I enjoyed this YA romance. The main character, Bel, was very accomplished and intelligent and I enjoyed seeing her develop and flourish despite the challenges that she faced due to being a woman in a male dominated field.

The romance was sweet, if not a little predictable. I was initially a little disappointed with the lack of support from other female characters, but was really glad to see how it all turned out. What I really enjoyed was when the narration was from Teo's POV we learned new things about Bel that she hadn't told us about herself (such as her clothing) and vice versa, which gave me a sense of the romance developing even when they didn't seem to know it themselves.

I enjoyed both narrators here and I think it was perfectly pitched. For me their narration was slightly on the slow side, but it's easily fixed by cranking up the speed.

If you're looking for a fun YA romance with an accomplished female, this one is for you.

“Me Mechanical Romance” by Alexene Farol Follmuth is one of a kind heartwarming audiobooks which makes you want to dash in the world of STEM and discover what robotics is all about!

Follmuth’s story follows Bel, Teo, and their friends adventures during their last year at an elitist high-school, as they navigate senior year, romance, challenging friendships, and of course, robots! As a senior transfer in her last year of high-school, Bel has a hard time figuring out her next step into adulthood. As her luck has it a late assignment gets her shortlisted to join her school’s exclusive robotics club. While she doesn’t believe too much in her abilities, team captain Mateo Luna sees Bel as the right person to complete the team and bring them their much-awaited victory in the upcoming robotics championship!

The reason I enjoyed so much this audio-book was not only because of its depiction of teen years adventures, but also because of its exploration of women in STEM theme. Through the book, we hear Bel learning what it means to be part of a STEM environment, both plus & minus sides. I enjoyed a lot her learning curve, from being a shy, non-involved team member, all the way to… the events from the last chapters! It also helped a lot to see her evolution both from her viewpoint (narration) as well as Teo’s. I also think that having two audio narrators (Amielynn Abellera and Christopher Salazar) contributed a lot to the wonderful listening experience, as it made me much comfortable with differentiating all the characters through the story. I can’t wait to hear what Folmuth brings us next!

Special thanks to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!

#LifeLongLearning #MyMechanicalRomance #NetGalley

Love the stem premise and that it focuses on that. Very cute young adult story. Very clean and I would definitely let young teens read.

Science. Smart girls. Realistic plot. Self-discovery. ALL in a wonderfully written Young Adult book. When worlds collide and Teo and Bel find themselves working together can what began as annoyance turn into a budding relationship? Toss in “girls don’t belong in science” and you have yourself added drama! An age appropriate love story every reader will enjoy!

Quick Summary: This story is a winner!

My Review: My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth wins all the golden stars. This romance had both heart and grit. I loved that it featured STEM. I loved that it had strong female characters...and likable male characters. I loved that it showed young people who were still trying to get it together in the best way they could. I loved that it showed typical and atypical paths toward personal success. I loved that it spoke about teenage love and parental expectations. Lastly, I loved that it gave me a HEA. This one is a keeper on the favorites shelf.

The narrator did an excellent job.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Older YA/NA
Keeper: Yes
Re-read: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes

Much appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. The words I have expressed are my own and have not been influenced by the aforementioned in any way.

* A Goodreads post has been submitted.

I picked up My Mechanical Romance purely because Alexene Farol Follmuth (also known under the name Olivie Blake) wrote this book. This book did bot disappoint and was the perfect book to pick up after having not read for a month!

My Mechanical Romance is a rom-com, coming of age story that follows Bel in her final year of high school. She is aimless in life not knowing what to do with her future (I mean, that's the pointed question when you're a senior), and she's dealing with her parents having recently divorced. She meets the robotics team though not everything is perfect when she is pushed to join by one of her teachers.

This book is light hearted and touches so many good themes such as misogyny in STEM, family issues, discovering youself, etc. One thing that really hit with me was Bel being a filipina protagonist who is watching her parents go through a divorce while also not hating them even though her parents are hating each other (of at least, much resent from her mother's side. The mentions of sinigan and the word gigil made me filipina heart burst with joy!

Ah young love ❤️

This is an enemies to lovers STEM young adult romance.

Bel, a senior high school transfer student, joins the robotic team and quickly becomes an enemy of Teo, senior captain of the soccer team and robotics team. They struggle to get along as a team as they build robots for regionals. Also, Bel is struggling to figure out what her future holds. She doesn’t know what she wants to do.

I am always a sucker for a strong female lead and that is exactly what Bel is. She isn’t afraid to be a smart and nerdy girl. As a fellow woman in STEM, I understand how hard it is to be taken seriously by others. Bel never backs down and proves she can do anything.

This was so wholesome and definitely would recommend to anyone who just wants to smile like an idiot the whole time.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the ARC copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The book was enjoyable. But I would say the climax of the book was a little predictable at least for me. I really enjoyed how the book was from both point of views, it really helped with the development of both characters. And everything came together in the end very well.

I received an audio arc of My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As an engineering student, I really loved seeing engineering represented in the story, and I think it was more a story of Bel falling in love with engineering and robotics.
I loved seeing Bel and Teo slowly fall for each other while designing and building robots together. <3 The romance was really cute but I found myself wanting more from it by the end.
I liked the conversations around not knowing what you want to go to school for and not having everything figured out in high school.
I was getting similar vibes from the Netflix show, Never Have I Ever, they both even take place in Sherman Oaks. Also a bit of When Dimple Met Rishi, another girl in STEM.
3 stars.

This was excruciatingly YA and felt stifled to me I will tell you this author is an amazing writer, I think the setting that was have chosen doesn't best showcase that. I'll be sticking to authors NA/Adult books just because I feel that I the better choice for me, this YA was just not the kind I enjoy.

Girls in STEM! Girls supporting girls!

My Mechanical Romance is a YA romance novel that follows Bel and Teo through their battles of senior year. Bel, a unique young woman with a flair for weird fashion, has transferred schools her last year due to her parents divorce. Teo is a bright young man who over commits and carries the weight every team he is on.

Did I mention there are battle bots?! While the romance was fun and awkward in the sense of typical teen swoony-ness, the plot of Bel on the robotics team and trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life is the absolute best thing about this book!

This book made me smile, laugh and even tear up. I absolutely loved the Filipino representation and some references to the culture. At times, I felt like a teen girl living with my Filipino mother all over again and it brought me such joy.

This was such a great read! Smart, funny, nerdy. Very cute but still a deep coming-of-age story. I love reading about women kicking ass in STEM, and I love the way the author combats the misogynistic narrative that women don't make good engineers.

My degree is in life sciences, so most of the physics and robotics lingo went over my head, but I still loved learning about the ins-and-outs of robotics club.

As mentioned before, this is a great coming-of-age story as well. Bel struggles with her home life while trying to figure out what she wants to do when she graduates. The pressure to know who you are at 18 is real, and plans don't always pan out the way we want. My Mechanical Romance did a lovely job at portraying that.

I listened to My Mechanical Romance on audio narrated by Amielynn Abellera and Christopher Salazar. They did a wonderful job!

Loved this one and highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the audio arc!

5/5 - Audiobook via eARC access.

1.HOW DID I NOT KNOW Alexene Farol Follmuth uses Olivia Blake and a pen name?! I.e The author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake)

2.I LOOOOOVED THIS BOOK! I’m not a major YA romance fan as an adult reader but this book has a special place in my heart. We get so much diversity in the MCs, as well as the rest of the kids in the book, and the life lessons were written without it feeling cliche! Bel and Teo were a cute romance, but I think the focus on STEM, primarily the sexist treatment young girls get is the biggest takeaway of the book.

Brief Plot: Bel is at a new school, and when her science teacher encourages her to a AP Physics class, and trying out for the robotics team, Bel’s engineering smarts land her within the team. Now she just has to convince her team, and herself, that she has what it takes. Bel created a friendship with team captain Teo, who sees Bel’s skill. Or Major he sees more than just a skill?

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an eARC Audiobook copy of My Mechanical Romance, by Alexene Farol Follmuth; Narrated by Amielynn Abellera and Christopher Salazar. This is my honest review in exchange!

This is one of those YA books that makes you feel so nostalgic for something while at the same time making you think “oh thank god I’m out of high school!”

Bel’s anxiety over college applications, the super anxiety of thinking about your career, and the goddamn misogyny is all just so relatable.

I noticed that Bel would sometimes end her narration like this story had already happened and she was telling it in past tense from the present now, but I didn’t notice Teo ever doing that. It felt like it was really Bel’s story even with Teo’s POV chapters.

I think the setup was there to have a character who didn’t want to go to college or who had decided that college wasn’t the right choice for them, either with Bel or her brother who’d dropped out. I think (narratively) it made sense for Bel to take classes at community college after both accepting her rejection from MIT and deciding she wants to work in robotics. I guess I just wish that when her brother was telling her that he was taking a class at the community college instead it had been that he was doing something unrelated to academics and that is ok.

There’s no resolution with Teo’s parents and Bel. Ok I’m sorry but that bothered me. Teo had a good experience meeting both of Bel’s parents but his dad was incredibly rude to her in their brief encounter and it’s never resolved.

Every other character who was rude to Bel had closure for their story with her. The robotics teacher acknowledged his faults (kind of?). The only other girl on the robotics team became friends with her. The MAGA guy lost to her in competition. Teo’s dad just sucks and he never interacts with her again.

The birds was cute. “If you love something set it free…” and the fact that they kept listening to Taylor Swift I can only think “this love came back to me.” (You know This Love was on their Taylor playlist, and also definitely Love Story since Bel liked when Teo referenced Shakespeare.)

*Thank you so much to NetGalley for an early copy of this audiobook*

“Nerds are hot now, sweetie”

hear me out. the love hypothesis but way. WAY. better. like if you took tlh and made it actually good. (sorry i’m a hater in my heart)
this is a young adult romance centered around Bel and Teo, who are teammates in their school’s robotics team😭
I loved how Bel is a #womaninSTEM but kinda by accident? and i love how she’s not neurotic or very passionate about it at first, and she’s never even thought about science (or even academia in general) as something she enjoys. and i love how, even when she finds out that engineering is what she wants to do, she still has other interests and is very into clothes and accessories and taylor swift.
and i LOVE the conversations about misogyny in science and how it’s perpetrated even by teachers and authority figures. i think it did a great job at them not being super surface level and actually discussing the issue at hand (the love hypothesis i’m looking at you).
overall, great. would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc audiobook copy of My Mechanical Romance.
I really enjoyed this book! I loved Bel but I really disliked Mateo. He frustrated me with his arrogance which, although I know was done purposefully, is the reason I only rated this 4 out of 5 stars. Other than that, it was very enjoyable!

Thank you Net Galley and Recorded Books (RB Media) for the advance audiobook copy of My Chemical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth.

I had already ready this young adult book. So I was glad to get the chance to listen to the audiobook to compare. Honestly the audiobook made me fall more in love with the book than reading it. did. Bel and Teo and their robotics team just charmed me in this story. Bel’s journey is the part of the book I feel in love with the most. Bel POV narrator Amielynn Abellera made me love the story of Bel find not only Teo but her passions and place she felt like she belong even more than I thought I could. I was surprise who much more emotional the audiobook made me compared to reading it. I thought Teo POV narrator Christopher Salazar did great in Teo’s more emotional scenes. I will say some of the romance was lost for me during the audiobook version. I still felt it just not as much as I did while reading it.

Overall the audiobook enhanced me experience with this book. I still related to it so much and really enjoyed the cast of characters. I love these characters and would love to read more from this author in the future. Overall audiobook rating 4.5 stars (lowered to 4 on this rating systems.

Including previous review of when I read the book to show both for anyone interested.

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Foral Follmuth. (Publish by Holiday House)

This was a young adult book the surprised me in a good way. Bel was a senior in high school transferring for her last year to a higher caliber school. When she stared she didn’t know what she want or her passions. But thru the help of a cast of very animated side character and especially high achieving Teo she finds not only her place at the school but a few passions and most of all her self. Teo one his end finds somethings he was missing as well. This book also introduce me to the world of robotics that I truly enjoyed reading about.

I saw myself in Bel in a lot of ways. That was one of my favorite things about this book. I experienced some of the thing the main character did and the author did such a good job capturing those kind of feelings in the moment. Also loved the robotics aspect of this. I knew very little about it going in but came out wanting to know more. Always happy to read involving young women getting into STEM. These characters also felt like they where in high school and not grown up which I appreciated. The romance between Bel and Teo was also one of the highlights for me, it was adorable to read them as a couple. The supporting cast was also a present surprise.

Overall this was a great young adult read that I would recommend. It was light hearted, with good banter and an overall enjoyable read.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth. Perfectly titled, this YA Romance is centered around engineering and robotics. Adorable main character that I loved!

My Mechanical Romance was adorable! Even though I keep calling it My Chemical Romance 😂

I have read a few books about women and girls in STEM lately and I loved the way this one was handled. There are a lot of great messages in here about being yourself, standing up for yourself, and not having to have everything figured out at 18.

The romance was also really sweet and felt like a true relationship between teenagers. Even the third act conflict felt honest and like something a lot of teenagers deal with.

This was a great example of how to introduce a lot of subplots, like complicated family relationships and applying to colleges, without taking away from the romance.

I only read a couple YA romances a year, and I'm so glad that I chose My Mechanical Romance to be one of them!

This book was cute.

Girls taking on STEM and not letting things get in their way? As well as enemies to lovers? Yes, please.

Bell and Teo had their up and downs but were sweet characters who had good intentions. There were some characters throughout I had a hard time liking but for the most part they redeemed themselves by the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!