I am not a re-reader. In my life, I have only ever re-read two books. Both instances were years after my first read-throughs, and only once I’d long forgotten everything important about the stories, so that I could almost pretend I was reading them for the first time. Yet, less than twenty-four hours after finishing My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth, with everything dear about it still fresh in my mind, I began my first re-read of what I anticipate will be many more to come. Every minute that I was not reading this book, I was desperate to get back to it. Although I devoured it in just one day (it would have been just one sitting if life had allowed it), once I reached the epilogue, I forced myself to re-read every paragraph three times before moving along to the next in a futile attempt to drag out the inevitable: the closing of the book, the parting from its world, the goodbye that was so unwelcome I’ve already returned.

My Mechanical Romance follows, in alternating points of view, Bel and Teo, two seniors at a rigorous private high school who become academic rivals-to-lovers. Bel has only recently transferred there, and while she gets good grades in order to keep her mother happy, she’s not at all particularly interested in school, extracurriculars, or her academic future. Teo, on the other hand, has taken full advantage of the ample opportunities his school has to offer. He’s used to pressure, he’s used to people counting on him, and he’s used to pushing himself. Their paths collide when Bel’s physics teacher, whose keen eye notices Bel’s hidden aptitude for mechanical engineering, gives her an ultimatum: transfer to AP Physics (the section Teo is enrolled in), tryout for the school’s robotics team (the very one Teo is captain of), and start applying herself, or fail her physics class.

This novel deftly pulls back the curtain on even the subtlest, most insidious manifestations of misogyny in our schools, which aim to keep young women from developing an interest in STEM. It is a triumphant, empowering story about young women taking up their space anyway, wherever they’d like to be. It is also a love letter to nerds, to the students who love learning for the sake of learning, to the students who find a thrill in building or creating or inventing. The novel’s particular strengths lie in its delightful characters, their endearing relationships, its sharp dialogue, and its snappy sense of humor, all of which had me smiling throughout the entire book. Bel’s point of view is bursting with her peculiar wit and charming strangeness, while Teo’s point of view reveals, piece by piece, his complexity and heart, so that it’s impossible not to love both of them, together and apart. Some of the secondary relationships that stand out are Teo’s relationship with his mother, Bel’s relationship with her brother, Teo’s relationship with his best friend Dash, and Bel’s relationship with Ms. Voss, the teacher who notices her talent and becomes a sort of mentor for her.

The book had its weaknesses—at times, the plot was predictable, and I found myself a bit lost in a few of the scenes—but they were few and didn’t draw me too far out of the story. Overall, the book is a comfort that I wish had never ended, and so, for the foreseeable future, you can find me tucked away in the nostalgia of its pages.

3.5 stars
Whoever came up with the title and the cover of this books is a freaking genius because I honestly only read it because of them.
My Mechanical Romance is a story for teenagers that definitely should be read and reviews by teenagers, especially high school seniors.
As far as the representation goes, the book does a good job in handling the struggles that come to women in stem, specifically women of color, but the Latino representation kind of lacks a little. Two’s cultural background is told rather than shown, and honestly the story wouldn’t change much if you changed his ethnicity.
I really enjoyed this book, but I had two slight problems that kept it from a higher rating. The first is kind of related to what I mentioned earlier, which is that most things are told rather then shown for the purpose of having a quick pace, which made some plot lines (like the relationship) feel a little bit rushed and like they came out of nowhere.
My second issue was that I felt like the story tried to juggle so many plot lines in a rather short book, making it so that some of them felt rushed or even a little bit uncompleted.
With that being said, there where other things that I liked about this book. I found it very interesting how it separated from the whole “the protagonist gets everything because they are the main character even though the side characters deserved it more” trope and it was very refreshing to see Bel’s struggle with all of that since that made her much more relatable and therefore likeable. The pop culture references where handles a lot better then in most YA books, which means I only cringed once instead of thrice.
In conclusion, “My Mechanical Romance” pretty much offers you what the cover and synopsis offers, but not much more then that. Everyone should decide for themselves whether that is a good or bad thing.

This book was so much fun. I was a bit worried about the dual POVS, but I think Follmuth pulled it off well.

The banter was here, the internal and external struggles were balanced really well, this was a textbook ya contemporary romance.

I really enjoyed myself and I think you will too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. It was realistic with well rounded characters and an adorable love story anyone could get behind. I related a lot to Bel & Teo was a gem. Loved the STEM aspect of the story and that they highlighted robowars, which brought me right back to my childhood haha (my brothers would watch robowars on TV all the time growing up). I definitely shed tears of joy at the end. 10/10 would recommend.

4.5⭐️Thank you to Net Galley & the publisher for the eARC! To be honest this book really blew me away and was more than i expected it to be. I’m very picky with the YA i read because i feel like sometimes they are very cringey books and too forced. This was not like that and at point i forgot it was YA. I feel like i really loved and connected with both characters. They are both going through problems that any high schoolers go through. I feel like i could connect with step cause the problems he was going through is something i struggled with; same with Bel. Both characters were easy to love and understand. Their banter was amazing, and actually entertaining. THE TROPES, that’s all i’ll say. You will 100% be swooning over teo. The only reason it’s not five stars is because i felt like it was a bit slow at the beginning BUT when it did pick up it made up for that. Also the epilogue i feel like really brought the book together and was perfect for this book. If you want a quick and fun read i definitely recommend this book. Make sure to check it out on May 31st!

Thank you to NetGallery and Holiday House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This light-hearted book shows women finding their passions, pursuing their dreams and defying societal expectations.

The characters have so much personality and are so relatable to people I’ve met during my life. They are flawed but wholesome and true. The relationship between Bel and Teo is adorable, the type of love you want to have. The diversity in this book makes it even better!

This is a book I wish was around when I was growing up. We need more women in STEM and this book proves that girls are just as good as boys, if not better. And they have a better sense of style.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review

a young adult romance with enemies to lovers and WOMAN IN STEM. We follow Bel who joins the schools robotics team and there she meets Teo who is sweet and nice and uwu my bby I LOVED how Bel interacted with her teacher, It reminded me of some teachers i used to have in high school and how much i miss them
The romance was so sweet and beautiful it made me burst the biggest UWU ever.... also can we admire the title???

The problem i had with the book was the lengh, it was so short and i wanted more and more of it :(

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an eARC of this book for an honest review.

It's a refreshingly fun read. College romance isn't a new genre, but the storyline revolving around a bunch of kids building robots for combat was interesting. The chemistry between the protagonists was cute and not at all clichéd. The story felt a little slow, although, I'll admit I was glued throughout.

The story is narrated from the perspectives of the protagonists, Bel and Teo. However, if the author hadn't mentioned who was narrating at a particular moment, it would be difficult to know which character it was. They both sounded same. That's the only fault I found. Otherwise, all the characters are well written and very likeable.

I totally recommend this book if one wishes to read something light and fun.

This was so cute! I found all the characters interesting and likable. I did cry a few times, it brought me memories back from when I was that age. An overall really great read. I think my only complaint would be the formating on Kindle but that's an easy fix.

OHHH MYY! This book was so exciting and had me hoookedd since the start! I loved it. There’s something so exciting and unique about Bel and Teo’s story and can’t lie some parts gave me butterflies. I love that they both push each other to be their best version all the time. Their love is so full of banter and funny jokes and that’s what makes it so cute!! I wish I could read bel and teo’s story all over again. yes , it was THAT good! Pls stop thinking and read this book already!!!

I love books with women in STEM, so I HAD to read this. Filled with angsty teen drama, it was an easy escape into the world of highschool mechanical robot fighting. Dealing with themes of sexism, identity, love, and finding balance between the expectations others place on us and those we place on ourselves. It highlights that apprent failure is not the end, and sometimes something better can come from those experiences.

One robotics team, a girl who can’t decide her future, and a boy who knows exactly what his future is finally clash and sparks fly. Bel is terrified of the future, she’s been avoiding her college apps, zero extracurriculars, and just wants to get by but when a missing assignment lands her on the robotics team her life is about to get turned upside down. Cue, Mateo Luna, the captain of the robotics club, handsome, talented, rich, and a genius with his life planned out. Teo and Bel couldn’t be more different from each other but surprisingly Bel has a knack for design and Teo is set on winning the competition. Soon they find themselves arguing and slowly getting to know more about each other and surprising the other. Bel couldn’t care less while Teo cares too much, and maybe they’ll both even each other and teach each other something that the other needs. This was a super cute enemies- to- lovers romance with a great focus on girls of color in STEM, the idea of finding a place for yourself at your own pace and knowing your limits, and about first love and finding a balance in your life. This was seriously such a great read and I couldn’t recommend it enough. Bel is a great protagonist and as a girl of color myself who did join a robotics club in high school and had a giant fear of college apps and thinking about my future, her struggles were relatable and she didn’t take things standing. Bel was a wonderful protagonist to read from. Teo was a cute love interest, yes he can be a bit rude but he acknowledges his mistakes and he does try and do better, he’s dealing with a lot of pressure and feeling like he needs to live up to everyone’s expectations and when he finally meets someone who doesn’t want anything from him he’s confused and a little thrown by how blunt and weird Bel is. Together they make a sweet pair, they’re partners in building a robot and friends who support one another, and two people who just want to follow their passions.

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @ 34%
I went into this book with really high expectations. It looks so adorable, and I love books that feature women in STEM. Not to mention this is by the same author that wrote The Atlas Six (under the pen name Olivie Blake) which I really enjoyed. Sadly, what I read did not reach the bar that I placed for it and it just got to a point where I could not read anymore.

My Mechanical Romance is a dual POV book, told from the perspectives of our two main characters, Bel and Mateo. Bel is new to the school and is on the verge of graduating, but she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. All she knows is that she enjoys building and designing objects. Mateo (who also goes by Teo) is the school heartthrob who also happens to be one of the smartest in the school, captain of the soccer team, AND captain of the robotics team. When Bel is forced to join the robotics team, her and Teo don't get along, until they do.

It sounds promising right? And it was, for less than a split second. Right off the bat, I noticed that the writing style seemed a bit too dense for my tastes. It seemed like the author wanted to give us new information about the characters every time they spoke which got a bit tiresome in some spots. To be quite honest, it felt a lot like we were being info-dumped on and I wasn't the biggest fan (though I know some people would enjoy that).

The thing that really did me in for this book was the random sexist comments that were made. I know that's part of the point of this book, the whole "empowerment" thing, but it really didn't sit right with me. Every ten seconds Bel would think something along the lines of "Teo and the rest of the robotics team hate me because I'm a girl" and it would end up being almost true? Like I signed up for a romance, not to listen to Teo whine about how she showed him up a couple times. I was willing to push past it until he said this line: "...from the time I've spent watching her, I've noticed she only has two modes: super aggressive or super passive." He says this because she stands up for herself. No thank you. If I wanted an entitled, rich, sexist love interest, I'd read a dark romance.

Overall, I didn't absolutely hate this book, but I didn't like it enough to keep going. It had a good concept. Maybe if I kept going, it would've gotten better, but I couldn't stand to read another word out of it until it did.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC copy in exchange of an honest review.

1.5 stars.

I liked this book. At first I was worried because I’m not familiar with physics nor robotics. So those parts I had to overlook or ask my husband. Otherwise it was a great message to girls that they can achieve their goals in science and be just as competitive as the guys. This story was about Bel who moved to a new school senior year of high school. She had to make new friends, new classes and join the robotics team. In the course of the year she learned about herself, gained new amazing friends, and developed a friendship with Teo ( the team leader of robotics). What I didn’t care for was Bels physics teacher. I wished more was done with his story since I don’t think one person can change him. The epilogue was cute and ended very well. If you like sweet romances with lots of science this one is for you!

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Incredible!!! I loved all the characters, and I loved the relationship!!!! I really loved the authors writing style, and loved the way these characters felt real with how perfectly their flaws balanced with their characteristics. This is the gold standard for Romance books! Will for sure buy a copy when it releases :)

I’m going to start this off by saying huge props for the title because that is absolutely what drew me to this book in the first place. It’s not often you see an emo/STEM crossover. I could not put this down for the life of me, I was completely drawn in. Adore the fact that Bel is a Swifty. The banter was the cutest and it was super fun to read. Bel ans Teo were very likeable characters, especially Bel, I want to be friends with her. I’d give an A for romance, I kept waiting for them to kiss, and it was worth the wait. I kind of wish there were more my chemical romance references to tie in with the title though.

i had such high hopes for this book ever since i first came across the description on netgalley. I was even more excited when I found out that
author of this book is olivie blake who also wrote “the atlas six” writing under the pen name, alexene farol follmuth. This book was so much fun and I loved the characters. In the book there were such complex characters. I honestly felt like I could relate to each of them in a different way. This book was amazing. All the science stuff was obviously going in one ear and out the other tho. 👀 I highly recommend the story if you enjoy cute fluffy YA romances. The book also literally has so many fun tropes all roped into one. Ex: the new/fun friend group, rivals to lovers, A STEM ROMANCE?!?) If that’s not enough to convince you I don’t know what will. Although, I will admit that the reason I didn’t give it 4 stars is because the book did feel like it was dragging at times. BUT it definitely picked up afterwards. Anyways, I wanted to end this review by giving a quick thank you to the author as well as NetGalley for giving me this wonderful opportunity!! ❤️

I cannot even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this novel, but I will try.

First of all, I LOVE the girl in stem premise. We need to see more of that, because there are SO many women in stem, and so many more young girls that need to see that they can do whatever they put their mind too. The way this novel handled the competition between not only men and women in stem, but between women who feel like they are fighting for less already in a really powerful way. I loved seeing Bel grow within herself, but also within the relationships around her,

She was given a chance to take up her own space in the world, and after a few hiccups along the road she was able to soar and feel so much stronger in her own person. Reading about her fighting for herself in school, the robotics club, and even in her relationships was so inspiring and honestly I learned a lot from this book.

Again the author does a fantastic job with language and it was so beautiful and fun to read. I cannot wait to see more! This was probably one of my top romantic contemporaries ever!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was such a surprise! This is one of those books you buy because of the cute cover, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I actually read it in one day.
I love that it is STEM. It explored the stress that teens face when they have too many irons in the fire, the way that women/girls are viewed in STEM, and standing up to the ones you love and choosing what you want to do with your life. One really important theme I saw that you don't see often, is that it is ok to be truthful instead of spooning someone what everyone wants to hear. One of the characters comes off as rude and insincere, but eventually she wins the main character over by telling her the truth. These were all such great themes to have in a YA book.
All of the characters are ones I felt like I would want to know more about. Even her brother and his friend. I will be getting books from this author in the future.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

i am so excited that I got this book free before release date for a review. Like I’m dying inside. I have literally always one of those people.

I loved this book omg. The beginning was kind of rocky and felt too much like a wattpad book but otherwise it was so great. The plot, the characters, the quotes, i was smiling the WHOLE time it was so good. I was kind of mad about the end but I get it was necessary. There are a few unrealistic moments (but its a book so sometimes unrealistic is good) and parts that were contradictory in Bel’s personality but overall this is one of my favourite high school romances !!