Lucy is a guidance counselor and also runs a helpful counselor Instagram page. She unknowingly has befriended a new coworker online and in real life named Fletcher. As Lucy and Fletcher get closer in real life, they must figure out how to balance their work relationship, romance, mental health, and familial obligations.

I really enjoyed this debut! A few things in particular stood out to me, such as the neurodivergence representation, Jewish representation, and multicultural FMC (Mexican and Moroccan). I loved the candid discussion and realistic portrayal of these things. I also loved the similarity to one of my favorite comfort movies as a modernized version of You’ve Got Mail. As a teacher, I also appreciated the main characters both being in education and demonstrating some of the difficulties faced by those in the profession. This is a unique and fun debut that I’d recommend to romance lovers!

Thank you to Jessica Lepe, Forever publishing, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Flirty Little Secrets! I started this book not sure of how I’d feel about the “secret” as I usually don’t love the “misunderstanding trope” but the author really handled it in a way that made it absolutely feel integral to the story. The characters and situations are extremely well written also, so the decisions they make and their behaviors are believable and heart felt. Lucy is a guidance counselor who deals with anxiety and has a secret online presence giving advice and Fletcher is a teacher who unknowingly has connected with Lucy online. The anxiety that Lucy has is written in an extremely sensitive and believable manner. The way that Fletcher interacts with Lucy when she’s anxious is so sweet! Lucy’s Sephardic Jewish family is great and supportive if not a bit overbearing. And it was so nice to see this Jewish representation in a romance! Fletchers family situation is complicated and he leans on Lucy in dealing with them. The background of the school with all the situations that arise there is very well done also. As a teacher, I’ve read books where this isn’t always so. But the author really does write about school situations in an extremely believable way. Lucy and Fletcher’s love story is a slow burn and they have some bumps along the way but absolutely combustible when they do get together! Now I’m hoping for Julieta, Amira and Liv’s stories too!

A sweet romance that had me hooked from the start! I can sense that this will undoubtedly earn another well-deserved 5-star rating for Jessica Lepe.

I have a feeling I’m going to struggle putting my thoughts about Flirty Little Secret into words.

First, let me just get this out of the way: if you’re reading this for the romance, you won’t find much of it here. There’s one intense makeout session and one bedroom scene, but that’s it. 1/5 🌶️ for me.

That being said, I’m still giving this book five stars. Even if it wasn’t what I thought going in to it, I loved it. This book is so much more than a romance. Truly, it’s about Lucy’s journey to self-acceptance, then love, while struggling with anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Her particular cocktail of mental illnesses is my exact diagnosis, and I felt it so much in this book. Perhaps that is why I couldn’t focus as much on the romance, since I was busy relating to ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING Lucy was experiencing. Seriously, from the paralysis that occurs when faced with mundane tasks, to the overwhelming anxiety when faced with parallel parking, I completely understood. The author 100% nailed it with her depiction of the trifecta that is anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Bravo to the author for bringing it to life on the pages of Flirty Little Secret.

Next, as a recovering New Englander, I could also 100% relate to Fletcher. Avoiding conflict and stuffing feelings way down deep where they belong (🤣) is truly accurate. I could feel Fletcher’s emotions every time he had a confrontation with Georgia, or made decisions based on the path of least resistance. Honestly, I’m so impressed with Jessica Lepe for the depth of her characters.

I think Ms. Lepe also has a goldmine to pull from for later books in Lucy’s siblings and possibly Fletcher’s sister, plus Nia and Georgia! I loved the family dynamics of BOTH families, even though Fletcher’s family wouldn’t be considered a big, happy family. I liked his family because they were real, while Lucy’s felt more fictional for the purpose of bolstering Lucy.

Never in my life have I felt the urge to reach out to an author just to tell them how much I felt seen by a book, but I am considering just that. Really, just well, well done. Thank you, Ms. Lepe, for accurately depicting what it is like to be neurodivergent in a world that isn’t quite as understanding as we would like. Yet. If authors wrote more books like this, I think it would go a long way toward neurodivergent acceptance in the future.

I received an advance review copy of Flirty Little Secret for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF. There were a few reasons why I decided not to finish Flirty Little Secret. I didn't really care for the main characters. I also struggled with the circumstances and pacing of the book. It was very unbelievable to me that Fletcher struggled navigating the school on his first day. Did he not attend any trainings/orientations before the school year started? Thank you Forever for the ARC.

I got an E-Arc from the publisher:Forever and Netgalley which made me excited to read. Thank you! It took me a few days to read this because I was alternating between this and another book. So many books, very little time right???

Isn’t the cover super cool??

Let’s get into it! This book shows a range of emotions and real truth. I loved how the author wrote about anxiety, ADHD, coping, effects of medicine, worries of what if I’m not good enough and so much more…all these emotions and thoughts are real. I have never read a book like this before. Some of the topics hit close to home to me which I could identify with in Lucy.

I loved the communication in this story meaning that the characters were taking the time to listen and confirm what others feel. It was great! These topics are not easy to cover.

The families were awesome. I loved how caring and over-worrying Lucy’s family was. It showed you that range again! It showed how her family cares. Her one sister is hilarious!

Fetcher’s family is a bit different story but it was nice to see how a family copes during the drama and hurt. Sometimes it is hard to take that first step. I loved how Fetcher was feeling all the feels. It was good to see a male character trying to cope too.

The texting between the two main characters in the book was fun to see. It was one of my favorite things to see! (I love books that have email or texting or posting back and forth between characters!)

I will say the spicy part was nice in all the ways along with the kindness and the communication during this.

This is a must read!! I definitely would recommend readers to get it. If the topics up above that I mention trigger you then maybe not get it but I liked the realness of this story. The author did fantastic! I’m looking to see what’s next from her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy finding new authors who "speak to me" in new ways. This book is the perfect example of that and I'm so glad I happened upon this book on NetGalley.

I appreciated the care she took in writing this book about a character, Lucy, who has mental health issues. Lucy is all of us at some point in our lives and I loved that I could empathize with her character. That said, her characters humor is OFF THE CHARTS!!! I literally choked on my own spit and had the bed vibrating, I was laughing so hard at times.

And dear, Fletcher. He tries so hard and is so misguided in his attempts to please everyone. I love him so much!!

This book was great and I hope you'll give it a read when it comes out!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early, I loved it. It had me laughing. Watching them fall in love was sweet, I suffer from anxiety and depression also and I can relate to Lucy’s struggles. It’s always nice to see it represented for other people. I’d definitely recommend!

While I can absolutely appreciate the work and dedication that went into writing this book... I regret to say it just wasn't for me. I found myself skimming through a lot of the dialogue while questioning some of the characters' life decisions. I am all for representation and mental health advocacy, but Lucy's depression and anxiety did not seem to be managed in a healthy way. Her life was disrupted and she suffered physical and emotional symptoms as a result. If I were her therapist, I would be questioning her medication regiment, her coping skills, and her self-care - while heavily encouraging intensive therapy. And for the life of me I couldn't figure out if "Fletcher" was a first name or a last name! Finally, I understand the premise behind Lucy wanting to connect with her students, but she seemed to cross some pretty significant ethical boundaries in doing so...
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I grabbed this book when I saw it as a “read now” option. I love the online secret identity trope. I love the tension and watching them eventually figure it out!
I thought this book was really cute and actually pretty funny. I loved watching their relationship grow both as coworkers and online.

I liked Lucy’s character a lot and really related to her. Her struggles with ADHD, depression and anxiety felt realistic and was done really well.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it felt a little wordy at times. Some descriptions and things could have definitely been shortened up a bit.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book! The second half fell a bit flat, but I’d still recommend it to romance readers!

This book surprised me in the best possible way- it is much more than it appears to be.The characters are perfectly real with real-life mixes of anxiety, depression, doubts and insecurities. They have been through real world struggles and continue to do so here. And their story is told with sweetness and humor and grace. And they were supported and cheered on by some truly loving (and loveable) supporting characters. I really cared about these people and loved watching them find their way to a happy ending.

Flirty Little Secret is a romance akin to You’ve Got Mail. Lucy and Fletcher have just met as he starts working at her school, but unbeknownst to either of them they met long ago on Instagram and are already close friends. As they get to know each other in real life, feelings develop, but obstacles like mental health and past relationships threaten to get in the way….and how will they react once they learn they’ve known each other all along?

First of all, I hate to refer to mental health as an obstacle, when taking care of oneself is a necessity. But what I love about FLS is that the mental health is openly discussed. Instead of treating Lucy’s ADHD, depression, and anxiety as character flaws or quirks, even when it’s hard for her, Lucy is open about how she is feeling overwhelmed and the effect it has on her emotions.

The rest of the story is cute, but would honestly earn a 3 star or a DNF if the mental health aspect hadn’t been prevalent. There’s a lot of exposition compared to real time action. I do believe in the love story, but I also wish I had seen more of it rather than backstory on the characters and their families.

I would recommend this book to people who love romances, Shop Around the Corner stories, and may have some neurodivergence themselves!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn in by the You've Got Mail comparison and stayed for the loveable characters. I saw a lot of myself in Lucy and enjoyed seeing how she and Fletcher grew as friends and as a couple.

This book had my laughing out loud and I couldn't put it down. While there were plenty of funny bits, the author handled the difficult issues in a believable way and I feel it was done well.

I will certainly be on the lookout for more books by this author in the future!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the advanced review copy

2024 is probably going to be the year of the dnf…there is just not enough time to read books that I am not enjoying. I made it to about 40% of this one. I THINK it is loosely “Glee” fanfic, with a high school guidance counselor with anxiety and the teacher who had feelings for her. Fortunately, there is no singing in involved but there are borderline inappropriate student interactions and talk about “influencers.” I think I’m just too old for this book.

I think this was a solid debut novel. It includes two characters who are imperfect but together complementary. I am a social worker myself, so I found a lot of the parts in relation to therapy realistic, as well as the doubt that comes within this role as someone who also has my own mental illness I am in treatment for. The friendship between the two main characters was slightly more believable than the romance. However, by the end of the novel I was able into buy into their relationship. I like the addition of complex family dynamics. It definitely added a layer to the storytelling and helped move along the storyline. I found parts of this to be predictable, but I also don’t think that it all together a horrible thing. It was good to have a book that I knew was going to be an almost for sure have a happily ever after.


4/5

This may not be an absolutely perfect book, but it was absolutely the perfect book for me at the moment. I desperately needed to feel seen and understood and this book gave me that. I often struggle with anxiety and depression and just feeling like I am too much for people. It was kind of refreshing to read about a character that felt like me. There were two relatively spicy scenes and they were fun to read. I love these characters. My complaints are actually mostly about the side characters. Brodie and Georgia and Liv and Mom and Dad all had a lot of random information given to us about them, but it felt like a strange mix of too much and not enough. I also wish there was more time for the love between Fletcher and Lucy to develop. It kinda went zero to 60. Otherwise, I loved it.

This book features some really well drawn characters with diverse and interesting backgrounds. I especially enjoyed the representation for mental health issues like ADHD (the scene where the FMC’s shower breaks right before her big date because she’s been ignoring the problem definitely felt too real). The side characters like the FMC’s sisters and the other teachers at the school were also all really dynamic. The love story was solid, and the HEA felt earned. What kept this from being a perfect book, for me, was that some of the side plots would be put down for long periods of time, only to be picked up seemingly randomly, and others weren’t picked up at all, leaving me slightly confused by points at times. However, this is definitely a matter of personal taste and individual reader experience may vary. Overall, a solid debut.

3.5⭐️

You’ve Got Mail vibes with a meet disaster? Say less! I truly loved this premise of two teachers developing a friendship online and bonding over their shared experiences, fears, and hopes, while unknowingly working a matter of feet away from each other in the same school. Lucy and Fletcher were so easy to love, relate to, and ultimately root for their happily ever after.

The mental health rep was unparalleled - the normalization of conversations with friends and family about panic attacks, anxiety, depression, ADHD, therapy, and medication were so authentic and vulnerable, and honestly refreshing to see on page. There were so many times when Lucy would talk about living with ADHD that I felt so seen and truly grateful that Lepe held space for this discussion. These characters were more than their diagnoses and I loved Lucy’s journey of loving herself and embracing that she was enough and made the world a brighter place. And Fletcher - while he didn’t personally understand what it was like for Lucy, he never dismissed her concerns, but rather always listened, met her where she was at, and took the opportunity to learn how he could best support her.

I adored the side characters and would love to see Julieta, Amira, and Nia (maybe even Brodie) get their own stories. It’s also such a beautiful thing when an author can take an initially unlikable character and flip the script for readers to pause and recognize their own preconceived notions and judgment. I really appreciated how Lepe did this with Georgia’s character and loved how she left space for Georgia and Lucy to connect and a friendship to blossom.

While there was so much I enjoyed, the third act breakup was rather irksome. Given their anonymous online identities, the reader knew there would eventually be a moment when the MCs discovered their ‘secret identities’ but I was really hoping there wouldn’t be a major conflict. I personally felt Lucy and Fletcher communicated well, sometimes venturing into oversharing, but the point being, they actually talked. Lucy was upfront about her anxieties, concerns, and family and Fletcher was too. The problem I had was that this third act breakup that was rooted miscommunication and felt like an unnecessary speed bump. While I think it gave Lucy and Fletcher the space to for individual reflection, I wish it had been avoided.

Third act breakup aside, I liked the side characters, the supportive friends and family that rallied around and embraced Lucy and Fletcher, the mental health rep, the You’ve Got Mail Vibes, and the meet-disaster. While Flirty Little Secret was a fun story with cutesy cover, it has such beautiful emotional depth, relatable moments, and thoughtful conversations. I am looking forward to what Lepe writes next!

Anonymous besties online and crushes/dating irl trope, this one was a very sweet / healing read. I loved the banter between the MCs! There's also huge anxiety/depression rep on page!

TWs - panic attacks/anxiety/depression on page, sexual assault of a minor (a student is tricked by an older guy into meeting him and he tries to kiss her, at which point she escapes from him and is eventually rescued by a teacher she knows), cheating (secondary character)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!