I personally adored this book. It was light, and delightful. Bel had a quirky personality, and I liked that she and Teo were flawed. Feelings were hurt (rightly or wrongly!), and they didn't always quickly own up to that, as a 17-18 year old also wouldn't. Jamie's homage to "enemies to lovers" troupe and how she "shipped" them was fun and the book read like watching modern teenagers. I loved it.

And the underlying discussion around women in STEM was fantastic, but I thought it didn't just stick to women in science, but the need for women to support each other and be recognized in ALL fields!

This is a really quick and cute read . I'm always up to reading about women in STEM, which is a big plus for me. I loved the Bel's character.
Over all it was a quick and fun read

5 stars
A cute story between Bel and Teo. I love Bel’s character and I got sucked in by the first page. One of my favourite parts is when Bel is an example for little girls that girls too can do mechanical things. The character’s reactions are realistic and relatable. Can’t wait for everyone else to read this!!

Every once in a while, I read YA books and I am glad I got to read this one.
It is a fun read!
Women in STEM and the constant struggle!
Young adults trying to figure life, some romance, an interesting plot, well developed characters.
I liked how the author has addressed diversity as well.
**
Thank you to Alexene Farol Follmuth, @netgalley and Holiday House Books for an Advance Reader Copy.
**

A cute quick read! Takes me back to high school days when you think everything matters so drastically (when in fact it doesn't). It was an interesting spin on a high school setting as it focused on the robotics club and abandoned typical stereotypes. It was feminist-centered while still being a romance book.

DNF @ 20%

I struggled immensely trying to get through even this far. I didn't love the way the author wrote these high school seniors. The constant use of the word *like* and other dynamics made it hard for me to connect with the writing style.

Maybe best for a younger audience. I did love the concept and ideas, but could not push through with everything else.

this book was amazing! i loved the pic representation, (which is something you don’t often see in popular books, which no doubt this will be) and the character development between Teo and Bel. It definitely added layers of authenticity to the book, making it more than just your average cliche romance!

As was expecting oh this was just a sweet and charming YA romance that was just a delight to read and fly through.
A romance between two people in a Robotics club was definitely a new reading experience for me and oh I loved it plus can’t go wrong with a bit of originality in a genre that does love to reuse certain sun genres, ideas.
So fresh, imaginative new writing material is always fun to read.

Really had a wonderful time reading this one and until I had finished I didn’t even realise it was the same author who wrote The Atlas six! Definitely need to get to that one soon now too.

Since finishing this book I can't stop thinking about it. It was a cute romance and the relationship between Teo and Bel was so sweet and refreshing. But I got so much more from this book. There was more than romantic love that was important. Bel learned that friendships matter, loving yourself matters, finding your space in a world dominated by men is important. I loved how Bel was able to find herself throughout the book. I loved that even though her brothers took sides in her parents divorce she understood that she didn't need to. Bel was able to be herself, even when high school can be absolutely horrible about that. This book shows girls that they belong in STEM. Again this book as a romance was cute but I think digging deeper into everything else is so much better.

wait, that was really cute. I rather enjoyed this one! women are so badass. I’m excited to see what future YA books this author writes! This was a stellar start!

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

A perfect blend of reality, humour, romance, struggles and science, MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE single-handedly saves the YA Romance genre.

Now, if you know me, I'm not really a fan of romance novels especially because I find them—especially the overhyped ones—to be a recycling of a same plot but with different characters. The female interest is quirky and innocent while the male lead is the most gorgeous person in the world. And their story continues, on miscommunication and poor development, but finally they get their happily ever after because hey, the book wouldn't be published if otherwise.

But, this book isn't like the others. As you can say, I initially thought this was the same ol' boring plot with bland characters without lustre, so I didn't request. But after knowing that this was by Alexene Farol Follmuth, who also goes by Olivia Blake (author of THE ATLAS SIX), I couldn't help but give it a try. And boy, I wasn't disappointed.

MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE is about Bel and Teo, and the people in between. It's a coming of age story about the experiences of POC women in STEM. Bel is your average high schooler, who's new to the school and is doing moderately well, until one day she totally forgets her assignment so she has to do it last minute. But as tables turn, her teacher sees potential in her—for engineering. And so, she pushes Bel to join the Robotics Club, where she gets in.

Teo, on the other hand, is the popular hot intellectual at school. He's everything Bel's not—with super rich parents, highly privileged education, etc. And he's the leader of the Robotics Club and recruits Bel when she shows potential.

As many may misunderstand, this isn't just a love story. I hardly shipped Bel and Teo until they themselves caught feelings for each other. And honestly? I was indifferent to them being together. I loved all the different aspects woven carefully into this story—family, friends, teachers and breakups. And the side characters were all fun, too!

All that being said, the only aspect I didn't like of this book was the writing. It kinda read a little to cliché? Especially in the beginning, where Bel's monologues felt a bit forced. But later on, the writing felt normal, or it could be just that I got used to it. Either way, the first few pages weren't really a great start. But being such a great story, I breezed through the entire book in just a single day!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and will now recommend this to everyone I can once it's released!

3.75/5 - i’ve been in a ya romance kick lately so i really enjoyed this book. it follows our two characters bel & teo aka the biggest nerdy nerds to ever nerd. i enjoyed their nerdy flirting so much it had me cheesing so hard. 😁

while the romance was adorable, i honestly felt lowkey cheated because i went into this expecting them to be academic rivals because that’s what the book was advertised as but.. they really weren’t? like they just clashed a few times at the start but i didn’t really feel the rivals tension? i also feel like i needed to see more of their connection if that makes sense? i still enjoyed their cutesy wholesomeness though.

i also liked how it highlighted the issues girls in stem majors face compared to the boys. and i appreciated the way both bel & teo’s coming-of-age struggles were portrayed.

This book was enjoyable. It was light and fun (for the most part).
I didn't like Teo that much in the beginning but I did warm up to him eventually and in terms of Bel, I loved her.
A part of me feels like their relationship wasn't very developed, but we aren't really here for serious, developed relationships here, we are here for fun, sweet teen romance and that's exactly what we got.

"'Bel, nothing is easy for me. Before you, I felt like I was drowning.' I've never told anyone that before, but I mean it. 'Before you, nobody in my life was really trying to see what I actually was, good or bad. They just wanted parts of me,'"

thank you Netgalley, Holiday House, and Alexene Farol Follmuth/Olivie Blake for the arc!!

this book was so relatable, wholesome, and thoroughly thought out and then executed so well. from the dual povs you get to know Bel and Teo, seeing all of the passion and love they find for each other and robotics.

alexene really helps you connect to the characters in the way of capturing teen's minds, essence, and even down to how they talk/text insanely accurately. as a teen myself, i know how it feels to get ready for college, not know what to major in or have plans for the future, having higher expectations placed on you, be at a new school, feeling left out of things or being appreciated, not wanting to disappoint anyone, and avoiding / disregarding feelings, change, family, friends, responsibilities, etc.

i don't want to reveal too much about their romance but the tropes>>!!!!!! such a cute ya romance that really doesn't seem childish at all. was hooked throughout the whole book and because there was never a dull moment, i sped through this book like it was nothing. perfect to get out of a slump. easy to understand what they're talking about like nerds. nerds are hot. very reoccurring theme LOL. these two were made for each other. they bring the best parts of each other out, while introducing new things to better themselves.

i found that when they put themselves first, everything felt so realistic. of course they are going to have problems, but how they fix it!! such a sweet pair who brings diversity, power, smarts, and t-swift to the game. so did the supporting characters. you really learn to love them all.

addictiveness: 4.5/5
sadness: 2/5
characters: 5/5
setting: 4/5
plot: 4.75/5
plot execution: 5/5
writing: 4.5/5
romance: 4.75/5
comedy/banter: 5/5
smut: 2/5 (obviously)

overall: 5/5 so satisfied with this book! will forever be grateful for my first arc read.

"𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

Where do I even begin? I’ve been in such a horrendous reading slump lately and this book literally yanked me out of it. I’m so picky when it comes to YA romances but THIS?? This exceeded my exceptions and left me utterly and wholeheartedly satisfied.

First off, the tropes. There's academic rivals to lovers, opposites attract, dual pov… This baby has managed to pack them ALL. Plus the diversity in characters and women in STEM representation was amazing. Follmuth does a spectacular job displaying the micro-aggressions girls have to face when entering the male-dominated world of STEM.

Every character was so well-written and I mean EVERY character. Dash was the sweetest friend to both Teo and Bel and an entire comedian too. Jamie was a QUEEN and the best hype woman. Don’t even get me started on Teo and Bel. Teo was absolutely whipped from the very beginning and Bel??? An entire icon with her funky fashion sense and badass comebacks. I adored them both so much and their entire romance was just too cute (plus their banter was *chef’s kisses*)

There are way too many reasons to love this book. Teen angst, robot battles, TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES! Plus I learnt what a hydraulic pump is and I’ve never felt smarter <3)

**ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

*4,5 stars*

I absolutely loved this little romcom. Though since it was partly about women in STEM I kind of assumed this was going to be about university or college but some American terms completely flew over my head and it took me a chapter or two to realise it was set in high school.

The rivals-to-lovers trope just keeps on winning urg.
Bel and Tea are such awkward but also carefree nerds and I love that about them. The friend group also felt really well-rounded, especially for the amount of pages this book has. Also the modern pop-culture references didn’t even feel cringe! Which many books fail to achieve. The texting also felt pretty realistic, the writing was honestly really well done.

I also liked that this book was just fundamentally YA romance, but also actually a coming of age story and a young adult trying to find their way in life and looking for what they want in the future. And of course we can’t forget also dealing with difficult relationships in your family. I kinda like that they didn’t try to make her super close with her brothers, some books just make it seem like it’s always sunshine and rainbows in families. This book was actually very realistic in many ways while still being whimsical and magical in other ways.

Now for the one thing that bothered me and kept it from being 5 stars (besides the life lessons being a but too on the nose but it’s YA and was done in a cute way) will be under the spoiler tag.

It absolutely wasn’t a dealbreaker for me though, still I loved it to pieces and I might get a physical copy when it releases so I can reread it.





//////////SPOILERS\\\\\\\\\\\\






The ‘i will break up with them for their own good because im making them worse’ trope.
That scene honestly felt a bit pulled out of nowhere and made because they needed a little drama and a breakup… now what I would’ve preferred is the dad forbidding him from having a gf or idk no college funds or something? But then again I did like the drama of ‘oh i fucked up’

It’s also a bit weird how Bel suddenly didn’t even let Teo speak, even when he wanted to make things work she was like ‘nah I wasted my time’. But then afterwards she’s like ‘oh will he call me? This can’t be the end right? He’ll fix it eventually?’
Which is ironic since you broke up girl why would he and also you’re the one trying to teach him that he shouldn’t be the one to try and fix everything lmao

Still urg amazing book.

I haven't read a YA romance since i was 15... and that was almost 10 years ago (I feel so old right now), but I can say hands down this book made me want to delve back into the YA world of romance because words can't describe how adorable this book was.

As a girl studying and working in STEM, this book represented so many people like me and made me proud to be studying science. Bel and Teo are absolute geniuses and I'm totally not jealous. The best thing about this book is how Bel grew from a girl who was unsure of herself and what her future holds (which I related to, so hard), to this confident girl who blossomed under the praise and guidance of her teachers, Teo and even Neelam! (who can I say is so misunderstood, but I loved her snarky ass).

I loved how much of a simp Teo was for Bel, how willing he was to be vulnerable, and support Bel, as 18-year-olds their relationship was so much more mature than grown-ass couples. The conflicts/miscommunication they had were solved quickly and didn't take away from the story at all. This was a feel-good, YA novel at its best. It's about the new girl who built a path for herself in engineering, and the boy who holds the weight of the entire world on his shoulders finding a balance between what he wants to do instead of what he should be doing.

I adored this so much and shout to Jamie for being the best side character and friend in this book. WE NEED A BOOK FOR OUR RESIDENT GIRL BOSS >>>>

This book really hit the mark for me. I loved the diverse cast of characters, the rivals-to-lovers romance and the women in STEM rep!

Women in STEM need more representation in media, and I was so happy to read it in this book! This book details the experience so well, form the discouragement to the micro-aggressions, and how women can push past setbacks to pursue their STEM dreams!

The romance was also so sweet, as well as their friendships. I loved the diversity in the cast, and loved their depth of the characters. This book is a must-read! Will be posting about it closer to release date :)

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!
+release date: may 31st 2022

4.5⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this book!! Women in stem?? Slight enemies to lovers?? Robots ?? i was HOOKED.

The writing was so entertaining, I was so intrigued by both the pov’s!! You have Teo, whose life is set, but on the other hand, you have Bel, who is just trying to figure things out!

The romance between these two was so well developed, you can really see the reality of a high school relationship & the hardships there are as the senior class.

As someone who’s done robotics before, it was so cool to read about people like me!! This book brings out the realities of the stem field being male dominated and how difficult it can be for young girls. I loved how strong both characters were & their own superset arcs were incredibly written.

While some moments dragged a little bit, the overall story was so fun! If you haven’t

This book though a romance book is a lot more than just romance. It beautifully portrays girls in STEM and the challenges they face. The book shows that with the right amount of support, girls can do whatever they dream of.

Bel is asked by her teacher to join the robotics club after observing that she was quite talented in the field of engineering. The story behind the recommendation is interesting. She meets Teo Luna- a go-getter, problem solver and rich kid. We follow Bel and Teo’s journey throughout the book. There is the journey of ambition and romance amongst other things.

I love the character development especially Bel’s. She becomes one who takes up her own space and dares to do something different even though engineering was a new terrain for her.
I also love the beautiful friendship she had with her girls.

The book sometimes shifts attention from the main characters to the minor ones- their friends and families. The reader is allowed to recognize how the actions of these people have an impact on the main characters.

Some of the parts dragged on a bit for me, perhaps it is because of the engineering terms used. Despite this observation, I still think it was necessary because it made the book feel real and immersed the reader into the lives of the characters.

If you want a YA romance book that is different, you might want to check this out.