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

Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me. I made it to the 45% mark and just can't get myself to finish it. (I was listening to the audiobook. The narrator was not my favorite for this story. It felt very stiff and not natural). There were elements of this book that seemed both problematic and then a bit cringey to me. I think there is potential there, but this book was very choppy and cheesy and times.

I find that usually romance characters have one mental illness that gets mentioned a few times, but in this case the protagonist struggles with anxiety, depression and ADHD and there was a lot of indepth description of living with these conditions. The characters had more depth due to this treatment. While the romance wasn't loaded with sex, it still had a couple nicely spicy scenes and the chemistry between the two leads was pretty good though I could have used more interactions between them.

FLIRTY LITTLE SECRET is sweet and charming if not missing cohesion throughout the story. I enjoyed the workplace romance trope combined with the "mistaken identity" side of things. Unfortunately, some of the romance fell flat for me. I wasn't enamored with how quickly Lucy and Fletcher were an item because it threw off the pacing of the rest of the book. The random mid-story breakup combined with the third-act breakup was strange and overkill. Most of all, I wished there was a better explanation for the Instagram DMs debacle. It felt like their reactions were unrealistic with that plotline. Overall, I had a good time reading it, but it wasn't a romance that I will continue to think about for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for an e-arc in exchange for a review. Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. The connection felt a little too instant in-person since they didn't know they were already connecting online. I feel like the mental health was much more tell than show. I don't want direct lines like {not a direct quote} "you have depression, you are still lovable." I think this author has growth to be had and I would still be curious to see how their writing style develops.

this fell flat for me but i'm not even sure why. i was enjoying it thoroughly until roughly the 20% mark. i might try to reread soon and see if my rating changes due to being sick!

I really enjoyed this I found both Lucy and Flecher very endearing and relatable. Id be happy to recomend this to friends