enemies to lovers / academic rivals and stem (woc in stem!!!)
like the idea and the plot was great but the execution wasnt.. i feel like the pacing was weird and teo was kinda annoying sometimes..
other than that their chemistry was cute

"I mean come on, boys can do it," I call out to her. "So how hard can it be?"

I went into this book with mixed expectations, and I'm so glad to say that it exceeded all of them. I've read one other book by this author, The Atlas Six under her pen name Olivie Blake, and I wasn't a big fan. I mostly had trouble with the writing, which I found almost too philosophical with not a lot of action. But My Mechanical Romance is a YA book, so I figured I would give the author another go and see if I liked this one any better. And I really did.

My Mechanical Romance follows Bel, who had recently been added to her over-achieving high school's robotics team, led by the intelligent (and rich) Teo. She has to learn a lot about robotics while gaining confidence in her role on the team. And yes, Bel and Teo fall in love. Right before picking this up, I had just finished a long high fantasy story. And while I love long fantasy stories, I found myself needing something quick, fun, and easy to read afterwards, and this book fit the bill.

The plot and subplots hit a little too close to home. As a STEM girlie myself, I loved how this book showed the realities of being a woman in STEM, and how we can inspire the next generation of young girls to also aspire to be engineers and technicians and all the jobs that are stereotypically filled by men. I also really liked how Bel brought a different view to the robotics team as someone who was more creative and thought out of the box. I was a mathematics major but also have a minor in technical theatre and have done plenty of theatre- and literature-related extracurriculars, and I'm a firm believer that being well rounded in not just STEM but also creative pursuits benefits everyone.

The subplot of Teo learning that he doesn't have to put so much academic pressure on himself and how academics aren't the only thing that matters in life is so so important. This is an incredibly important lesson for everyone to learn, and I unfortunately only learned it in my final semester at college. If you're stressing about your grades, your future: it'll be okay. School and grades aren't everything in life and you bring so much else to the world.

This book has plenty of pop culture references (including several Taylor Swift ones hehe), which I normally dislike in books. But I thought they suited this story well. It's rooted in our modern day, so any references didn't feel out of place at all.

My Mechanical Romance made me gasp and tear up multiple times each, and I'm really, really happy I decided to give this book a chance.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book; this review reflects my honest opinion.

Overall this book was a really quick and fun ya contemporary! I really love the diversity and STEM aspect of this book. and the romance was cute. I wish we got more of Teo and his dad. I think there could've been more said about their relationship that could've helped wrap up the ending of this book. This book is advertised as an academic rival to lovers, however, it really isn't. They crash a couple of times in the span of maybe a few days, but definitely nothing close to academic rival to lovers.

Super cute I loved the story and it was much better than I expected.. enemies to lovers but in a STEM setting it was perfect!

"Maybe life hasn't always pointed things out to me in the way I was expecting, but if I was lucky enough to let the universe catapult me here, then all the hard stuff along the way was worth it."

Somehow this book was everything I wanted and more.
It speaks a lot to the idea that robotics is only a 'boy's thing' and how difficult to not be a boy but still have a passion for it. Which is something that Bel and every other girl in the club had to face. I think it was handled really well and brought light to something that needed it. Plus, it led to competition scenes that had me SO INVESTED.
Also I think the dual pov lead really well with the story. Bel and Teo are both facing complicated mindsets and seeing them both deal was relatable and almost comforting in a way.
I LOVED Bel's personality and her humor. It was so fun and made me feel like we were friends. Sometimes teen contemporaries can feel really disconnected for me but this one was perfect.
The romance was so satisfying, and I love how they continued to banter even after the relationship started. AND OMG taylor swift was mentioned in this book... made it ten times better.
Would recommend!!

Such a sweet and cute love story. Lead pair has my heart. Isn't it lovely to see young people fall in love!?
I loved how Bel is just herself. She crushed Teo right from the start(You go girl!!)
The highlight scene for me is the conversation between Bel and Neelam. I didn't expect Neelam to open up like that. We can understand why she is so cold and strict with Bel and others in the team. Girls like her are inspiration to next generation girls that are afraid of male dominance.
Ms. Voss is a star. She gave a push to Bel that she didn't know she even needed. She is the game changer.
Well, all the characters seem to be good and perfect. The story is unique. I actually want to see a movie adaption just to see robots fighting(Those regionals and national competitions).
It's definitely a must read!!!

I literally love this book so much!
I love Bel's personality, I feel like I can relate to her so much especially right now reading this book right before graduation and still thinking about what to do at Uni.
Teo is just perfect in every way, I loved his character so much with him being the leader of the robotics team and how he acts towards others.
Bel and Teo are so perfect together, I loved the chemistry between them.
I have nothing more to say other than I absolutely adored this book.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵: 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

I don’t know how to properly put into words the adoration I have for this book, so just a warning: ramblings ahead.

I loved this book, not only because of the women in STEM and the Filipino representation here since I belong to both but also because of the plot and the characters. It was easy to get into the story since I liked the premise, and the writing style was also good. I will definitely read more from this author. Aside from Bel and Teo, some of my favorite characters are Jamie and Dash. Their personalities were such a nice balance between the MCs. Please, they were so cute. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud with their statements. One thing that I really loved was Bel and Teo's banter; it was funny and kilig most of the time, haha. I was down bad for them, tbh. Secret revealed: I have a thing for banters of the characters, as long as it is well-executed by the author (Alexene didn't disappoint, guys). The robotics events reminded me of my classmates' experiences during their own preparations and competitions, so I was quite familiar with the terms mentioned. It was fun learning all those robotics things! My inner nerd was happy with it, lol. It should be noted that I lost count (again) on how many times I uttered "that doesn't happen in high school!” in some scenes because it’s true, HAHA. Go read it yourself so you would know what I’m talking about. My Mechanical Romance made me reminisce about the moments I had in high school tho. I truly love this with all my heart. Also, Ms. Voss' was such a lovely and supportive character. It was so nice to read how much she believed in Bel's abilities and capabilities, even if the latter didn't do so. We, seriously, need someone like Ms. Voss in our lives who trusts and knows that we can take up our own space even if we think otherwise.

On a more personal note: I could relate to both Bel and Teo to some extent. With Bel trying to figure out what she wants and navigating her way to tread her own space and Teo learning to differentiate which things he should carry and be responsible for and not. It resonated with me. I may or may not teared up a bit in that particular scene #crisis, lol.

This may be cliché, but my takeaway is: Don’t be afraid to take up your own space because, in time, you will make it. And you are not alone in doing so because there are people who genuinely believe in you. Learn also to weigh which things are yours to carry and be responsible for; just because you got used to it and are available for them doesn’t mean you should always do it.

This was such a good read. I definitely recommend it!

4.7 ⭐

Lastly, huge thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Firstly, I enjoyed this YA romance so much! As a woman in STEM, I always am gravitated towards books that represent women in STEM. I felt like this was such an accurate representation of how teenagers think and feel during their senior year - there was definitely some nostalgia! Let's start with Bel, she was such a likeable character, I enjoyed being alongside her while she explored different pathways and I really connected with her struggle of understanding who she was meant to become after high school. Now, let's talk about Teo! I actually connected with Teo so much more, not only did we have representation of women in STEM we also had representation of a male people pleaser. We received so much vulnerability from Teo and he was extremely relatable by always wanting to be his best for everyone and not putting himself first. Okay, the important part - the romance! I froth a slow burn and boy did we get a slow burn. When you're in high school everything just feels so heightened and important and this book took me straight there. When they had their first kiss, I literally squealed and threw my kindle - I felt 16 again. I loved how supportive they were of each other, there was so much chemistry and it just felt so real!

However, I was a little let down by the epilogue. I feel like U.S. college is highly romanticised in fiction and I felt like this book avoided that until the epilogue. I do understand this is fiction but sometimes we just go a little bit too unrealistic.

I highly recommend to read this book if you are in the mood for a YA slow burn romance with a whole lot of nerd talk but with underlying deeper themes!

Aaahh!!! I can’t believe how cute this book is! I enjoyed it a lot more than I initially thought I would. If I put it simply this is the ya version of love hypotheses but there’s a lot more girl bossing going on! I love love both mcs they are so cute and both resonate with me as they remind me of my younger 18 yr old self! Also the entire time I was reading I kept thinking about Robot Wars that used to come on when I was a kid so a lot of nostalgia was bought up! The romance is super cute and I live for innocent banter!

My Mechanical Romance is a great coming of age contemporary romance centered around STEM, finding yourself and creating your own path in life. I really enjoyed the writing, story and overall message - a great read!


Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“It's really, really hard to recognize someone as the villain in someone else's life when you're pretty sure you love them both.”

“I’m only good when I’m with you, Teo,” I say, and then, because it’s so pathetically true, I swallow hard. “I’m at my best when I’m with you.”

“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 book is a young adult romcom romance book. rivals to lovers type of book. Bel joins the robotics club where she meets Teo. Bel doesn't care much for the competition where as Teo is all about it and wants to win. i felt that this was a cute book, the characters were relatable, it can be predicatable at times but it was still a fun ride. the characters kiss, banter, flirt, there is mention of sex but no spicy new adult type of scenes. would recommmend fans of romcoms, robotics, YA to read this book.

An adorable, opposites attract, YA romance that mixes some STEM in also

If you are looking for a light hearted read, you will love this book!

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

this was so wholesome :))))) im in like a YA phase rn and this book was a perfect addition to that. I loved literally everything abt this book (even if the characters were a belittle annoying at times)

it was incredibly relatable and i especially loved bel’s pov (her dealing with the insufferable men was just amazing)

i would say its not really the enemies to lovers that I thought would happen but nonetheless i loved bel and teo’s relationship :))

ty to NetGalley for the arc of this!!

it's a cute funny high school romance 🥺💘 this book felt so real and close, this is what it feels like to be a teenager and fall in love. also i found the coming of age and figuiring things out at a young age really important and truthfull. i wasn't expecting to enjoy this book so much but i really recommend it if you're looking for a cute high school romance <3

Book review : My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth is a sweet romantic story of teenage.

The story is of Bel and Teo who get to know each other in the robotics team. Bel faces lots of issues when her ability is challenged and being a girl she is considered inferior as compared to other male majority of the team.

Slowly and steadily both of them get to know each other and form a team , good friends and then much more without realizing it. The story unfolds lots of twists and turns with emotional struggle of Bel and how she withstands herself when her parents are getting divorce.

This is a sweet story including lot of sci terms which i really missed . I am thankful to netgalley and Holiday house for giving me this book to read in return of an honest review.
Happy Reading!

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i might join my schools robotics class after this cause damn that was one love story and am all in for the romance .I love this book looking forward to rereading it soon ,,Thank you to the author and the team

I really enjoyed Bel and Teo`s story and the enemies to lovers theme. I also loved that it involved STEM and encouraged more girls to get involved with it. This book did not disappoint!

I really really enjoyed this book! I laughed quiet a bit. There were some great moments of dialogue as well as nerding out! I could see myself in both characters when it came to being a child of immigrants. I also enjoyed how the romance developed throughout the book as well as the secondary cast of characters! I would definitely want to read more of Alexene's work!

Wow, this book was not what I was expecting! I am not one to usually read a lot of YA Romance books...BUT after just finishing The Love Hypothesis book with a STEM relation, I found myself intrigued by this book! This book raised awareness of many topics that YA students deal with. This book focused on females not being treated the same as males in STEM and how people look at them as not as qualified just because they are female. I also liked that the main character, Bel, did not know what she wanted to major in her whole life and that thanks to a teacher who really saw Bel's potential she was able to pursue STEM. Teo, on the other hand, came from a family that valued education so much and pushed him so hard to be the best he could be, which is extremely stressful for high school students. This book also dealt with Bel's parents going through a separation due to her Dad's infidelity which split up the family including having Bel no longer live with both of her brothers. This book is a must read for high-school students! I enjoyed this book very much and will be checking out other books by this author! Thanks Net Galley for this eARC