Guidance counselor Lucy has created the online persona of @themissguidedcounselor, the all knowledgeable teacher and life guru. She has struck up a meaningful relationship with @bravesguy93, who just happens to be the new hot history teacher Fletcher. As they interact at school more both Lucy and Fletcher develop feelings for each other. The problem is Lucy doesn’t think she deserves love and dealing with her mental health issues is a full time job. Fletcher sees how wonderful Lucy is, but will pretty much do or say anything to avoid confrontation which creates problems. Will they both be able to work on themselves enough to move past their fears and be the partners they both deserve?

This book hit home in a lot of ways for me. As a precious professional educator I know the toll it can take on mental health, so I absolutely connected with Lucy in that way. I also struggle with confrontation like Fletcher so I connected with his character as well. Not to mention he is the sweetest possible guy! The supporting characters of the high school students and Lucy’s sisters are absolutely hilarious and bring some comedic relief while dealing with the heavy topics of not just mental health but religion and infidelity as well. What a wonderful debut!

"I am looking at you. And nothing I see is scaring me away. If anything, it makes me want to get to know you better."

4-⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flirty Little Secret is an adult standalone contemporary romcom following are chaotic guidance counsellor Lucy. On social media Lucy has crafted the perfect persona under the popular advice guru, @LittleMissGuided but at home and work she is chaos, juggling chronic mental health struggles and blending far into the background to avoid confrontation. Yet when she meets the new history teacher she finds her struggling to keep away from the charming man...especially when he appears to like the very quirks she attempts to hide.

Fletcher has returned home to handle some family drama that is never ending, including an ex girlfriend at work wanting to "try again." The only solace he has comes from his online friendship with LittleMissGuided, the woman who has been his confident for years. What he never expected was that the adorable guidance counsellor at his work turns out to be the same person he relied for years. With fears of change and being true to yourself, Lucy and Fletcher must decide will they embrace the reality or be lost behind the screens?

This book is a true comfort read for someone wanting to feel heard but also still enjoy of romcom that gets you in the feels.

Lucy is a character I truly felt for. She struggles with depression, anxiety, and feeling like she doesn't have it all together. At the same time, she reminds up having these diagnoses and feelings of worth don't mean you are these things every day and I felt she is a character so many can relate to as a result. Watching her have to confront and accept herself who all she is was a rewarding journey.

Aldrich Fletcher is an easy male protagonist to fall for. He is dealing with so much chaos at home and he, on the surface, seems like he should have it all together but he also struggles to make a stance. I enjoyed how Lucy (both behind the screen and in person) challenged him a bit and reminded him he needed to choose. I felt he reminded me that male love interests can but just as a flawed and yet still wonderful.

I also want to give a shout out to Nia who was the most amazing side character. She validated so much of Lucy and I feel like she embodies the person we all look for in our lives. Lucy's sisters also deserve a shout out because they were so supportive and a nuisance all a the same time and I love it.

This book does contain spice. I would place it at 1.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. The romance is absolutely adorable in this book. I loved the banter and the intimacy that came with them being comfortable with each other. This intimacy wasn't specially sexual but things like a touch, a helping hand, and more. This romance is a spark that is coached into a flame and when the spice finally hits in the second half of the book I was squealing.

"I mean, he did tell me he wanted to more than friends yesterday, but didn't want to hit on me while I was having a mental breakdown in a closet, which if that isn't an example of modern day chivalry, I don't know what is."

In terms of the story, this book is an effortless read as we navigate awkward first meetings, exes drama, family crises, struggles of self worth, and confronting the truth. I felt the high school aspects was a little underdeveloped but could see the significance. Also the name of the one club I cannot believe would ever be accepted in schools right now XD. I felt the romance between Lucy and Fletcher had me from the beginning and there is a bit of a third act conflict but it was expected. It did mean I felt a bit of anxiety reading Fletcher's POV as I waited for the foot to fall but I will say the side character did an amazing job to tie everything together. I think my only wish was that we had more of an epilogue to see these two lovebirds together more.

Overall, this book is adorable, meaningful, and easy to devour! I cannot wait to see what Jessica creates for next because her debut book was wonderful.

Thank you Forever Publishing for the arc!

This was such a wonderful read. I believe this is her debut novel, and I’m like dang okay. I loved the mental health rep as well as how connected I felt to Lucy. It’s so hard to be your true self for fear of ridicule and the author did a fantastic job capturing that. I can’t wait to read more from this author .

Lucy is a high school guidance counselor who deals with ADHD, anxiety and depression. She has a secret Instagram account called the missguided counselor. She has an embarrassing experience with the new history teacher Mr. Fletcher. Mr. Fletcher is dealing with family drama and has found a friend online who is a guidance counselor. 😉

What I really liked: Lucy's family and her relationship with Fletcher. Her words of counseling to others were really helpful.

What I disliked: Lucy was quick to judge and assume the worst of others. She was quick to judge Fletcher. She was mad and blocked him when she found out he knew that they were friends online. It didn't seem that big of a deal. 🤷

Overall, a fun romance. I had a hard time putting the book down and read it in one sitting. I laughed and cried during the book.

Flirty Little Secret was one of these books. A couple met on Instagram where a high school guidance counselor posts advice and a teacher turned to her for said advice. They hit it off and because online buddies. And lo and behold, they end up working at the same school. You can figure out the rest. All that being said, this was really cute. I loved the families, I loved the scenes at the school, I loved the very real look at mental health issues, I loved the sweet romance, notwithstanding the frustrating nature of the underlying plot. It was a nice frothy fluffy read to distract me from a very stressful work week.

2.5/5

Original:
This book was an entertaining read for me. I almost DNF'd due to an unsettling comment early on in the book, but continued and I enjoyed seeing the story unfold. Fletcher and Lucy's romance was certainly swoon-worthy.

What I enjoyed:
Lucy's family, their heritage and traditions, and closeness with one-another
The vulnerability and honestly about Lucy's ADHD and depression
Fletcher's character growth and his family
Truly, the secondary characters in this book MADE it!

What I struggled with:
At times, it felt like the romance went from 0-60 super fast and that made it less believable.
Also, I didnt love how Fletcher's body/looks were described as so perfect because it really contributed to the "how could someone so hot love someone like me" narrative that I just wasn't into!
The book tried to do a lot in the juxtapositions between the characters (hot v less hot, rich v poor, waspy white v Mexican-Moroccan, Jewish v not) so some things felt unfinished/half baked.

Revised my star rating from 3.75 to 2.5 after a reread.
Upon closer reading, the KKK jokes were wildly inappropriate. Like immediate star deduction. I don't understand why they were there.
I also recently learned that the author herself is not Latine and I read this book thinking she was so that really colors my view of the book and the representation.

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 ‘𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙮 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤’ 𝙖𝙣𝙙 ‘𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙚’ 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.”

I am so excited to share this one because it has ALLLLL the representation. What you’re going to see:
▫️Jewish-Mexican-Moroccan fmc family
▫️fmc has anxiety, ADHD, and depression
▫️she’s on medication for her mental health
▫️her sister is part of the lgbtqia community

I mean come on, that’s insane, in a good way! It was so so nice to have a character who is so relatable & taking care of her mental health even though it is so damn hard.

I also loved her relationship with Fletcher (aka Aldrich but goes by Fletcher). He’s so compassionate and understanding with her. Plus their compatibility was off the charts. Loooove!

My only complaint would be that the plot itself seems a little slow. Not a whole lot actually happens during the book and I would’ve loved to have more substance. I have a feeling this author will only get better in the future though as it’s her first published book. Regardless, I’m off to go buy the paperback now hehe 🤍

This was such a fun book! I loved all of the ways their differing backgrounds and families changed them, and made the main characters who they are. I love the depictions of mental health, the struggles, the support, it was beautifully written and seemed honest. Their romance was great, they felt so comfortable together and I love that she felt safe with him to reveal her anxious and bold sides. Definitely worth reading!

This was so cute! I really love the way that it unfolded and had so much fun while reading. I wish I could stay in the world longer!

The mental health rep in this book is so well done! Getting a dual POV was important so we could see both Lucy and Fletcher's thoughts and feelings. I also liked the DMs on page.
The Sephardic Jewish rep was so great!! I wish there was more food talk/food descriptions because the ones we got were so delicious and I wanted more.

I didn't totally feel the connection between Lucy and Fletcher at first but they grew on me. Lucy's family was also amazing but I couldn't get myself to feel the same for Fletcher's.
3.5 stars

DNF. Nothing really happens in this book. I felt the relationships between the teachers was written very poorly. The plot was coincidental in a bad way. The odds are slim that the FMC and the MMC are in the same area, never mind the same school. And their relationship felt very insta-lovey. This is supposed to be an adult romance, but it felt very YA to me. Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Book Group, and Forever publishing for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.

“Flirty Little Secret,” by Jessica Lepe was a book I went into really wanting to love and came away from only liking it overall – with a few exceptions. To start with, I did enjoy the characters. Lucy is a character that I strongly relate to regarding my own mental health battles, and I absolutely love seeing characters who can accurately illustrate what it’s like living day-to-day with mental health struggles and neurodivergent thinking patterns. I loved that her character wasn’t distilled down into her mental health struggles, and that we got to see her successfully navigate her career while dealing with her own personal issues, and how that affected her on an emotional level. I loved seeing her confidence grow over the course of the book, but I also liked that, by the end, she wasn’t a supremely confident character whose mental health struggles were somehow cured by being in a relationship. I liked that there was a more realistic approach – yes, she gains confidence, yes, she gets the guy, but she ALSO still has ADHD and battles depression. She can be all these things, and do all these things, and is still a valued member of her family, a beloved friend, a well-liked colleague, the object of another’s desire, a whole, real, beautifully honest person, and I appreciated that aspect of this book.

As for Fletcher – he seemed to be pretty much all green flags, which was nice in the context of this book. He starts off with some issues with confrontation, which he works on over the course of the book and, by the end, is finally able to stand up for himself a bit more. I appreciated that he never wavered in his attraction to Lucy or his desire to pursue a relationship with her, and that when she confided in him about her mental health struggles, he was so supportive and wanted to learn more about how he could help her instead of trying to change her or making her feel like she needed to be anything other than what she was. All in all, the actual romance portion of this book was cute and enjoyable, and I appreciated the neurodivergent representation.

Now, there were some things that I found off-putting about this book as well. Mainly, the inclusion in the story of a school group with triple K initials. The group itself is not a hate group and is actually supposed to be a group that encourages confidence in teens, but I thought the name of the group having triple K initials was unnecessary and, for me, detracted from the story every time it was mentioned – which was honestly way more than it needed to be. Thematically, it seems like the author intended for the name of this group to be a sore point, which it was, especially for Lucy, who has wanted to get it changed to something else for what seems like quite some time. The reason it hasn’t been changed is given as being due to there not being enough in the school budget for a new curriculum for the group, and the group is named after the curriculum. I’m not sure why the name of the club couldn’t have been changed, regardless of the name of the curriculum. Lucy does eventually gain the confidence to bring up the name to the school principal and get it changed, and this is a big moment for her character, as it illustrates some major growth on her part in her ability to confidently stand up for herself and others and feel competent in her job. However, I think it would have been entirely possible for the author to find a different way for Lucy to go through this same growth arc without the club having the same initials as a hate group, and it would have made those parts of the book more bearable to read. If the point was to make the reader as uncomfortable with the name as Lucy and her students must have felt, it worked.

Overall, this was a cute story, and I hope that Lucy’s sisters get their own books as well, because I felt like there was definitely potential for more out of these characters and this author. Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc. My review has been my honest and unbiased opinion.

as a teacher, teacher romances can be iffy, but this one was very sweet!!! I loved all of the text exchanges, and felt like it added a fun element to the story

4 stars!

I so very much enjoyed "Flirty Little Secret" by Jessica Lepe, which is a fresh, modern take on a "You've Got Mail"-type of story. This one is SO funny! I feel like I laughed constantly throughout the entire book. I loved the connection between Lucy and Fletcher. I was instantly drawn to them and their love story. Their relationship starts out rocky, but the more they lean on each other, get to know one another, and open up to one another, a tender bond between them forms. The mental health representation is the star of the show here. This book has some of the best mental health discussions I have seen as of late. The conversations around mental illness felt totally realistic, wholly purposeful, and remarkably compassionate. It wasn't just thrown in without any rhyme or reason. Lepe really took her time crafting Lucy and Fletcher's mental health struggles and issues so that they felt lived-in and relatable. Lucy's struggles with imposter syndrome, depression, and anxiety felt extremely pertinent to me. There *is* a ton of miscommunication in this story, but it didn't seem to bother me as much as it has in the past in other novels. I think it's because Lucy and Fletcher are so dang likable and lifelike. Also, A+ representation as Lucy is Moroccan Jewish and Mexican. There are a half-dozen things I could pick apart about this book, but at the end of the day, it made me feel seen and made me feel really good about what I just read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Lepe, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

If you want a heartwarming romantic comedy with characters who actually feel like real people, you’re going to want to grab “Flirty Little Secret.” This sweet and sexy story blends the charm of "You've Got Mail" with the quirky setting of "Abbott Elementary."

At the center of this tale is Lucy Galindo, a shy school counselor battling anxiety and chronic depression who leads a bold, confident life online as the anonymous @TheMissGuidedCounselor. When her secret identity collides with her real-life crush on the new history teacher Aldrich Fletcher, it sets the stage for an utterly charming romantic entanglement.

Author Jessica Lepe has penned an electric will-they-won't-they that reminds us it's okay to be imperfect. A must-read for anyone seeking laughter, heart, and the courage to be vulnerable.

An incredible debut!

I found Flirty Little Secret to be incredibly relatable as we are in a world where posting our highs and best self on social media is the norm, and how that plays a role in how we view ourselves and others, effects our mental health and even how we value ourselves.

Lucy is a public school guidance counsellor that has an anonymous Instagram page where she shares wisdom, tips, and confidence in way she doesn’t see herself in her everyday life.

@TheMisGuidedCounselor is confident, in control and bold. The Lucy in real life lives with anxiety, depression and ADHD. Her online persona has given her an incredibly friendship with @BravesGuy93 despite not knowing each other’s real names or even meeting in real life.

Fletcher has returned home to help his mother, and focus on his career of choice- teaching. His path crosses with Lucy, and there is a certain connection between the two. As things start to become more serious between them Fletcher realizes their paths have crossed previously… Fletcher has to find a way to tell Lucy before she finds out he’s known the truth and didn’t say anything…

There were so many things I loved about Flirty Little Secret including:

A neurodivergent MC
Mental health rep
Great supporting characters (I’d love a story about Lucy’s sisters, Brodie the PE Teacher and even Georgia!)
A multi cultural family that doesn’t fit any one particular mold and embraces it

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Flirty Little Secret is available now!

Putting the book down at 10%, you lost me at the KKK jokes. It’s not necessary or funny and is such an outlandish choice, I don’t understand it.

Yeah teenagers say absolutely wild stuff, but no school would allow a club to have those initials in 2024. We don’t need to laugh things like this off when there are other jokes to tell and other ways to show the reader that the main character doesn’t like being in charge of this particular club.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this read. I think the book was good. But the group name stopped me so hard in my tracks....I was almost done. I kept reading thinking maybe they will fix it or show that they were thinking and chance the name but nope. I was upset by that and was not able to appreciate what I was reading. I give it 3 stars because I do not like to give low ratings for the fact no one put up their hand and said anything about crazy ideas.

4.5/5 (rounded down to 4)

CW: depression, anxiety, panic attack, suicidal ideation (mentioned), ableism, anti-Semitism, racism, attempted sexual assault, infidelity, divorce

Closed Door Mod: Chapter 24 (some parts)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Forever, Grand Central Publishing, for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

At work, Lucy Galindo is a guidance counselor trying her best to make an impact on her students while managing her anxiety and depression. Online, she’s @TheMissGuidedCounselor and always knows the right thing to say. Yet, when the new history teacher, Aldrich Fletcher, discovers that Lucy is behind the account he has been messaging for over a year, Lucy and Fletcher have to learn how to trust in order to let each other in.

Flirty Little Secret is such a delightful rom-com that also handles serious topics regarding mental health and emotional baggage with grace. While at one point you are hysterically laughing at the wit Lepe creates in these characters, the next you may find yourself emotional as you relate to Lucy’s and Fletcher’s struggles throughout the book.

At its heart, Flirty Little Secret is about two people opening themselves up again despite their past. With Lucy living in a world not designed for neurodivergent folk and Fletcher as he deals with his family falling apart, Lepe beautifully captures their story onto the page as they learn to trust each other as they begin to heal.

Now, I want to remind folks that Lepe’s Flirty Little Secret contains topics of a sensitive manner, so I would encourage you to review content warnings before deciding to read this book.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a workplace romance with positive neurodivergent rep and a dash of the pen pals trope, you come to the right place with Lepe’s Flirty Little Secret.

Spill the tea has a quite literal meaning in the opener for Flirty Little Secret, that starts with an accident on the first day of school for new teacher Aldrich Fletcher. It’s a classic meet-cute/disaster? that combines nervous energy and humor and gives a taste of what is to come from Lucy’s personality and Fletcher’s reaction to her. I love it when he falls first and although it’s clear Lucy and Fletcher find one another attractive, Fletcher just can’t seem to keep his new coworker out of his head.

At the same time, Lucy has established herself as @TheMissGuidedCounselor, a handle that allows her to give advice, be bold and confident with the anonymity of her followers not knowing her personal struggles. Unbeknownst to both Fletcher and Lucy, they have been DMing for months, establishing an online relationship that consists of humorous memes, caring advice, friendship, and flirty banter. It will only be so long before one of them realizes who the other is in real life and it’s to be expected with any hidden identity, that there’s going to be a miscommunication trope. This didn’t bother me as I feel like Lucy and Fletcher were their true selves both in person AND online. It’s just that timing isn’t exactly on their side.

What I really appreciated was the fresh take on how social media can be used to help with verbalizing fears, making friends, and easing depression (not to be used as a substitute for counseling). Lucy lives with severe depression, self-doubt, and anxiety and her online platform was a way for her to cope with some of her negative thoughts. Likewise, Fletcher had a sounding board in TheMissGuidedCounselor to bounce his reactions and frustrations at his father’s infidelities.
In real life, it takes a bit longer, but eventually Fletcher and Lucy realize they can confide in one another with their struggles. I loved the openness of Lucy voicing her fears during sex of what it’s like to be on an antidepressant and struggle with finishing. Lepe explores fears through both Fletcher and Lucy with their nervous insecurities and writes them as characters that aren’t any less than because of them, but that are human and capable of being loved even though they have them. Not only is a voice given to those with debilitating depression, but I loved the Jewish rep and Lucy’s over the top family that knows no boundaries when it comes to her life (the lawn chair is chef’s kiss!). I am so glad to read a book that normalizes struggles with mental health. Romance really is for everyone and Lepe is a fresh voice that uses the unlimited access of social media to do it. I received an early copy from Forever. All opinions are my own.

Stars:🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Heat: 🪭🪭
Plot as told through emojis:
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