We Used to Be Friends
Amy Spalding
We Used to Be Friends
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Amy Spalding
The text is written at a 7th 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
Friendships aren’t supposed to end, but what happens when your best friend becomes a stranger? James and Kat’s story flips back and forth through time, showing the moments that made them inseparable—and the ones that tore them apart. Can they find their way back, or is growing up meant to pull friends apart forever?
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel explores the complexities of teenage friendship, love, and family changes through dual timelines. Suitable for ages 13 and up, it candidly addresses themes of friendship dissolution, first love, and parental divorce, offering an honest look at emotional growth during high school. Parents should note the mature themes around relationships and family dynamics, handled with sensitivity.
Why we rated We Used to Be Friends 12IE
We Used to Be Friends is written at a Level 7 reading level across 325 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, We Used to Be Friends works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate We Used to Be Friends as 12IE ("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, social complexity, 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, We Used to Be Friends explores friendship, coming of age, family, romance, and social justice — 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
12IE — 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
- 9781683356455
- Pages
- 325
- Publisher
- Abrams
- Published
- 2020
- Type
- Fiction