I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It included a very cute romance while developing the main character extremely well and keeping themes independent of the couple. It was a great read and I absolutely loved it.

this book was absolutely ADORABLE!! as a fan of this authors other work, i just had to check this out and i was pleasantly surprised as i wasn’t sure how much i would enjoy a high school romance but there were so many things i loved about this!

-firstly, GIRLS IN STEM >>>>
-bel was a great and relatable main character - i liked how she was quirky but not too quirky that it’s just annoying and also how her character showed the uncertainty of life after school and it’s *ok* if you don’t know what you want to do
-a well paced romance from unwilling teammates to friends to lovers (don’t believe people calling this enemies/rivals to lovers because then you will be disappointed)
-cute nerdy boys (because yes nerds are hot)
-interesting side characters
-fun sciency talk about robots (idk if this fun for everyone but it was for me!)
-AND Taylor swift references (literally the only pop culture references i don’t mind)

i wish i had this book when i was like 15-16 years old because i just know i would’ve loved it so much and appreciated it even more

Romance and YA are two genres that are not my typical go-to, however, the whole enemies-to-lovers in stem plot grabbed me in and made me
super interested in this title. I honestly have to say, I LOVED this book. I loved the female empowerment, I loved the way that story wasn't consumed by the romance aspect, and I lastly
loved how socially relevant and refreshingly new the dialogue was (A+ for all the Taylor Swift references, love the fact that Bel was a Swiftie). This was the first YA book that I've read that managed to accurately represent young adults without being cheesy or forceful. I had no idea Olivie Blake (author of The Atlas Six) wrote this! She really has a knack for rom-coms and I'm excited to see what she does next.

So, this is what this book gave us:
- POC Representation (FMC is Half Filipino - had a lot of Filo references which I Loved and MMC is half Mexican)
- Battle Robot building MCs in STEM
- A MMC who is not only a genius that builds robots but is also the captain of the soccer varsity team
- Mutual Pining
- Academic Rivals to Lovers
- So so so much more!!

I genuinely did not know what to expect from this book especially given that it's my first STEM romance but it was phenomenal!! From the start I was hooked by the uniqueness of the main characters and the writing. The progression of the characters from academic rivals to friends to lovers was honestly such a beautiful and cute progression.

Not to mention, the characters were also insanely relatable and so beautifully diverse with little bits of each other's culture which really captured me. The struggles of each character, most especially Bel's, brought me back to high school and made me feel so nostalgic with the anxious churning feeling when applying for colleges and I love how Alexene was able to capture that. Though my favorite scene definitely has to be the Holi scene which was so beautiful and honestly made me really want to attend a festival like that. Overall, this book was adorable and seriously blew my expectations out of the park with the characters, writing, the plot, the flow, and literally just everything!

My Mechanical Romance was a really really cute YA romance.
As a woman who is making her first steps in STEM, i loved the representation and how it was portrayed.
I remember being as lost as Bel was when i was finishing high school and didn't know what i wanted to do.

Bel was marvelous and Mateo was also a sweetheart.
The book was funny and a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for this eARC.

My heart is sooooo light reading this book. I didn't expect to be emotionally invested in this. It was so good and I really love how authentic the characters are. I love the feminist take on this, the struggles that girls face everyday in this misogynistic world, the doubters and haters. It's so empowering and inspiring, to take your place in this world. I love Bel's character coz she's imperfect and so human. I relate to her 90% of the time which made me laugh so many times. I also love that she's half-Filipina, as a Filipino it was so easy for me to understand the Filipino references and I feel so represented, you know.
I love how their relationship was from friends to lovers. I just love this trope so much!❤ and also Teo is a nice guy. He's not the cliché bully or cocky popular guy. He's so... likable. And he's been enchanted by Bel since day 1. He didn't even have eyes for other girls. I love his loyalty and he appreciates Bel a lot. He's the kind of boyfriend girls would normally pine for.
I also love the character development, even the grumpy Neelam had some changes and as the story progresses we can see that she's just misunderstood.
As for the plot, it's your typical YA romance- nothing much too dramatic- but I love that the events in Bel's life is so real and a lot of people can surely relate to her. Her story is like a Pixar movie in the sense that not everything is Fairytales and Happy Ever After. Sometimes we don't have any idea what to do with our lives, like we don't have a plan. And sometimes our plans don't happen, and it's okay coz life's like that.


All in all I love this book, I really enjoyed reading this and I'm kinda sad that I finished it already😄.

About two pages in, this book had already established itself as one of my all-time favorites. By the end, I realized I would be holding every romance book after it to this standard.

Let’s break it down.

The book follows two main characters, Matteo (Teo), and Isabel (Bel). Teo has spent his entire life knowing exactly what he’s going to do–he has a Plan, capital P. As the son of a tech genius and a beauty influencer, he’s expected to have one. When we meet Teo, it’s quickly apparent that he feels responsible for everything, and feels obligated to be the one carrying the weight, and get to watch him realize that this is not a role he has to play forever.

Bel, on the other hand, has no plan. She has less than a plan, actually, seeing as she doesn’t even have a project to submit during the first weeks of school. She gets tricked into trying out for the robotics club, and then her talent slips out and Teo insists on having her join the team. And she starts to explore the idea that what she loves doing could be her future.

And yes, this is a romance novel, but not in a trashy sense where two people dislike each other slightly and wind up being in love by chapter three. This book really took its time with who the characters were, and allowed them to develop, help each other develop, and start viewing themselves and their role in life differently first. The romance was beautiful and fun, but it was also very important, as Teo and Bel continued to push each other forward, to grow, to change, but also to love themselves.

The book also tackles the reality of being a woman in the STEM fields. While Bel is obviously smart and talented, she faces so many more challenges than Teo does. It shows the ugly truth behind favoritism in the classroom, and how some students are just more likely to be pushed towards bigger things than others. How no matter how far a woman might get in life, there will always be someone minimizing her accomplishments and belittling her. But I loved that while the book discussed the importance of being who you are and fighting your own battles, it didn’t shy away from the very real fact that people need people, and that its okay to get help from someone who loves you.

Overall, one of my favorite reads of all time. Quick paced, fun, the banter was entertaining, I absolutely adored Bel’s personality, and found Teo to be one of the most interesting characters I’ve read about. There was a lot of diversity in this book as well, which was fun! If you’re looking for something sweet and not riddled with pointless conflicts, whilst also providing a cute teenage romance, this is the book for you! I definitely recommend you pick it up when it comes out in May!

Thank you to Netgalley, Holiday House and Alexene Farol Follmouth for the opportunity to read this arc!
(Also, I did not know Alexene Farol Follmuth was Olivie Blake until I'd finished reading the book. Mind = blown!)

I read this book in one sitting. It was the kind of book that got me, a 23 year old with a bachelors degree, wishing I could go back to school and somehow join a robotics club (which did not exist at my school).
But anyway, My Mechanical Romance was a charming and nerdy book that was just such a fun read. It's so surreal learning that Olivie Blake, who wrote such a phenomenal book like the Atlas Six, also wrote this masterpiece. It also makes absolute, perfect sence! She has done a fantastic job at writing a YA romance.

Bel Maier really doesn't know what she wants to do with life. She hasn't thought about college or what she's interested in until her new physics teacher strongly urges her to join te robotics team after seeing how great she is at engineering and designing. But when Bel reluctantly joins the team, she's faced with a whole group of boys and only one girl who really doesn't like her.

On the other hand, we have Teo Luna, the robotics and soccer team captain and the cute guy everyone basically has a crush on at one point during their school lives. He sees how talented Bel is and the two begin to work together on a project for Nationals, not after butting heads for a bit first though. And from there ensues what I would call a very sweet romance between Bel and Teo.

As a girl who was also one of the few girls in her own physics and IT classes, I know just how annoying it is when your opinions, thoughts and hardwork is disregarded in favour of what the boys did. So this book definitely resonated with me on that end. i didn't end up pursuing a career in STEM but my degree (writing/journalism) also had its fair share of gaps between the importance of male opinions and thoughts vs female opinions and thoughts. Unfortunately, my friends and I didn't have the thoughts or conversations Neelam and Bel do in the book. And I absolutely loved that the two girls did and that they shared their thoughts with Teo as well. Neelam was a badass character and while she was frosty in the beginning, I loved her development and everything she stood up for.

Bel and Teo were just adorable. I liked that the story didn't just focus on the romance, there was so much depth given to all the characters and the side-plots as well. It all felt like I was watching a very well written tv show in my head. The writing was flawless and didn't make me feel like I was 18 almost six years ago! Everything about this book was great and while I do think the chemistry between Teo and Bel could have been worked on just a bit, they were absolutely adorable.

Basically, this book was definitely worth it and my respect for Alexene Farol Follmuth (OLIVIE BLAKE!!) and physics has grown so much!

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I honestly tried so hard not to rate this book five stars. I was genuinely concerned that my love of this authors adult novels under her pen name would inhibit my ability to give an accurate review so I tried my hardest to look for flaws. Spoiler: there weren’t any. This book was so adorable I’m almost sick. I found myself laughing at the jokes and rooting for these characters. As an adult I tend to steer clear of YA romance because it usually gives me second hand embarrassment to be honest but Follmuth did a great job of balancing that teenage optimism and reality to form characters that felt like kids I know and love in real life. The characters are diverse and loveable, The message is delivered well, and the plot is well paced. I could not have asked for a better story.
Fiction and reality go hand in hand so I’m excited for young girls and women to see a well written book about succeeding in a male dominated field even if it’s not the way you originally planned.

I hope she makes shirts with the phrase “I mean come on boys can do it. So how hard can it be?”

This was such a sweet read! I love a good YA romance and this delivered! I would absolutely recommend it!

i loved this book!! i'm keeping this review short, but the story honestly had everything it needed to be a little spark in the dark for so many people. the flow of the events was so smooth and nice, the characters were funny and lovable and i loved how they were all good friends :') the romantic part wasn't so dominant in my opinion, it was very cute and just how i like it. i appreciated how bel and teo's struggles and lives were realistic, because there were many elements i related to. finally, read this if you wanna read about girl power!!, robots and young people finding themselves :')

I really liked this book, it was so sweet and inspiring without it being pretentious. I loved the friend group, the couple, the banter was so on point, it was hilarious and actually informative. I didn't really understand much of the science stuff, but I loved the way it was written.
It was honestly such a good book and exactly what I needed right now!

Bel is a high school senior who just transferred into an ultra-competitive private school where the students all seem to have their 5 year plans all set… and Bel… just can’t. But when she gets talked into trying out for the robotics team, she starts to learn more about herself, and the King-of-the-School, Teo.

I don’t typically read a lot of YA, but I have actively been seeking out stories about women in STEM, and a story about a girl in robotics seemed too fun to pass up. I loved how the character of Bel was smart, sharp-witted, and a little bit goofy. She did not have her entire life mapped out, but it gave her plenty of room for growth and development throughout the story. The story also touched on some of the stickier points about being a woman in a heavily male-dominated field, and I think they were handled well- although appropriately dramatized for the plot.

I loved the friendships between the female characters in the book and especially loved the mention of the Bechdel test! Overall, I really loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love STEM especially robotics, then go grab this book. If you are into slow-burn-books, then this is for you.

I am giving this book a 3.5/5. It was good, but maybe this ain’t for me. I didn’t feel a lot of connections between the two main characters. I didn’t feel a lot of spark or butterflies in my tummy. I thought that there will be a big rival or something between Teo and Bel, but there were not a lot of interactions between the two until it reached 50 or 60% of the book. I wish there were more interactions or moments outside robotics. .

Bel has Filipino blood and it was mentioned couple of times, but I’m sad to say that the research about being one wasn’t enough for me. Otherwise, I don’t see why it should be mentioned quite a few times.

The ending was just okay.

This is such a cute book! I loved the dual POV because I feel that they added more depth to the lead characters and it allows for us to know more about their background stories in a way. There were some parts of Bel and Teo that I relate to such as putting too much burden on oneself (Teo) and not knowing what you want or how to make your own space (Bel).
As someone who is currently finishing her engineering degree, I completely relate to both Bel and Neelam's circumstances. It is really hard to navigate your way, especially in a male-dominated field. The only drawback, I guess, is that I wished we spent more time on the lead characters' romance but overall it was an enjoyable read and I had a lot of fun. Thank you, NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC!

Bel would rather do anything but think about the future. When she accidentally shows her talent for making things, she’s forced to join the robotics club. The boys ignore her and the only other girl on the team hates her.

Mateo Luna has a plan after high school, to go to MIT. He’s used to being the smartest in the room, the one everyone depends on—after all, he’s Mateo Luna, he’s those things that are expected of him. When Mateo recognizes Bel’s talent for building things he sees her as an asset to the team—until they realize they don’t like each other.

Bel could care less about nationals all while Teo cares way too much about it.

I want to begin with the fact that I absolutely loved this book! There were points in the beginning were I thought that things were moving a bit slow but that did not stop me from getting sucked in!

I am not a STEM type of person so, I did have my doubts but the way robotics is added into this story makes it interesting! Whenever they talked about their robots I was able to follow along despite having no prior knowledge on the topic.

The characters were enjoyable! All of their personalities went deeper than being into robots and science. The dynamic between Teo and Bel was what made me love this book even more (the fact that he calls her bel canto made me smile!!). It was so adorable when they started to realize they had feelings for each other but denied it for the sake of the team and nationals.

We get to see some much growth from both of the characters. Though, I would say that we see more from Bel than we do from Teo. Bel learns that she actually loves designing robots and begins to formulate her future around it, despite being a little bit late to the game in terms of college applications. We even see her and Neelam form a strong relationship through being overlooked because they’re girls in a science world.

Teo’s growth happened very gradually. While working with Bel he realizes that Neelam has every right to be the way she is because it isn’t easy being a girl that loves science. He realizes that he’s privileged when it comes to this. Teo also begins to see that he has built an environment that seems to run on him and despite what he says—he’s tired of it. He’s tired of caring entirely way too much and of essentially not being able to just be a teenager while he can. We do not really see this issue resolved (not even a little bit). I wish we could have gotten Teo having a conversation with his father, where his father realizes just how much pressure he’s been putting on his son (and that he’s barely been handling all of it). I think that was the only thing lacking in this story.

Overall, I think this is such an important YA book. Especially for the young girls who doubt their place in person dominated fields.

first off, thank you to the author, netgalley and holiday house for the arc :)
i just want to say, the cover and title ALONE were enough to get me interested; the emo kid in me is living for the pun in the title and the characters on the book are so cute!

things i like: poc rep!! the writing style was very easy and this book was such a fun read, the characters were so loveable (especially bel), i loved the deep dive into the discussion of high schoolers having to know what they want to study at 17/18, WOMEN OF COLOUR N STEM <3 and showing the struggles of being a woman in a male dominated field and how unfortunately other women will make you look stupid in front of guys just to get ahead. i loved Miss Voss's character and how much of an influence she was to bel and really believed in her, she mad bel set boundaries with the others

things i disliked: the little moments in parenthesis were really cute and funny most of the time, but sometimes i found them to be cringe and really distracting- it would pull you out of the story and it felt like i was reading a teenagers diary rather than a book. also, the way mateo and especially bel sometimes talk makes me forget their 17 and seniors in high school because their represented so immaturely. it makes me feel like i'm following a 13 year old rather than a 17 year old thats going to college soon. pls dont get me started on the pop culture references; once or twice is fine but the constant referencing was not something i enjoyed. i dont wanna hear about gwyneth paltrow or the real house wives- the only acceptable one was the taylor swift reference <3 i know this is a YA book and aimed towards 14+ but i dont like when they feel TOO YA you know? also the amount of miscommunications and arguments between bel and teo made me unnecessarily mad- this could’ve been avoided had y’all just communicated

i think that although this was an easy read, it just didn’t stick out to me at all- it wasn’t necessarily THAT bland but it didn’t do anything for me really

i think if you like rivals to lovers, poc representation and want a wholesome, cute read, definitely pick this book up when it comes out on the 31 of May :)

*4.5 rounded to 5

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House, and Alexene Farol Follmuth for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Though I was initially unsure about this book and its central theme (of robots), I ended up loving this story way more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the author’s writing style, particularly the dialogue she crafted between the characters because it felt more realistic than other contemporary stories where the characters talked in weird metaphors.

For the most part, I enjoyed the pacing of the novel in regards to the character development and the development of their relationship with one another. However, I did find that the book was a little slow and confusing at the start though it did end up picking up. Though this is academic rivals to lovers, I do wish the author spent a little more time on the rival aspect of the main character's relationship but also this novel is quite short so I don’t fault her for that. That being said, I wish the novel was a bit longer so we could get to know the characters a little more and I found there was a tone shift between the first half of the book and the second half.

Concerning the novel’s themes, I really enjoyed the exploration of the main character's complexities in relation to teamwork and how it felt to be a woman in STEM. Particularly I enjoyed Bela’s characterization and the complexity and development of her character. I think it was a very realistic depiction of how subtle misogyny can be in STEM and I appreciated it.

Regarding the ending and epilogue, I thought it was quite fitting and realistic to a degree and in short, I was happy with the way it ended.

4.5 ✨
This is exactly why I love ya contemporary romance books so much. The serotonin this book gave me is all I need in life, like literally.
My mechanical romance was everything to me. I could relate to Bel and Teo a lot and I wasn't expecting that as I'm not a part of the robotics club nor i like physics... (I'm never gonna take that class) but man I cannot lie, I almost cried of how much i felt seen with these characters. I might be exaggerating rn but now i wanna join the robotics club at my school (I'm not gonna do it but i like to have the idea of that even if it's not true).

The romance part of this book... SO GOOD! Bel and Teo were so cute and their dynamic was fun but wholesome and i was just giggling everytime they touched hands or looked at each other lmao. Their banter was also really good.
I adored all the characters and their friendships, they were so supportive and not toxic at all. Like baby I'm jelous. I want a Jamie and Dash in my life.

I also really enjoyed how realistic this was regarding Bel and her college decisions. While I'm a sophomore going into junior year in September, i can say that i could really see myself in her decisions and struggles with college... Like I'm not prepared for that part of life 🧘🏻‍♀️

I didn't give this book 5 stars cuz i did not like one of the plot twists which i will not say as its a spoiler... But in general i just don't like when couples do that in books for the purpose of a twist, iykyk 💀

Overall you should really read this book. It was great at incorporating science and robotics while also being easy to understand if your not into that kind of stuff (like me). The talk of feminism in stem was also really realistic but empowering at the same time. #GoGirls #IDon'tVibeWithPhysicsButGoYou! #IWantATeoAndABelInMyLife

Anywayyyy thank you netgalley for giving me this ARC!! This wassss perfectly written!! One of the best YA Romance i read this year and would probably recc to friends because academic rivals to lovers?? *chef kiss* All the love <3