I love My Chemical Romance so I thought the title was 10/10. I liked the dual POV but I wish the main characters had been rivals for longer, I think it would've made their eventual friendship/romance that much more sweeter. The pacing was a bit slow but I still really enjoyed it.

I absolutely adored this book it was super cute and the dynamics between the characters was everything. Reading a STEM romance made me feel so happy! There aren't many romances about "nerds?" So reading this was just everything I wish I had in high school!

4.5 stars :)
I LOVED MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE!!
I see nobody ever talk about this book but it was just amazing.
I love Bel and Teo so much and I found the whole mechanics/engineering/robots topic so interesting! At some points it was really hard for me to understand it when they talked about science things because English isn‘t my first language and I don‘t understand Physics, but the book was great nevertheless.
I also adored all the Taylor Swift references in this.
The tropes were amazing (academic rivals to lovers? i‘m sold). The book was fast paced and it was easy to get through, I liked the writing and the characters were so relatable. I also loved reading the book from both POV‘s.
I also kinda fell in love with Teo. He listened to Taylor Swift songs for Bel? That‘s the dream.

rating: 3.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
genre: young adult
edition: audiobook mixed with eARC

This book was a pretty fun ride! Not having been a science or math geek at ANY point of my high school career, some of the nuances of working on a robotics team were lost on me. BUT watching Teo & Bel come together both as science nerds & as a couple was absolutely adorable.

I LOVED the text message exchanges between Dash & Teo as well as with Jamie & Bel (the narrator for the audiobook really NAILED preppy, overachieving high school student with Jamie but I also somehow didn't hate it?).

Things I Liked:
✨ The representation of what it's like to be a child of divorce later in life. Follmuth really encapsulated what it's like to feel like you'r win the middle and that you're stuck choosing a side. Bel hides so much of herself & her senior year from her parents because she doesn't want one of them to feel inferior or left out of anything. It's a difficult thing to see & understand what your parents are going through and feeling helpless or lost.
✨ Bel was a delight. I absolutely loved the smart slacker energy that she brought to the table! & all of her "Well..um..not really..." unfinished sentences were amazing.
✨ I liked that we got to see both Bel & Teo kind of come into themselves! Teo starts the book so assured & confident in what he's doing and where his life is going...but it's not until Bel comes along and inserts chaos that he realizes he's drowning under all of his family & friends expectations of him.
✨ Bel & Teo = yes.

academic rivals to lovers, I am already sold!!

I didn't expect to like it this much. I am a STEM student who doesn't like physics that much. And this book made it look appealing to me.

Bel and Teo meet in a robotics club, Bel finds a real place for herself In this group, despite the fact that she was basically forced by her teacher to join.

This is a cute, opposite attracts book.
But there is not much of a story here.

I thought this book was so cute and very enjoyable to read! I'm a sucker for STEM romances and dual POVs so I was very excited to get my hands on this book! I went in without much expectations but left me with so much joy and serotonin! I definitely recommend to those who love YA romances with strong female and POC characters with a light hearted plot and wholesome romance!

This was a super charming book and great for young adults! Nerdy romance, rivals to lovers, girls in STEM and dual POV that was done well! I also loved that this book had some strong female empowerment, and the diversity was amazing!

I did feel like this book was a bit slow at times; however, the plot was strong and kept my attention. I also appreciated that this comes across as a transitional book for readers about to start reading contemporary adult. Additionally, any book that references Taylor Swift is usually a winner for me!

“I should not be wasting my time on high school boys when I was clearly born to be some artist's muse, which is a calling I will probably age into around my late twenties.”

I am a sucker for STEM romance, nothing is more up my alley than this sub-genre but somehow I didn’t have many expectations from this book and once again I dived in without knowing anything about it except that it's STEM-related because well the title. This was also an arc, and my expectation from arcs is lower than average, but still thank you NetGalley for sending this baby over BECAUSE MAN AM I IN LOVE WITH IT???
The characters? AWESOME, plot? Beautiful, inclusion/diversity? Definitely admirable. I was unable to keep this down right from the start.

“He smiles, and I know that win or lose, Teo Luna and I are made of a strong foundation. What he and I have together is the best thing we’ve ever built.”

This was such a charming and enjoyable rom-com about first love, exploring what you love and want from life, and working as a team. The book's pace was pretty good, and the narrative was really captivating. I adore the characters, particularly Bel and Teo. I adore Bel because she is imaginative, intelligent, persistent, and kind. Bel had a huge personality development which is a must and I genuinely felt so proud to see her go by the end that might or might not be tearing up. Teo, who is incredibly ambitious, intellectual, kind, charming, and trustworthy, has my heart. We love smart men in this house, ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO LEARN THE ENTIRE TAYLOR SWIFT DISCOGRAPHY.

“It's a lot. Trying all the time. Trying not to screw up, just makes me feel so tired. There's all this pressure to plan for a future, you know? And like, what future?”

I also love how each of the supporting players has a distinct personality and plays a significant role in the plot. I like how genuine the characters were; in most high-school romances the prep for SATs and college App seem so easy but this book managed to acknowledge how tough it actually is and the toll it takes on students. All the characters were dealing with their own problems and attempting to find their own paths, which is something I haven’t seen often. The connection between Bel and Teo was incredible, and I adored their cute little banters. I thought it was great that the author brought attention to the difficulties that women of colour experience in STEM fields, especially young women of colour.

“The world is not very helpful to a smart girl. More often it will try to force you inside a box. But I urge you not to listen.”

Okay, long story short. I really loved this book. Like a whole lot. At first, I was unsure about the novel but I really loved how the book sets the pace on this romance.

Teo and Bel really get the height of what a romance is actually like in high school. You have the kids who’s rather stay in the shadows and then the kids who shine as soon as the spotlight hits them. Somehow, Bel and Teo are going to have to extremely compromise on how they are going to fit their lives together so that they are both happy.

I wish there was a way to send to my kindle when I read this but it was a really good book overall.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Unlike everyone else at her new school, Bel doesn't have her future figured out. She's content to drift through her senior year without a plan, but she's practically forced to join the robotics club who aren't thrilled that she's there. Determined to win Nationals, Robotics captain Teo is giving his all to building the robots. He and Bel don't see eye-to-eye on anything, and they get on each other's nerves. But the two end up spending time with each other as they build robots after school, and they realize that they actually make a pretty good team.

I was torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars, but I ultimately gave it 5 since it was such an enjoyable read! Bel was such an entertaining character, and I loved how quirky she was. Teo did kinda get on my nerves at first, but he grew on me as the story continued. Their relationship (opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers) was cute, and I desperately wanted them to get a happy ending!

I also really enjoyed the "girls in STEM" concept. It's nice to see more books coming out like this! However, I will say that it got a little old that every male character in the book was basically portrayed as sexist. I think it's plenty reasonable to have some male characters give the girls a hard time about being on the Robotics team, but I don't think it makes sense to have all of them be like that.

Overall, I loved this book! The romance was adorable, the story was interesting, and the characters were fun to follow along with! I laughed out loud a few times, usually at some snarky comment Bel made. I'm getting really picky with YA contemporary romances, but this was the wholesome, light-hearted read I needed! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes enemies-to-lovers romances and awesome female MCs!

Content: some swearing, the main character makes jokes about offending her religious mother with her "blasphemy", no sex but it's discussed, kissing

I was not sure what to expect going in, but I knew I was looking forward to the STEM representation! It ended up being a fun and wholesome read! I learned way more about robotics than I expected, but I actually enjoyed that aspect. This is not a fast paced book and it actually works here - the STEM rep didn't feel performative and there was quite a bit of character growth between the two main characters. I couldn't believe this is written by the same author as Atlas Six! Blake/Follmuth did an excellent job building up to the final robotics competition and growing the super sweet romance between Bel and Teo! And the title definitely appealed to middle-school-emo-me. I can't wait for her next book in this genre!

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun YA with all the typical tropes. I like that they included STEM activities instead of the usual sports-centric story.

I recommend to anyone who likes a sweet high school romance.

I really enjoyed this book, it's a cute enemies to lovers story. It's not only about the relationship between the two love interests but also their separate relationships with their families. It portrays the difficulties of girls in STEM and demonstrates their amazing capabilities to show that girls can do it too.

I read this whole book in a day with a big sappy grin on my face because it just worked so well. There’s a whole teenage school romance story, mixed with a big “what am I doing with my life” arc with a dash of robot fighting and healthy dose of “stop being a sexist a**hat”. What’s not to love?

I love STEM aspects in YA books and this was a really sweet, clean romance. However, the writing style and chapter lengths made me lose interest at times.

The characters however are really unique and like I said, STEM in YA is always interesting to read about and I love that it gets this generation excited about a whole, bubbling field of work. Just not the book for me.

I enjoyed the book immensely. The charectors were wonderful and enjoyable to read about. The vibes were there and I would recommend this book for a good time.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Mechanical Romance is a very sweet, age appropriate romance between two teenagers. They are both opposites of each other, where one is all ready for the future and the other is not. They begin to work together on a robotics team to win a championship and while hanging out they begin to develop feelings for the other. This is Alexene Farol Follmuth's YA debut and I did not realize this is actually penname Olivie Blake. I've read The Atlas Six and was curious of their other works.

I greatly enjoyed this endearing story and I look forward to Alexene's next YA book.

4.5 stars

3.5 stars

My Mechanical Romance is a sweet, wholesome YA romance with some women in STEM badassery thrown in.

"Everyone at this school has plans, and then they want me to have plans, and I'm just so overwhelmed by their good intentions that I constantly feel the need to lie down for a solid five minutes before trying again."

The writing style is a little slow for me, but it's because the story really wants you to sit in the details, which I can appreciate. There isn't any fake relationship drama with miscommunication - at least not more than you would expect from mature teenagers. I respect the growth Bel shows from the beginning, and I love that the narrative takes very realistic twists and turns. We're talking about teenagers in high school who are about to go to college - there are going to be problems, and some of them are going to be insurmountable, and I am grateful My Mechanical Romance tackles this appropriately. There's some side drama that feels unnecessary at times, but overall I enjoyed this read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

My Mechanical Romance is a YA kinda enemies to lovers battle-bot romance that follows Bel as she forcefully joins the robotics club and meets Mateo Luna, the captain of the robotics team. While Bel has no clue of what she wants to do with her future, Teo has everything completely planned out, and follows said plan with strict intensity.

Although I have heard of Alexene Farol Follmuth under her pen name Olivie Blake, I hadn't read anything by her and was trying to manage my expectations. I always have mixed feelings about YA because I feel like occasionally I am too old for the genre, but this book really spoke to me. Although Teo could be a bit annoying at times, the way he treated Bel had me swooning. I love to see women in STEM, and felt seen by the struggles the women felt. I also LOVED the ending, and I thought it was the best way to finish it. Overall, really great!