Best Romance Books of 2023
95 Best New Romance Novels That'll Make You Swoon
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Ann Liang's YA romance "This Time It's Real" delivers a heartwarming fake-dating plot set at an elite boarding school in Beijing. The Westbridge International School is Eliza Lin's latest challenge to conquer. Considering she and her family rarely stay long enough at any place to make friends, lying on a homework assignment about a relationship doesn't seem like too big of a deal. But then her essay goes viral, and all eyes are on her for #relationshipgoals inspiration. With a dream magazine internship and her reputation on the line, Eliza enlists classmate and actor Caz Song into a "strategic, mutually beneficial, and romantically oriented alliance" to further their respective careers. Their scheme goes swimmingly until Eliza realises faking it isn't so easy when her partner is frustratingly wonderful. Getting real when she's always afraid of being left behind may be Eliza's greatest challenge yet.
Release date: Feb. 7