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?

This Time It's Real

Romy

Something that makes it easy for people to forget me the second I leave, to drift out of touch no matter how hard I try to keep them in my life.

When you care about someone, you want to be inconvenienced— you wouldn’t mind being inconvenienced by them every day for the rest of your life. That’s what love is. That’s all love really is.

And this, I think, is my ultimate fatal flaw. Missing people who don’t miss me back.

ang ིྀ 

“I hope you remember to miss me when this is all over.”

yeswu

She laughs, lifts her hand to wave at me, and it’s only then that I catch sight of the frayed blue string around her wrist. A bracelet identical to my own. She’s kept it all along. “Miss you too.”

It’s actually funny, looking back at it. How writing has always been the string tying me to people.

“Well, either way,” Emily continues, leaning back against the wall, “the main reason I liked him was because of how you act when you’re together.”

This surprises me. “What . . . what am I like around him?”

Thinking of all those rooms I walked through at eight, ten, fourteen years old and all the people I met in them . . . if maybe I left a piece of myself in them and took a piece of them with me too; isn’t that what homes are made of? A collection of the things that shape you?

“No,” I sniff, tilting my head back and blinking furiously at the empty, starless sky, trying to will the wetness in my eyes away. But something warm trickles down my cheek anyway, tracing a trail down to my jaw.

Caz hesitates a second, opens his mouth and closes it again, then reaches out and brushes the tear aside with one gentle thumb.

I snap my head down, stare at him, the tenderness of the gesture breaking open something inside me. I can’t remember the last time I felt like this—thawed and vulnerable and exposed and wanting too much, my heart straining at maximum capacity. I can’t remember the last time I cried like this either. Not out of anger, or humiliation, or frustration, but because of an unidentifiable ache deep in my chest.”

“When you care about someone, you want to be inconvenienced—you wouldn’t mind being inconvenienced by them every day for the rest of your life. That’s what love is. That’s all love really is.”

Mingri sighs, loud and heavy, and asks, “Do you think it’d be too crass if I also mentioned how much I like his ass?”

I blink. “Um . . .” This time, I have nowhere to look but at Caz. But he’s looking elsewhere, seemingly lost in thought. “Um . . . no. That—if that’s how you truly feel—”

“Then yeah, go for it.” I clear my throat. “Write from the heart.”

“If Mingri’s gaze is stunned, Caz’s gaze is scorching. Searching. He’s leaned forward in his seat, and the tender look on his face isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. Then his lips part slightly, as if to speak—”

my god, ann liang, thank you for choosing to write, i am in absolute awe of you.

And you probably didn’t mean to fall for him. At all. You probably had a plan, precautions in place. Maybe you were at peace with your loneliness, but then he sort of barged into your life, uninvited, and you’ve been reeling ever since, angry at yourself. At him. Now all you can do is sit around and think, like a fool, about the pale, moonlit curve of his neck and measure out potential losses and the weight of his words and prepare remedies in advance for what you’re certain will be the most devastating sort of heartbreak. But you continue to like him anyway. Stubbornly. Deliberately. And you . . .

“But aren’t small things exactly what friendships are made up of? Frayed string bracelets and late-night texts and compilations of your favorite songs?”

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.

shiya

“Caz, I’d love to be inconvenienced by you. I wouldn’t mind being inconvenienced by you for the rest of my life.”

But this time, I’m not running away.”

“And you probably didn’t mean to fall for him. At all. You probably had a plan, precautions in place. Maybe you were at peace with your loneliness, but then he sort of barged into your life, uninvited, and you’ve been reeling ever since, angry at yourself.”

“I guess my point is that I do believe in love. Really. I’m just not convinced that kind of love could ever happen to me.”

“If someone asks me whether or not you have abs, do I say that you do?”

“I miss you even when you’re close to me…”

Emily Klo

Hope is not weakness. It's oxygen, a crack in the window, the pale slash of moonlight across a dusty room. 

Thinking of all those rooms I walked through at eight, ten, fourteen years old and all the people I met in them ... if maybe I left a piece of myself in them and took a piece of them with me too; isn't that what homes are made of? A collection of the things that shape you?

When you care about someone, you want to be inconvenienced—you wouldn't mind being inconvenienced by them every day for the rest of your life. That's what love is. That's all love really is.

As someone who changed school twice in my childhood, I deeply feel this. All I’ve been longing for since entering university was for all my old classmates, old friends, to greet me when we crossed paths and all. But nothing ever came, and sometimes I’m wondering whether I’m the only one remembering them as they walk past me without so much of a glance, I’m wondering if they ever even thought about reaching out, or just about me at all. They’re composing all my childhood memories, but maybe memories don’t need to be reciprocated.

Anyway, Ann Liang always hurts the little me trapped inside my chest. The love story was good too.

As someone who changed school twice in my childhood, I deeply feel this. All I’ve been longing for since entering university was for all my old classmates, old friends, to greet me when we crossed paths and all. But nothing ever came, and sometimes I’m wondering whether I’m the only one remembering them as they walk past me without so much of a glance, I’m wondering if they ever even thought about reaching out, or just about me at all. They’re composing all my childhood memories, but maybe memories don’t need to be reciprocated.

Anyway, Ann Liang always hurts the little me trapped inside my chest. The love story was good too.

this is my second book by ann liang i read and i was very satisfied. ann liang always write cute but reletable high school romances. loved it!

adela

I feel like there could’ve been more, explored more especially on her friendship with Zoe, her concerns about constantly moving. It was mentioned, yes, but I wanted more out of it. Ending fell short too. 

Ysabela

if I asked a 13/14 year old who is just discovering fan fiction websites to write me a book on what they think a relationship looks like, this is what they would have written...

there is no chemistry, no passion, no intensity, nothing is properly developed from their fake to real relationship, eliza's friendship with zoe, the parents being in the dark about her internship and sudden rise to fame...here and there is a cliche quote that is so obviously placed and it's very obvious this was written around tropes...very disappointing

logan lea

i adored this so cute so innocent literally straight out of a drama

Linta

I literally devoured this book.
ngl miss ann liang writes the best romance like what was this book. It was everything 

The fake dating trope was literally written so well. Caz Song was a freaking dream…

Eine romantisch-witzige Lovestory im Herzen von Peking

Winona

i love this book so much. ANN LIANG NEVER DISAPPOINTS. i loved the little bits and cameos of iycsts characters, it was so cute!!! eliza has a special place in my heart, i feel like she TRULY gets me. AND CAZ?????? oh god i love him. ANYWAY EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK *SCREAMS*

Winona Santiago

Ellie M.

For everyone who seeks comfort in the world of rom-com books, this is perfect for you. 

Ann Liang’s books feel like a breath of fresh air after a long and exhausting day. She easily manages to capture her readers’ attention and is able to convey the story of her characters through exquisite writing. Caz and Eliza brought back my love for rom-coms: confessing in the rain, motorcycle rides, and just the things in between that matter the most. As someone who’s moved around many times due to the nature of my parents’ jobs, I could easily understand how hard it is for Eliza to keep people. I’ve drifted apart from everyone I’ve considered friends growing up and felt isolated, and I ended up bringing those fears with me as an adult. This book gave me a fresh perspective on friendships and adulthood and it taught me a lot more than I expected. Caz’s character is just as beautifully-written, and I’ve met a lot of people like him who just need that little push to come through and I know that I also became him at one point in my life when I was struggling. This book perfectly captured the essence of finding your home, which at most times is not even a place but rather it’s a person that you can come home to. 

Now for the biggest question, when is it my turn to be happy?

the cutest couple, i can't believe this is the author's debut book I'M IN LOVEE WITH CAZ AND ELIZA

The fake dating will always do it for me! This was a really lovely read - I adored Eliza and Caz so much, and enjoyed the relationship development. The moments in which reality became blurred for them were so achingly sweet, I literally had to put the book down to breathe.

BOOK SLUMP? THIS IS A GOOD START TO GET OUT OF THAT PHASE! The books is easy to comprehend, and doesn't have MUCH drama. It's light and full of fluff! Had me giggling and squeeling into my pillow at 4am😩🤞🏼

4.5 bcs I kinda expected more. I wasn't contented w the ending🥹 but overall, everything was worth to read! 

Chalia Renea 

BOOK SLUMP? THIS IS A GOOD START TO GET OUT OF THAT PHASE! The books is easy to comprehend, and doesn't have MUCH drama. It's light and full of fluff! Had me giggling and squeeling into my pillow at 4am😩🤞🏼

4.5 bcs I kinda expected more. I wasn't contented w the ending🥹 but overall, everything was worth to read! 



perfect perfect perfect book, i love this with my entire being

Danyella Barajas

Malia

Whats with the universe somehow always bringing me the right books at the right time?

Isabella 

got me out of a slump! v light hearted and cute wish there was more tho

four — the number of times i cried over this book. 

comforted me in so many ways i didnt know i needed rn :( i love every word and every second i read this book /crying/

ann liang really has this writing technique that just gets u. 

turtle

comforted me in so many ways i didnt know i needed rn :( i love every word and every second i read this book /crying/

ann liang really has this writing technique that just gets u. 

twas cute !! i know this is a romance book but tbh just wish the book dove deeper into caz's relationship w his parents... i wldve loved to learn more about his background like . his dad did not appear once in this story

val 𝜗𝜚 

Julia Moran 

4/5
This is a perfect example of a book that could've been a 5-star if it had been just a little bit longer!!!
I LOVED every second of it, it was so so good BUT I feel like there were moments where the author could've added more substance and gone a bit more in-depth, I would've especially loved to see more of their "dates" and gotten to see a slower but steadier development of feelings. I also feel like the ending was kind of rushed, I think getting to read her final essay would've been awsome :(

“i hope you remember to miss me when all this is over.”

actually one of my fav fake dating stories now like eliza and caz got me

“i hope you remember to miss me when all this is over.”

actually one of my fav fake dating stories now like eliza and caz got me

"to be away" by ayi
"take a chance with me" by niki
"trust me" by sunkis

i rarely ever read just romance books,, with no like fantasy element to it or thriller or whatever but i liked if you could see the sun so much i decided to give this book a chance too! amazing, so good. read this in one sitting i was soooooooooooo hooked. yeah i enjoyed this a lotttt (but not more than iycsts)

This Time It's Real

Reviews

Highlights