to her school. Caz agrees to go along with her story in exchange for help with his college applications, and so begins a fake romance that increasingly starts to become real. Eliza's family has moved around a lot, and she struggles with finding her place in her international school in Beijing. She also has difficulty trusting people enough to truly engage in a real relationship, especially with a teen idol like Caz. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy fake-dating and celebrity tropes, themes of belonging and identity, and a sweet and emotional love story.