I was really looking forward to reading this one but it unfortunately didn’t work for me. The synopsis seemed fun, a clumsy guidance counsellor during the day who also runs a successful social media platform @TheMissGuidedCounselor. She meets the new teacher and accidentally spills tea all over his lap and basically gives the whole teacher lounge a show as she tries to clean up the mess on his lap. Unfortunately the book took an uncomfortable turn when one of the high school clubs Lucy runs was introduced : the Konfident Kids Klub (KKK). Lucys explains the clubs name as being dated and needing to be changed. She also says “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐊𝐊𝐊? 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥“. I truly fail to understand how this was introduced, much less why it felt beneficial or necessary to the story. As much as the story is inclusive with its representation, the KKK jokes definitely weren’t needed, educational or appropriate.

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖥𝗈𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 ＆ 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Paperback for an arc of Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe. In this book, you have Lucy who is school counselor and she has a secret where online she is known as @theMissGuidedCounselor. Lucy in real life is anxious and depressed, but her online personality is very bold and outgoing. There is a new teacher at her school named Aldrich and he follows her online and writes her, but they don’t know they actually know each other yet. I loved the story because Lucy is not your normal character with her anxiety, depression, and quirkiness. This book came out 3/19, pick it up at your local bookstore today.

I have been really anticipating reading this book, and it did not disappoint! I loved the premise of the story, and it had me laughing from the first meet-disaster. Lucy and Fletcher are just too cute together. And while it is a romcom, the book also deals with heavier topics, such as mental health, with real nuance and respect. I definitely resonated with Fletcher's fear of confrontation and saying no to people. And I also loved the discussions about identity that Lucy has with her family, around not feeling Jewish, Moroccan, or Mexican enough because of her mixed heritage. That is another thing I loved in the book- the sephardic Jewish representation that we don't really ever see in romance novels. I loved learning about different customs and foods that are so different to what I grew up with, yet at the same time the Jewish traditions were so familiar to me. I absolutely loved it. (I also loved Lucy's whole family,  especially her sisters. We need more of the Galindo family in future books, please!)

I absolutely flew through this book, and the only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the third act breakup. I knew going in this story contained the hidden/secret identity trope, and I usually dont like that trope in my romances. So I knew the reveal was going to come and blow up in the characters face, and it just isn't my favorite trope. I will say though, the grand gesture moment was epic!

All in all, this was a great romance debut from an author I can't wait to read more from!

Pitched as You've Got Mail meets Abbott Elementary, Flirty Little Secret follows guidance counselor Lucy and teacher Fletcher.

Read if you want
- Workplace romance
- Online penpals (who don't know that they know each other IRL)
- Mental health rep (anxiety, depression, and ADHD)
- Meet awkward
- Jewish rep

My thoughts: 3.5 stars
The connection between Fletcher and Lucy was just missing for me. There felt like there wasn't that much between them and they just jumped into having feelings. This was also soooo much miscommunication trope which is not my thing.

The secondary characters, especially Lucy's sisters, were my favorite part of the whole book and I'd adore books about them. Her family has My Big Fat Greek Wedding vibes in the best way possible.

But this is a romance and the romance didn't work for me

*ARC provider by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.*

I liked Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe. I really appreciated the modern spin on You've Got Mail as well as the Jewish and depression/anxiety rep. There was a lot to love with quirky side characters and family drama on top of meaningful discussions about mental health and mental illness, including panic attacks.

However, the romance wasn't all the way there for me; the spark wasn't there between Lucy and Fletcher. Maybe it's that I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope or lying by omission, which felt like it got worse as the book went on without a full remedy. Or maybe the fact they're coworkers made me pause? Regardless, Lucy and Fletcher share some sweet moments, and I'm glad I finished the book.

Thanks to Read Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

This book was completely fine; I didn’t have any problems with it. But that’s all it was for me: just fine. There wasn’t a sense of specialness or anything that really hooked me. I was excited to read it because I’m a high school teacher and it takes place in a school, but there wasn’t much in the book that I could relate to, nothing that made it feel particularly “real” to me. The whole time I felt very aware that I was reading about characters in a rom-com rather than real people. There was nothing wrong with the book for me but just nothing that particularly grabbed me either.

Lucy is a guidance counselor at a public HS. She is always thinking about how she can support others. Sometimes she gets in her own way due to her own mental health diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and she has a hard time realizing her worth and positive impact. Where she does feel that she makes an impact is in her confidential Instagram influencer account where she provides encouragement and wisdom as @MissGuidedCounselor to her 500k followers. There she has the time to curate her content and share exactly the right words. One of her followers has become a close friend. They only know each other by their Instagram names though. So when a new teacher starts at her school and she feels a connection, they have no idea that they might know each other virtually. Watching Fletcher and Lucy explore their connection was so much fun.

I loved Lucy's journey. She has such a strong support system and has done a lot of hard personal work to be where she is. She's got close friends, great sisters, supportive parents, and a school community that values her. I thought the mental health representation was really well done and relatable.

Fletcher comes from a wealthy background that he left behind to teach, and his family is going through their own struggles. Watching both Lucy and Fletcher navigate their tendency to avoid conflict and do what they think other people want them to do Well, also trying to meet their own needs, was engaging and, ultimately, satisfying!

As a former school, social worker, I really love the school setting. I recommend you read this book. I'm hopeful it's the start of a series!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 40%…I found both main characters to be irritating. The male perspective isn’t written well. Also some of the terms the author uses is questionable.

This book surprised me how much I liked it. The type of writing was not the type that I am always into, but I really love the way the author framed the story and set up the characters. I loved getting to know each of them and seeing how their relationship progressed throughout the story. It’s a really fun delightful book

This book was a perfect blend of serious and fun, and I loved every minute of it.

This book has:
•Mental health rep: The author tackled anxiety, depression, and ADHD in a raw and real way. I loved seeing this in a rom-com!
•A hilarious meet cute in the teacher's lounge. If the couple has a meet-cute, I am already half sold, and the meet-cute in this book delivered!
•Workplace romance 👩‍❤️‍👨
•Pen pals 💻 The leads are online friends and have no idea that they work together.

Overall, this book had so much heart, and I can't wait to read the author's future books. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for giving me an electronic advanced readers copy of Flirty Little Secret in exchange for an honest review.

----

"Because loving you isn't just effortless, Lucy. It was inevitable."

---

Flirty Little Secret follows Lucy Galindo, who everyone sees as a sweet, shy guidance counselor, just trying to hold it all together. But online she is @TheMissGuidedCounselor, a bold, confident, and wise person with the answer to any problem.

Insert hot history teacher (why are history teachers always so hot??) Aldrich Fletcher. He thought a new job at a new school would be just what he needed to get his life back together until two things happen:
1. He happens to be working at the same school as his ex-girlfriend
2. He falls HARD for the cute guidance counselor, who just happens to be Lucy

He's happy he at least can confide is his online friend, @TheMissGuidedCounselor, until he realizes that she IS Lucy. Fletcher struggles with figuring out the best way to explain this mess to Lucy without ultimately losing her all together. But is it worth it?

---

There was a lot to love about this book, but two things stood out to me the most.
1. The transparency and visibility that is given to Lucy's anxiety and depression is so refreshing. It makes her character so much more relatable and even adds credibility to who she is as a person. For someone who struggles with caring for herself, she throws herself into caring for others as a coping mechanism.
2. Lucy's family dynamic and background made me so happy. A Mexican/Jewish household is not something you see everyday in real life, let alone a book. Her relationship with her parents and her sisters was like a warm hug. It was clear that she always had an incredible support system, which brings even more validation to her condition. It further proves that you can have everyone in your corner and still feel like the world is fighting against you due to your depression and anxiety.

Lucy and Fletcher's relationship was great. I mean he canceled dinner to help her take care of chores she was pushing off since she wouldn't have been able to do it herself. What a guy! I loved seeing their relationships as Lucy and Fletcher blossom along side their online relationship as @TheMissGuidedCounselor and @BravesGuy93. It was a very interesting parallel.

All in all, a great read and I look forward to reading more of Jessica Lepe's books in the future!

What a delightful secret identity story!

A guidance counselor and the new teacher are falling for each other in real life, while unknowingly fostering a sweet virtual friendship online. I love this and the mental health rep.

Check this one out for:
-friends to lovers
-workplace romance
- mental health rep
- neurodivergent rep
- Jewish rep

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for this delightful ARC! I highly recommend!

A really sweet story with deep emotional heft (and a gorgeous cover by Caitlin Sacks!)

For the first half of the book, this story gripped me and it was hard to put down. I love the You've Got Mail elements (my kryptonite) and the writing was FUNNY (the gobble sext I am SCREAMING). I was actually laughing out loud to myself, and I felt so seen by this book -- in many ways.

Firstly, the mental illness representation in this book is so important. It's thorough and genuine and at times, hard to read in its honesty. I think many readers -- me included -- feel seen through what Lucy goes through, and it made me cry at times that a story could capture what it's like to have depression and other mental and emotional challenges.

"They had never felt the crushing weight of being so sad that simply taking a shower felt like an insurmountable task."

"I just became a person, who didn't necessarily want to die, but rather wanted to just...cease existing."

I have felt those same things -- and experienced those same things, including the "grippy sock vacation" --- and I'm grateful to Jessica for creating the vulnerability that exists in this story and in these characters. It's very meaningful and important.

It's also beautiful to see characters with these struggles realize that they were worthy of love -- not just romantic love, but also familial and friend relationships, and most importantly, self love. I know how hard that can be to believe and to see Lucy experience that growth was really touching.

It's also a beautiful story of the anxieties around our identities, religion, family expectation, and forgiveness.

Additonally, as a millennial, I loved the reference to Lizzie McGuire, the mention that Lucy's only hobbies are bingeing Netflix and stalking celebrities ('cause same), the overdramatic tendencies of WebMD, the quoting of Taylor Swift, killing off fake boyfriends, Twilight fanfiction, Saved by the Bell-era roleplays, the overanalysis of how many exclamation points is too many, and the following moments:

-"Prison could work for me--I thrive with structure and have a very extensive list of books I've been meaning to read."
-"...especially considering this guy probably lives halfway across the country--or worse, in Florida.
-"I am wearing sensible flats with Dr. Scholl's orthopedic inserts and a black turtleneck. I am not a woman to be messed with."
-"It feels nice to have a crush on someone who is age appropriate and not a member of a boy band."
-"I have to pay off my air fryer."
-"It's her Cheesecake Factory smile"
-"You just need to suspend your belief in the TSA temporarily.'
-"...whether it's an old white guy with a long beard or Alanis Morissette"
-"You watch Dateline?" "How else am I supposed to unwind after a long day."

AND THE PLAN B MONEY LOL

Also, as pencil gal (iykyk), I loved the mention of the "neon pink pencil" Lucy uses to put her hair up and the game they play for staff ice breakers and Lucy's word is 'pencil.' LONG LIVE THE NUMBER TWO.

This book really managed to be hilarious and readable, while also absolutely nailing important representation.

The things I struggled with were the romance itself. Personally, I wasn't into Fletcher (too much fraternity boy energy) and I don't think they spent enough time together in person to warrant their grand romance. Also, I have trust issues, so grain of salt etc etc, but if I was her, I would have a waaayyyy harder time trusting him. He seemed TOO perfect and too into her too quickly.

The pacing slowed for me around halfway, and I had a harder time getting into it near the end.

Also, I'm petty but I would not believe Lucy's @TheMissGuidedCounselor had half a million followers. What she posted was kind of cringe and pinterest-quote-y and I just wasn't buying that she's some IG influencer. HA. But that's just a minor thing.

Overall, an enjoyable read -- super funny, sweet, and emotionally significant.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. FLIRTY LITTLE SECRET is out now!

Lucy is a guidance counselor at a high school, and to her coworkers she’s a shy woman who cries easily. She suffers from anxiety and can’t always stop her racing thoughts. Inside, however, Lucy is strong, funny, and opinionated. She runs a blog called The Missguidance Counselor that dispenses advice to other teachers. She’s become close cyber friends with one of her readers.

Fletcher is a teacher who comes from a wealthy family where there’s enormous pressure to succeed. He’s just left a snobby private school to teach at a public high school, on the advice of his cyber friend, the missguidance counselor.

The two meet in person when Lucy spills tea all over Fletcher. They start flirting and develop feelings for each other, but when his cyber friend tells him a story that happened Lucy and him, he realizes they’re the same person. Can their real life relationship survive that knowledge?

I liked the way Lucy’s neurodivergent personality is written, and it’s great to see how Fletcher supports her. 4 stars.

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a former teacher I'm a sucker for school romances. The talk of youth slang and break room gossip definitely took me back. I also love Lucy's large family and that whole dynamic (upcoming sequels for the sisters?). I thought Lucy's character did an authentic job portraying someone that struggles with mental health and that was refreshing to see. Overall I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more by Jessica Lepe

Cute. This book was cute. You’ve Got Mail is my favorite RomCom and I love when people are falling in love twice and they don’t even know it.

Lucy and Fletcher’s lives are complicated. They talk online (they don’t know they’re talking to one another) and they’re falling for each other in person. The universe seems to be working against them horrible ex girlfriends and all.

I thought this book was very well written. It was fun and fresh and romantic.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Center Publishing for the ARC.

Thanks to Forever for access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I had such a fun time reading this one because it’s set in a school and I am a high school math teacher. Although one day I had to set this book aside because I had had quite the day at work and needed to NOT read a school-set book!
The main character of this book, Lucy, is a guidance counselor - with not much experience. She wants to be the best at her job, but sometimes she second guesses herself - or she needs to escape to her secret closet-turned-decompression zone. She realistically balances the demands of her job with her mental health diagnoses. In addition to her role in the building, Lucy maintains a heavily curated instagram account featuring the “perfect” counselor offering advice to her many followers.
Lucy meets Fletcher, who has recently transferred to the school to teach history, in a hilarious meet cute. Reading their meeting made me cringe because it seemed SO realistic and I was embarrassed for them both! Fletcher is immediately attracted to Lucy, even though his ex, who works at the school, is under the impression they are going to get back together. Told in alternating POV between Lucy and Fletcher, the story involves some school-related happenings but also family-related drama for both of them.
Both the Jewish and mental health representation are awesome, and I think many people will identify with Lucy’s struggle to feel comfortable with her identity, as she doesn’t fit neatly into any one single “box” or descriptor. I definitely recommend reading this one, with the caveat that there is more insta-love than I personally prefer. However, I enjoyed the read and hope you will pick it up and support this debut author! Last, I would LOVE a secret room at my school where I could go to decompress like Lucy has at her school - maybe I can find a grant to pay for that?!

⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Congratulations to Jessica Lepe on her debut novel!
Flirty Little Secret was an adorable, easy rom com read, perfect for fans of You've Got Mail and Abbott Elementary. It was as described! I really enjoyed the dual POV and thought the mixed media writing style was a fresh approach to storytelling.

Lucy was a complex character who was learning to find purpose and value in herself while living with anxiety and depression. I appreciated the accurate representation and that the author was transparent about her own mental health experience, giving Lucy some of the same journey. I loved how much Lucy cared about her students and her family. Her sisters were hilarious! I appreciated how honest she was with Fletcher about what her medication meant for intimacy. And the crying closet?! Too real! I've definitely had a secret crying location at past jobs.

Fletcher was patient and kind with Lucy, just a big ol' cinnamon roll of an MMC. He experienced his on struggles with finding his voice and value - particularly when it came to his family. His meet-cute with Lucy was hilarious and I thought he handled it really well.

There was so much about Flirty Little Secret that I loved, but I did struggle with a final rating. The third-act misunderstanding had me almost DNFing at chapter 26. I felt like Lucy needed to have more accountability in this situation. A couple of "all my fault" moments were not my fave and I also thought the name of the kids club was tone-def and wasn't a necessary joke for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Jessica Lepe for an early copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I enjoyed this book but didn't find it particularly memorable. Lucy is a relatable heroine, with realistic struggles. I loved her big, loud, loving family. While there wasn't much food description, Lepe had me craving Mexican-Morrocan food the entire book. I felt like the connection between Fletcher and Lucy was a bit forced. They still seemed very much like new friends/ colleagues rather than a potential couple. The blogs/ comment sections were fine, but could have been expanded, perhaps with Fletcher having a blog of his own. His personality seemed a bit flat. I loved Fletcher and Lucy's first "date" however. It was the sweetest.

CW: depression, anxiety, panic attack, suicidal ideation, abelism, antisemitism, racial microagression, grooming mention, attempted sexual assault of minor( off page,) profanity, death of spouse mention, divorce, past breakup, KKK reference, food descriptions, body talk, sexual content, religion- Judaism, cancer mention, sex on page

This was cute but overall kind of meh for me. The beginning had a lot of promise and I enjoyed Lucy and Fletcher's meet cute. Their first date was so lovely - gentlemen, take note!! I also really appreciated all the diversity and mental health representation throughout the book.

Unfortunately their relationship is pretty instalove and I never really felt the connection between them. Things just move SO fast - meeting parents and joking (but not joking) about being in-laws and saying "I love you" all within like a week, I think? They're also both pretty immature - they work in a high school but they honestly felt like teenagers themselves most of the time. Lucy definitely didn't seem qualified to be a guidance counselor. I also really struggled with the lying - I love a "You've Got Mail" hidden identity trope but it can be so tricky when one person knows who the other is and doesn't say anything while pursuing a relationship with them.

This one didn't live up to the promise for me but I know a lot of other people really enjoyed it!

Thank you Forever for the review copy of this book!