TeoBel, TeoBel, TeoBel, TeoBel!!!! My Mechanical Romance was a very fun, refreshing, and cute young adult contemporary romance! Coming from the author of one of my favorite adult contemporary romance—Alone with You in the Ether, under her pseudonym Olivie Blake—Alexene Farol Follmuth reminds me again why she is one of the new talented young author of color and—author in general— of our generation. She's just very talented and Teo and Bel written like what they are: teenagers. Geeky teenagers. TeoBel are so adorable and everything you wanted from romcom leads! Also, for Asian girls in STEM, this book is for you!

This was a cute book, but overall just not my thing. I liked the main characters and thought they had good chemistry but I just didn't love the school setting, which is my bad since I decided to read it knowing that. I think i would've really enjoyed it back when I was younger and in school though, since it would feel more relatable. However, if you like young adult academic romances, this is definitely a charming one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an adorable romance, and one where Bel and Mateo both sort of receive the smartening up each needs. These two characters are good for each other, and we love to see a victory for women in STEM.

The book was took techy and difficult to keep up with. I got it as audio. I didn't finish it. I liked the general story overall and wish I could have finished it.

This book was SO sweet! I love academic rivals-to-lovers and this one was just so fun. Bel and Teo were just so stinking cute. Such a great YA read.

okay i got so bored and couldn’t get through it. it was a little cute but not enough for me to keep reading lol. it was recommended to me by a friend and while i liked the characters i just couldn’t get too into the plot itself for some reason. but i’ll give it another read and hopefully change my mind

Such a cute story! Perfect for the young adult audience. I will post a full review to my socials within the next two weeks!

I really did not like this book. It discusses misogyny but the way it goes about it does not work. I had trouble getting attached to either of the main characters. I had trouble staying interested in the book as well. It took me over two months to really finish it and I contemplated dnfing it multiple times.

The only character I really liked was Neelam and she was consistently mistreated by most of the characters. When she is rightfully upset about the appropriation of her culture, she is treated as if she is spoiling the fun of a white girl that is participating.

The book also slightly enforces the idea that women only have value when men are interested in them; it shows up the most in the difference of how Bel and Neelam are treated. I did not feel that there was a point where the author deconstructed that idea.

I was really excited to read this book but it left me very disappointed

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read to & review an ARC of this book!**

Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-I liked the focus on females in STEM!
-The friendships between the characters.
-The friendship growth between Bel and Nellam.
-The cultural representation.
-The character growth as shown through the epilogue.

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-The rivalry between Bel and Nellam (the other female) on the robotics team.
-Bel came across as whiny at times.
-The plot felt a bit prolonged/drawn out at times.

Overall, I gave this book 3 stars.

"I'm at my best when I'm with you."

I AM MENTALLY SCREAMING RIGHT NOW. THIS IS THE CUTEST HIGH SCHOOL STEM ROMANCE I HAVE EVER READ. My favourite part: Bel is a female high school student who has a passion for engineering. I just love the fact that this book touches on women empowering male-dominated careers and work fields. When Bel moves to a new school, she is keen on finishing senior year without the stress of college apps and people constantly asking her about her future plans. But then comes Mateo Luna, son of one of the most successful engineers in the field, and also captain of the robotics club. After pressure from a teacher to join the club, Bel joins and Mateo starts to recognize her for her talent...until they pretty much start beefing over robots. The issue is, Bel could not care less about robots and is only in this club because her teacher believes she has a gift, while Mateo's life is robots and robots only. As the two are forced to spend more time together through robot building and other team-committed tasks, the label "enemies" starts to disappear as feelings mix and the two learn about each other's backgrounds and families. Bel's parents are dealing with a nasty divorce and she's trying to figure out whether she can ever be close to her father again, while Mateo has spent his entire life trying to impress his father and live up to his family name. The challenges of familial pressure, gender norms, and high school drama in general are all recognized in this novel. GO READ THIS BOOK PEOPLE.

I’ll be honest, I was not the target reader for this. I haven't read a YA book in about 4-5 years.

That saying, I am a sucker for women (and girls) in stem and this was really cute! The pace was definitely a tad slow, but the overall book is pretty short and sweet and perfect for a weekend read.

I really related with our MC’s feelings of not knowing what to do with your life. I changed my mind in high school about what I wanted to do probably 17 times before going to college and continuing to not know what I wanted to do. That, and the pressures of family, it was super relatable.

i am grateful to have been granted access to this ARC but I won't be reading it anymore due to some issues I found with the author

Thank you to @NetGalley and @holidayhousebks for gifting me a copy of My Mechanical Romance in exchange for an honest review.

🔧 Mini Review ⚙️
When I read the synopsis for My Mechanical Romance I knew I had to read it asap. I was so excited to be approved!!

I don’t even know where to start with this review because I loved this book soo soo much! Like I couldn’t put it down! Reading at night has been hard for me lately, but this one kept me up. I was never really into robotics in high school but now being a homeschool teacher I’m all into it.

Bel changes schools in the middle of the year while being a senior. Not exactly what she planned. But if she thinks about it, she has no idea what she wants to do with her life, and she’s okay with that. Until she gets picked to be part of the robotics team. She knows how to weld things, because she used to tinker around with her dad, and help her brother with his car, but she doesn’t know how to run programs. That’s where Teo comes in. Head of the robotics team, amazing soccer player, good looking, and rich. And immediately Teo and Bel butt heads. Even being on the team together isn’t budding a relationship.

Until Teo decides to give Bel some help in learning the programs. Love might be in the air for these totally opposite people…

I can’t get enough of Teo and Bel. They were both such great characters. And together they were even better! I honestly loved all the characters in this book. Neelam, Jamie, Dash, Lora, and Luke!! I would love to get a second book to see what happens next!!

If you love robotics or swoon-worthy-opposites-attract books then I totally recommend this to you!!! I gave it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

SO cute. I adored this pairing. I love women in stem too, I can't get enough. At the beginning I didn't really connect until later on, and then I was hooked, they are an adorable pair. I also really loved the cover, I thought it was so cute. I would definitely purchase for a friend, especially someone I know wanted to be in STEM, because who doesn't want to fall in love with a smartie?

Thank you so much for the early copy, a bit late in reviewing. Again, thanks.


I love opposites attract romances, but I felt like a good ways in that Teo, who I kept reading as Tuna as my eyes drifted around and Bel weren't that different. Both felt kinda monotone and flat, indifferent to people and each other. His reasons for not liking her at first felt childish, then whiplash of suddenly spending 10 seconds together and he's in love. While Teo is called a nerd by his Mom, Bel is called weird, but I didn't quite understand because beyond robotics, she didn't do much that was weird or eccentric? It felt a little counterproductive for what I assume was trying to shine a light that stem is fun and cool. I also found also there was a lot of characters, many I couldn't keep track of beyond Bel's friend Lora. In the end it felt like they weren't really academic rivals and just teammate and teo kept dismissing her due to his own BS or subconscious sexism.

The book was a good night, quick read. But didn't end up caring much for either character or their romance.

4 out of 5 stars. If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I wish books like this had been more common when I was in high school. I went through an entire 5 years and 2 degrees in college, only to realize that I probably should have done engineering the first time around!

Ugh, this book. It seems alright and then this FMC comes and is just so obnoxious. She has gifts that she could better and make a full career out of, but instead, she's really lazy and very obnoxious. I didn't get much time with the MMC but he also seemed so full of himself, not at all what I wanted in this book.

Absolutely loved this and can't wait to read more stories from Alexene Farol Follmuth! This was a quick read that kept me engaged and and interested. The writing was quick and witty and I loved the chemistry of Bel and Teo. I also loved the dual points of view to understand the characters thought. Very cute, wholesome YA read! Did not dissapoint!

A cute, young adult book.

I enjoyed this - it was an easy read with likeable characters and I loved how it was female driven!

While somewhat cute, My Mechanical Romance offers young adults a different perspective on what hardships some of these young adults face.

I had a little trouble at first connecting with the characters. It wasn’t necessarily because they’re high school students, but being inside their minds got annoying a little early on. However, I liked the pace of the story, and that helped the characters minds transition into a smoother and must more well-adapted perspective that offered sympathy and understanding.

The best part of this book is the core message, and that is essentially to put your mind to your dreams and desires. While Bel and Teo are two classmates who start off with a rivalry, there are still advantages and disadvantages both sides have. It delves into the belief that young women should not be involved in male-dominated positions, but I loved the approach Olivia Blake took with this to show that women can be just as strong and determined as men. But, what’s even better is how sympathetic and understanding she made Teo’s development. Despite his weariness and hesitancy at first, we see that he’s only come to think a certain way because of how society has accustomed us to believe people belong in categories. In the end, he realizes the two make a great team, and the effort of having someone like Bel in his team helped their success. There are a couple other things the book unpacks, such as gender discrimination, impostor syndrome, and peer pressure. It shows a realistic perspective on high school life, such as how Bel felt like she didn’t belong, Teo’s pressure from his family, and having to do your best to prove your worth.

With characters development in mind, it’s one of the highlights of the story, showing a steady process as the characters grow to become stronger in an emotional level. Despite Bee not being a character I liked in the beginning, her strength, course, and determination to prove her worth was quite inspiring, There’s enough about her that even mature adults can learn from her. She goes from being someone unsure to feeling confident, noting that her abilities are needed in order to get the grand victory. It’s courageous and lovely of her, especially with how she started. On the other hand, Teo has peer-pressure from his family, but Bee’s carefree and energetic self actually helps him loosen up a little and realize there is more to life than just academics. I think both balanced each other so well, and their small relationship that grew from the mutual attraction offers a small, loosed distraction. Considering they are in high school, obviously there will be some conflict presented, but it wasn’t anything that created too much unnecessary drama.

My Mechanical Romance is a realistic, contemporary YA book with a small side relationship, an amazing and supportive teacher that encourages you to chase your dreams, a couple friends hyping you up along the way, and a realization that life is more than just academics.