This was a terrific read. It was like Abbott Elementary with You’ve Got Mail mixed in. I also appreciated the portrayal of mental health issues with Lucy. I struggle with anxiety and self-worth, so it was nice having a main character go through the same things and still finding love.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

2.5 stars, really.

There were some really good things in this book: Georgia's character growth (or rather Lucy's around Georgia), Lucy and Fletchers repartee, the mental health representation, and all of the side characters were really fun!

Sadly... Lucy just wasn't it for me. She was whiny and super judgemental (despite the explataion we get later on, it turned me off immediately) and acted more like one of her students than a guidance couselor with a master's degree. Fletcher was a bit better, but his lack of real communication skills was infuriating. Normally, I'm all for a good spicy scene (which this one was), but it felt forced and out of character for both MCs. After their second base adventure on school grounds (red flag), I wasn't for them going any further on the page.

The third act breakup was also a mess. They'd had really good conversations up to that point and it would have taken two seconds to break the news that they're secretly online friends before jumping into bed (see above re: spicy scene) and then it wouldn't have had to be a huge blow up. I don't apply normal human logic to fictional characters, but even this was too much to be forgiven. Both MCs needs therapy. A lot of it. And to get their lives together before they can handle any sort of relationship.

All said, I would absolutely consider picking up the story of any of the side characters (the sisters, Nia, Brodie, even Georgia), but Lucy and Fletcher were not for me.

I enjoyed the story, the character development, the funny and clever romance. IT has a great amount of diversity and family complexity. One thing this story uses is social media to connect and communicate.
Topics Covered: self-discovery, acceptance, communication, the most important one is "being true to oneself"
Definitely a good beach read.
Thanks to Jessica Lepe, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this title.

Such a fun and unexpected read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

First off, I have never connected more to a character than I did with Lucy. It was very refreshing to read about a character who is going through so many similar struggles/worries. The connection between Fletcher and Lucy throughout the story, both through their DM messages and in person conversations, was so sweet to see as the story went on. I definitely enjoyed this book so much and cannot wait to see what other books she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own!

Voicey and big-hearted, FLIRTY LITTLE SECRET delivers compassionate mental health rep, classic rom-com joy, and touching emotional depth.

This was a lovely read! This is my first read with Jewish + Moroccan representation and I enjoyed every bit of the story as well as the characters. The author does a wonderful job of portraying Lucy who’s a strong confident woman online but is struggling with several mental health concerns in real life. Fletcher himself is dealing with family trauma but is the kindest gentleman and they make such a sweet pair. The side characters are hilarious and add color to the story on their own way. Absolutely loved the mental health representation and discussions which is a key element of the story. Even though I don’t have the same identity as the FMC, the identity crisis she’s having really hit home as a S. Asian in the U.S. Thank you for that Jessica! I also learned so much about the Jewish community and traditions for the first time through this book and loved it! I always enjoy learning about new cultures and adored the multi cultural aspects of the story. The chemistry between Lucy and Fletcher was wonderful and palpable through the story while some interactions were hilarious. Jessica wrote the first draft of this book while she was at an Intensive Outpatient Program and reading the author note made me tear up.

Author Jessica Lepe, beautifully done! I can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future. Read forever pub, many thanks for my e-ARC through NetGalley.

Thank you @netgalley , @readforeverpub & @authorjessicalepe for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. @thatsostelle recommended I read this one, and I’m so glad that she did! Being a school counselor who is also in the dating world, this one really hit home for me. I loved the MCs awkward moments (and could totally relate), and adored the relationships with her students and her love and encouragement towards them. It was so relatable, and I often found myself laughing out loud. This was such a cutie rom com that I highly recommend for all my rom com lovers!

This was a sweet romcom with You’ve Got Mail vibes. I’m a mental health counselor so I very much appreciated the mental health representation. Yes, this book is predictable but that’s exactly what I wanted when I read it.

A sweet, lovable novel filled with characters you root for; I couldn't ask for a better story. Lucy was such a deeply relatable character, one that was thought out and complex. Knowing now, that Lucy was based off of the authors journey, herself, makes me love the book on a whole other level. Even though the majority of the book was centered around Lucy and her complex mental health issues, I found it to be inspiring and comforting, and not miserable, like I've felt sometimes after reading a book that heavily follows a characters mental health struggles.
The relationship between Fletcher and Lucy is one of my favourites that I've read. I loved the idea that Lucy wasn't
'saved' or needing of a man to make her issues dissipate, but rather a partner that is supportive of her and helpful, without being condescending or judgemental. I loved Fletchers character and feel as though many readers will be able to relate to him, also. I love how Lucy's heritage and religion is explored and implemented into the main story of the book and not just mentioned once or twice in effort to make the book appear diverse. The companionship and journey these characters embark on is truly so heartwarming and couldn't recommend this book more.

*ARC Review*
At first I wasn't into the book. I was reading in hopes it would be more. I was pleased that it did become more. The best part of the book for me was the personal growth of Lucy, a high school guidance counselor that struggles with mental health disorders. While many parts of the story didn't make sense to me, I still enjoyed the outcome. I'm lost when it comes to all the religious terms and phrases. I love how it was included in the story, but as someone that doesn't know what most of that means, it would have been nice to have it explained some more. It has made me want to learn more about it. Thus story is a slow burn romance, but it wouldn't be a fairy tale without the heartbreak. Fletcher withheld things from people for his own personal gain, not thinking about the effects it could have on others or at a later time. However, knowing why Fletcher withheld information. I too can say, he's definitely not the only one. It's a common thing in every day life.

About 10% into the book, I noticed that Brodie was spelled two different ways, at one point.

Overview: Lucy Galindo is a high school guidance counselor responsible for the content behind the popular social media personality @TheMissGuidedCounselor; however, this is a secret that absolutely no one can find out about. She would lose all credibility, as Lucy in real-life is nothing like her polished and confident alter ego: she suffers from depression, ADHD, anxiety, AND has a tendency to cry at the drop of a hat. What Lucy doesn’t realize is that Aldrich Fletcher, the new history teacher who she has the hots for, knows her secret…

Thoughts: Trust me when I say that Jessica Lepe is an author that you need to keep an eye on! The first chapter of this book is GLORIOUS and one of the funniest I have read in a while. I have a tendency to gloss over a lot of opening chapters because they start off descriptive or slow, so I was pleasantly surprised by how fun this first chapter was. You get sucked into the hilarious meet-cute right off the bat, which is from Fletcher’s POV, not Lucy’s, interestingly enough. The situational comedy and the wacky characters meld so well together, and sets the tone for the rest of the book. The teacher dynamics at the school are reminiscent of Mean Girls. I liked the “grand gesture” at the end, primarily because it satisfyingly resolved multiple storylines and brought together various characters who you wouldn’t have expected to meet. My only complaint is that the dialogue veered on being a bit sappy at times, but it made sense considering Lucy’s nurturing personality and the nature of her relationship with Fletcher. I loved Lepe’s sense of humor (and her wacky characters), which reminds me of what you would see in Tessa Bailey’s books, but without the alpha males and dirty talk. This book was ripe with so many amazing side characters - I demand a follow-up book with Brodie and either Liv or one of Lucy’s sisters!!

Take home message:
“Flirty Little Secret” is an impressive debut novel by Jessica Lepe with an emphasis on the “com” in “romcom”! Perfect for those who like dual POV, workplace romances, open-door scenes that are just a tad spicy, and epic meet-cutes. Features a neurodivergent female main character as well as a hilarious/wacky and diverse cast of supporting characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC!

3.5 stars
Enjoyable and read it quite quickly. I liked the main characters and their relationship felt fairly believable. I felt side characters were made to seem really important in the beginning then barely mentioned again. The ex girlfriend plot was maybe unnecessary, like how could she possibly think she could get him back after cheating with his brother??

Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC,

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one. But I also don't regret reading it.

4 stars

I very much enjoyed this romance about a neurodivergent guidance, counselor, and the history teacher.. they were a few times, where the language just got a little overly flowery for my taste. I also was uncomfortable with the usage of the initials of a hate group in a frivolous manner. Nonetheless, I overall enjoyed the book, and would read others by this author. Considering that Lucy, the main character, has sisters., I’m guessing we’ll see more of the Galindo family!

Thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital arc in return for a honest review.

I really liked the idea of this book because I tend to enjoy reading co-worker romance stories. And I did like reading Flirty Little Secret, but I didn't love it as I thought I would. I thought the characters were nice. Lucy reminded me a lot of myself, where she feels like a mess most of the time even though she's quite accomplished. But despite this, I just didn't connect with her romance with Fletcher. The characters felt a little immature at times. Like how Fletcher's ex Gretchen (I think her name was) revealed to Lucy that Lucy was the reason that they didn't get along. It just felt like a very high-school teen interaction as opposed to a mature adult interaction. I still enjoyed reading the book though.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this, but it's a DNF. The opening chapters didn't grab me, it was over-expository and I immediately didn't believe that Lucy was a high school guidance counselor. I liked that the chapters alternated POVs but didn't like that they were in first person. I don't think there was enough difference in their narrative voices to pull that off.

I thought this was a fun, cute, quick read. I enjoyed the writing and the banter and the work setting and thought this book was definitely cute. It’s not a book that I think I’ll remember for a long time, but it was entertaining and I liked the romance overall. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters, but I also didn’t hate reading about them. Overall, a good read.

thank you for providing me with an arc. i think this was cute and funny but not something i loved. i felt it lacked something emotionally and i did not feel connected to the story.

I read this book in one sitting, and loved it. The best part of this book is the relationship Lucy has with her sisters and finding someone who understands her struggles and willing to stand by her.

This book made me laugh out loud and kept me wanting to read more.

I will be purchasing the book once in print.

Thank you for the opportunity to read arc.