Pitched as a STEM academic rivals to lovers, I had pretty high expectations for this book. And while it's not necessarily a bad book (the writing is solid and the plot is interesting), the surrounding cast needed to be developed more and the "girlboss feminism" and "women in STEM" storylines needed to be developed more.

Mateo (Teo) Luna is a STEM wonder-kid, born to rich parents, effortlessly popular, and the leader of his super-rich high school's robotics team. Bel Maier is a new senior-year transfer who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life yet. But when her biology teacher gets her to join the robotics team, she discovers a love for engineering and growing feelings for a certain leading member of the team.

First of all, I think this book took a while to grow into itself. The first half of the book felt a bit wandering and I didn't love the characters or plot, but eventually it found itself and the book was much stronger. I think the main thing that bothered me in the STEM storyline was just the missed opportunity to really say something about the struggles and hardships women, and especially POC women, face in STEM (both at school and in the field). This topic was lightly touched on, especially near the end of the book, but I think some character choices (such as the only other girl on the team being a bitch and hating Bel) and the lack of female friendships and connections Bel built aside from Teo destroys the "girlboss" message the book was trying to send.

Speaking of #girlboss, what was with the use of buzz words in this book? It seemed like any chance it got, feminist buzz words were slipped into conversations in a way that made absolutely no sense. "Heteronormativity" is not a synonym for feminism. Having girls stop talking about their crushes with one another because "the Bechdel test" isn't the feminist move you think it is. Complementing a girl because "intersectional feminism and all that" is literally not what that means. Someone needed to comb through this book for these buzz words and replace it with actual multi-dimensional female friendships and relationships. For all this talk of feminism and strong female friendships, Bel's only real "friend" is Teo.

While I still feel like there were some scenes missing that could have developed characters and relationships farther, overall this book was enjoyable. I liked the romance after a while and I think the pair worked well together. I especially liked how our main character didn't escape facing the consequences for her actions, as so many heroines do. Things in life don't always go as planned, and sometimes you have to accept that and make a new plan. It was nice to see that the things I was reacting poorly to in the beginning (such as her only applying to ONE college with no financial aid) were addressed in a realistic manner later on.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. I think it has room to grow and actually say something impactful, but the fact that a story exists that encourages girls to go into STEM is great. The writing style was overall very good and I will probably read books from this author in the future.

🤖 MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE by Alexene Farol Follmuth 🤖

★★★★★

🍹 Drink pairing: Today is not only the release date of this amazing book but it’s also my birthday 🥳 So obviously I had to treat myself to both a binge read sesh and this delish Wild Berry Shack Ice from my new favorite spot up in the Berkshires!

Thank you so much to Holiday House and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. And a huge + happy pub day to one of my favs,

⭐️Review: Okay so I loooooved this story. Many of us know and love the author by her pen name - Olivie Blake - but this story was very different from everything else she has written. After reading this book I am fully convinced that she can write any book in any genre and just absolutely kill it.

Let me just say I’m a sucker for a YA romance and I’m not even kidding you, this is now my all time favorite. 😅

The characters? Chef’s kiss. I loved every single character in their own way, especially Bel and Teo, but honestly I want to read books about every single side character too.

The writing keeps you captivated and you go from smiling to laughing to even tearing up. The message of this story is also so powerful and I just love seeing not only the women in STEM representation, but specifically women of color in STEM rep, and also just seeing young women break through any male dominated industry (which let’s face it, is most of them).

On a personal note, I also loved the many TSwift mentions, the setting of LA and even Teo’s house in the Hills since that’s where I grew up (half of the time). That being said, this story did an amazing job of representing the struggles of being a senior in high school with parents going through a divorce as well. It definitely brought me back and seeing Bel’s struggles on finding herself and trying to plan for college when she feels like she can’t keep up with her peers really resonated with me. It’s nice to see some representation of an extremely bright and driven girl who’s not forcing herself into just the conventional graduate-high-school-and-go-straight-to-a-four-year-college box because that’s just not how it gets to happen for all of us 🤷‍♀️❤️

“My Mechanical Romance” hit the shelves today so I highly recommend you binge-read it ASAP so you can enjoy your new ultimate fav YA romance!

5 stars!!!
I absolutely loved this book !!
The chemistry between Teo and Bel was undeniable and was so enjoyable to read and see their relationship grow.

The way it was written from both their perspectives made it so nice to read and I loved learning about how they felt towards each other. I truly fell in love with their characters.

I love books with stem elements, especially women in stem. I’m glad it touched on how girls are treated in school/activities by the men there. We see not only how Bel struggles but also Neelam - it was amazing seeing her rise to the challenge to control the robots.

i was so excited when I saw I was accept for the ARC and I was not disappointed.
Nerds really are hot.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 30.0%

So I tried for months to get through this book but, for the life of me, couldn't. I think my main issue lies with the writing style. I would get to conversations and felt like I was always second guessing who was speaking what (granted that may just be me being dumb) It wasn't clear and that in itself made finishing this book impossible for me. In addition, I had no connection to the characters. I found the main male love interest to be annoying and because the chapters were disinteresting, I couldn't form any connection to any of the other characters.

Now, it may be wise to take my review with a grain of salt considering I didnt manage to finish. And since I've recently found out that it is written by the same person who wrote The Atlas Six, those who like that book would probably love this one.

This was adorable ! Yes to girls and women in STEM. I loved Bel and Teo as the leads and I completely forgot how fun an enemies to lovers in HS can be. I will say that the pace of the book dragged a little bit at times, and though obviously Bel and Teo were super smart, their vocabulary felt very ADULT at times… but then again, this was all about robotics, which is just not fathomable to me on any level. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It made me smile, giggle and just left me feeling super happy !!

Two robot nerds—one overachiever, stressed, “hot nerd” and one genius girl who wears silly necklaces—building robots. I liked this a lot.

I could relate to Teo a lot for being pressured by the “bright and smart” future he was going to have, and how he felt he constantly needed to keep up to be the best. And could relate to Bel for being a girl in a very misogynistic place.

“Carrying the team” doesn’t make you the best player, and being a girl in the academic world doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a place, even if they’ll want to make you believe otherwise.

The message, the characters, the robotics… everything was great!

Though they always hit you with a break-up 80% in and I don’t like that.

Pre-review:
I asked for this arc because I thought the title read My Chemical Romance💀

(Thank you Alexene Farol Follmuth, publisher and NetGalley for giving me this arc!)

Go to IG: @entre.mi.libro.y.yo to read the full review

I really really loved this book. It was a quick and easy read with a beautiful romantic story.
I liked the way it explores the university and the future realistically but in a good way.
I really really loved the romance between the characters.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for gifting me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is the definition of warm fuzzies! It had me smiling like an idiot. It's a quick easy read, that grabs your attention so quickly and keeps it until the last page. Very cute book, I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is in a reading slump and needs something to pump them up!

A delightful surprise! The author's adult work didn't quite live up to the hype for me, and other adult STEM feminist romances by popular authors didn't either, so I was a little apprehensive before going into this, but it ended up being such a breath of fresh air.
I thought the book did a fantastic job of portraying the way young girls are often neglected, discouraged or underestimated when it comes to pursuing a STEM education, and I thought the way the author approached this in connection to the elitist and stifling US collegiate system was particularly interesting. I thought this book had much to say about finding your passion a little later than everyone else once you're given room to flourish, and I appreciated that it was very self aware about walking the line between idealism and realism.
I also thought the dislike to love relationship was portrayed in a really tender, joyous manner and I loved our two leads together. To top it all off, I thought the author's portrayal of messy families was great and really added to the main character's portrayal; not once did she not feel like a real teenage girl.
If this is anything to go off on, I'm really looking forward to more of the author's YA work!

This book was one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year and it literally exceeded expectations.
Things I loved:
-women in STEM!!!
-enemies to lovers
-guy falls first
-unique story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a fictional ya book about robotics and I LOVED it
-the romance was also super sweet and fluffy with just the right amount of angst that got you mad at some of the characters but still love them to bits.
-i really love how they delved into teos character and the burdens he’s carrying and how overwhelmed he felt in his life.
-I love that he tries to fix everything and bel makes him see that he doesn’t have to and that he can be a better person and he doesn’t have to carry all of those burdens.
-I also really loved bels indecisiveness in choosing a school and a career because there really is so much pressure on highschoolers for these sorts of things
-

all in all I absolutely loved the relationship dynamic between bel and teo and thought they were absolutely adorable. I feel like there maybe could have been a bit more of a plot and a deeper delve into some of the other characters but other than that it was a brilliant read. One of my favourites and I highly recommend.

I love Olivie Blake/Alexene Farol Follmuth’s work and this did not disappoint!! Such a cute read that made me wish for a cute love like Teo and Bel’s. I love women in STEM and so I of course thoroughly enjoyed reading about this one. I also love me an academic rivals to lovers moment. This is definitely a book that is a comfort read for many reasons! Thank you for the eARC Netgalley! (Will definitely be picking up a physical copy ASAP!)

Release Date: May 31, 2022
Page Count: 272 pages
Perfect for fans of: The Love Hypothesis (but YA), anything stem-related
Tropes: academic rivals to lovers, women in STEM, high-stakes competition
Content Warnings: sexism, racism, mentions of infidelity and divorce, anxiety

My Mechanical Romance is funny and cheery, a delicious escape. It is nothing exceptional–even in the terms of young adult romance novels, but it is lighthearted and uplifting, providing insights on important discussions that I enjoyed immensely.

First and foremost, my favorite part of the book has to be the discussions Follmuth brings to light through Bel’s experiences. I’m sure that any woman in STEM field can articulate how difficult it is to break into a field largely dominated by men, and one not exactly all that welcoming to women. My Mechanical Romance illuminates these experiences perfectly.

At every turn Bel faces prejudice–from her fellow teammates, teacher, and competitors. No one seems to think she belongs on the robotics team but throughout the book Bel never wavers. Her resolute determination was one of my favorite aspects of the story. Bel also faces discrimination as a woman of color, and I really enjoyed how this part of her experiences was navigated. In short, Bel was a fantastic main character to read from the perspective of and I really enjoyed my time with her.

Another part of the story that I enjoyed immensely were the robotics competitions. Robotics is definitely a central theme of the book and even though I’m someone with relatively no robotics experience and little desire to learn more, I found myself gobbling up every detail. Follmuth paints an enticing picture of these competitions, making them appear intriguing to the least interested person. They were high-stakes, fun, and I learned a lot about what robotics entails. For someone who could not be less interested in anything STEM-related, reading about these competitions made even me excited to learn more.

My Mechanical Romance exceeded in my expectations for these areas of the story but unfortunately fell short on the most important one. I wasn’t entirely drawn in with the romance in this book, which was disappointing as it had been one of the main draws for me.

Matteo Luna, the love interest, seemed like someone I would really love. There is nothing explicitly wrong with him that turned me off, but I just didn’t feel like he and Bel meshed very well together. There was very little build-up in their relationship as it was built simply upon their mutual love for robotics and several late nights together spent building robots. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’m sure many other people will love this set-up, but it just didn’t work for me.

This is mostly just a personal problem I had with the book, one I’m sure most readers won’t have, but because of it I just wasn’t able to give the book a higher rating.

Overall, My Mechanical Romance was an enjoyable read. Follmuth blended romance and robotics to create a rather stunning depiction of STEM through the eyes of a young woman of color. I highly recommend this book for any readers also involved with STEM, as well as to anyone else looking for a light-hearted, funny, fast read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It's been awhile since I can say I read a book that felt truly unique. While I read a lot of fantastic books, there's a universal fact that female main characters are rarely involved in STEM activities. As someone who was never good at physics but is minorly obsessed with the show Battle Bots, I adored this book!

I really enjoyed following Bel on her journey to finding her passion and a plan for her life. As a kid who also approached senior year having no idea what I was going to do with my life, I really empathized with her chafing at all of the pressure we put on teens to have their entire lives figured out before age 18. I also, as a woman who likes and is good at science, very much identified with the casual misogyny the girls in AP physics face, along with the less casual and more obvious misogyny encountered at the robotics competitions. The author did a fantastic job of showing all the ways (overt and subtle) girls get steered away from STEM subjects and careers, even by the ostensible "good teachers". Ms. Voss was a fantastic teacher, and I hope we get more teachers like her in the future.

As for the teen drama/romance of it all, I really enjoyed the dynamic that developed between Bel and Teo. .They started out as...not enemies, exactly, but they definitely had an adversarial relationship. Teo's type A on steroids personality meant that hearing that he might be wrong went poorly, and happily Bel is too stubborn to just become another fawning sycophant. Their evolution into a teen romance was also super cute, and I really liked how they dealt with the most common issue of teen romance: impending distance.

I also really, really liked all the secondary characters. They managed to help give depth to the main story while still being their own people, and I would happily read about this entire senior year from all of their points of view. I especially liked the development of Neelam, who may be kind of a jerk, but then we get to know her and...her reasons aren't wrong, y'all!

Overall, this was a great book, and I can't wait to see what else this author may have in store!

The writing is good and captivating. The characters are well crafted, which is great since this is a character driven book. The plot is simple and the fact that it is a book more focused on the characters and their personalities does not make the plot poorer. In fact, it enriches it. However, I was expecting more anyway and some things happened too quickly, like how the main characters fell in love. I was also hoping to see more about the protagonists' relationships with their parents. I thought the scenes were too short and a little limited. Overall, a good book! 3.5 stars!

I absolutely loved My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth, and here’s why:

First, this is a YA contemporary romance set in the world of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), with a focus on robotics. I mean, the nerd in me is pulling out her light saber and rejoicing.

Next, Alexene Farol Follmuth is the real name of author Olivie Blake. Having read Alone With You In The Ether, and halfway done The Atlas Six, I already knew that her style of writing is one I love.

Then, there are the MANY amazing and strong female characters in the book. Our main MC, Bel, is quirky and smart, and someone is live to be friends with in real life.

Also, I personally feel these high school students were well fleshed out and were accurate depiction of real teenagers in their senior year - with all the stress, angst and confusion that comes with that.

The romance were adorable. Bel and Teo, the male MC, we’re adorable and relatable. The romance happened organically and I fell in love along with them.

The cast of characters were diverse, which I always appreciate. Bel is half Filipino, and Teo is Jewish/Mexican. Their friends also came for a decent range of backgrounds and cultures.

And, more than anything, this was an anthem for all girls who love the world of STEM, and often feel like they are dismissed and overlooked simply because they are female. My Mechanical Romance shows us that not only are women an integral part in this world, but that we should stand up and claim our space in this world.

Highly recommend for young women and all lovers of YA and STEM!

Women in STEM wins again. Not only does this book have an insanely smart female MC, but it attacks tough topics in a way I appreciated. Our MC Bel doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, and that's okay because she's EIGHTEEN! It's honestly quite crazy that we expect kids to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives at that age and that they have to take on student loans that then financially destroy them, but I digress. Bel is also a character who doesn't know how to explain how things work--she just knows and does it. It was super interesting to read about a character whose brain works differently than the usual YA MCs I read about.

Mateo's character was also very cute and easy to root for. These teenagers had a lot going on family wise and a lot of pressure put on them with college and robotics, but the author still managed to keep the romance light and cute. I liked how realistic the romance felt--especially for how old the MCs are.

This is Alexene Farol Follmuth's YA debut. She usually writes under Olivia Blake and is popular under that name because of BookTok. I actually have The Atlas Six by her but didn't even realize they were the same author. Maybe now I'll be motivated to read it because I really enjoyed her writing style.

I received an electronic ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book even more than expected and I couldn't be happier. I LOVE reading contemporary romances about women in STEM. They're definitely getting to be more common but still not common enough to not make any book with that subject stand out from other contemporary romances. This kind of plot that shows the challenges girls, in general, but especially girls of colour in STEM face and then getting to see them overcome even one or two of those many challenges is not only important but inspiring as well. This book did a wonderful job at capturing a showing those challenges and emotions.
What I loved about this book was that it focused on Bel coming to terms with how much she love and wants to be involved in engineering and robotics. It wasn't that she didn't already love engineering, it's that she hadn't ever really put any importance on that love. It was wonderful to get to see Bel open up and start to become who she's meant to be throughout the book. It started right from the beginning when Bel's physics teacher Ms Voss saw potential in Bel after her physics project gone wrong….. or maybe right in this case? Ms. Voss saw the potential Bel had and knew how to push Bel just enough to get her where she needs it to be without it seeming overly forced. I admired the fact that Bel had a teacher that truly cared about her and wanted her full potential to be reached.
Once again, the POV’s were split between Bel and Teo which I enjoyed because I always like understanding both sides of the story. They both had some troubles with their home life which slowly got worked out, even just a bit, throughout the story. At times the two would help each other but they were also good about working out things on their own.
The same with Bel and Teo’s relationship. It was a total opposites-attract and was a slow burn which worked in well with the contemporary part of the book. The aspect of the vulnerability of first love just seemed to fit so perfectly with the story, and Bel and Teo make such a great team both in robotics and in a relationship.
4.5/5⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for the arc.

This story was really cute, and I loved the whole STEM concept, but it’s very Ya for me. Nothing wrong with that and I feel has such a good message for teenagers, I just was expecting a little more I guess. It lacks something that could make it so much more.

All in all, this was a refreshing reading with a topic I feel is strongly is important and more girls should get into.

Firstly, happy Pub Day to Alexane Farol Follmuth for My Mechanical Romance!

After pushing through a non-fiction that I did not enjoy, My Mechanical Romance was a breath of fresh air. It had all the elements of a perfect contemporary romance, academic rivals to lovers (somewhat), female representation in STEM and I flew through it. Bel has been transferred to a new school where her teacher encourages her to utilise her potential and join the robotics club. She and Teo begin working together to improve the robots and become closer.

I loved how Bel's character was portrayed with the typical insecurities, fears and indecision and how Teo was shown to take on the weight of all the issues of the people around him. These are valid emotions typical of teenagers and I strongly believe that this will make it easier for readers to identify and process their own feelings and emotions as they experience both Bel's and Teo's points of view. It was also inspiring to see Bel grow more confident in herself as a part of the robotics team.

There were times when it was a little slow but all in all, it was a good read with enjoyable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

My Mechanical Romance was an entertaining, cute YA contemporary romance. Teo is a genius student, he’s ambitious, and he has his entire life figured out. He also has a lot on his shoulders and he feels the pressure to be perfect in all the AP classes, soccer, etc. Bel is a quirky, sassy, genius girl who doesn’t know what she’s going to do with her life. She worries a lot about everything that’s going on in her life, but she avoids making options. She thinks she’s still too young to have it all figured out and she’s struggling with her parents’ divorce. Besides all of that, she hasn’t really found her passion which makes her even more hesitant about college applications.

The beginning of the story wasn’t the best. Teo was annoying and aloof and Bel seemed so passive and their interactions didn’t make much sense at first. I don’t think the rivals aspect of this story was done very well. I struggled a little with the pacing too. BUT then things started picking up and I started rooting for these characters.

I enjoyed most of the themes in the story, the differences between Teo’s family (parents still married but too busy to be present in his daily life) and Bel’s family (divorced parents that wanted to be present in her life) and how both of them navigated their feelings towards their families was super interesting. I also loved the discussions surrounding the fact that teenagers need to have everything figured out while they’re so young and still in high school. Another aspect I really appreciated was the discussions about the discrimination girls face every day in STEM, especially WOC.

The secondary characters were interesting too, I loved Dash and Jamie and their friendships. Teo and Bel’s relationship was great too (after a rocky start), I loved how their friendship evolved during the long discussions regarding the robots they were building. The way they opened up to each other was beautifully written.
Bel’s character growth was amazing, it was great to see her find her passion and slowly become more confident in her intellectual worth. Teo played a huge part in this. That being said, I think Teo’s character growth was less developed than Bel’s. He had a few moments, towards the end when he understood certain things about himself, his father, and his behavior with Neelam but it felt somewhat flat and rushed. Also, Neelam was a tough character to like. As a female member of the robotics club, she was treated poorly by her male teacher and her male teammates. I was upset about that most of the book, which means this was done really well, and I wanted to like her but how she treated Bel during 90% of the story bothered me a lot. I totally understood why she wasn’t exactly welcoming Bel into the club at first, I just don’t think it made sense to drag that animosity that long.

Overall, a great YA debut. I enjoyed the diversity, the important topics discussed in the story, the character growth, and the romance between the MCs. On the other hand, the pacing wasn’t the best and I think Teo’s relationship with his parents could’ve been explored a little more. I loved the empowering message and the acceptance that it’s okay to not have everything figured out at 17 or 18. I think this book will stay with me for a while.

*Thanks to Holiday House for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*