About the Book and Author
‘Indi Raye is Totally Faking It’ is a fantastic debut of a new teen series from author Lauren Layfield (Hachette).
It is really easy to relate to and fun to read. The book follows the life of 13-nearly-14 year-old Indi when she moves to Manchester with her mum after her parents divorce and her first school year there. She finds it hard to fit in and make new friends so feels the need to meddle with the truth to be accepted.
Lauren Layfield is a TV and radio presenter, hosting Capital’s Early Breakfast Show, regularly reporting for BBC The One Show and presenting the BBC coverage of Eurovision. Her career started at CBBC HQ where she also hosted some of their biggest entertainment shows including The Dengineers, The Playlist and The Dog Ate My Homework. She’s fronted ground-breaking documentaries Let’s Talk About Periods and Let’s Talk About Sexism and is an ambassador for the charities Young Minds and Bloody Good Period.
Book Review
I found that the book also provides an escape from the real world and it is a great holiday read!
I feel the challenges Indi encounters when moving to her new place are very close to reality and will be felt by many others her own age. She struggles to make friends and I wasn’t convinced that her method (making things up) was the best even though it made for an interesting read.
The 374 pages were quick and easy to read. They are split into 21 chapters which are introduced by snappy and attractive headlines summarising the section. I liked the diary-style format with dates, times, the addition of notepad copies and text messages. The constant use of slang and capital letters to stress some words or sentences make it fresh, fast paced and packed full of action.
I liked the moral of this story to stay true to yourself which at the beginning Indi finds it hard to. All she wants is to fit in and to be like the other girls, get a boyfriend and be fashionable. She hears and compares everyone’s amazing lives to hers which she feels doesn’t match so she starts to lie. As she can’t keep up the deception, she hurts her new friends but they forgive and accept Indi as she is.
The book comes with a sheet of stickers which are cool and you can either do what you wish with them or as it suggests, personalise your Indi Raye copy.
It took me only two days to finish Indi Raye is totally Faking It and I think it would interest other teen girls close in age to Indi as they face similar challenges and lives. I found that the book also provides an escape from the real world and it is a great holiday read!
I didn’t know the author Lauren Layfield but I really liked the way she wrote and I would love to read the follow up to this first outing. I wonder what Indi Raye will get up to as she moves to year 10 now that she seems more settled in her new life.
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Alternatively, we suggest that you visit your local library and request to borrow a copy from a friendly librarian.
Whichever you choose, we hope you enjoy being part of your unique reading community – happy reading everyone!
Reviewer Profile
- Name: Iona
- Age: 13 years
- Likes: reading, playing tennis and Zelda video games
- Dislikes: aubergines and getting up too early
- Favourite Book: the Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart
- Favourite Film: His Dark Materials
- Favourite Song: One by Ed Sheeran
