This is a cute YA romance about two young and clever people in their senior year.

Bel moved out because of her parents separation and starts her last high school year in a new place. After forgetting to do an assignment, she is forced to get into the robotic team by her professor who sees her potential.

Teo is an A+ student. Brilliant, rich and pretty. He’s a leader and everyone counts on him but do they really know him ?

I enjoyed reading both points of view.

Though, some part of the plot and their relationship were a bit too cliché and cringe (in my opinion). It was a bit disappointing knowing this book was written by Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six).

However, it was a quick read and it dealt with really interesting and important topics such as women in STEM, parental pressure and the fear of failure.

It brought back a few memories of me at their age and I probably would have liked to read about these topics.

thank you so much netgalley and holiday house for providing me with this arc. this book was everything i expected it to be and more! It was so wholesome and adorable. i love the women in STEM trope and academic rivals to lovers. I also loved that the main female character was a swiftie. this was such a good read and i got attached to the book and it's characters very quickly.

Such an adorable story! I loved the character of Bel and I’m loving all of these new stories of women in STEM. I also appreciated the character development. So good!

This was a sweet YA and I think a lot my students would enjoy it. I liked the STEM aspect of it - its like Ali Hazelwood books for younger teens.

Very different from Olivie Blake's previous books, My Mechanical Romance is a fun, cute, lighthearted ya that focuses on women in stem and teenagers unsure on their future, this book is perfect for a young audience.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was very cute, but I didn’t fall in love with the story like I was hoping that I would. This book is about a high school robotics team. Mel is a senior and is new to the school due to her parents divorce. Mel ends up unexpectedly joining the robotics team. This is where she meets Teo, who has always been into robotics and has always wanted to study STEM. This book is dual POV, which I love. Throughout the book, Mel discovers her love for robotics and STEM. Mel and Teo’s relationship also starts to grow, which I adored. .

Special thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for allowing me access to a digital copy of an ARC for a honest review

if you want fluff, cute high school romance, a bunch of nerds, and the main character being a very empowered woman who wants to get into STEM, this is for you

I ate this up!!! took me 3hrs and wow it has been a while since I last read a romance book. tbh it took me months to read this bc the start was a bit rocky for me but yay I'm glad i pushed through

the plot was so cute and relatable as a STEM girl and as somebody who was unsure about life after high school. there are a lot of cute moments. Lord, I see the things you do for others. The dynamics were nice, the friendships, the family, the stem life. pretty great. also v feminist and cute bc yes girls go crush the male ego

But we need to talk about Bel!!! I love her and I saw myself in her as a woman in STEM and as a Filipino. and that was so nice because the Filipino rep was pretty accurate and it was really part of the story. It didn't feel like a personality people add as an afterthought but a culture incorporated into the family and how Bel behaves.

Overall, 4/5

Right up front, this gets three stars from me. It was well written but I have a couple issues personally. High Schoolers who are super competitive is something that always makes me a little uncomfortable because as someone who was one of those super competitive kids, all it got me later on was burnout. Also someone who seems to be a "natural/born this way genius" is also a little hard to get behind. At least that's just me.

But seeing women in STEM and the things they face being represented this way was good. Women belong in STEM but it's male dominated and causes a lot of unnecessary problems because of that.

It's a bit slow burn and kind of hard to get into but, I've read worse.

Honestly, kind of middle of the road for me.

Three (3) stars.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley, Holiday House and Alexene Farol Follmuth for providing me this ARC.

With the help of a dual pov, a rival to friends to lovers trope and an excellent and very much needed message for anyone really, the author has charmed many readers, including me.

I barely have any words to express how amazing this book was. And I have to be honest, the first 20-ish pages didn't really did it for me, but thank god that i came back to it because now I can't stop thinking about this story.

We meet Bel Maier, a 19-year-old girl who just changed schools and has no idea what she wants to do with her life -which is such a mood-. With the recommendation of her teacher Ms. Voss, she is translated to an AP Physics class (do not ask me what that is I am an arts girl), and there she will meet our other main character, Teo. Personally, Bel was one of my fav characters for how relatable she is and how easily you could understand her actions and beliefs. Her "weird/quirky" personality was one of the biggest surprises she is such a dork and thats a big reason why i adored her so much -just want to hear her talk for hours-. Her outfits and accesories have so much importance to who she is, there is one symbol which I still do not know if it was written with the intention I think it was, but has such a beautiful meaning throughout the book.

Mateo Luna at first -at least for me- seemed like such an idiot who just looked out for himself -which is not completely a lie, but he does have his reasons-. However, he has such a great character development, and as we get to know him we -and himself really- understand more and more why he acts the way he does, with the help of Bel he finds his original and natural self among all the expectations and titles people put on him. Honestly, I ended up loving him and CRYING because of him -in the good way- so y'all can imagine that it gets better.

The other characters are not given such a big importance but even then you can see the influence they have in the life of our main babies, and I honestly love the little found family they created. Neelam has a huge impact in Bel's life and I loved the way they grown liking one another.

Women in STEM is a plot device that I keep coming back to lately and even when I do not understand a single shit about what was happening in these classes and competitions but the author made me want to know what was going on there and it actually gives you necessary information so you don't get lost along the way and keep you interested in the matter. I never knew I would find robots so interesting not even going to lie to you.

As I mentioned before, the hopeful message this story gives is so needed, for teenagers that are about to get into university and even for those like us who are already in but we feel like we don't belong. This book personally attacked me and made me cry several times but it was totally worth it.

I am so grateful to the author for writing this and I recommend everyone to give it a try, but I think it could hold a huge significance for girls who are very much lost in life as many are. We are important, we belong in any place we want to, and we are worth so much. I really hope each and every one of you know this. <3

“I mean come on, boys can do it. So how hard can it be?”

My Mechanical Romance is a book that has cute romance, robots, and hot nerds, what more could you ask for?

We follow Bel Maier, the new student at Essex Academy for Art, Science, and Technology. There are 2 things you should know about her. 1.) She’d rather not think much about her future. 2.) She’s practically a genius at building things. Being a woman in STEM, a field that is commonly dominated by boys, you can tell she doesn’t have it easy. Between finding and trying to prove herself, and on top of that, figuring out where she’s headed, Bel has more than enough stuff in her hands.

Enters Mateo Luna, the captain of the robotics club, who happened to notice Bel and her potential. Teo has it all, privileged enough to have it all (being born with the male genital helps too).

“The world is not very helpful to a smart girl.”

First of all, let me just say how I absolutely ADORE this book. It made me think, it made me feel things. The characters aren’t just plain and one dimensional (like so many other books are, sometimes it’s not bad but most of the time it’s not particularly good), it’s one of the many things I love about Olivie (Alexene)’s writing, her characters have depth, and no one is necessarily a good or a bad person.

Like how Bel and Teo are written in a way that just makes you empathize with both of them, even when they’re not on the same side sometimes. Their relationship shows how credulous young love could be, but also how fulfilling it could make you feel.

This book does a good job in showing how women in STEM are treated, it’s so realistic that it made ME really mad at some scenes. It’s the type of ‘looking down on’ that is subtle and some can even pass it off as ‘normal’ when it shouldn’t be. It is commonly known that men have an advantage in like— a lot of stuff, and it’s frustrating how so many people can’t see it or how many people are condoning it.

There are topics that are handled that I think Alexene/Olivie did a really good job at portraying. It was relatable, and you couldn’t really blame anyone for their actions. This is one of those books that don’t actually have a “villain” villain, at most, you could say the villain is society or something.

Bel struggles with choosing her path, and she has the right to do so. I, for one, know what it feels like to be pressured to choose something at such a young age, and being sure and unsure is constantly in my head. Meanwhile Mateo is the opposite, he knows what he wants, and he does a lot to be considered exceptional. The pressure the people around you put on you and the pressure you put on yourself weighs a lot.

Together, they made the journey and development worth the read.

Oh also let me note how I love how it subtly showed Teo’s interest in Bel with him taking note of little things about her <3 and their little rivalry. I wouldn’t say they were academic rivals to lovers but they’re definitely academically gifted and hot.

“Nerds are hot now, sweetie.”

I read it so fast that I didn’t even realize it was just supposed to be a short read until I’ve gone 4 hours non-stop reading it and was already over half finished with the book. Like, I want more! It truly stole my heart. I'd recommend this to everyone who wants a cute, diverse, and fun robotics circled read that just makes your heart burst out of giddiness. Hoping for more YA books from Olivie!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4705594909

Thanks Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read this book as an e-arc.

I love this book. Bel’s character, omfg I love her. Women in STEM? sign me uppp. Even since I was little I only literally knew STEM, always wanted to be in STEM. This book is probably my new favorite book of all time. Especially when it had Filipino rep too. I love everything about this book. I don’t know I have nothing to say, I’m quite literally speechless. Finished it in less than 12 hours. My Goodness, I really love this book, I want to have a physical copy. WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT TEO, we cannot not talk about Teo, gave me butterflies throughout the whole book, like I want to throw up and I’m not complaining about it. Nerds are definitely hot

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in advance.

It has been a nice read, which takes us (partially) into the world of computer engineering and robots. I must say that the idea was not bad, but honestly I would have developed it much more. Unfortunately some points were confusing and perhaps a bit too fast to make the reader empathize more with the characters. However, I appreciated the relationship between the two protagonists that developed itself through clashes and confrontations between people with different characters. Thanks to those, they learn from each other to understand what they want to do with their lives and how they can really relate with others. It is just a pity that the majority of the elements has been seen in several and several books, and I think that the story lacks of depht. The author could do much better, I'm sure of that, and explore more about the main characters and the secondary ones. For example, there are so family issues that at the end of the book are still (or quite) the same as the beginning. That's a pity, because it would have been interesting.

Title: My Mechanical Romance
Author: Alexene Farol Follmuth
Genres: Young adult, feminism, YA romance
Pages: 272

My thoughts...

I LOVED this book! Bel, the female MC who is at a new high school, totally unsure of what she wants for her future and feeling behind compared to her peers, meets Teo, the tall, dark, and handsome popular kid who has every moment of his life planned and secure. When Bel begrudgingly joins the robotics club, she soon finds that it may not be such a bad thing.

Some things I loved about this book:

- the smart, strong female characters
- so many girls pursuing STEM and other great career paths
- Taylor Swift references

Watching Bel's confidence in her abilities grow throughout this entire book was so wonderful~ As a high school teacher, I know that so many seniors do not know what they want to do after graduation, and I always wish that they would realize this is actually sooo common. I loved that Bel was excited for her "unconventional" post-secondary plans, and that she gained so much confidence in the STEM field throughout her senior year. I hope that young girls will read this book and feel encouraged and inspired.

Read if...

- you love a feminist representation in an educational setting
- women in STEM is your jam
- you want a fast-paced, short YA read that reels you in

4/5 stars for me -- I will absolutely be adding this to my classroom library!

Just what I expected! Absolutely love the author’s writing, so I knew I would love this. My Mechanical Romance is a lighthearted high school romance done so perfectly by Alexene. I couldn’t have asked for a better book to get me out of my slump!

Cute concept, but not for me. DNF at about 26%, it was too stressful to read about these high school students obsessed with school and competing against each other. Also didn't really buy into the main female character who is just a natural genius who doesn't care about school at all.

My Mechanical Romance is first and foremost a fantastic title because immediately thought of My Chemical Romance. Second, This is also the author of the Atlas Six so you know we are getting a great story and fantastic characters. Bel and Mateo were absolutely adorable. This was so cute and such a good story and women in STEM. Great reread potential. Definitely go and get this book.

I loved Alexene's works under the pen name Olivie Blake and this DID NOT disappoint! It was incredibly impressive seeing another side of her in 'My Mechanical Romance', and I could not put it down, Perfect for fans of her previous works who want to see all that she can do!

4.5/5

CW: Misogyny, divorce, absent parents

Includes: women in STEM, diverse cast of characters, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, women supporting women, dual POV narration

My Mechanical Romance is the extremely nerdy YA slowburn that we all didn't know we needed. We follow our resident new girl Bel who's not afraid to get her hands dirty while rocking sparkly Doc Martins, and the super hot, super rich, and super nerdy robotics team captain Teo Luna. As the two navigate the varying expectations that society has for them, they also learn more about themselves and the power they have in shaping their own identities. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving access to a free copy in exchange for an honest review. (Although I will say the formatting was super messed up and a lowkey struggle at certain points.)

The slow burn romance had me SCREAMING. It was done so well I felt like the most tender slices of meat after a long day of thorough and slow roasting. The romance was impeccably done and brought out the best in both of our protagonists, I absolutely loved seeing women supporting women (and having it shown in the sometimes less than perfect ways), and we loved seeing that side character growth. The unsung hero of this book was definitely Ms. Voss and I will die on that hill.

Aside from just sheer enjoyability, there were also some really great topics explored. Whether it was the various forms in which gender based biased manifests in STEM, the inherently elitsist nature of higher education, or the unhealthy amount of expectations being heaped onto literal CHILDREN, we got to see some really great discussion and development of things that I think could really be talked about more. Especially that last one, because being expected to decide your future at 17 is really not okay.

The only reason I didn't give the full 5 stars is because there were some issues that seemed like they were going to lead somewhere but then never ended up being addressed. One such example would be Bel's relationship with her brother Gabe and how he viewed Luke as a "failure." This one wad really loaded and then Gabe kind of just... Fell off. I would have loved to see more from his character.

Overall, if you love seeing girls kicking ass and taking names (especially POC girls), really cute and quirky slow burn romances, and also casually want to burn the patriarchy, I think this is a book you'll enjoy :)

(Soon I will also post this review to my bookstagram @bookishotaku)

This book was a fresh of breath air and a dazzling experience. I adored the characters so much, their personalities, their talents and their intelligence was so fascinating to read. The romance was so adorable, I squealed many many times while reading this book. The plot was brilliant and I absolutely adored the women in STEM representation. The book was mesmerising.

4.5 ⭐
Hello?? WOMEN IN STEM?! Sign me up!
This book was super fun and cute to read. The pacing was great and the characters were realistic. Bel not knowing who she is, who she could be and what she wants is so relatable. I loved that the book focused on this aspect and not only on the ralationship between the mcs.

The representation of women in STEM was on point, highlighting the hardships they have to face and how they struggle working in a male dominated field. I liked Neelam and her "redemption arc".

Overall i liked how the book combined the cute romance and aspects of life the reader could connect with, while still being funny and lighthearted.