Description
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.
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 careerlaunching internship opportunity at her favourite 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?
Review
Eliza has moved around her entire life. After her family’s most recent move, she is now attending Westbridge International School of Beijing, the latest in a long line of schools. Eliza has got the whole new school thing down to a routine – put your head down, don’t stand out, and find somewhere to eat lunch alone.
When the school tasks them with writing a personal essay to be posted on the school website, Eliza’s plans to share nothing with her classmates face a hurdle. Knowing the last thing she wants to do is write something real about herself, Eliza decides to turn her personal essay into a tale of her wonderful - and entirely imaginary - boyfriend and how they fell in love.
The only problem is somehow her essay goes viral. Really viral. And now half the planet knows about her imaginary romance. So when she’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime – an internship at her favourite magazine and the chance have a series of her personal essays published – Eliza has to figure out a way to make her fictional boyfriend real, and fast!
Enter Caz Song, her famous actor classmate, who is struggling with a small PR issue of his own. He couldn’t possibly turn down a Strategic, Mutually Beneficial and Romantically Oriented Alliance to Help Further Our Respective Careers, especially one that comes complete with a PowerPoint presentation, could he?
With Caz on board as her pretend boyfriend, and their agreement to publicly conduct their faux-romance for six months well underway, it looks like Eliza might just get away her big lie. But six months is a long time to keep up appearances. And it’s even harder if Eliza’s feelings might no longer be quite so pretend…
This is a hilarious and sweet romance that explores fitting in, standing out, the meaning of home, the power of hope, and learning to show your true self to others. As funny and entertaining as the very best rom-coms, I really hope this is turned into a movie one day. This will be loved by teen readers aged 14 and above, especially those who enjoy a good rom-com!
Reviewed by Kate
