I ENJOYEDDDDD this one! This book is about Lucy and Fletcher, (who don't know that they have been internet best friends) who end up working together at the same school and fall in love! The premise of a social media influencer who has it all together on the internet vs. the real life version of that person instantly sold me on this book! Lucy and Fletcher are sooooo likeable and fun. I received this book early as an eARC from NetGalley and I am so glad I got it!

As someone who experiences both depression and anxiety (at the same damn time), I identify heavily with Lucy and her experience of the world. I know intimately what it’s like to feel so unlovable AND be charming and charismatic on the internet as an influencer. I also thought that Fletcher's "baggage" with his family was so real and intricate that made the story that much better. Even when you can see the train wreck coming, sometimes you just can’t look away… and that's how I felt once we discovered Fletcher's and Lucy's secrets!

There's only one spicy scene, but it is done so well! I feel like this was a solid, enjoyable read for me. 3.75 stars and going to round up to 4 stars! The plot made sense to me, and although in some parts predictable, there were other parts that caught me completely by surprise! There's beautiful diversity of characters both in ethnicity, socioeconomic status, life stage, and more.

⭐⭐⭐

TROPES
📱 Instalove
📱 Cinnamon Roll MMC
📱 Dual POV

I always love it when social media is inevitably tied to a story in an important way, which is why I picked up Flirty Little Secret to begin with. And while I was met with a fun inclusion of social media, I also read a story that had an important representation of depression and anxiety.

This book does not shy away from its depictions of depression and anxiety in the main character, Lucy. She herself is open about them on-page, and with other people when necessary, and I think it’s important to see that on-page. While this is important characterization, it becomes the only characterization for Lucy, which I think is to a detriment. There is more to her than that, which the story tries to get at, but it never quite gets there, making her a bit one-note.

This is also seen in Fletcher, the MMC. I remember reading a scene towards the end of the book and being completely surprised about what was happening because it was implying all this character development had happened. And maybe it did, but it was off-page. As much as I love a dual POV story, I don’t think it worked as intended here because key scenes weren’t included from the other character’s perspective, so we missed out on important character development.

That said, this is a fun read. Do I wish we had seen the character development instead of it happening off-page? Yes, because I’m a sucker for good character development. But, it was an enjoyable story that had me hoping everything would work out for the better for Lucy and Fletcher, especially considering how they met IRL.

I do feel bad giving this book less than 3 stars. Overall I thought it was a good book and I like the romance and the vulnerability of this book.

I just don't feel comfortable giving a book that uses a hate group as a kind of joke or like a gag. Having a group in high school called the 'Konfident Kids Klub' and shorted to KKK is weird to me. Especially when this book is trad published and it passed multiple hands and no one thought "Maybe this shouldn't be in the book".

It's not a joke, I don't think it's funny.

I thought this book was cute! From an online anonymous friendship to real life coworkers, Lucy & Fletcher have chemistry. They just don't happen to know that they are already in each other's DM's when the meet at school with a very unfortunate/scalding hot meet cute.

I liked this book and it was an easy/quick read however I don't think it's going to be one that sticks with me forever.

I thought the author did a good job of blending both diverse cultures with a Mexican/Moroccan Jewish FMC who was battling depression, anxiety and ADHD to name a few. Fletcher was a really understanding love interest for Lucy and was patient, kind & didn't let her mental health dissuade him from loving her for who she was.

For all the anxious people like me, this is just the book for you. With a "You've Got Mail" theme, this book felt comforting & relatable.

The first scene was knocked out of the park. I mean, it was hilarious, and when the first chapter opens with such banger, you know the rest of the book is going to be great. Lucy & Fletcher's banger was perfect. Amidst all the chaos & draka giuhg in between them, they were each other's anchors.

Again, the mental health rep was perfect. I adored how Lucy's family, especially her sisters, were so fiercely supportive of her. And to forget the side characters at school - all of them had their own distinct personalities.

As much as I wanted to be wrong, I could smell the conflict miles away, and it made me sad. But the grand gesture? Excuse me? It was literally made of my dreams. Someone who loves personalized annotations, it was everything.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really love stories with mental health representation and am someone who spends a lot of time on instagram so this seemed right up my alley! Unfortunately, I didn't like this one as much as I expected to.

Lucy's anxiety and depression are pretty severe in terms of the amount of distress they cause her but we don't see a lot of actual impairment. She does occasionally cry at work and have trouble speaking up, but we don't see her miss a day of work and she is even able to work in her parent's restaurant in her spare time. It really read like someone who was newly experiencing symptoms to me, not like someone who had grown up with these disorders.

I loved that Fletcher was willing to support Lucy, but I felt like we didn't really get to see that. Yes, he didn't mind her being emotional, but there is a lot more to being the partner of someone with a chronic illness than that. I would have liked to to see them together a bit longer to see that this really was going to work.

There was a lot of miscommunication in this story as well. I don't entirely think it's this book's fault that I am tired of the we are secretly penpal/online friends and you didn't tell me trope but I will say there are books that used it and I didn't mind.

Ultimately the thing that bothered me most about this book was actually a throw away line where Lucy says she goes to the psychiatrist each month and needs to show she is still depressed enough to need meds but not too depressed to be institutionalized. I think both parts of that statement are misleading and harmful. No doctor will take away your meds because they are working well. Many people take mental health meds for years. At the same time doctor's don't want to institutionalize patients. Only patients who are actively at risk of hurting themselves are institutionalized. Telling a doctor you occasionally have suicidal thoughts without a plan or intent won't get you in a psych ward and lying to your doctor is never a good idea.

🌶️🌶️ - There is one not-super-detailed spicy scene and another makeout scene. There is also mention of Lucy's concerns about sex because of her antidepressants.

4.5⭐️
This gave “You’ve Got Mail” mixed with “A Cinderella Story” (Hilary Duff version) vibes. So good! This story was so cute and hilarious while also dealing with deeper topics. I appreciated how well rounded these characters were and I think the author did a good job authentically showing the ups and downs of living with anxiety and depression. I also enjoyed the subtle Jewish representation throughout and seeing the main characters relationships with their families evolve.

DNF’d at 35%

I really liked the idea of this hidden identities romance but it just isn’t sitting well with me. There isn’t enough interaction between Fletcher and Lucy in real life in the first 35% to make me believe that they actually like each other compared to how much they think about each other. Not to mention that I just don’t feel the chemistry between the two online personalities.

I think this would be good for someone looking for more contemporary fiction or someone who enjoys a slow buildup of connection.

I genuinely enjoyed Flirty Little Secret. I thought the author infused humor well, especially in the fmc interactions with her family and friend. The author pulled from her own experiences regarding mental health and it read authentic. I appreciate her vulnerability in constructing a fmc with similar struggles. The premise was cute and a quick read. The conflicts between the mmc and his family and ex big but then so easily resolved. But that’s why we read romance, right? For the HEA? Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from the author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. These are my honest opinions.

Ok, loved the representation here (Lucy is half Mexican, half Morrocan and Jewish, and is neurodivergent - anxiety and depression), and the You've Got Mail aspect, but unfortunately the style/voice didn't work for me as well as I would have liked. Not a bad book by any means, just something missing for me to make it really stand out. This is a debut, so I'd be willing to read Jessica's second book.

Lucy is guidance counselor. She is sweet and shy person who wages constant battle with anxiety and depression. Online though, she is @missguidencecounslor who gives advice to millions. One such person is @bravesguy93. They share a special friendship. Fletcher (@bravesguy93) joins the same school as Lucy…let the games begin!! You know what third act breakup is going to be…but do you know who if they will overcome online friendship?

I DNFd this book. There were too many things that irked me in the first 20% of the book. The kids club that was called the KKK was the last straw for me. That’s just not funny.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the premise of this book I thought it was a really cute idea so I was excited to start reading it. Overall I thought this book was cute, with good mental health representation. However, I did not like the third act break up!!!!! I already dislike third act break ups but when you put in miscommunication too????? It really ruins the whole experience for me :(

Flirty Little Secret: ★★★☆☆ (3)

Pub date: March 19, 2024!!! - preorder now!

Lucy is a high school guidance counselor with an anonymous social media account TheMissGuidedCounselor where she can present her ideal self to the world. In real life, she struggles with low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Fletcher is a history teacher and has just begun teaching at a new school and falls for Lucy, only to discover that she's the person behind TheMissGuidedCounselor, who he happens to be online friends with.
This is a debut RomCom, and the author shows promise but it wasn't a slam dunk. Some of the humor was funny, but a lot of it didn't land and the scenarios often felt contrived. However, I do give the author enthusiastic props for including both Sephardic representation and authentic mental health representation in the novel. I look forward to seeing how Lepe will grow as an author.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.

This is a brilliant debut novel by Jessica Lepe! If you’re looking for something fresh and engaging and really focused on a real (lived - it’s an #ownvoices book) mental health journey, then this is the perfect one to pick up! It’s multicultural, with our main character Lucy having a mixed background of Moroccan Jewish, and Mexican, falling for a guy from a posh and snooty background, Aldrich Fletcher … even the name is so snooty it’s no wonder he goes by his surname!

It’s emotional, with online friends leaning on each other for support while also having developed feelings for each other, but both also beginning to develop feelings for the new coworker… funny thing is, in the “You’ve Got Mail”-ness of it all (Lucy, while a school guidance counselor, plays a put-together counselor online with great advice and a huge following - and Fletcher has become a devoted follower, commenter and DM chatter), they don’t want to hurt anyone along the way. Throw in some really crazy and interfering families, an ex-girlfriend who is everywhere, a couple of overwhelming days on the mental health journey, and you have what should definitely be a best seller on your hands here.

A definite recommendation from me - I foresee this one being big, especially with the mental health aspect being true to the author’s own journey. Very well done!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley @netgalley , Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Jessica Lepe @authorjessicalepe for a free copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute and so relatable! The main mental health rep in this book was neurodivergency, clinical depression and anxiety. All 3 of these were written so well and I related so much to the main character Lucy and her struggles with her mental health. I especially connected to her struggles with feeling unlovable due to her mental health issues.

Fletcher was such an amazing book boyfriend! He was so kind and so supportive of Lucy and seeing his own struggles with his family and feeling adequate were so nice to read about.

The spice in this book was so surprising. I would only rate it 🌶️ but I wasn’t expecting any spice so I was moderately surprised.

I also really loved the inclusion of Lucy’s Instagram posts as the @missguidedcounselor and her DM’s with Mr Braves Guy93. It was cool seeing a bit of Instagram sprinkled throughout the book!

This book takes place in the Boston area so it was super cool to read about my home area!

All in all I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read it again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

I found the book a little slow for my liking and was not a fan of the characters.
Just not the book for me

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are mine.

This is a perfect ode to You've Got Mail fans and perfectly executed. The book is set in a high school setup of sorts and follows Lucy. Lucy by day is a sweet and trustworthy counsellor and by night she is a popular personality who gives great advice. On the flipside is the new history teacher Aldrich who is relieving everyone's high school nightmare of being new while dealing with drama. He also confides in Lucy thinking she is a stranger. Funny, fast-paced and heartwarming read making it the perfect lazy day read.

Adorable!!! A mashup of you’ve got mail and Abbott elementary with wonderful, authentic mental health rep. And the Sephardic Jewish representation was fantastic. I wanted to be part of Lucy’s family. Such a wonderful debut!

I feel very seen by how Lily interacts with the world.

Lily is a guidance counselor who utilizes online anonymity to give herself an outlet from her day to day struggles. She can present the perfect person who she can not be in real life and because she thinks she knows what it means to be perfect she is very judgmental of those around her. Finding it easier to dismiss people as other then allow herself to get hurt. She is fascinating and I enjoyed reading her story of growth and finding love.

I feel like so much care was taken to tell her story that Fletchers lacked some nuance. He is mad and avoidant, he stays mad and avoidant, then he changes right at the end.

Overall it is a good story but its one where I wish equal attention was paid to both characters or one character was made more dominant in the story.

I will be back if Georgia gets a book.