This was a cute story. The concept of being online pen pals and new co-workers in real life is what drew me to want to read the book.

For me though, it just fell a little short of what I was expecting. I liked Lucy and Fletcher’s characters. They were well written as was their chemistry. The storyline itself is where Flirty Little Secret fall short for me. I still enjoyed it and I can see this being some reads favorite of the year or at least in their top reads of the year.

Flirty Little Secret had all the makings of a delightful, modern You’ve Got Mail-style romance, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I was excited about the premise of an anonymous online connection blossoming into real-life love, the execution fell flat. The relationship between Lucy and Fletcher felt rushed and unconvincing, with sudden declarations of love that seemed out of place given their limited interactions. Lucy herself was difficult to connect with; her immature and self-centered inner monologue made her a frustrating character, despite the author’s attempt to ground her flaws in her struggles with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. The portrayal of her mental health issues relied too heavily on telling rather than showing, preventing the reader from fully understanding or empathizing with her experiences. The poorly named “Konfident Kids Klub” also struck a sour note, as it seemed an unnecessarily uncomfortable punchline that added nothing to the story. On the positive side, the Jewish representation, particularly the scenes depicting Shabbat dinner, was a highlight, and I appreciated the cultural depth those moments brought. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC.

As much as I tried, I just really could not get into this book. I think it was a little too cheeky and try hard for me personally? The tone and conversations were off but I loved the concept and was at first very excited for it!

I have to admit this was a DNF...an early DNF.

I couldn't get past the cringe. I felt secondhand embarrassment and it was physically painful. Sorry y'all, I couldn't do it.

Realistic love story with realistic characters facing mental health issues and family drama. I did really like the main characters and the side characters added much need comic relief to a plot that was very heavy at times. This one really pulled at your heart with the issues the main characters faced alone and together.

I wish I enjoyed this book more. Unfortunately, it was as struggle for me from the first chapter. It felt just a tad too immature in a way that didn't work for me as comedic and didn't engage me going forward. I think the author's writing style is for me. I've tried to come back to it with some more time and it's still not working for me the way I wanted it to! However, I liked the concept of the book overall and I still think it'd be a wonderful read for those who really enjoy social media as a plot vehicle!

Thank you so much Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read and review!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was only ok for me but that's partly my fault - school setting books are not usually my jam. That being said, I liked the epistolary aspect and the versions of the FMC we got to see. The MMC didn't do much for me. I also thought the mental health rep was pretty well done, but I don't have anxiety so I would defer to reviewers who do.

This is a charming debut, romantic comedy featuring friends to lovers with great mental health representation. The You’ve Got mail vibes were fun as I always love epistolary type elements within a romance.

This was cute but also dealt with real life issues people can relate to, hello anxiety.

I really enjoyed getting the perspective of Lucy as her online identity vs Lucy the guidance counselor. She was much more confident hidden online as most people are. The way her online and in person story unfolded with Fletcher was fun to watch. I also loved reading from Fletchers view point.

I really tried to enjoy this but the writing wasn't for me. Within the first few pages, Fletcher refers to his private area as a 'peacock' and when seeing Lucy for the first time, he's immediately thinking of running his hands DOWN HER FACE to test his 'soft skin theory.' I have nothing against being attracted to someone you just saw for the first time but that just creeped me out! The uncomfortable vibes just continued throughout and ultimately soured my opinion of the book. I'm disappointed because I was really excited to read this and I ADORE the epistolary trope but I just couldn't get into it.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital copy!

I really wanted to love this one but I did not. The characters were a no from me and it just felt like multiple red flags were there. I also was a little bored and DNFed at 50%.

I started this one and couldn't get into it, and I wasn't sure if I believed their feelings for each other given the little interaction they had.

Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe is a rom com full of heart. It was a fun read but with depth too.

Someone said it had Abbott Elementary vibes and that totally sold me on it. And, actually, I had a hard time for a while visualizing the characters in my head NOT as the couple from Abbott.

In Flirty Little Secret, the two MCs have a disastrous meet cute on the first day of school as teacher and school counselor. But unbeknownst to them, they’ve actually been communicating anonymously online for more than a year. I liked the premise and it was executed well, except I actually wanted a little bit more drama from it after one person realized the hidden identity and the other one hadn’t yet.

I also liked the representation in this book, with mental health and anxiety dealt with sensitively. The author wrote from her own Mexican and Moroccan Jewish heritage and I found her family in the book so wholesome.

Overall, a great romance read!

This book is absolute perfection & I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it!

I loved everything about this! The writing, the characters, the school setting! It was everything I could’ve hoped for & more!

Lucy is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time, & I saw a lot of myself in her day to day. There were times I felt like I was reading about myself & had to do a double take 🥰💕 And Fletcher just gets it! He understands her & doesn’t even think about trying to change her. I loved all of their interactions & wish I could give them both a big hug 🤗

I wish everyone would read this book! And you know it’ll hold a special place in my heart 💕❤️

What to expect:
✨dual POV
✨high school guidance councelor & history teacher
✨friends to lovers
✨secret identities
✨forced proximity
✨caretaking
✨fun/meddling siblings
✨rep (anxiety, depression, ADHD, Jewish, Latinx FMC)
✨he falls first
✨and so much more!

If you haven’t read this yet, you should add it to your list! I cannot recommend it enough 🥰💕

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! I had a fun time reading this book, and while it wasn't perfect, I enjoyed following Lucy and Fletcher as they fell for each other. I also liked the representation and mental health discussions. Generally, I'm a big fan of You've Got Mail-esque stories where people fall in love through secret online identities as well as in-person, and if you're also a fan of that trope, I'd definitely suggest checking this out.

Title: Flirty Little Secret
Author: Jessica Lepe
Length: 320 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: March 19, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Lucy Galindo, a shy school counselor, is secretly the confident and popular @TheMissGuidedCounselor online, hiding her identity due to anxiety. Aldrich Fletcher, a history teacher, seeks advice from the same online persona while dealing with his complicated personal life. When Fletcher discovers Lucy's secret, both must face their feelings and decide if they can trust each other enough to reveal their true selves.

Thoughts:
I really wanted to love this book, but it was just meh. My favorite part about this book was how similar Lucy’s anxiety and depression manifests to how mine manifests. It was almost exactly spot on. It’s always nice to know you’re not the only one, and I do very much appreciate that. Other than that, I didn’t connect with the characters or their love story. I think it would be a nice audiobook to have on in the background, but there was just nothing that kept me wanting to keep reading it. In fact, I wanted to skip the whole third act breakup because it was so predictable and immature. The blurb for this book says it’s for fans of Lynn Painter, but Lynn has much more witty banter. I wouldn’t NOT recommend this book, but I also would recommend so many other books before I would recommend this one.

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was so much fun! I had a bit of a difficult time connecting to Fletcher, personally, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars, but I love how he treated Lucy. She has a few different mental illnesses, and it really comes out to a lethal combination lol, but Jessica Lepe handled each topic with such care and respect. I very much admire how she was able to convey that the people who are paid to look out for us and our mental health need looking out for too!!

I'll be completely honest, I really did not care about what Fletcher was going through with his dad. I get that rich people have problems but you're really not going to get me to care about your daddy issues when you drive around the car he bought for you lollllll. Fletcher wasn't bad at all, he was so so sweet to Lucy, but I grew tired of his conflict avoidance. You're a grown man. Tell your ex-fiancee that you're not interested anymore.

This was my first ARC of the year, and I enjoyed in on vacation in January with my family. I often don't find a lot of time to read while on vacation, but gave this one a start one morning during breakfast, and then found myself carving out a few hours just a couple days later to finish it. Lucy and Fletcher are an adorable couple, though I thought that Fletcher's lie went on a little too long. I wanted him to finally come clean because the longer it dragged on, the less willing I was to forgive him.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the representation present in this novel, from anxiety and depression to difficult family relationships and dynamics to finding your identity amongst various cultures. Lepe clearly wanted to give multiple readers visibility and she was successful in painting the picture in a way that didn't feel surface-level. Overall, this is a cute read, especially if you're a fan of You've Got Mail or She Loves Me.