This contemporary romance with a strong focus on mental health was a delightful new take on the modern romance. Told through the alternating first person points of view of Lucy and Fletcher we learn about Lucy's hidden anxiety and depression while she puts on a happy face as the school's guidance counselor and why Fletcher left his job at a fancy private school to work at a public school. As these characters get to know each other we see a strong bond form with acceptance of each others hardships in life. Lucy's supportive family is refreshing to see and you can tell they love her and support her no matter what she is going through.
The twist in the story is that Fletcher is withholding information from Lucy about his identity. It sometimes feels like an unnecessary part of the story because I think they would be drawn to each other without forcing Fletcher to deceive Lucy about their online relationship. But in the end I can see how it works into the story and leaves the reader with a grand gesture and a wonderful ending.
I am grateful for the opportunity to read a complimentary digital copy of this charming book from Forever Publishing by way of Netgalley. All of the opinions in this review are my own.

Flirty Little Secret is great for fans of…
🩷 Teachers
🩷 Forced Proximity
🩷 Hidden Identity
🩷 Mental Health Representation (ADHD, Anxiety & Depression)

As someone with ADHD & anxiety, I am always grateful for mental health representation. I think it was done very well. I appreciate seeing more mental health in books in general, but especially in romances.

I did struggle a bit to fully get lost in this story for some reason. I can’t pinpoint exactly why. I think the characters were both lovely, but I am not a big fan of the miscommunication or lack of communication with the secrets. So I think that is on me for not loving the setup/trope.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Forever for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC! This was such a fun romcom with excellent mental health representation. I loved the dual POVs and the cultural representation and importance throughout the story. This one had me giggling and kicking my feet - while simultaneously relating so hard to having clinical depression. I absolutely loved it!

This book was just ok! A quick read and loved the mental health rep. I could do without the social media/online stuff in books, just not for me!

"Flirty Little Secret" by Jessica Lepe brings humor and heartfelt exploration of mental health through Lucy and Fletcher's evolving relationship. Their journey is relatable and satisfying, making this book a delightful read.

The story is by a new-to-me author and the cover is very cute, so I decided to give this a try and was very pleasantly surprised. It was a delightfully charming read with a lot of heart. Lucy Galindo is leading a double life. To all that know her, she is a shy and sweet high school guidance counselor who is good at her job. What they don't know is that she suffers from anxiety and depression and that she writes an online column using a secret identity. She is bold when she is online and not afraid to speak her mind and has become popular giving advice to others. Fletcher is a new teacher at the high school and is intrigued by Lucy and develops a major crush on her. But he always seems to be at his worst around her. He reaches out to Lucy's online persona for advice. As Fletcher and Lucy become closer, it turns out that Lucy is not the only one hiding a secret.
I appreciated the mental health representation. It seems to be popping up more now in mainstream novels and that definitely helps provide more awareness, which is much needed. Unfortunately, I didn't feel a strong connection between Lucy and Fletcher, so the flow between them didn't seem as natural. That said, I think that overall this was a good debut novel and I am eager to see what the author comes up with next.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

this book was so freaking cute and I love it so much, god im so happy I go this arc because it was just so amazingly cute ! god I can't stop thinking about them

Through dual POVs, we follow Lucy and Fletcher through their online friendship and in person flirting. Lucy has a lot of issues including anxiety and depression. I love that these topics are tackled in book but do wish they claim across a little less in your face and a little more part of a regular life.

I thought the two made a cute pair and rooted for them through the book waiting for their online friendship to come to light.

There is an awkward meet cute which I should warn you uses many words for a man's crotch. I liked the online messages and the support they gave each other.

This was a cute little retelling(ish) of you've got mail. I absolutely loved the cover - one of the cutest of the year. This had some good mental health rep in it. I liked their relationship. The pacing felt a little slow at times to me and I just found myself not quite a engrossed as I am in other romances.

This book was really very cute. The banter was great and the characters are likeable.

Will definitely read more from this author.

Unfortunately this book was a dnf. I enjoyed the two povs and the discussion regarding mental health. I also enjoyed the discussion done via social media. What I didn't like wad the romance itself. It felt very much insta love.

This was a great anonymous online friends-to-lovers romance. Lucy is a guidance counselor at the high school where Aldrich is now teaching. Their first real-life encounter is awkward as she spills her hot tea on his lap. Aldrich is intrigued by Lucy but doesn't even imagine that she could be his online friend @TheMissGuidedCounselor. Lucy is beyond embarrassed, and her ADHD and anxiety don't help. Eventually, it's revealed to both that they are each other's online friends; Lucy takes it hard since it means Aldrich is lying to her. They make up, and all ends well. It's an interesting read since it gives insight into how people with ADHD and anxiety think and has some lessons on self-worth and self-doubt.

Flirty Little Secret is, as the title suggests, a fun and cheerful romantic comedy, yet it still manages to tackle some serious subjects while on the way to a happy ending.

As an online presence @TheMissGuidedCounselor, Lucy Galindo is able to channel all of the things she wishes she could be in person – confident, sociable, and with everything well in hand. The reality is different though, as Lucy struggles with chronic depression and anxiety while doing her best in her job as a guidance counsellor at a local school. Online she’s made some friendships, including user @BravesGuy93, with whom she’s formed a connection. In reality, she’s the professional who just managed to assault new history teacher Aldritch Fletcher’s privates with a cup of coffee in the cafeteria on the first day of school. Mortified, Lucy flees to her private hiding space to confide in her best friend, teacher Nia, leaving Fletcher to figure out how to turn his day around. Fortunately he’s rescued by gym teacher Brodie (who soon becomes a good friend) and things improve.

Fletcher used to teach at a private school but left to help take care of his mother when his father abruptly left her for his (now pregnant) secretary. Teaching at a public school will be a new experience for sure, but already the staff have welcomed him, minor incident with Lucy notwithstanding. There is one glitch; his ex-girlfriend Georgia (who cheated on him with his brother) is also a teacher at the school. With all the drama in his life past and present, one thing he can count on is his online friendship as @BravesGuy93 with @TheMissGuidedCounselor.

Despite their inauspicious start, Lucy and Fletcher soon get to have normal school interactions and gradually develop a friendship that turns into a relationship. They both have insecurities and faults but sharing these things draws them closer. Until one day Fletcher realizes that the coincidences of Lucy’s life and the things he knows about @TheMissGuidedCounselor are too many and he now knows her secret identity. But how long will he maintain the secret, and will it damage what he and Lucy have built in person when she also discovers the truth?

I enjoyed how this story played out. We learn lots about Lucy and Fletcher, both from their online conversations and their in-person interactions. Fletcher’s family is definitely a trial for him as he navigates trying to help his mother stand on her own two feet after his father’s betrayal, and dealing with Georgia again brings up the pain and heartbreak he’s never really dealt with. Conversely, Lucy is very close with her family, sharing Shabbat dinners together every week and working part time at her family’s restaurant. Her Mexican and Sephardic Moroccan Jewish background (the fusion of which is their restaurant’s cuisine) make for lively family discussions and delicious food. They are very supportive of her over her mental health problems but Lucy still feels like the odd one out, and sometimes has trouble determining how to fit in with the different parts of her background.

As Lucy and Fletcher get closer, their relationship becomes intimate and we get some sexy scenes. Fletcher is clearly enamoured with Lucy, but also has the guilty secret that he knows who she is online – and since Lucy hasn’t told him about that, he doesn’t know how to approach telling her. Naturally, things come to a head at the worst possible time, and Fletcher has to make up for his big mistake with a grovel that is super sweet and gives Lucy the happy ending she deserves. As a début story, the author tackles a lot of subjects but represents her own mental health challenges in Lucy’s persona. Overall Flirty Little Secret was a very entertaining story with interesting characters and a sweet romance both on and off line. It does get a bit overwhelming sometimes with all of the drama going on (including with an after school club that Lucy runs) which is what keeps this story out of DIK territory but I hope there will be stories about Lucy’s sisters (and her best friend Nia) to come.

First of all, I LOVE the teacher rep here! And the ADHD and anxiety representation. I struggle with both and my partner is also a teacher who struggles with ADHD and I saw some of him in Lucy.

I loved Fletcher and Lucy here and I enjoyed their love story. The writing was great and I liked how they had a blossoming romance online and in person. I also appreciate how the characters were definitely written like they were actually 30. I would know since I’m also 30 hahah

I thought this was a well done debut and I’m excited to read the author’s next novel!

I loved this book! The dual POV and dms mixed in worked very well. Lucy's mental health situation felt realistic. I also loved the representation! Can't wait to read more from Lepe.

Such a cute (anonymous) online friends to lovers! Fletcher finds a friend in the anonymous TheMissGuidedCounselor and soon finds himself working with her in person and she's beautiful! How does he tell her that he knows who she is online without destroying her fragile shell? Loved the personalized grand gesture!

Thank you Forever Publishing for allowing me to review the ARC. We love a good romance in the office and man.... this was it! I love it. the spunkiness, whityness, and banter was so cute. I loved this!

This is a slow burn romance. It was an awkward first meeting. It was really well written. The romance between Lucy and Fletcher was really cute, I really enjoyed it. This is a standalone romance novel. Online Lucy is really popular and a relationship guru but in reality her life is a mess. Fletcher gets advice from Lucy online and doesn't realize its her. It was really good.

I enjoyed the mental health representation -- especially the ADHD rep -- but the romance didn't feel authentic.

It was very cute I just think it was missing something. But I also think the story wasn’t for me I’ll have to come back and read it at a different time