I absolutely adored this book! It was such a quick, fun read. This book gave an perfect glimpse into what women go through in this industry. I work in the semiconductor industry, although not as an engineer, so I know that it can be such a difficult industry to break into. No matter how talented you are, the men are quick to classify women as “diversity hires.” Shout out to all you STEM girlies! You’re killing it!!

Bel was so odd but in the most endearing way! I loved her character. Teo was such a sweetheart. He definitely took life too seriously, but the adults in his life put so much pressure on him to achieve greatness. I think once Bel came into his life, she helped him find a balance. I loved the depiction of friendships, relationships and realistic family dynamics. The relationship between Bel and Teo was so sweet. I caught myself smiling so many times while I was reading this book. Their first kiss was sooo swoon worthy. This story was just so wholesome and heartwarming and I wish that I had books like this to read when I was in high school.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House and Alexene Farol Follmuth for an advance copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.
I requested this book because I was curious to see how the author would tackle YA romance and I wasn't disappointed at all.

This was a light, fun read and I appreciated what the author wanted to do with this story.
There was a note of 'females shouldn't be underestimated' which I appreciate for a YA book because it gives that positive message that even if there are obstacles you can put your mind to it and accomplish anything.
I also loved that towards the end of the book, the main female lead's life didn't go exactly how she wanted but she adapted and worked hard to accomplish her end goals.

The romance was built up nicely and believably, there was no insta-love here which I appreciated.

SEE FULL TOUR STOP FOR TURN THE PAGE TOURS ON INSTA @delightful.reading on 4/29

As a girl in STEM, I'm really fond of books that have girl power + STEM. Some of Bel's experiences mirror my own: a really cool female physics teacher who inspires students to pursue engineering? I also had one of those, so it was exciting seeing this type of mentor on page. Also, robotics being heavily male dominated, especially in the competition realm? My own experience with high school robotic competition also had more guys than girls competing. Although my experience was different than Bel's, it's kind of neat seeing some familiar aspects in a novel. All in all, I'm kind of excited a book like this exists!

The book itself is really cute! I loved the portrayal of female friendships! Some of Bel and Jamie's conversations could literally be a conversation that I had with one of my best friends. I also liked Bel and Teo's relationship development! They have some really cute moments!

This book does tackle some of the challenges girls in STEM face. The little annoyances here and there. These challenges tie into Bel's character development, too. She has to not only face some gender-based microaggressions in robotics, she also has to decide if engineering is actually for her or just a crazy suggestion by one of her teachers. This journey of self-discovery was really neat to see, although I did get a smidgen frustrated with Bel in some parts because of it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this! I loved the robotics angle and the rivals to lovers trope. Also, I'm really hoping for a NA/college spin-off featuring some of Teo and Bel's friends.

Post Note: I thought there were going to be more than one reference to MCR but there was only one: someone off-handily mentions that they are listening to "Teenagers." So don't start reading this for MCR.

My Mechanical Romance was a good read. It was light and full with young adult high school romance. I'd probably enjoyed reading this book more if I were my younger self. If this book adapted into series or movie I'd definitely watch it.

My Mechanical Romance started a little bit slow but the plot is very interesting. The book is well written. But there were chapters that bored me.

The characters are diverse with different backgrounds and the author even included the cultural references for the characters. That's the most interesting part beside the enemies to lovers trope.

Some people really adored this book and I respect that. After all it goes back to everyone's preferences. If you love high school romance and enemies to lovers or robotics or hot nerdy guy, then this book is definitely for you.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

girls in stem needs to be a MUCH bigger genre because i can NOT get enough. i loved that both the mc and li needed to go through character development and that the environment was still realistic without feeling disheartening. super cute read, hope there are sequels that either follow bel and teos journey, or any of the side characters

*arc for honest review* i loved this book it was such an easy read for me. teobel were so cute!! i totally recommend if you want a short easy read!! they’re were parts like their little break up that wasn’t necessary in my opinion because they quickly got back together but overall i really liked it!

I have to admit I got this book because My Chemical Romance is my favorite band. And you know what? How do they have this as the title and not even mention the band lol
So the book is about robots maybe that's why.

Thank you NetGalley for sending a copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.
This was a good YA Romance, with overall a nice plot. There of both point of views, from the girl Bel, and the boy Teo, which is really great. I loved Bel, she was truly awesome, and the fact that she had those doubts made her more real, and it felt good. Teo was also a great character, he was genuinely so so sweet, and how he treated his pears made me a little jealous. Yes, I admit it, I want a Teo in my life.
This is a very feminist book, and I always love to real women in STEM!
Overall, it was pretty good, if you’re looking a fast-paced YA who will take your mind of some of your problems, this is a good one!!

I had very high expectations but they unfortunately weren’t met. I really didn’t like the writing style and thought the author was trying too hard to be funny and relatable but ended up writing unauthentic teens. The ending was cute and it had some good moments, but I’m still very disappointed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this E-Arc!
I'm a huge fan of Alexene Farol Follmuth's writing style and was super excited to dive into this different genre from her! It's such a wholesome read that will definitely put a smile on your face, which is personally something I look forward to when reading romance. The main characters are well-rounded and likeable, but not in a "they're perfect and never make mistakes" way. I LOVE the academic rivals to lovers trope so this book managed to speak to me even though I knew nothing about robotics! Would definitely recommend to someone approaching young adult romances!

4 - 4.5 stars.

Sweet, funny, charming, and hilarious - this was a quick and delightful read!

I honestly had no idea what to expect. I haven’t read anything from this author before, and I was a bit nervous this book might be overhyped, but it is definitely worth the hype!

I found Bel to be charming and funny, and strange, and likeable… Just on the right side of “manic pixie dream girl”. Teo was thoughtful and smart, and I would have absolutely had a crush on him if he went to my school. The themes of belonging and sexism, and young love, and the complicated dynamics faced by families, and women in stem were all represented thoughtfully and with care. The secondary characters felt well rounded, and were so likeable (begging!! praying!! for a Dash spinoff!!) — and honestly, this book was a ROMP.

I adored it, and am glad for the chance to have read it!

Knowing this was a YA, academic rivals to lovers, with woc in STEM by Olivie Blake, I was STOKED to read this! I loved that there were conversations about women (specifically women of color) in STEM and how that can steer women away from the field as a whole or how they experience imposter syndrome. Seeing these topics in a YA romance was really refreshing to see, it felt a bit more realistic and something that teens can actually relate to! But as I was reading, I kept feeling like there was something missing. The relationship between the two MCs seemed very rushed and could've been fleshed out a bit more along with the "academic rivals" aspect, which was very much missing in my eyes. Maybe it was the short length of the book or that I'm so used to Olivie's adult writing style, that's MUCH more detailed and easier to pull off in short page counts.

All in all though, if you go into this solely for a fun, short and sweet YA romance you'll definitely have a good time reading about these characters! Especially if you're in the STEM + robotics world yourself, this is 100% for you!

i won’t lie i requested this cause i love my chemical romance and i loved the title and luckily for me i loved the book too!

I really didn't care about the MCs at the end to be honest. I just didn't feel more than friendship between them. However, I did contents in between till the breakup I guess which let's face it was inevitable.

Anyway, it was an okay read I guess

I adored this book. Will for sure be a bookstagram and booktok favorite. I found the characters incredibly loveable.

Academic rivals to lover excellence? HELL YEAH.

This book was so cute, the charcters had the perfect chemistry and relationship and surprisingly it didn't get cringy at all. I love more than anything the academic parts of it and also the way they show the struggles of women in a male dominant field. An amazing book!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me an E-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My Mechanical Romance was an amazing book. Truth be told, it only took me two (2) days to finish this realistic YA novel.. It was so sweet, entertaining, and full of charming characters that I literally had to persuade myself to stop reading and get back to reality. That is saying much as I am technically not the biggest fan of YA realistic romance right now considering that my current genre is YA fantasy.

On a more serious note, the release date is on 31 May 2022. Don't forget folks! It was truly refreshing and I can't wait for you to read it.

I really enjoyed this book and ended up reading it all in one day. I really enjoyed Bels journey through robotics and STEM and learning to do what she enjoys. The imposter syndrome and frustration the girls are feeling about being overlooked in stem or constantly asked if the need help really hit home for me as someone who was in STEM. I also really liked the aspect of the amount of pressure Teo is under and how it was represented in the book. Maintaining top grades and other extra curricular such as sports teams while trying to take care of everyone else can be super challenging and draining so it was nice to see that represented in the book since it’s often not talked about. Personally I would have preferred different pacing for the romance in the book but other than that I enjoyed reading it. Overall I thought the book was good and would read it again.

5 🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭

I could read this book over and over! Enemies-to-lovers in a sweet romance context was never as original, different, funny and real as in this story.

The main characters, Teo and Bel, are perfectly constructed. They are real and genuine, multidimensional and with struggles and feelings that are easy to relate to.

The group of friends is nice, funny and aspirational. The STEM aspect was amazing and the challenges that come with the field, for women, are real. So many amazing messages this book conveys, like not judging other people just because of what you see at first instance, to be driven but to try to keep a balance that allows you to let go.

Love being healthy, constructive and making the couple involved into their best version. I laughed, smiled and felt my eyes get wet a couple of times.
A MUST read!

Bel Maier is the new girl in school who doesn’t have a plan in place for her future. Teo Luna is Captain of the Soccer team, Captain of the Robotics Club, he’s taking all AP classes, and he helps his friend sand his community whoever he can. He has had a plan in place all his life. When a chance arrives for Bel to join the robotics team she and Teo have to learn to be a part of a team. She has to learn to take up space and Teo has to learn that the weight of the world isn’t meant to rest on one person’s shoulders.

I loved the representation in this book. We love seeing women in stem (women of color specifically, Filipino) and watching women succeed in a male-dominated space. It takes Bel time to figure out who she is, what she wants, and whether she is willing to take up space and show the world what she’s capable of. Watching her grow throughout her senior year was beautiful and inspiring. I think we can all relate with Bel at certain moments in life in not having a definitive plan for what we want to do and being okay with not following “traditional” routes. Watching Teo learn to acknowledge his privilege and how that plays in his success was also important. He comes form a wealthy family, his dad is a CEO in STEM too, and because of his Mexican heritage he has had to work twice as hard for his success. Teo understands this and feels the need to prove himself as well while also learning to balance things out in his life. I loved the way the romance was handled between Bel and Teo. They learned to work as a team in all things. Having each other’s back. Watching them go from “rivals” to teammates to friends to lovers was so sweet. I loved the ending. This book was great from start to finish and I learned a lot about engineering throughout the story and can honestly say I now have a bigger appreciation for all the people working in STEM. I look forward to reading more by author Alexene Farol Follmuth.