Jessica Lepe's "Flirty Little Secrets" is the perfect example of a fresh, laugh-your-pants-off rom-com. It has all the nostalgic feelings of your favorite teen movie, the sizzling tension of a secret identity romance, and enough hilarious DM exchanges to keep you snorting coffee all day. But this isn't just any high school teacher/guidance counselor love story! Jessica tackles complex themes like self-discovery, second chances, and learning to love yourself (and someone else) unconditionally, bringing diverse voices and unique perspectives to the table; making romances even more relatable and heartwarming. She gives us characters you'll root for and cheer for their happily ever after (even if it means breaking a few rules!). So ditch the textbooks and grab your tissues (for laughter and maybe a few tears) because Flirty Little Secrets is about to take you on a wild ride! I hope you'll read this incredible story, and I can't wait to see what else Jessica Lepe comes up with next.

Tropes:
- You've Got Mail meets Abbott Elementary
- Meet Disaster
- Forced Proximity
- Guidance Counselor x History Teacher
- Mental Health Representation

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was FUNNY. It absolutely had me laughing and smiling throughout because of the personalities and situations that these characters got themselves into. Even better- despite its comedic quality, the author was able to handle serious situations and topics such as living with depression, parent divorce, and ADHD.

I really liked Lucy's character. She was very relatable and her struggles with mental health were really represented well. Her advice on her Instagram was a bit too cliché for my taste but Fletcher…Fletcher ate that up. He loved that part of her and I loved that for them.

They work as a couple and it was great to see them both individually grow and support each other.

I do think some of the long descriptions were unnecessary at times and could have been shortened. But overall a fun read that I enjoyed and would recommend for fans of You've Got Mail.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for providing ARC in exchange for an honest review **

Unfortunately, this book does. Not hit the mark for me, but I’m thankful for the chance to read it. The language is too drawn out and flowery. There was too much in chapter one about how this man had hot water spilled on his crotch, but if it’s so hot why didn’t he react at all? He seems pretty chill , but internally freaking out. This really set the tone for how the rest of the book is going to read, and I’m not sure if that’s something I want to tie myself down into. It’s not compelling.

It's been awhile that I've given a 5 star out automatically.. but this was a cutesy little romcom that had complex characters (dealing with very real life problems, mental health set backs etc.) who are very relatable with multicultural backgrounds that were refreshing & I couldn't put it down. I absolutely fell in love with Lucy and Fletcher & even Lucy's sister Amira had me laughing out loud while reading, I enjoyed their family dynamic. Reading Lucy's advice content for her incognito handle was surprisingly very helpful too. I can personally relate to Lucy having to deal with the mental health struggles she has and I felt so seen and not alone by her character and her attempt to be that sunshine for everyone else that she couldn't seem to be for herself. It's a must read! This is a debut author and I truly believe/hope Jessica Lepe is going to be putting out a lot more 👏🏽

Flirty little secret was the heartwarming book that I needed this time of year. Lucy had so much charm and wit, and I absolutely related to her character and fell for her hilarious absurdness instantly. Fletcher is a gem of a man, because given his circumstances in life, he sets himself apart, and he’s nothing like his family, except maybe his awesome mom.

I loved Lucy’s quirkiness and how even when she self doubts she’s the brightest person in the room! The steam of the story is light but I love that we got to know the characters on a deeper level and truly got to understand who they are.

As a teacher and someone who also battles some of the same battles as Lucy I appreciated the insight and the knowledge that I’m not alone. This author did a beautiful job at highlighting those struggles.

I grabbed Flirty Little Secret as a Read Now after reading a little bit of the synopsis and I was so delighted by the story! I am a sucker for the hidden identity (a la You’ve Got Mail) trope, and watching this teacher/guidance counselor couple fall for each other in real life alongside their mystery online friendship was very believable and realistic. Lucy projects a “perfect” social media image while living with ADHD, anxiety and depression, and seeing the ways she was able to care for herself while also expressing her needs to family and Fletcher was very aspirational. I deeply despised Fletcher’s father and felt their story wrapped up a little too nicely, but other than that, I loved this story and read it in one sitting.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the advanced review copy.

Flirty Little Secrets is a lighthearted rom-com that isn’t afraid to shy away from weighty mental health topics. Jessica Lepe’s use of social media posts and conversations is an effective technique of blending the main characters’ online and real life personas.

Lucy and Fletcher have an anonymous online relationship long before they ever meet thanks to Lucy’s @TheMissGuidedCounselor Instagram account. They’ve become friends through their back and forth messaging without knowing anything more than their Instagram handles. On the first day of real life Fletcher’s new teaching job he meets anxiety ridden, insecure Lucy, the guidance counselor at his high school. As their real life romance blossoms and Fletcher realizes Lucy’s true identity, their online relationship threatens to derail what could be their Happy Ever After.

Jessica. Lepe has written two real, flawed, passionate main characters. She deals with mental health issues in an honest and compassionate manner, and illustrates how easy it has become to hide behind the anonymity of the keyboard. I found myself invested in the characters and thoroughly enjoyed sharing their journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. .

Loved this book! Flirty Little Secret is a wonderful romcom highlighting anxiety and really makes you identify with the main character! It was so sweet!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I received a copy of Flirty Little Secret for free as an ARC reader on NetGalley.

What can I say - I saw so much of myself in Lucy, riddled with self-doubt, always feeling not good enough, but still trying to show the world a side of myself that has it all together. For Lucy that means an Anonymous yet confident internet persona that is at odds with her more timid and anxious IRL identity. Or is it? Maybe all it takes is the right person to show you that the hidden confidence deserves to be celebrated. Maybe the right person will show you that you can be timid and unsure while also being a strong and badass inspirational role model.

Overall, this was an enjoyable short read that made me smile and did a nice job balancing plot and representation.

While I liked the story and the characters very much there were a couple plot holes for me. 1. Are we really to believe that Fletcher’s IG persona was ALSO so barren and anonymous that he was able to not give away his identity. That’s just not how IG works. Or was it new IG via Threads? Something here just didn’t add up. 2. I failed to see why Fletcher’s dad had to be a billionaire - it just didn’t add anything to the plot to me. But maybe that’s just me feeling like the rich guy poor girl thing was an unnecessary layer in the equation.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It had Abbott Elementary vibes (but high school), and I teared up at one point during a situation between Lucy and a student. I’m a teacher so parts of this book related to and appealed to me quite a bit. I adored Lucy & Fletcher, I LOL’d in several parts, teared up, and felt overall happy with the storyline. It wasn’t slow, nor was it rushed, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish!

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

I want to start with how much I appreciate the author’s Content Guidance. It’s nice to see the author’s honesty and vulnerability about her mental health diagnoses.

My feedback being a 4 instead of a 5 might be unfairly contributed to what might be editing issues (I.e. sentences with grammatical issues. I admit this is my first ARC so I hope those are things that would be corrected for the actual release.

Outside of this, what I most enjoyed about this book was how much I personally related to Lucy. Not only do I suffer from anxiety, depression and ADHD, I am also mixed which means I can relate to the struggles of identity or feeling like you belong. I appreciate seeing a main character who faces these struggles but can still find happiness and success.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review of Flirty Little Secret!

There were many things I loved about this book, mainly how the female MC struggled with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. I think most of us can relate to that in some form these days, and Lepe covered in in a fantastic fashion. I love a good HEA and this book definitely checked that off.

The only thing that really bothered me was how quick the two MC's fell for each other in real life. It felt rushed, and missing some details for them to feel that strongly about each other. so soon.

I was excited for this book, but considering I verbally said "what the f*ck is wrong with this book" my the mid-point, it ended up being a slog to finish.

This just didn't connect with me at all. While the writing was technically fine, the pacing was incredibly off, there was a boat load of exposition and info-dumping of back story in the first chapters, no chemistry at all between the leads, and a whole lot of scenes/side-plots that added nothing to the couple's story.

A swing and a miss for me.

This was just a gem of a read. There were so many things I like. First, Lucy and Fletcher are characters (and a couple) you find yourself rooting for. Second, Lucy and Fletcher are written in such a real way. For Lucy, that means, her struggles with anxiety, ADHD and depression are part of who she is and her story, and for Fletcher, it means that his relationships and career shift are part of what most impacts him. Fletcher and Lucy are new co-workers, but they've actually know each other far longer. Fletcher has made an online connection with @TheMissGuidedCounselor - except what neither one of them realizes is that it's actually Lucy. So, this one is about their online relationship and their IRL life one, and as you can imagine, there are some obstacles throughout. This was one I just adored. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this March 2024 release!

The concept of a MFC with anxiety, depression, and ADHD struck a chord with me and I do love a HEA, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.

While I’m sure many readers will adore this, I had a difficult time getting into the rhythm of the plot and found Lucy’s inner voice and interactions to be too junior high-esque for what I was expecting.

I wasn’t the reader for this.



Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC

I loved this one! Flirty Little Secret is a delight of a romance novel, complete with secret identities, and some amazing anxiety and depression representation.

Lucy is incredibly relatable with her feeling that she has to mask her symptoms of depression and anxiety behind a happy face and her secret influencer account @MissGuidedCounselor. While Fletcher is the male main character, Lucy is clearly the star of the show and we see much more of her life and internal monologue, but just enough of Fletcher’s to know he’s human, too.

As an educator, I really appreciated how Lucy approaches her students and supports them, although there was a strong push for college that doesn’t always make sense for everyone!

Plus, Lucy is Sephardi (Jewish from an Iberian Peninsula heritage), which is not a highly represented experience, especially in romance novels. I love seeing how her Jewish family is similar to my own, and also their traditions that differ. It’s a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Jessica Lepe for this advanced copy!

This story features charming main characters and an excellent supporting cast. I enjoyed the overall story but see this appealing more to a YA audience. The main characters model insecurity, anxiety, and misunderstandings well, together with how to work through them. As an adult reader, I felt that there were too many scenes of self-doubt and self-loathing by Lucy. However, for a YA audience, it seems about right.

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is so cute! Loved the awkward meet cute between the two main characters. It was funny and adorable.

A unique take on You've Got Mail (which was really just Shop Around the Corner), this book features a character with anxiety, ADHD, and depression in a way that is really relatable for the reader. We not only get a cute, quick rom-com, we also learn a little bit about other people in the world around us. Our protagonists are friends IRL as well as online, and it's an interesting dynamic when one realizes that they know each other long before the other one does...especially since the online persona is her safe space, and she feels violated by his knowing her in real life. With a quirky supporting cast of characters, this book tackles some big issues in a fun way.

a quick read for me! pacing was great. also kind of a timely read for me — i really felt for lucy and her mental health struggles. it was refreshing to read such a relatable main character! how fletcher supported her and loved her was done really well. some may say their relationship was kind of insta-lovey, but i think if you take into consideration how long they’d been friends online, and how deeply they divulged, their timeline makes a lot of sense. hoping… PRAYING this is a new series, because i need julieta x brodie YESTERDAY!

#netgalley