Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book sounded like something I would enjoy reading...the premise was promising; however, the execution was not.

We have school counselor, Lucy, who suffers from anxiety and depression. She also has a secret identity as an advice columnist. Our male lead, Aldrich Fletcher is the new history teacher at Lucy's school. The same school his cheating, ex-girlfriend who left him for his brother teaches at. He has struck up a friendship online with Lucy in her secret identity persona. They have what would have been a perfect meet cute in real-life when Lucy inadvertently spills hot tea on Fletch in the teacher lounge. Due to her anxiety, she makes it into a big deal, filled with embarrassment and self-loathing. I know Lucy has mental issues, but everything she feels is exaggerated and so emotional I'm not judging, just stating facts. There were some cute interactions especially with the online correspondence between the two and there was so much potential, but...ugh. What really finished me off was the scene where Lucy's sister makes a comment about how she can afford an expensive face mask because she lied to men about condoms breaking so they will pay for the morning after pill, and she has a savings from this extorted money! In what world is this funny or an appropriate topic of conversation...beyond cringeworthy and just plain sick.

I was done at that point.

2 stars

Yes it's reminiscent of You've Got Mail but Lucy and Aldrich are teachers at the same school and she's challenged with mental health issues. Lucy, a counselor, projects positivity into the world with her instagram account when she's really not all together. Aldrich left his father's business to be a teacher and he's relied on private messaging with Lucy's alter-ego for support. They meet ugly in the teacher's lounge and now they're off in a journey that will seem familiar but which is populated with good side characters. There are some flaws here such as the club Lucy runs and the insta-love from Aldrich, but Lucy's family and the lessons from them outweigh those (and the food!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Shy school counselor Lucy hides her confident side behind an online persona, seeking refuge from anxiety and depression. New history teacher Aldrich unknowingly confides in Lucy’s alter ego while being drawn to her in real life. What happens when their virtual and real worlds collide?

I loved the characters and the author voice in this book. The romance is tender and charming, with a well-paced plot. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Super cute romance. I agree on the you’ve got mail feels that people have been commenting. I loved the school setting and all the characters. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I selected this arc as I like stories similar to You’ve Got Mail. I struggled with Lucy and Fletcher’s relationship - they went from a meet disaster to madly in love in what seemed like a very short time frame. It was very obvious that Fletcher knowing Lucy’s hidden online identity was going to cause relationship problems when the truth is revealed. I didn’t feel very invested in their relationship, I also do not like when an ex-girlfriend is introduced simply to make more obstacles for a couple to have to overcome.
I enjoyed the mental health representation and Lucy’s family dynamics. Overall, I would rate this a 3.5/5 stars.

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @netgalley & @readforeverpub for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
Flirty Little Secret was a great debut novel from Jessica Lepe. I would describe it as You’ve Got Mail meets Hello Stranger meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding. How can you go wrong?
Lucy is a high school guidance counselor with a secret identity online as @TheMisGuidedCounselor. As her alter-ego, Lucy is bold and confident. In real life, Lucy lives with depression and anxiety and is the opposite of confident. When Fletcher starts teaching at the same school, they cross paths in more ways than one and it turns out that Fletcher is hiding his own secret.
I loved the Jewish representation and the Shabbat dinner scenes were beautiful with Lucy’s family around the Shabbat table, saying the blessings together and the descriptions of the food.
I love that this was set in a high school. I think the teachers behaved like cliquey high school students, and I loved the character development. The best side character was definitely Brodie, the Scottish Phys Ed teacher. I think a whole novel could be written about him or about either of Lucy’s sisters.
Finally, of course, as a main plot point, Lucy’s mental health issues are so realistic. I think this novel demonstrates that although something might seem small, it can be huge to someone with anxiety, and there are many different ways this can manifest. The overall message that I took from this novel is that people with mental health issues are capable of both loving and being loved. I appreciated the author’s note about her own mental health struggles and how she was able to channel that into this novel.
I thought the best scenes were at Fletcher’s father’s house when Lucy found her confidence at the moments she needed it most. It was fun to read.
I look forward to seeing what Jessica Lepe writes next!

We start with the most awkward meeting ever when guidance counselor Lucy spills a cup of hot tea all over the front of the new history teacher Fletcher’s pants (and then tries to soak it up with her scarf). Both are completely embarrassed and mortified, especially since the other person is so attractive. We learn more about each of their backstories in pretty short order: Fletcher has moved back home with his mom after finding out his father had an affair and his mistress is pregnant; Lucy has the trifecta of depression, anxiety, and ADHD and just trying to keep it together. Lucy channels her wisdom into an anonymous online persona who does not have any insecurities or anxieties and is able to dispense oh-so-worldly advice. It turns out her number one Instagram fan and friend is Fletcher, and neither of them know who the other person is in real life. Outside of the screen, Lucy and Fletcher get to know each other more as co-workers, and then friends, and then maybe more. Lucy’s got a boisterous and hilarious family and Fletcher is pretty much just happy to be a part of it all. This book was both sweet and funny and also featured an understanding and reassuring guy.

Lucy Galindo is the most heartwarming, compelling messy main character to grace the pages of a book! In person, she’s a sweet but awkward guidance counseling, hiding her anxiety and depression. Online and anonymous as @TheMissGuidedCounselor, she’s confident, funny and wise. New teacher, Fletcher is dealing with a lot in his personal life, and is grateful for his special friendship, albeit its only online.
As their two worlds collide in more ways than one, will they be able to overcome their insecurities enough to trust in each other and themselves.
I loved the compassion shown to Lucy in regards to her anxiety, the banter between characters, and the vulnerability willing to be shared by several characters. Despite an issue I had regarding a kid’s club which I question, I enjoyed this one very much!
This book begins with several trigger warnings from the author, and at first I was hmmm….it’s classified as a rom-com? But I was seriously laughing out loud only a few pages in! How can anxiety and depression be funny? As the author is upfront to reveal, there is a lot of her in this character. And so, she is able to present these aspects of mental health in such a pure and unique way. And despite the laughs, the seriousness is also heartbreakingly felt and handled with compassion.
Bravo Jessica Lepe on a stellar debut! I can’t wait to read whatever comes next!!

What a cute and very sweet romance!

I always love stories that center the messy, real shit - and that was quite true here. Mental health was very present, but handled in an excellent way.

Stories that center social media are not always my favorite, but I enjoyed this one!

Flirty Little Secret is an enjoyable romance between a high school teacher and a guidance counselor, with a touch of You’ve Got Mail thrown in. Jessica Lepe’s debut is filled with charming characters and their families, and lots of refreshing depression, anxiety, ADHD and Jewish representation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lucy is a high school guidance counselor who also has a secret online alter ego, @ TheMissGuidedCounselor, where she dispenses the advice she wishes she was bold enough to share IRL. When she meets Fletcher, the new history teacher, she has no idea he’s also her anonymous online friend. Fletcher moved home due to family issues, and isn’t prepared for meeting Lucy, or running into his ex when he starts his new job. But as the two grow closer, and Lucy shares the reality of her mental health, what happens when Fletcher figures out Lucy’s secret?

The mental health representation here is great. Lucy’s experiences show not only how depression and anxiety affect her daily like, but how they make it more difficult to connect with new people. And, Lucy’s family is tons of fun to spend time with. While they sometimes feel overbearing to her, the way they love and support her is obvious. I adore the descriptions of their Shabbat dinners, for both the family dynamics and the amazing food.

This book was tough for me to rate. I enjoyed many aspects of this story, but I was least invested in the romance. Lucy and Fletcher are both very nice people, but their romantic connection wasn’t obvious. It takes a while for them to spend one on one time together, and once they do, their relationship reads more like friendship than attraction.

I truly enjoyed Flirty Little Secret. The mental health and Jewish representation are fantastic, and bring a unique, personal perspective to the story. I’m excited to see what Jessica Lepe writes next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The flirting was level 100 with Lucy and Fletcher. The mental health rep was very helpful, written with lots of knowledge on the subject. Lucy and Fletcher were very cute together, supportive and flirty. I enjoyed their online and offline interactions had lots of funny bits to lighten the subject matter of the book.

This books was a fun take on a modern “You’ve Got Mail” while also showing how easy it appears for some to mask their mental health. Really highlighting that none of us really know what each other are going through.

There is a lot of slapstick comedy which can be a struggle for some. The Jewish representation is a plus as is the mental health representation.

I enjoyed the back and forth between the main characters and the secret identity trope is always fun.

For a debut the author really tackled a bit of topics (mental health, parenting your parents, teacher emotional labor, sense of belonging, and online friendship). Overall I thought balancing some of the tougher topic with comedic relief broke up the story even though it was a bit jarring at times. But it made me think of how masking mental health conditions can be that way sometimes. Yes, I was spiraling 20 minutes ago but let me make you laugh.

LOVES:
- The millennial references: I counted 5 🙃
- These are quirky, lovable characters who are fun to read about
- The accurate representation of how awful professional development days can be 🙄
- And the differences between private vs. public schools (as a person who has worked in both, the author represented the struggles accurately)
- The FMC’s family is so supportive and wonderful 💜
- “Plan B money” 😵😂😨
- The sexting and all of their flirting is adorable 🥰
- The grand gestures ☺️

“You’re a man… in a home improvement store. Don’t you want to assert your masculine prowess by doing everything yourself and not admitting you need help, even if it takes hours longer?”

This story is so real. These are characters who are dealing with real life issues and just doing their best. It’s a sweet love story, but I really loved the journey to loving herself.

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC. The book releases on March 18th.

Lucy is a high school guidance counselor who has ADHD, anxiety, and depression which at times makes her job hard. She created an online persona where she posts inspirational words and advice that is followed by many. Fletcher is one of her followers. He is the son of a billionaire and has a lot of family drama that Lucy’s online persona has helped him through. Fletcher is a high school history teacher that just started teaching at the same school Lucy is at. Neither know who the other is online. Fletcher and Lucy start to get to know each other and through a series of events they realize who each other is online and it doesn’t end well, or does it. Join Lucy’s journey through self-discovery, while balancing her mental health and her feelings for Fletcher.

I really identified with Lucy. It is sometimes hard to explain why something simple as a doctors appointment is hard to make or crying over literal spilled milk. Fletcher is such an understanding male character but at the same time has his own issues of avoidance. There were multiple places I was laughing at her sisters and Brodie, he is someone I would like to see a story on. Georgia's attitude, 2/3 through the book, was the big surprise. Some storylines felt a little incomplete. The Lucy & Fletcher characters were developed pretty well. There is one lightly spicy scene. This book isn’t for everyone. Some find it a bit annoying since Lucy seems to do a lot of crying, but they may not understand the underlying emotions associated with them. The author is a very respectful job portraying the reality of anxiety/depression and didn’t make a joke out of it. Thank You!

There were multiple places where the book needed some editing. I’m not sure if it was my copy but sometimes the same text was on two consecutive pages.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 3.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet workplace romance but I liked but didn’t love

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Workplace romance
Great secondary characters
Teacher/ guidance counselor
Friends to lovers
Embarrassing meet cutes
Pop culture references
Romantic comedies
BIPOC FMC
You’ve Got Mail vibes

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Jewish rep
Mental health rep
The inclusion of the Instagram DMs was fun

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Very predictable and it was just a little too coincidental for me
Idk why but the book annoyed me as I was reading it lol

DNF @ 23%. I wanted to like this, but I couldn't get into it from the start. The first chapter is the slapstickiest romcom material -- Lucy, the FMC and guidance counselor, accidentally spills her tea on Fletcher, the MMC who is the hot new history teacher at her school, and of course it spills on his crotch. And her brilliant idea to fix it is to take her scarf, get on her knees, and attempt to wipe her tea away. Which is ridiculous, and leads to a lot of dick talk within the first 10 pages.

From there, it kind of only gets worse. Fletcher is new because he's returned home to take care of his mom who is spiraling because his (already) shitty father left his mom for her secretary, who is now pregnant with his kid. Lucy is secretly a famous Instagram guidance counselor influencer (who seemingly only posts platitudes), and unbeknownst to either of them, Fletcher follows her on Instagram. But not just follows her. He DMed her at some point (from basically an anonymous account) for advice, and now they're super close and sharing lots of personal details with each other to the point that she's giving him advice about dealing with his mother. Which, sorry, but as an Online Woman, I feel like she wouldn't have done that??

The kicker for me is that Lucy, in addition to being the guidance counselor, also runs an after-school program to "build self-confidence" for teen girls. But the program and curriculum is school-mandated, and Lucy apparently follows it to a T, even if she has some qualms about it. Because not only is the curriculum ineffective (and abstinence only, which why? and also, what does that have to do with building self-confidence?), but it's called the Konfident Kids Klub. Sorry, but that doesn't make for a funny joke. I'm willing to suspend disbelief up to a point, but not to this point, and also... I'm not here for joking about this club sharing a name with a hate group.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an eARC of Flirty Little Secret in exchange for my honest review.

Online, Lucy is confident running the popular TheMissGuidedCounselor account, but in real life is battling anxiety and depression as a school counselor. But her online and real worlds threaten to merge as her hot new coworker is unknowingly the man behind her mystery online friendship.

This was a fun romance a la You've Got Mail or Christina Lauren's recent novella The Exception to the Rule. We get a mix of in person interactions (and a meet-disaster) between Fletcher and Lucy, but also get to see their online exchanges. 

The author did a great job balancing humor and banter with more serious mental health topics, and I loved seeing Fletcher support Lucy through her ups and downs. Lucy also grapples with her identity throughout the story and I appreciated the representation of her Jewish culture and Mexican/Moroccan family.

Overall it's a great debut and I look forward to reading more from Jessica Lepe! Thanks Forever and NetGalley for my advance copy - it's out March 19.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Abbot Elementary AND You’ve Got Mail? Immediately count me in. I was excited to read this book just from that short tagline, not to mention I can never say no to a cutie cartoon cover. In the end, I am so glad that I was able to read this book.

Lepe’s debut novel tells the story of a school guidance counselor, Lucy, and history teacher, Fletcher, who have unknowingly been building a friendship online for months. After a disastrous first meeting, the two begin a real life flirtationship.

The modern epistolary element of their story through Instagram DMs was super cute and I enjoyed seeing behind the curtain.

I also loved the characters. I felt that they were both incredibly real and their faults made them all the more lovable. The mental health representation as well as the blended family was done really well. It made me feel like I was catching up on family gossip and I loved it.

Another aspect of this book that really kept me entertained was the side characters. They made our main characters all the more well rounded and I really liked the little snippets of their lives that we got to see outside of being in a relationship because of these characters.

Being a teacher myself I thought this one was absolutely hilarious! The staff drama was spot on although Georgia's change in the book was a little far fetched! I loved the diverse representation in the female main character along with her real struggles with depression, and anxiety! The sense of family was a big theme throughout the book which I also loved.