Sweetness Between Us
Sarah Winifred Searle
Sweetness Between Us
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Sarah Winifred Searle
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Perley has diabetes, and Amandine is a vampire turned younger than she expected—two very different struggles that bring them together. Their friendship sparks in the middle of junior year, but when their unusual bond leads to a blood-sipping romance, everything gets complicated. Can they find a new kind of normal before their worlds fall apart?
Quick Assessment
Sweetness Between Us is a YA graphic novel exploring themes of chronic illness and supernatural identity through the friendship and romance between Perley, a diabetic teen, and Amandine, a young vampire. It addresses medical challenges, family pressures, and the complexities of coping with change, suitable for readers aged 13 and up. Parents should note the story includes themes of illness management and mild fantasy violence related to vampirism.
Why we rated Sweetness Between Us 11IE
Sweetness Between Us is written at a Level 6 reading level across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Sweetness Between Us works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Sweetness Between Us as 11IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Sweetness Between Us explores friendship, coming of age, family, romance, and fantasy world-building — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11IE — Intense — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781250863188
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- First Second Books
- Published
- 2024
- Type
- Fiction