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.