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Little Red Flags
Sex. Crime. Obsession. Free fall. A thrilling summer romance in the Hamptons takes a harrowing turn when an New York City food writer lets chemistry eclipse her judgment.
Mia De Luce is a successful, twenty-five-year-old food writer with zest and appetite. She’s built her dream life in Manhattan while working at her family’s red sauce restaurant. But she’s missing one thing—love.
Then, one thrilling weekend away in the Hamptons, she is seduced by a charismatic and attractive stranger named Ben Cohen. Caught up in the whirlwind romance, Mia ignores the little red flags she and others see—like Ben’s adrenaline-seeking tendencies and reckless attitude. She turns a blind eye because, for the first time, she feels truly seen by someone.
But a single event shatters their all-consuming chemistry and forces Mia to live a double life. One as a food writer, savoring caviar bumps and champagne at the world’s best restaurants…and one in secret, filled with shame and deception.
Can Mia confront the truth about herself, Ben, and their relationship? Or, will she lose herself forever to Ben’s world and his toxic manipulation, destroying the enviable life she built for herself in New York City?
Mia De Luce is a successful, twenty-five-year-old food writer with zest and appetite. She’s built her dream life in Manhattan while working at her family’s red sauce restaurant. But she’s missing one thing—love.
Then, one thrilling weekend away in the Hamptons, she is seduced by a charismatic and attractive stranger named Ben Cohen. Caught up in the whirlwind romance, Mia ignores the little red flags she and others see—like Ben’s adrenaline-seeking tendencies and reckless attitude. She turns a blind eye because, for the first time, she feels truly seen by someone.
But a single event shatters their all-consuming chemistry and forces Mia to live a double life. One as a food writer, savoring caviar bumps and champagne at the world’s best restaurants…and one in secret, filled with shame and deception.
Can Mia confront the truth about herself, Ben, and their relationship? Or, will she lose herself forever to Ben’s world and his toxic manipulation, destroying the enviable life she built for herself in New York City?
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 13, 2026
I read this in one day! An easy read. I needed to know how it ended and couldn’t put it down
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Little Red Flags is a sharp, emotionally charged debut that understands something many romances are afraid to admit: chemistry can be intoxicating, but it can also be catastrophic.
Jeanette Settembre drops us into Mia De Luce’s delicious world — Manhattan food writing, family legacy, red sauce simmering on the stove, caviar bumps and Champagne. Mia has appetite in every sense of the word. She’s ambitious, talented, and seemingly in control of her carefully curated life. The only thing missing is love.
Enter Ben Cohen — magnetic, reckless, impossible to ignore.
What Settembre does so brilliantly is capture the slow erosion of judgment when attraction feels like destiny. The Hamptons weekend spark is electric, but it’s the quiet, accumulating unease that makes this story pulse. The red flags are there. Mia sees them. Others see them. And still — she leans in. That emotional realism is what makes this novel so compelling. It refuses to simplify how smart, capable women can become tangled in something dangerous.
When a single event fractures the romance, the novel shifts into something deeper and more haunting. Mia’s double life — glamorous food writer by day, secret-keeper by night — becomes a study in shame, denial, and the exhausting performance of “having it all together.” The contrast between glittering restaurants and internal unraveling is striking and painfully effective.
Settembre writes with empathy rather than judgment. She doesn’t scold Mia for falling. She lets us feel why she did. That’s the novel’s greatest strength. It explores how easy it is to confuse being seen with being saved — and how devastating it can be when those two things are not the same.
At its core, Little Red Flags is not just about toxic love. It’s about identity. About the quiet terror of realizing you’ve drifted from yourself. And about the courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative when you’re ashamed of the chapter you’re in.
There’s a confidence in this debut that feels earned. The emotional stakes are high, the setting vivid, and the interiority deeply relatable. Readers won’t just follow Mia’s choices — they’ll question their own.
This is the kind of novel that lingers after the last page, not because of shock value, but because it recognizes a universal truth: first love can change us, but it doesn’t get to define us.
Jeanette Settembre has delivered a gripping, vulnerable, and timely story about falling hard — and rising harder. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Jeanette Settembre drops us into Mia De Luce’s delicious world — Manhattan food writing, family legacy, red sauce simmering on the stove, caviar bumps and Champagne. Mia has appetite in every sense of the word. She’s ambitious, talented, and seemingly in control of her carefully curated life. The only thing missing is love.
Enter Ben Cohen — magnetic, reckless, impossible to ignore.
What Settembre does so brilliantly is capture the slow erosion of judgment when attraction feels like destiny. The Hamptons weekend spark is electric, but it’s the quiet, accumulating unease that makes this story pulse. The red flags are there. Mia sees them. Others see them. And still — she leans in. That emotional realism is what makes this novel so compelling. It refuses to simplify how smart, capable women can become tangled in something dangerous.
When a single event fractures the romance, the novel shifts into something deeper and more haunting. Mia’s double life — glamorous food writer by day, secret-keeper by night — becomes a study in shame, denial, and the exhausting performance of “having it all together.” The contrast between glittering restaurants and internal unraveling is striking and painfully effective.
Settembre writes with empathy rather than judgment. She doesn’t scold Mia for falling. She lets us feel why she did. That’s the novel’s greatest strength. It explores how easy it is to confuse being seen with being saved — and how devastating it can be when those two things are not the same.
At its core, Little Red Flags is not just about toxic love. It’s about identity. About the quiet terror of realizing you’ve drifted from yourself. And about the courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative when you’re ashamed of the chapter you’re in.
There’s a confidence in this debut that feels earned. The emotional stakes are high, the setting vivid, and the interiority deeply relatable. Readers won’t just follow Mia’s choices — they’ll question their own.
This is the kind of novel that lingers after the last page, not because of shock value, but because it recognizes a universal truth: first love can change us, but it doesn’t get to define us.
Jeanette Settembre has delivered a gripping, vulnerable, and timely story about falling hard — and rising harder. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
May 7, 2026
Little Red Flags is one of those books that makes you want to grab the main character by the shoulders and go “bestie. BESTIE. the flags are not little. they are, in fact, waving aggressively in hurricane-force winds.”
And yet — that’s exactly what makes this book work.
Mia De Luce is a twenty-five-year-old food writer living what looks like a dream New York life: family restaurant roots, glamorous meals, ambition, appetite, and just enough Manhattan sparkle to make everything feel cinematic. But she wants love, and when she meets Ben Cohen during a weekend in the Hamptons, the chemistry is immediate, consuming, and extremely “girl, maybe run?” coded.
What follows is a tense, addictive exploration of attraction, obsession, manipulation, and how easily desire can blur into danger when someone makes you feel chosen. Jeanette Settembre does such a strong job capturing that terrifying emotional gray area where explosive chemistry starts masquerading as intimacy, and red flags become things you explain away because the high feels too good to question.
What I appreciated most is that this book never feels like it’s judging Mia. It would have been so easy for this story to slide into “how could she not see it?” territory, but instead, *Little Red Flags* approaches her with empathy. It understands how smart, capable people can still get pulled into toxic dynamics. It understands the seduction of being seen. It understands that sometimes the scariest choices are the ones that feel romantic in the moment.
The food writing and NYC restaurant world details also added such a rich texture — caviar, champagne, red sauce, family legacy, glossy city life — all contrasted against the secret shame and unraveling happening underneath. Very “aesthetic on the outside, emotional crime scene on the inside,” which, unfortunately, is a vibe.
This is a sharp, propulsive debut that stands out in the crowded psychological thriller/toxic romance space because of its emotional intelligence. It’s messy, glamorous, uncomfortable, and painfully true to life in the way it shows how attraction can become a trap.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
And yet — that’s exactly what makes this book work.
Mia De Luce is a twenty-five-year-old food writer living what looks like a dream New York life: family restaurant roots, glamorous meals, ambition, appetite, and just enough Manhattan sparkle to make everything feel cinematic. But she wants love, and when she meets Ben Cohen during a weekend in the Hamptons, the chemistry is immediate, consuming, and extremely “girl, maybe run?” coded.
What follows is a tense, addictive exploration of attraction, obsession, manipulation, and how easily desire can blur into danger when someone makes you feel chosen. Jeanette Settembre does such a strong job capturing that terrifying emotional gray area where explosive chemistry starts masquerading as intimacy, and red flags become things you explain away because the high feels too good to question.
What I appreciated most is that this book never feels like it’s judging Mia. It would have been so easy for this story to slide into “how could she not see it?” territory, but instead, *Little Red Flags* approaches her with empathy. It understands how smart, capable people can still get pulled into toxic dynamics. It understands the seduction of being seen. It understands that sometimes the scariest choices are the ones that feel romantic in the moment.
The food writing and NYC restaurant world details also added such a rich texture — caviar, champagne, red sauce, family legacy, glossy city life — all contrasted against the secret shame and unraveling happening underneath. Very “aesthetic on the outside, emotional crime scene on the inside,” which, unfortunately, is a vibe.
This is a sharp, propulsive debut that stands out in the crowded psychological thriller/toxic romance space because of its emotional intelligence. It’s messy, glamorous, uncomfortable, and painfully true to life in the way it shows how attraction can become a trap.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!
May 13, 2026
“Little Red Flags” completely pulled me in. Jeanette Settembre does an incredible job capturing the intoxicating mix of passion, denial, hope, and emotional chaos that can come with loving the wrong person. Mia feels real — flawed, smart, vulnerable, and painfully relatable — and the relationship dynamics felt authentic in a way that was sometimes uncomfortable, but very powerful.
What I appreciated most was that the book doesn’t just focus on romance; it’s really about identity, self-worth, family, and the quiet ways people lose themselves while trying to hold onto love. The food/Hamptons/NYC backdrop also gave it a cinematic feel without overshadowing the emotional core of the story.
The writing is emotional without being overly dramatic, and there were several moments that genuinely stayed with me after I finished. If you like layered contemporary women’s fiction with messy relationships, emotional depth, and characters who feel human, this is absolutely worth reading.
A heartfelt, honest debut that will resonate with anyone who has ever ignored a few “little” red flags hoping love would win anyway.
What I appreciated most was that the book doesn’t just focus on romance; it’s really about identity, self-worth, family, and the quiet ways people lose themselves while trying to hold onto love. The food/Hamptons/NYC backdrop also gave it a cinematic feel without overshadowing the emotional core of the story.
The writing is emotional without being overly dramatic, and there were several moments that genuinely stayed with me after I finished. If you like layered contemporary women’s fiction with messy relationships, emotional depth, and characters who feel human, this is absolutely worth reading.
A heartfelt, honest debut that will resonate with anyone who has ever ignored a few “little” red flags hoping love would win anyway.
May 5, 2026
The red flags are there but she doesn’t see them. Mia De Luce is a food writer with a glamorous career. She’s invited to parties to mingle with the famous, eat, drink and write a glowing review. Mia meets Ben Cohen at a party in the Hamptons. He’s handsome, funny and charismatic. Does it matter if he’s a little reckless, always pushing the edge of adventure? Does he drink too much? Maybe but so does Mia. She and Ben are in a love cocoon and she’s so happy. Happy until one phone call changes her life.
Little Red Flags is a dark, disturbing psychological thriller, not a romance. Mia descends into a lonely world fueled by lies, a world where she is pulled in different directions by Ben, her family, her friends and her co-workers. Her self-delusion will keep her there unless she can discover inner strength. Jeanette Settembre is a talented writer who makes you feel Mia’s confusion. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Post Hill Press and Jeanette Settembre for this ARC>
Little Red Flags is a dark, disturbing psychological thriller, not a romance. Mia descends into a lonely world fueled by lies, a world where she is pulled in different directions by Ben, her family, her friends and her co-workers. Her self-delusion will keep her there unless she can discover inner strength. Jeanette Settembre is a talented writer who makes you feel Mia’s confusion. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Post Hill Press and Jeanette Settembre for this ARC>
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mia De Luce is making a name for herself as a writer in New York's foodie scene. She noshes at all the finest up and coming restaurants by day but is lonely by night. Until she meets Ben Cohen at an upscale party in the Hamptons. Ben is interested in her, which baffles and sometimes clouds her judgement. The LITTLE RED FLAGS start waving, but Ben's attention is so welcome, that Mia ignores and excuses his behaviors. This book contains some explicit sexual encounters but also contains some good information about "red flags" that might help determine whether you should continue a relationship or run, before you become too entangled. Getting out might prove to be more difficult once you've stayed too long.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Jeanette Settembre’s Little Red Flags is a sharp, emotionally charged debut that explores the catastrophic thin line between chemistry and danger. Set against a deliciouss backdrop of Manhattan food writing, the story follows Mia De Luce as her curated life unravels through a magnetic, reckless attraction to Ben Cohen. Settembre writes with striking empathy, capturing the slow erosion of judgment when desire clouds reality and red flags are ignored. More than a study of toxic love, this is a truely vulnerable exploration of identity and the immense courage it takes to reclaim your own narrative. It is a haunting, unflinching novel that lingers long after the final page, proving that while first love may change us, it doesn't have to define us.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Really do not like the cover. It’s blurry and the colors are really not to my taste. Agree with the comments that this is less of a romance and more of a psychological story but if that’s your thing, go for it.
I do hate when romantic partners call each other honey or sweetie but that may just be a me thing. I also didn’t love the writing style – for example, re missing glasses: “’They’re on your head,’ I say, giggling. ‘Oh,’ she says with a smile.” Overall I think my issue is it’s a bit simplistic but writing is hard (not being sarcastic. Writing about the writing is hard!) but the writing was a major issue for me although I think the premise of the book and the world its in is an interesting one.
I do hate when romantic partners call each other honey or sweetie but that may just be a me thing. I also didn’t love the writing style – for example, re missing glasses: “’They’re on your head,’ I say, giggling. ‘Oh,’ she says with a smile.” Overall I think my issue is it’s a bit simplistic but writing is hard (not being sarcastic. Writing about the writing is hard!) but the writing was a major issue for me although I think the premise of the book and the world its in is an interesting one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of Advanced Reader Copy provided by the Publisher via NetGalley.
I wanted to love this book, but it was just a frustrating read from start to finish. The premise had potential but execution fell flat. The writing felt repetitive and simple.
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you are looking for something impactful.
I wanted to love this book, but it was just a frustrating read from start to finish. The premise had potential but execution fell flat. The writing felt repetitive and simple.
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you are looking for something impactful.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
🌶️🌶️🌶️
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Thank you Jeanette Settembre and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC copy.
*I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Thank you Jeanette Settembre and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC copy.
*I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
May 10, 2026
Easy 5 stars! Definitely worth the read. Very easy to get inside the main characters head!
May 13, 2026
Really fun read!
April 25, 2026
the writing did get better but not by much. after finishing i saw that this is this authors first book, and it does read like that. the characters are all so unlikable and the main character Mia is maddeningly pathetic. while her boyfriend Ben is a walking red flag. hence the title.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Little Red Flags is positioned as a New Adult romance, but for me it leans more toward psychological tension than traditional love story. I found myself invested in seeing where the story would go, even though the execution didn’t fully work for me.
The writing style is very direct and matter-of-fact, which gives the novel a grounded feel, but at times left me wanting more emotional depth and immersion. The present-tense narration, combined with the straightforward prose, created a slight distance between me and the characters.
Mia is portrayed as deeply insecure and longing to feel loved, which makes her relatable in many ways. However, some of her repeated anxieties (particularly around wealth, status, and her relationship with Ben) began to feel circular. The dynamic between them is intentionally uneasy, and some scenes were truly unsettling. One scene in particular involving consent was really hard to read (I would have appreciated a trigger warning).
There is clear potential in the premise and themes explored, but overall this one didn’t resonate with me as strongly as I had hoped.
The writing style is very direct and matter-of-fact, which gives the novel a grounded feel, but at times left me wanting more emotional depth and immersion. The present-tense narration, combined with the straightforward prose, created a slight distance between me and the characters.
Mia is portrayed as deeply insecure and longing to feel loved, which makes her relatable in many ways. However, some of her repeated anxieties (particularly around wealth, status, and her relationship with Ben) began to feel circular. The dynamic between them is intentionally uneasy, and some scenes were truly unsettling. One scene in particular involving consent was really hard to read (I would have appreciated a trigger warning).
There is clear potential in the premise and themes explored, but overall this one didn’t resonate with me as strongly as I had hoped.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews