When 16-year-old Eliza Lin's personal essay about meeting the love of her life goes viral, she gets everything she's ever wanted: the approval of her new classmates, a rare internship opportunity at her favourite publisher, and a devoted online following who think her relationship is #couplegoals. The only problem? Eliza made the whole essay up. In fact, Eliza's never even been in a relationship before, let alone in love.

All good writing is lying, right? Desperate to cover up the truth, Eliza makes a deal with her classmate Caz: she'll help him write his college applications if he poses as her boyfriend. But Caz plays the role of boyfriend a bit too well... But Eliza's carefully crafted image begins to unravel as the relationship with Caz becomes more and more real.

Can she still follow her dreams if it means breaking her own heart?

'A total delight. Laugh out loud funny, sweet, and romantic, this is a sparkling gem of a book.'  Meg Cabot

'At once laugh-out-loud funny and taut with romantic tension, This Time It's Real is all the best parts of a fake dating romcom.' Adiba Jaigirdar