The Trouble with Faking
Rachel Morgan
The Trouble with Faking
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Rachel Morgan
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
The sharp click of heels echoes down the hallway, mixing with whispered rumors that swirl like a storm around Andi and Damien. Suddenly, everyone thinks they're secretly a couple, and the buzz won’t stop. But when pretending to be together gets tangled with real feelings and tricky new crushes, everything feels a little too real—and a lot more complicated.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel explores themes of friendship, romance, and social dynamics within a high school setting. The story follows Andi and Damien as they navigate a fake relationship that leads to unexpected emotional challenges and interpersonal complexities. Suitable for teens, it contains typical social and romantic situations without explicit content.
Why we rated The Trouble with Faking 11LE
The Trouble with Faking is written at a Level 6 reading level across 248 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Trouble with Faking works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The Trouble with Faking as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, The Trouble with Faking explores romance, friendship, coming of age, interpersonal relations, and young adult fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about romance, friendship, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780992233990
- Pages
- 248
- Publisher
- Rachel Morgan
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction