This was very cute! I think this author’s writing works really well with YA, but I found that there was little to no differentiation between the two narrators. Perhaps a 3rd person perspective would have been more effective. Overall, it was enjoyable, but not enjoyable enough for me to want to read more YA books from this author. I’ll stick to their adult books.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It has enemies-to-friends-to-lovers and they're also academic rivals AND this book is about STEM. I mean, how cool is all of this?

Other than that, the book has great characters. You truly believe them. On the one hand, we have Bel - a school graduate who does not know what she wants to do in life, but suddenly finds her favorite hobby - creating robots. On the other hand, Theo - the head of the robotics club, from whom everyone (parents, teachers, friends) expects too much, so he is constantly trying to solve everyone's problems.

In addition to the main characters, I want to talk about Neelam - a wonderful girl, the attitude towards which completely changes while reading the book. I really enjoyed Neelam and Bel's conversations about feminism at the end of the book. I'm glad that the authors bring up such topics in young adult books. Also, the parental divorce is described in this book and Bel and her two brothers show us how children deal with it in different ways.

All in all, this is a wonderful book about finding yourself, growing up, graduating from school and, of course, first love. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to read young adult book that is sweet and cute AND deals with serious topics at the same time.

Might be one of my favorite YA romance books ever. So much more better than I anticipated! Academic rivals and opposites attract!! And he learns the Taylor Swift!! Like if that isn’t cute, I don’t know what is!

Well written nuanced book with great academic rivals to lovers' storyline. I loved how our main character, Bel, was a woman in STEM who wasn't ridiculously driven and a stereotypical nerd. She was a cool quirky genius and honestly one of my new favorite characters. I loved how BIPOC characters were woven through the story naturally and despite the author not being a teen I think she tapped into the voice of teenagers of today very well!!!

With the promise of first love in the world of competitive robot battles, this seemed like it might be an ideal present or surprise book recommendation for my friends who read more YA fiction than I do. And while I might still recommend that intrigued readers check this one out, it's not without some caveats.

Though not the author's first book, the prose and characterization are at points strikingly amateurish. Frequent use of elegant variation (replacing the word "said" with other verbs in conversational passages) and pseudo-clever interior narration forced me to put the book down for weeks. The prose calms down a bit once the author seems satisfied that she's proven how cool and smart her protagonists are, but the plot remains thin and characters are often disagreeable by default. Perhaps most disappointing, the romance angle, once consummated, becomes little more than a subplot. The story basically skips ahead to the end of the school year.

I'm no expert in the genre, but where's the fun in that? I've been single and trapped in pandemic isolation for a very long time. Give me more kissing!

My Mechanical Romance has a fun premise and its heart is in the right place, but ultimately the story is more well-intentioned than executed. It feels more like a draft zero than a fully developed novel. It just doesn't feel done yet.

(Addendum: I am OLD and can barely tolerate stories about people in their early thirties at this point. So feel free to take that into account and add extra stars accordingly.)

I relate so much with Bel and the way she was dealing with life, or not dealing with anything really. And I loved the descriptions of the clothes she wore.

Right at the beginning, the author managed to represent very well how women are treated in STEM, because I was ready to explode with anger. I hated Teo and their professor of AP physics, Mac. They were so arrogant and stupid to Bel.

Although the dynamic between Bel and Teo after they became friends, with the flirts and taunts, was quite amusing.

Bel's friendship with the girls was nice, and I missed the same for Teo, even though it fits the narrative well with the fact that he didn't have time for anything other than be ready for college.

It was a little sad that Teo was one of the few reasons Bel was interested in going to college. It wasn't until he pointed this out to her that she decided to complete the application.

I think the problems the protagonists had in relation to themselves or their parents could have been further deepened. It was little addressed and would have made the story more complex and interesting if it had focused more on it. Besides, there was no real dialogue between them and their families about these problems.

And one point I couldn't stand was the rivalry between Bel and Neelam. It's totally understandable, Neelam's frustration with Bel getting it easy, while she had to fight hard and yet no one took her opinion into consideration. But if only this had been more explored... The way it happened seemed a little sloppy and last minute. Besides, if it had been just an initial rivalry and then the two as friends and helping each other at the club, united against the bad guys, it would've been fantastic. 

Overall, I really liked the book, but if it had more room to explore other aspects and make the story more complex, it would have been perfect. I still recommend it.

Haven’t read too much YA romance but this was definitely a cute one.

The way that Teo slowly starts noticing more and more about Bel’s outfits reveal that is developing a crush before he even realizes it. She noticed her shoes, socks, every time she wears her bird pants, and even gifts her bird themed items.

Bel was a great character. She was thrown into a club she had no interest in but turned out to be great because of the tinkering and other skills she possessed. Yes she applied to a couple simply because of a boy but he pushed her in a positive direction because she wouldn’t have applied to any colleges if he hadn’t been for Teo. Ultimately she chose what was best for her and it was able to come full circle for them.

Teo still chases his dream and didn’t make his college decision based on Bel. He knew what he wanted and he went for it.

Overall a great book.

I won't lie, I was not the biggest fan of the title of the book but considering I've read The Atlas Six by Alexene Farol Follmuth/Olivie Blake back when it was self-published, I knew I had to read this, even though I've been trying to steer away from YA as I am getting older. But this book is...just wow. Alexene/Olivie has an incredibly unique and interesting way of writing, which is also present in this book. Even though My Mechanical Romance is YA and The Atlas Six was not, the writing is still really good. She has this incredible way of cutting through to the meat to get to those bottled up and forgotten emotions you had in highschool. All the anxieties, the stressors, the whole nine years. For those who thought The Atlas Six had a "pretentious" writing style, this book does not have this.

This book follows Bel and Teo as they hurtle into senior year of highschool into full speed, with themes of diversity/discrimination, divorce, privilege, and more. They're all heavy topics, but it's written in a way that doesn't feel supremely heavy but makes you feel *seen*. I really wish books were written like this when I was a teenager. If I could give this to a bunch of teenage girls (especially POC) right now, I would. And these themes don't just apply to you when you're a "teenager" - a large chunk of the book is not knowing what to do with your life, and as someone in my 20s, I still feel this way. I may not be trying to figure out going to college, but I'm trying to figure out how life will go after it, so the sentiment is very much the same. Also, this book truly is about a romance in STEM - the science, the robots, are not just a "background" event. It very much drives the story. And even if you aren't super into STEM/robots, it's so fun to read and with way the writing style is, I found myself rooting right alongside the characters.

I love that both the MC's, Bel and Teo, are POC. Even other background characters are POC, while Neelam was the best example of an Indian character who was not allowing Holi, an Indian holiday, be used as just an excuse to celebrate and throw colored powder (as a fellow Indian, I greatly appreciate this).. It was amazing to see, and even though she's a tough character, I love how complex she was and the complexity of the relationship she has with Bel. The other background characters, other than Dash, were not as well fleshed out in my opinion, but given how short the story was and the themes that Bel and Teo were tackling, it made sense. All of this diversity - woven effortlessly into the book. It did not feel like a "here let me throw in some representation" (which I wasn't expecting Olivie to do but I've seen in other books). It feels very realistic.

I also want to give a disclaimer - this isn't your typical romance book that people usually rave over, especially on BookTok. The romance is part of the story, but it is not the only part of the story/forefront. So, bear this in mind when you read the book. In a way, I feel like this resembles real life more too. Yes, you can think about someone all the time and spend time with them etc etc but you still have all this other crap going down in your life. This felt like a very realistic portrayal of how romance goes in real life, versus in the books that are romance heavy. Actually, this entire felt extremely realistic - while it is a feel-good book, it isn't in the hallmark type of way. There are still failures that occur and thank god, for once not every single person somehow magically gets into an amazing school.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for providing me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

My Mechanical Romance (2022) by Alexene Farol Follmuth

"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."

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ 4/5

While Bel has no idea what to do with her future and hasn‘t even started on her college apps, Teo is a straight A student who has had his whole life planned out for him since he was a kid. In this YA romance these two opposites meet in a robots club.

I got a very last minute ARC for this and it was one of the novels I‘ve finished in one sitting.
When it comes to YA novels it‘s always a huge hit or miss for me. I‘m not the one for clichés and get bored by the same old tropes very easily. That‘s why I absolutely loved this one. It‘s definitely an opposites attract kind of situation, however the way it was written made it enjoyable for me. What really caught my attention are the individual developments of Bel and Teo through their relationship. Teo was absolutely overworked and shouldn‘t have been under that amount of pressure. Bel‘s constant reminders that she loved him for him and not what he can do for her were so pure and healthy for him. The journey of Bel was also beautiful to follow. Her doubts regarding her future, her constant struggle of trying to fit in and feeling like an imposter and balancing a problematic home life with school were so raw and relatable. I was so proud of her in the end for finding her own space on her own pace.
Now I‘m a literature girl through and through and know the absolute bare minimum about physics so I was hesitant about the potential nerd-talk but that was no problem at all!
My favorite part about this novel was how relatable it is to have to prove yourself in every new environment and every new challenge just for being a girl. Constantly being underestimated, told to smile and not be too much of anything. I loved how the author tackled this part of every woman‘s life in her story. And I loved seeing girls support girls!
This is a novel I‘d recommend to 18-year-old me, who had just finished high school and didn‘t know what to do with her future. I‘m sure it would‘ve felt like a proud pat on the back or an encouraging "we all go through that, don‘t worry!"
P.S.: Any novel with Taylor Swift references in it is a must read in my book!
Thank you to @netgalley and @holidayhousebks for letting me access an advance copy of this book. My Mechanical Romance is out now!

A cute book about a girl who joins the Robotics team against her wishes. She ends up loving it. It's a nice story, though predictabel and the romance could have been better.

this was very cute and i had a lot of fun reading it. i do have to say that this story being marketed as academic rivals to lovers is a bit misleading because bel and teo really weren't that, so i felt cheated on that front. however, the romance was very adorable and wholesome, and bel and teo, as well as all the other side characters, were well-developed and endearing. i liked how this story highlighted the issue of sexism in stem and how it did that through both bel and neelam, who had two different experiences within the same robotics team.

my one issue with the book is the pacing, especially towards the end. i saw that inevitable third act breakup from miles away, which didn't bother me that much, but i thought that the conflict and the story in general wrapped up much too quickly.

overall, i really enjoyed this book and i'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick and fun ya contemporary romance.

thank you netgalley and holiday house for the arc!

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to see a woman of colour in STEM as the main character. Bel's character was headstrong and intelligent, which I liked .I particularly enjoyed the Holi scene. I liked that there was dual point of view. I absolutely adored the banter between the two of them, it was pure perfection. I really enjoyed this book overall . From the characters and their chemistry to the plot , it was an amazing read.

"𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘉𝘦𝘭. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵."

This is a hilarious, academic rivals to lovers teen romance about building robots and new future. This novel highlights the challenges that bright young girls face when it comes to STEM. Bel and Teo are two brilliant teenagers whose sneaky chemistry jumps off the page. They created an organic, genuine love story that helps them discover all the best versions of themselves. The beginning was a bit slow for me but once Bel and Teo made a connection it picked up the pace.
In fact, it's been years since I read a teen love story in high school setting. I didn't expect much fun to read about Robot combats lol, but I absolutely loved it.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞:
✔️Academic rivals to lovers
✔️Girls in STEM
✔️Duel pov
✔️Teen Angst
✔️Robotics
✔️Cute banter
✔️First love romance

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★


Thank you @netgalley and @holidayhousebks for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Holiday House, RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for the ALC/ARC in return for my honest review.

I was attracted by the title and the girl in STEM theme, but unfortunately, the book wasn’t for me.
So, I expected more MCR because of the title. A bit disappointing. And, I had a hard time finishing the audiobook because both narrators didn’t work for me. The female narrator was over the top and the male was quite slow. The dialogues seemed forced. But, don’t take my word for it because there are many positive reviews out there.

DNF. I just couldn’t get into either character. I’ll abstain from rating it on GR or Amazon. The story sounded interesting though and I really like this author’s other book.

It's not very often that a YA romance gives me chills at the end of the book, but this one did. My Mechanical Romance was such an enjoyable book to read, and it has everything I'm looking for in a YA contemporary romance. Things like characters that actually seem their age, a believable romance (that's semi-slow burn), and an amazing group of friends are basically essential for me to enjoy this genre, and this book had all three!

Ever since I watched Big Hero Six years ago, I have been consuming media (anything from books, movies, and more) focused on robotics competitions. Follmuth does such an amazing job at bringing these competitions to life that I felt like I was there with Bel and Teo taking on Richardson. She also makes the engineering included in the books pretty easy to grasp. There were definitely points where I was confused, but for the most part everything was explained really well without feeling bulky. Honestly, I can tell the author did a lot of research about engineering when writing this book, I don't know if she was in robotics herself, but her knowledge of the subject really shines in this novel.

The relationship between Bel and Teo was also very believable as well, there was never a point where I felt like they weren't meant to be together, and I was even rooting for them throughout the classic third-act breakup. At first it seemed like they didnt have much in common, but as the story progresses you can really see their mutual interests grow into something of their own and I can see these two growing old with each other and living out their best lives.

Now, this book has been advertised as an academic rivals to lovers and honestly, I don't really think that's how it should be marketed. While Bel and Teo have their disagreements at first, the term academic rivals usually refers to two competing valedictorians, or somewhere along that vein. While reading it, I didnt get that vibe from these two. To me, it just seemed like they were two people who were warming up to someone they just met. I can understand Teo not taking Bel's suggestions in immediately because she didn't have much knowledge on robotics from the start, while Teo had 4 years of experience so it makes sense that he would try to protect his view of things.

I know that this is an author writing under a pen name and usually writes SFF, but I think she nailed the writing style in this book. If I didn't now better, I would have thought this book was written by someone with multiple YA romances in their backlist.

The only negative thing I found in this book is something that I honestly think will only be something that bothered me, it's pretty often found in books so most people probably wont think anything of it. Most books will include a quintessential "mean-girl" to keep some contrast between the friend group, which is where Neelam comes in. She's portrayed as short-handed, and gets straight to the point which I think can be good traits depending on the book, but this time it seemed like she was the "mean-girl" from the start. I found myself relating her a lot, so I ended up enjoying her redemption arc at the end of the book, but I think that I would have enjoyed this just a little bit more had Bel and Neelam become the unlikely friend pairing a lot sooner. But, this was really a minor concern of mine and by the end of the book I understood why the author wrote her this way.

**Might contain a Spoiler**

Some might say that Bel getting rejected from MIT was damaging to the story line and left a lackluster ending, but I honestly enjoyed that her plans weren't meeting her expectations. It shows a picture into the life of so many real-life students who have been rejected from dream schools, or apply to college too late. It was really refreshing to see something not go right in Bel's life for once (and yes I realize how bad that sounds). It is actually one of the many things I agree with Neelan on. Bel's journey onto the robotics team was very simple and really didn't take her much effort. From the very beginning of the book, we see her basically getting lucky (or having incredible skills recognized by unlikely sources) for doing the absolute bare minimum, so I think it was good for her to get rejected and have to figure something else out. It's not very often that community college is even brought up in books, and I go to a community college so I really appreciate the addition of that.


My Mechanical Romance also did a wonderful job of highlighting the misogyny that is so prevalent in male-dominated fields like engineering, and it was very fun to watch guys like Richardson and Mac be put in their place by teenage girls.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fun and inspiring YA romance. Thank you to netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My Chemical Romance was such a cute book that I devoured in a day. I have to say that I became a fan of Alexene Farol Follmuth writing and I can’t wait to read anything she publishes and in the future. I haven’t read any YA romance lately and this is exactly what I needed. The romance, the friendship, and the STEM field had me hooked. I teach in a science academy based school and I can’t wait to introduce this wonderful book to my students. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an early copy.

A senior in HS, Bel Maier has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She hasn’t even started applying to colleges yet. Then one of her teachers convinces a very hesitant Bel to join the Robotics team. Bring in Teo Luna who not only has his head in the game, but pretty much is the golden boy in all aspects of his life. Bel and Teo seem to butt heads making things even harder for Bel, but when they discover they actually work well together, they finally see each other for real for the first time. Then it’s crunch time and it comes down to the nitty gritty. Will the pressure be too much for them to handle?
Thank you Netgalley, Alexene Farol Follmuth, and Holiday House for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was such a cute yet very strong book. I loved every minute of this book! There were so many strong topics in this book from women being able to make it in STEM and the engineering world, not knowing entirely what you want in life, and even the pressure of feeling as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, trying to fix everything and make everyone happy. I loved watching the characters grow and evolve. I think the part that grabbed me the most was that even though it was a cute, fun and very entertaining book, it was also thought provoking as well as realistic. I highly recommend this book! I’m rating it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Wanted to like this since I enjoyed the Atlas Six, but this book was not for me. The writing style felt a bit exaggerated and the dialogue contrived. Thanks for giving me the chance to read though, I appreciate it :)

I kept seeing my friends get approved for this arc and loving it and I wanted to read it so bad! I was so excited when I got sent the arc. It didn’t disappoint, it was such a good book! Definitely recommend to friends and anyone who reads this review.