Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

There is so much I want to say about this book but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

Let’s start with Bel. Bel is such a genuinely likable character. I think a lot of people will relate to her, even those of us who aren’t teens anymore. Her character growth through the book is nothing short of amazing.

Oh Teo. This guy carries the weight of his whole world on his shoulders. Everything I want to say about Teo would spoil parts of the book so I’m just going to say, he’s perfect for Bel and you’ll have to read the book to find out why.

One thing I want to add, the author did an amazing job of depicting women in STEM (and in life in general) and how much harder we have to work for things that are just given to men. Things like promotions, responsibility, and recognition. As someone who is working towards a degree in a male dominated STEM field, thank you for not ignoring the challenges women face in these industries.

This is such an adorable romcom focused on STEM! And, unlike some STEM related books, is actually focused on STEM for a large part of the book and shows how it affects the characters and their lives. It has the perfect amount of pop culture references and witty banter to make you smile. I loved the spin with the MC not truly knowing what she wants to do as usually STEM characters are so insanely devoted to their work and what they want to do that it consumes them. But this book shows that not everyone knows which is much more in tune with high schoolers trying to figure out what in the world they want to do with their lives. I don't typically read high school romance (solely because I'm older than the MCs which feels a little weird), but I thought this story was adorably dorky.

Long story short, if you're a fan of YA romance, witty banter, The Love Hypothesis, and pop culture, this is the book for you!

Review will be poatwd to Amazon closer to oub date.

Review:
God, I love this book. I was provided an ARC by the publisher (thank you!) but will also be purchasing my own physical copy to highlight and share with my daughter someday. This book is so important. I highlighted half of the book because it had me crying laughing and the other half because it had me just crying.

First off, let’s get the amazing premise out of the way. Coming of age POC academic rivals to lovers? Featuring girls in STEM building battle robots? Sold. Sign me up.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way…

I was the girl in high school who was an academic overachiever and no idea of what she wanted to do with her life. Because, ya know, all children must have set all their long-term academic and career goals by the age of sixteen *insert eyeroll*. I was a girl who felt shame and guilt for her uncertainty of the future because she was supposed to have big plans, she was supposed to be someone special. And I was also the girl who received comments about how often she smiled, how nice she was, and how those kinds of things couldn’t go hand in hand with being smart.

I needed this book then. I needed to know that it was okay if I didn’t get it all right on the first try. That I could take up space and make myself be heard. That I could be whatever kind of girl I wanted to, and wear what I wanted to, and eat what I wanted to, and enjoyed what I wanted to. That I could be so multi-faceted that I sparkled and shined and blinded.

So yeah, this book is special. My Mechanical Romance is a lovely high school romance story, and its also so much more. I hope every girl gets a chance to read it and feel seen too.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book! It's told from two POVs and focuses on robotics competitions, how girls and women are treated in STEM, the feelings associated with completing high school and grappling with what the future holds, and high school friendships and romance. Bel and Teo were dynamic characters whose motivations and actions made sense throughout the story. Their romance was believable and fit the context it was meant for (high school), and I was rooting for them! You could see how the two characters fit together and understand why it couldn't just be anyone else. The robotics competitions were also very entertaining! Additionally, the writing was fun, lighthearted, and engaging.

I do wish the passage of time felt a bit less jarring throughout the novel; it didn't feel like any time passed at all⁠— even when the text said it did⁠— which made the romance between Bel and Teo seem faster than it was. I also wish the book was a bit longer because that would have given us more time to explore both Bel and Teo's home lives. While their struggles with their families were briefly mentioned, there wasn't much of a resolution, especially for Teo. However, I can appreciate that not every issue a character deals with can be resolved in that moment of their life, and this story is just a snapshot of these characters' lives, but it did feel like Bel's POV was a bit stronger than Teo's at times.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read!

My Mechanical Romance was a really fun read that I enjoyed more than I thought I would!

It tells the story of Bel, who has just transfered to a new school for her senior year following her parents' divorce, and Teo, who is the star of the robotics team at this school.
Bel doesn't know what she wants to do in the future, even though the deadline for college applications is drawing nearer and nearer. It takes the advice of a teacher who sees her potential to push her in the right direction: She joins the robotics team and quickly learns to love engineering. This is also where she meets Teo, and while they butt heads at the start, they eventually see that they can work together very well and maybe even more than that...

The first thing I really liked about this book is that it is told through both Bel's and Teo's point of views, which is not all that common in romance fiction. It gives great insight into both main characters and makes both of them very likeable. While the author's writing is very fun and easy to read, this isn't just your typical romance novel. Both Bel and Teo have quite complicated family dynamics - Bel has to come to terms with the aftermath of her parents divorce and Teo has a workaholic, perfectionist father who wants him to be the same way and doesn't really show much interest in him apart from his academic successes.

The fact that the characters don't have "perfect" lives makes the story feel realistic. This is also true for the other characters, especially Neelam, who may seem unpleasant but whose behavior is actually quite understandable given what she has to deal with.

Most important of all, this is a story that feels encouraging! The message is loud and clear: Girls belong in STEM just as much as boys do! However, they often have to fight a lot harder and have to prove themselves over and over again, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't try.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be, that is how I am going to start this.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley with providing me with an eARC! It is always a pleasure to read books for you.

We meet two narrators, Bel and Teo, who are seniors in high school dealing with difficulties such as friends, school, their families, college... all that jazz that we deal as teenagers. Olivie has a way of making us fall in love with all of her characters, even the minor ones (I would die for Neelam), and even if the 'real' plot started a little bit late I did not mind for how lovable all the characters were.

This should be the new 'love hyphotesis'!

Ok, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book... but it wasn't that. It is exactly what a STEM romance should be. Unlike other "STEM" romances, the STEM element is actually important to the plot (and the characters), it's not just a side note. Not only that, but it was enemies to lovers too. Definitely one of the best romance books I've read in a long time.

The book had really good pacing throughout. Really interesting characters, especially Neelan. I absolutely loved the ending! On the one hand, it had a really satisfying and unambiguous ending, but it also left the door WIDE open for a sequel (which I would love to see).

It is a YA book, so don't expect some literary masterpiece - but it is overwhelmingly enjoyable. Would recommend.

3.5

To be honest, it was the name of the book that drew my attention to it, I remember giving it a good chuckle and then being intrigued about the plot.

Bel is a senior and she is the new girl at the private school that is "like a weird laboratory for startup CEOs" and one of the things she hates the most is being asked what she wants to do with her life. Ironically, her teacher notices her potential and innate aptitude for engineering when she fails to turn in her homework on time and manages to encourage her to try out for the robotics team. As a result, she meets Teo, the leader of the team and straight-A student everybody has a crush on (he's also overly stressed and the soccer team captain). From there we are being teleported to high school days of teenagers building robots and trying to figure out their lives and career choices.

A quick, fun and lighthearted read involving rivals to "academic colleagues" to lovers and showcasing challenges women face in STEM. I really enjoyed the double POV, although I would have loved to have Bel and Teo interacting way more outside of school while figuring out their feelings and developing their friendship.

I love seeing smart girls be smart and funny and absolutely unapologetic about being themselves! Bel was such an interesting character and I really loved how she slowly discovered things that she loved despite feeling like she had nothing figured out!

And Mateo?! He was absolutely adorable and nerdy and also needed a hug. I loved getting to see his POV and see his relationship with his parents and how he struggled to match up with how others saw him versus what he wanted to be.

While I loved their relationship, I think what really made the book enjoyable for me was how each character got their own arc and grew. Usually when reading a dual POV it can be hard to differentiate between the two characters but this book did such a good job of individualizing each of the POVs and creating amazing growth outside of the relationship.

I had so much fun reading about this robot fighting competition! As someone who knows absolutely zero things about this, it was still really fun and I could really imagine everything in my head!

Also, shoutout to Neelam because it made me so excited to see my friend’s name in a book 😆 She was such an interesting character and I loved the discussions she and Bel brought to the book, especially in regards to being women in STEM!

If you want a book with iconic first kisses, robotics competitions, trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, interesting family dynamics and wonderful supportive friendships, then you should definitely check this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
A fun premise along the lines of Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong, My Mechanical Romance fulfilled its promise of being a fun, light rom-com while somewhat missing the mark with its emphasis on representation.

Though they went a bit fast for my taste, the interactions between Teo and Bel made for some fun and enjoyable romance with some very cute scenes here and there.

The overall characterization of both Teo and (especially) Bel did leave something to be desired. Parts of their personalities would be emphasized in some scenes and then never mentioned again. I kept waiting for resolution on what several exchanges between them hinted at, but that resolution never came, the book instead opting to ignore areas of potential conflict in favor of a smooth, romantic conclusion. The family situations of both Teo and Bel had the potential to add a lot to these characters and the story overall, but very little of it overall was resolved or even addressed (especially in Teo’s case).

The characterization of the side characters also left something to be desired. Dash had some depth, with bits of conversations between him and Bel or Teo showing that he was in fact something more than a samosa-munching fiend, but particularly towards the end of the book he took on the role of “blank slate supportive friend,” and nothing more. The situation with Jamie was similar.

But let’s talk about the STEM-girl representation. All of the familiar beats were there: Initially sexist boys’ club that sees the light when they realize how talented Bel is, the one other girl in the club acting as an antagonist to Bel (at first), the haters at robotics competitions being swiftly shown just how wrong they are. It was all extremely on the nose. But what I really, really took issue with was Neelam's characterization and how she interacted with others. I understand that part of the point of Neelam’s harshness was to contrast her with Bel and show Bel to be “naive” and not understanding how women are perceived in STEM fields. But to set her up as an antagonist to Bel with the logic being that Neelam feels resentful because Bel didn’t “earn her way through the boys club” perpetuates a genuinely harmful and outdated idea.

Overall, ⅗ stars for the fun, light romance and rather disappointing representation.

Thank you to Holiday House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

OH MY WORD THIS WAS SO GOOD! I have not devoured a book this quick in quite a long time. This was addicting, adorable and everything I have ever needed in a book. Bel and Teo were just a fantastic MC/LI. This delightful tale is full of heart, growth, ambition and an adorable romance sure to leave you ready to try and build a battle bot.

Farol Follmuth truly exceeded my expectations for this book. I expected it to be an adorable YA contemporary ready to give me all the feels. What I got was so much more than that. The journey that Bel goes on (with a little help from her friends) is inspiring. The dynamic between Bel and Neelam does a phenomenal job to highlight the challenges in STEM for women and I loved how it played out. I loved the growth for Bel when it came to her parents and how to navigate her parents divorce. Overall, this book was incredibly well done. From the plot, to the characters, to the voice and prose, this book sings with perfection from page one. Bel's personality is fun, carefree and she is downright hilarious. I loved every second of this.

After spending days bingewatching Battle Bots, this book gave me everything I needed. Now, time to figure out how to have a meet cute at a battle bots competition. I think I should learn how to build a robot first. But, Bel and Neelam make me believe I can do anything!

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be--not in a predictable way, but in a perfect way.

In My Mechanical Romance we meet two narrators, Bel and Teo, who are seniors in high school dealing with issues around friends, school, their families, college, and, uh, robots. Follmuth (who you may also know as Olivie Blake), makes us fall in love with each of her characters, including the side characters (I would die for Neelam). Though the book starts out somewhat slow action-wise, Bel and Teo are such engaging narrators that I didn't mind at all.

The only criticism I have for this book is that I wish they had let the diversity and social justice-related topics discussed and experienced by characters speak for themselves. Something I've seen in YA fiction a lot lately are forced conversations using buzzwords (in this case, "heteronormativity"). But often they end up sounding forced and in this case are even used in the incorrect context, making it a little awkward. As a DEI professional I'm probably more bothered by this than most people, but it definitely stood out and made some dialogue feel forced.

That being said, I do love Follmuth's willingness to address these topics and write incredible non-white characters. Truly, books like this should be the norm across YA fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the eARC of this book!

Funny, interesting and cute. The main character Bel was enjoyable and relatable. It was easy to become invested in the plot and the characters. The dual POV was done well.

What a cute little book!

First of all, I want to say how much I like the cover and all the small details it has. Now, concerning the content of the book, the writing was the familiar Olivie Blake's witty writing style (Yes, Alexene Farol Follmuth is also Olivie Blake, in case you didn't know). The romance was very cute, and I appreciated the feminist message overall, even though it didn't always feel organic to me. I happy that this book exists and GIRLS IN STEM RULE!

**Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.**

Well, first of all, say hello to my latest YA contemporary obsession!!!

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement. I devoured it in less than 12 hours (while also doing a lot of other imp work otherwise, it was clearly a one-sitting read, it was THAT good)

Right from the first page, this book was so funny and entertaining! One of our main character Bel is the funniest MC I’ve read about in a while. Initially, that was what hooked me in. But also, there are so, so many more things that were discussed.

We got dual POVs with Bel and Teo, both of whom were strong, fleshed out characters. I absolutely adored their cute banter and how they pushed each other to be better and taught each other many things throughout.
The execution of their friends to lovers (?) romance was fantastic! Nothing at all felt forced. It was honestly one of the cutest romances I’ve read and I can definitely see myself going back to reread some of my favourite scenes!

Another thing I absolutely loved was how we also got a lot of back stories and character development for the side characters too even without their individual POVs. I was really so invested in all the characters of this book!

I also loved the fact that we got a kind of found family too! I have a weakness for unexpected but wonderful on-page friendships. They warmed my heart!

Since it was a high school setting, I felt pretty nostalgic reading the school bits. My high school experience was nothing like this but reading this book made me *want* one.
I definitely related to the exam pressure and how we’re forced to figure out our futures at such a young age.
I’m in a similar field so I really, really enjoyed the academic parts and all the nerding out! It was so refreshing and fun to read about!!

There were also discussions of sexism and how women in STEM still need to struggle so much to be taken seriously. I loved how it was portrayed and how inspiring and encouraging it was to see girls fight back against it.

All in all, I absolutely loved this adorable, fast paced, friends to lovers romance in an academic setting with women in STEM who fight back and make space for themselves!
I was so invested in the story that I laughed out loud many times, was giddy with excitement for the characters, sat at the edge of my seat due to anticipation and excitement and cheered out loud at some parts!


Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday Romance for my e-arc!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange of honest review.

“Life is long, with plenty of chances to start over.”

This book me feel like high-school again. Nerd is the new hot today, it includes Teo Luna, the leader of robotics team, an A+ student, a soccer player, and mostly have a plan for the future. While Isabel Maier, an A+ student, have an incredible talent for design engineering, and a person who haven’t figure it out her future plans. This tackles a lot of pressure in to someone’s life, a person who hard works, a person who doesn’t know what to do in the near future, being a team leader, high-school romance, friendship, and believing in life.

This was a great book, with a wonderful STEM-based concept, excellent writing, and really engaging characters.

I really enjoyed the writing style and while it’s a bit more “expressive” than I’m used to it read like a teenagers voice. The characters felt really well developed and each had their own little personality. Not being a teenager myself at present (or ever again) I did find some of the characters choices a bit ehhh and “OMG, WHY?! WTF” at times. Having said that I can totally understand and in fact envision my own awkward, unsure self having done them. I think that this is a great sign of the authors connection to the character and their unique voice, and see how a younger generation would relish in it much more.

The story overall deals with some pretty big themes that women still experience even to this day, STEM is a boys club still. But not for long, not with presentation like this and I LOVED that aspect of the book. I also really enjoyed Bels self development and her learning that you don’t have to have everything figured out. The things you plan for may not always go according to plan, and that’s okay. I think now days people are more focused than ever on planning everything to the T but life just doesn’t work that way.

My not criticism… feedback? … was that the time felt a bit strange. This is in terms of where the last chapter ended and the next one began. I can sort of understand why it was done but sometimes it felt like events and chunks of info had been glossed over only to have a mention briefly.

Anyways, that’s it. A great book and definitely worth the read (4.5 / 5). Thanks for reading my rant and thanks NetGalley for the free eARC.

Book: The Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
~Releasing on May 31st 2022~

I usually never read books that are primarily set with characters still in their teens, however I am pleased to say that this one exception I made was completely worth it. It was so much better than what I expected, a little slow, but was written so well.

The characters were well rounded and you can see that they were not perfect, but overtime grew into strong individuals. First we have Mateo Luna, he is the robotics mentor/ lead and believes he has complete control of what happens in that robotics room and as a male he easily gets the respect and encouragement from the educators/mentors. On the other hand, we have a new recruit, Bel, who is forced into joining the team in her senior year, she has the knowledge and skill sets but struggles with communicating the knowledge to her peers.

Overtime, the book represents how everyone deserves the opportunity and reveals what some of the things that females in engineering endure in school or in a workplace setting.

In all, I would highly recommend this book, especially if your interested in STEM, romance, spice, cultural references/traditions and drama.

(Btw this review might be a little biased because I’m currently studying engineering and was a lead on a hs robotics team)

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of the book for an honest review.

Okay wow was this good.

Plot:
Women in robotics? Indian rep? Academic rivals to lovers? Cute swoon worthy romance? Count me in!

Characters:
This was where I thought the book was lacking just a little. The book was well-written, but I just feel that Teo as a character could have gotten more depth. I mean, we see that his father and mother aren't very present, and that they expect a lot and stuff, but like I don't know there was still something lacking. Maybe it's just me.

Writing style:
This book's writing style was SO good! I loved it- this was probably my favourite thing about the book!

Definitely looking forward to more books by the author!

P.S.-1 Can we have a book with a romance for Neelam, please?

P.S.-2 The inclusion of Holi was everything for me.

[Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for providing me the arc in exchange of an honest review]

Even if the story isn't anything special, I liked it more than I would thought. The writing is perfect for YA, easy to understand and pretty relatable when you're living that high school phase and how big every little problem seems at that age.

I can't say I completely loved the characters because they didn't resonate with me a lot and that probable was the only thing that made me shy away of giving this a better rating.

Still, I would recommend this book because it's fun, fast-paced, has great representation and it will definitely give you a great time.