First of all, I love the title!!
Second, this book is a very unique YA romcom that I wish I would have had when I was in high school! While Teo has his life figured out for him like so many high school MCs, Bel doesn’t have any clue what she wants in life for most of the book. That is super realistic but almost never actually portrayed in books or movies about high schoolers. I felt the same way as a high school senior, so it was really nice to see a character that didn’t have a vision board planning out her life since age three.
Also the representation of STEM was great to see! Since many people think there is no crossover between literature and science, it is sadly rarely used in books.
The relationship between Teo and Bel is really nicely done in this book since it’s clear it’s not their whole life as high school seniors, just an adorable part of it!
Finally, I loved all of the Taylor Swift references! When Teo goes to learn the lyrics, it’s too adorable!
I really liked this book and it would be great for anyone who doesn’t know exactly what they want to see that reflected in a main character! Plus romance and STEM!

I am the type of person who goes to bed by 9:30pm most nights, so when I say that I was up until 3am finishing this book, it really means a lot. This story is absolutely delightful - it is sweet, funny, well developed, well paced and, most importantly, it made me very happy

Often in YA books, particularly romances, I find that while the main character is often fully developed, the supporting cast is very flat. That is not the case at all in My Mechanical Romance. While the book does focus on its two perspective characters, Bel and Teo, it still manages to breathe life into their friends and families. I would read sequels about Dash, Jamie, Neelam and Lora in a heartbeat. It also encapsulates the complex dynamics between teenage girls in a way that manages not to bring me back to my own anxious days of being that age.

While the book does follow some of the predictable tropes for a teen romance, the "will they won't they" and the "there's no way she likes me back" are cute rather than frustrating, and they don't take away from this being a unique and fun story. Plus, there are robot fights - and who doesn't love a good robot fight?

I'm definitely forward to whatever Alexene Farol Follmuth brings us next.

ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Academic rivals to lovers? Girls in STEM? Cartoon cover? TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!

Bel is actively avoiding anything that has to do with applying to college and struggling with her relationship with both of her parents after their divorce. After failing to turn in an assignment, she is forced to join the robotics team, by Ms. Voss, a teacher who sees Bel’s intelligence, creativity, and potential to succeed in engineering. Bel feels inadequate and like she isn’t cut out for the robotics team after butting heads with Teo, the team captain and failing to become allies with Neelam, the team’s only other girl. The more that Bel works with Teo on their robot, she begins to enjoy the design and engineering process and is actually looking forward to competing in nationals.

This young adult rom-com transported me back to high school (in a good way!) because I hardcore related to the main character . I remember being so stressed about college,
—like how can one choose their life direction at 18??? Living up to others expectations is a uniquely different stress. Now that I am older (definitely) and wiser (kind of), I know now that those fears just get in the way of actually enjoying life! Not to mention that the main character is a weird girl, like okay same??? Nerds, unite.

I was literally smiling the whole entire time I was reading this book and I had so many laugh out loud moments. It was a new experience reading a YA romance published in this decade, but one I totally am in love with. I love the diverse representation that is being served!!! The humor was top-tier and the banter was very amusing. It was very well written, especially because i feel like modern/gen-z jokes can come off kind of strange in books, but our queen Alexene executes it perfectly.

Bel and Teo had such a precious type of love, even with moments of misunderstanding and learning how to communicate with one another. I especially love that Bel learned to take up space and Teo learned to create space for himself. Also, an honorable mention for the side characters because they had depth and killer personalities and weren’t just there to be in the background of the plot, we love to see it!!!!

I really appreciate a feminist book that is REAL because Bel is strong, hard-headed, and independent af. There is women of color in STEM representation and I am so here for it, we need way more of this!!!!! I wish I had this book when I was in high school!!!!

This is such a cute and wholesome romance novel! Enjoyed reading this and I love the characters. Beyond the romance, there are some memorable aspects such as the life of girls in STEM and family dynamics.

These days I love a good YA contemporary or romance. Especially when they’re nerdy. So My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth, aka Olivie Blake, sounded like a perfect read for me. I might not know much about robots or STEM. That’s not the type of nerd I am, but I was eager to check it out, and I’m all for supporting women in STEM.

This book follows Bel and Teo, two seniors at a prestigious high school where science is pretty cool. That’s not quite Bel’s scene, and when it comes to college applications, she’d rather than die than think about them, much to the school’s chagrin. Teo, on the other hand, has everything planned. He is going to be the best ‘soccer’ captain, win at the Robotics Nationals and get into MIT. When Bel accidentally proves she’s a mechanical genius in a class project, she is pushed to join the robotics team. At first, she was not happy about it. But as sparks begin to fly between her and Teo, she realises that within that club, she’s found two things she loves.

If you’re looking for a book that talks about women in STEM and proves that they don’t need to act one way to belong, this will be for you. There are three girls within the club, and all have different interests and mindsets. It was good to see, even if there is a lot of in-fighting for a good portion of the book. This is a story that shines a heavy light on the misogyny with the sciences. The girls are clearly on the team for diversity points; the girls will always need extra help when the boys don’t, and the boys will always be the stars. Reading this book made me so mad, but I count that as one of the good points. We should be angry that teenage girls are being treated like this. Girls reading this book should be able to see that if they like science or maths, they belong in those teams and classes just as much as the boys. We need to start calling out a lot of that crap, especially when even the teachers are playing along with it.

Other than that, I wasn’t actually a big fan of this book. I got through it quickly, and it made me grin in places, but that was not enough. My favourite characters were probably Bel’s best friend Jamie, Teo’s best friend Dash, and Bel’s older brother, Luke. This is a book with some pretty heavy family dynamics, and I did feel for both kids. The way they’ve been bought up and their lives have been going is causing them to act certain ways. That’s not fair on them. Teo doesn’t have to be the best, and neither Bel nor her brothers would be a failure if they didn’t get into a top school. It was frustrating, and it complicated my feelings so much. Is it important to the characters and the readers to see that things like this happen? Yes. Did it make the protagonists unlikable? No. But they both felt wishy-washy in their own ways, and it didn’t really feel like we saw those issues properly dealt with. In the end, they were okay, and their parents were happy with that. That was it. For issues that put a dampener on the book at times, that felt a little rushed.

When I started this book, I really thought I was going to love it. And since it was such an easy read, it feels like I should like it. But the moment I finished the book, I started wondering whether I did enjoy the book or not? Asking that question suggests to me that no. I didn’t really. It didn’t necessarily expect something just cutesy. I’m fine with heavy themes, even in romance and contemporary. But it didn’t feel like enough time was spent on either of those aspects.

If you’re looking for YA with a focus on STEM, then do check this book out. But if you’re not curious about that aspect, then there are better YA romances out there.

Writing style :4/5
Subject:5/5
Candidness:4,5/5
Relevance: 4/5
Entertainment quotient:4,5/5
To be honest i was so excited for this book!!! “My Mechanical Romance” is a book written by Alexene Farol Follmuth ,and it is a story of academic rivals to lovers romance which is also easy to read . Through this sharply funny and interesting book the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love are being explored.

The author in this book did a great job with the writing and the plot is very investing. I liked the characters personalities as the main leads have flaws and weaknesses which made them more endearing and understanding to the reader. Bel’s POV was fascinating and by reading the book you can feel how energetic and passionate she is about the things she loves. My personal favorite character was Neelam.Through her struggles i kind of connected with her and she gained my respect towards the end of the book ,but i don’t agree with the way she chose to manage her situation even though i understand it.



I totally recommend this book as it was a very fun reading if you are looking for a lighthearted romance and empowered women in STEM.


Marina Petrou provided by Netgalley
#MyMechanicalRomance #NetGalley

(Actually 4 and a half stars) Although I know absolutely nothing about robotics and engineering I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the representative of how challenging it can be for women in stem as well as showing all of the subtle and unsubtle ways that women are treated differently. All of the characters were incredibly diverse not only in ethnicity but also in personality. The group of friends felt like a normal friend group in high school. I can’t wait to recommend this book to my younger cousins to remind them that they can do whatever they put their mind to.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Bel and Teo, our main characters, get to know each other at the school’s robotics club. We follow both their perspectives through this story, getting a clear insight into their thoughts and feelings. They are both smart and witty, their humor on point. I loved their banter and the way their relationship evolved in this academic enemies-to-lovers story. I loved their story so much, Bel and Teo were the perfect YA characters! Apart from them, the side-characters also have their role in the story. It was wonderful to see the friendships blossom.

This book tackles women in STEM in a high school setting, which I think was very interesting and much needed. I’ve not read many books about this, but this one definitely deserves it’s place in the books around this theme. All the technicalities were well explained, they sure didn’t hinder the reading experience.

The book starts off at a slower pace, but a couple chapters in the story took off. That was the moment I got sucked into the story and I just had to keep reading, eager to know what the story would hold for Bel and Teo. The writing style was very straightforward, making the reading fluent.

I would definitely recommend this book if you like enemies-to-lovers, women in STEM and cute love stories.

My mechanical romance gets published on the 31st of May.

ADORABLE 😭💖💖

Enemies to lovers ✔
Women in STEM ✔
Cool physics stuff ✔
Girls making robots ✔
Diversity in STEM ✔
Heartwarming romance ✔

Bel has recently transferred to a fancy new private school, where she's hoping to mostly just bide her time until graduation. Teo is the captain of the robotics club (and the soccer club, and the unofficial making-girls-swoon club). They have nothing in common... until one of Bel's teachers singles her out for a hasty completed project and, rather than yelling at her, convinces her to join the robotics club.
Suddenly, Bel and Teo are spending a lot of time together. Suddenly, for the first time in her life, Bel cares about something-- actually really cares. As they prepare for Regionals, Bel and Teo bond over engineering.

My Mechanical Romance is a sweet, funny coming of age story about two people who seemingly have nothing in common but end up teaching each other how to find their passions and discover who they are and what they really want.

This book about two teen nerds is so awesome and well written! They talk about robots and stuff which completely went over my head but it was so cute watching these kids discuss stuff they are passionate about. The book also touches on how it is hard for girls to study science and engineering because of the misogyny. Both Bel and Teo are great characters!

Even though this book takes place in high school, everyone should read it. It seamlessly tackles the issues of women in STEM fields and showing how men should respond. It manages to be funny and cute and have a “realistic” romance on the side. It is really about Bel finding herself and how to stand with people while figuring out who she is. Amazing read.

This book was exactly what I needed. It was an easy read that touched on topics that hit home for me. It really made the teenage love realistic, which I enjoyed.

𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝙉𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨.

I absolutely adored this book! The storyline and themes were great and the characters were very well written also. This is definitely a book that leans more towards teens and young adults, but as an adult reader I still enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and author Alexene Farol Follmuth for the opportunity to read this one in advance!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝:
• Two main character point-of-views. I really liked this set up because it allowed for insight into both Bel and Teo’s thoughts and motivations.
• The author touched on some salient and relevant themes throughout the book and did a wonderful job approaching these views and using them to develop the characters further…effects of divorce, the burnout that comes with perfectionism, challenges for girls in the STEM world to name just a few.
• The banter and the relationships between the characters were perfect. I especially enjoyed the dynamic of the robotics team and there were lots of moments that had me chuckling out loud.
• The story moved well and it was easy to follow along.

𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝? Absolutely! The story is very engaging within an interesting context and while I feel like the book is geared more towards teens and younger adults, it could be read and enjoyed by all.

Release Date: May 31, 2022

This cover is beautiful. The first thing that caught my eye. This book is I bought it for the cover without the description kind of book. The book on itself seems awesome!

Okay, so I definitely wanted to read this because of the cover. It’s gorgeous and playful, and I’ve been hurt before when I’ve chosen books by that. This was NOT the case this time.


This whole “girls in STEM” theme im finding in books is interesting. Sometimes it’s so heavy handed it gets in the way of the story. But I loved the way it was approached here. I love that the “women in STEM” problem was from Bel— which gives it an “outsider’s” perspective. Because she isn’t jaded and having fought for years, which helps the reader see it more easily without it being heavy handed. And giving Teo’s perspective on it, showing how he begins to question his motives and the motive of being there, it lends itself to a greater understanding of the narrative.

Now onto the story. It’s ADORABLE. Enemies to friends to lovers, it’s just such a great trope. Two is thoughtful, but still a gent. He isn’t so one dimensional that he would be totally fictional, but he’s understanding and has depth. And his interesting relationships with his parents. I AM HERE FOR IT. Bel is such a cool character because we get to see her come out of her shell and “take up her own space”.

And I love the side characters. They aren’t just placeholders, but truly interesting. I would read about each of them (Dash especially? Maybe even her brother Luke? Jamie? I just really enjoyed all of them).

And there were so many well written emotional scenes. The soccer scene had me laughing out loud! The scene at the end between Bel and Mac had me actually tearing up. And the EPILOGUE!! Not what I expected in THE BEST WAY.

Read this book immediately.

I absolutely adored this book and I could not put it down. I loved the sweet lovestory. But I loved the character of Bel even more. I was able to connect to her on many aspects and I liked how it showed the difficulties of being the female gender in a male dominated world. Moreover, I feel like having an exact plan for your fututre is always expected but I know it's alright to change the career path any time and to take time to figure it out. Moreover, I liked how mature both were and realized their weak and strong points.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC! Slow burn & enemies to lovers romances have always been 2 of my favorite genres, and this simply did not disappoint! The author perfectly captured young love and all the complications that come with not only discovering who you want to be, but what you want out of the world as well. Touching on issues like sexism, especially in what is typically a male dominated field (engineering), in young adult fiction is something not done enough, but the author beautifully handled it! I cannot wait for release day for everyone to meet our leading lady Bel and her brilliant brain!

this book took a while for me to get into it- the first half was quite slow-paced, but the second half was much more interesting. pros: bel and teo were cute when they finally got together, and i loved the side characters. i also enjoyed the descriptions of the robotics tournaments and how the robots were built! however, my main complaint i didn't really feel connected to either of the main characters for much of the book. i think something about the writing style contributed to that, but i'm not sure what. some of the messages fell flat as well. overall, though, i did enjoy this book, and it was a pretty good science-y read!

thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book for this honest review

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, although I didn't find it particularly groundbreaking, which is why I gave it 3 out of 5 stars . I found the high school setting very comforting, and it is very refreshing to read a romance book that is not solely focused on the romance aspect, and does not include dirty scenes. At times, I found the robot talk a bit boring, but I think that is just because I am not very interested in that sort of thing. To make the reading experience more enjoyable, I think the publishers could double check the formatting of the kindle version, as sometimes it is a bit muddled (two lines of different text messages in the same row etc).