Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe is a debut you'll adore

Sometimes when you hear about a book, you know you’re going to love it and that’s exactly how I felt about Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe.

Not only is it a debut romance, but the comp titles for it are Abbott Elementary and You’ve Got Mail. If you’re someone who loves rom-coms and can’t help but be charmed by the Abbott crew, then you need to pick this up.

While the cover of this book is incredibly cute, there are some content notes I want to share which are depression, anxiety, ADHD, strained parental relationships, and dealing with divorced parents as an adult.

I’d like to thank Forever for sending me a digital ARC so I could share my thoughts and feelings about Flirty Little Secret with you.

Flirty Little Secret is an adorable yet hard-hitting romance.

This book is two-fold as we’re following Lucy who is a guidance counselor who is great at her job yet she’s dealing with some mental health issues and she ends up embarrassing herself in front of a new teacher, Aldrich by throwing coffee in his crotch. Despite that, it’s clear Aldrich is charmed by her, and the two end up finding ways to talk to each other.

Then we’re also following Lucy’s online alter-ego “TheMissGuidedCounselor” who is everything Lucy believes she isn’t. Very quickly into the book, we find out that her alter-ego has an online best friend and crush. I’m sure you can figure out how those dots are connected but I won’t give it away.

Either way, this book ended up being so much more than I thought because we’re truly watching Aldrich and Lucy grow as people. In addition, these two feel like they challenge the status quo of what romance is especially when it comes to dating. I feel like we rarely see a couple go on a first date to the hardware store and get groceries, but that feels so relatable. Maybe it’s just me, but this book got me on an entirely different level.

In addition, Lucy is dealing with her anxiety, depression, and ADHD which overwhelms her at times but she does her best. Meanwhile, Aldrich is taking care of his mother who is reeling from her recent divorce, and avoiding his father who cheated and got his mistress pregnant. If that sounds messy, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Regardless, Flirty Little Secret truly captured my heart and I couldn’t help but fall for these two as a couple and individuals. They felt real and were flawed, making for a more compelling romance. If you don’t have this one on your radar for the spring, then you need to make sure you add Flirty Little Secret to your next TBR.

Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe is out now where books are sold.