I loved this book and all of the characters. I loved how supportive teo was and the representation of the struggles woman face In stem. Bel was strong and driven and I relate to her so much. I loved how in the end her and Neelam worked together and helped each other to win the competition. Absolutely adored this book

Fans of YA will love this high school story about two enemies turned robotics partners turned something more in Alexene Farol Follmuth's debut in the YA genre. Romance + STEM is a formula that is sure to capture many readers, and it's something that I typically love and that drew me into the book immediately. Sadly, I ended up not being able to connect with the characters like I hoped to have, but that may just be due to my age. I think the target audience will enjoy it a lot more and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the genre!

I ended up DNF'ing this novel. I really wanted to like it but it was really slow moving. I understood that it was a YA Romance but its tone was really high school and I found I struggled to stay "in" the novel. The two characters were interesting, but I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between them. I wish it had picked up its pace a bit earlier.

Thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Where to begin? My rating system has always been about how a book makes me feel. I am not a technical writer, and I’m sure there are hundreds of other ARC reviewers who can nitpick and analyze every part of the story. I simply am not capable of that - but I am capable of explaining how I feel.

This was a 5-star read! I adored each of the main group of characters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve laid in bed and squealed over a story like this. In fact, the last book I remember fawning over like this was the contemporary rom-com about rom-coms, “Better Than The Movies” by Lynn Painter.

I’m an absolute sucker for flawed young characters, and I couldn’t ask for more in a main character than Isabel Maier - or “Bel”. She spends a lot of her life coasting by, and it wasn’t until a teacher, Ms. Voss, saw some potential in her and encouraged her to push herself out of her comfort zone that she discovered her love and passion for robotics. She’s quirky in a way that doesn’t come across as overly cheesy, she has a wealth of life-applicable knowledge (she made a whole desk for herself!!), and she only becomes more charming as her confidence grows. Her family dynamic was sweet, and I’m glad she realizes that she’s only responsible for herself and her own happiness, not her parents. It’s okay to love them both, Bel!

Enter Mateo “Teo” Luna, resident genius rich boy with the inherited burden of perfection. He is the big guy on campus in that he's the leader of the robotics team, as well as the soccer team. Not to mention he’s in AP classes, volunteers with a local soccer team and, magically, still has time to be the leader of his friend group and have a thriving social life. What’s it like to be perfect?? He doesn’t have time to tell us, because every day the pressure and expectations from his successful father (surprise, surprise) weigh him down. He’s responsible. The problem-solver. The leader. The one with the most potential!

I’m going to be honest, I only gave the synopsis a cursory glance before I requested it on NetGalley - the cover art and title are definitely what drew me in - but I sure am glad I went into it unprepared. I wouldn’t personally describe the romantic dynamics as “academic rivals-to-lovers”. The story felt like friends-to-lovers that just so happened to take place in a school. They weren’t academic rivals, so much as they just had clashing personalities. Bel only saw Teo as a spoiled rich kid with male privilege (which he absolutely was, but there were layers!), and Teo just saw her as someone full of criticism (which, again, is totally fair). Once the two actually had a real conversation, they realized both weren’t the caricatures they assumed of each other. They were real people with thoughts, feelings and opinions. Of course, this led to a growing attraction and their eventual romance.

I go feral for the “boy falls first” trope, and the dual POV is really what made this for me. I enjoyed seeing the romance from both perspectives, and the peeks into the two main characters' personal lives that the POV’s afford. For example, Mateo’s interactions with his mum were so sweet, while I wanted to throttle his father whenever he made an appearance. Bel’s feelings of being overwhelmed and sort of guilty about her lack of hatred toward her own father hit me right in the heart, especially when she goes to his place to work on stuff for the robotics club. And, of course, reading Teo slowly fall for Bel was the absolute best part of the story for me!

The side characters and other members of the robotics team were all endearing in their own ways. Neelam was especially interesting to me, and I just knew there was more to her than meets the eye. She certainly wasn’t just “mean” for no reason. The conversation between Bel and Neelam toward the end of the story, for example, really made me feel for Neelam and her struggles as a member of the club for the last 4 years. It also gave Bel the swift kick in the behind she needed to get herself together, which was very much appreciated and what led to Bel finally realizing that if she really wanted something, she needed to put in the work!

Again, this was a 5 star read for me. I love a lovable and diverse cast of characters, and if I was squealing like a 14 year old again, I just know the intended YA audience will enjoy this story. This story solidifies that it’s okay for girls to take up space in STEM, and that when you have a great support system in place, you can try and do anything!

Even though I myself have outgrown YA romances, it is always nice to read one from time to time and I thought this was cute, I love how popular the STEM girl trope is becoming in both YA and adult romance. The relationship between Teo and Bel left a lot to be desired "I dislike you for a stupid reason" trope has been slightly overdone and even though I went in knowing this was a YA I still felt bothered by this. If this was more an academic rival to lovers, that would have been a great read but, it was not. sadly. Although I enjoyed the progression of their relationship, the beginning and rivals part of their relationship felt like it took too long to get through for me personally. I did enjoy the last fourth of the book so that was good. Other than that I personally feel this book was not for me. It was a great entrance to Olivie Blake's YA writing though


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review

This was really cute! If you are looking for a YA contemporary that’s equal parts coming-of-age and sweet romance, MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE is perfect for you. Bel and Teo were charming characters. and a good pair together. I also appreciated Bel’s (very realistic) storyline about figuring out “next steps” after high school. I personally don’t care much for science/engineering/robotics, but I enjoyed seeing Bel find something she’s passionate about. I look forward to reading more books by Alexene Farol Follmuth/Olivie Blake!

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

Omg! This book! It was such a great read, I loved it. It made me happy.

This was clever, sweet, cute, adorable and I liked everything about it. The banter, flirting, chemistry everything was perfect and swoon worthy. This had enthusiasm all along the way.

Bel is smart and has a quirky attitude. She doesn't care about her future or college. Her last minute accidentally doing the project gets her into robotics club dominated by boys with one other girl as exception who isn't her fan.

Mateo or Teo does too much in everything, all curriculum, basically an all rounder. He is captain of the robotics club who recruits Bel.

The other diverse casts are equally amazing. I liked their journey, development and excitement. The author shows challenges faced by girls of color or girls in general in STEM. The important topics of pressure, societal norms or expectations, stereotypes are nicely touched in this.

If you like enemies to lovers, feminism, women power in STEM and a bonus epilogue this is for you. Young Adult fans this one is perfect book with amazing vibe. Dual POV is a plus. You all need this book!

Thank you Netgalley for giving e-arc in exchange of honest review.

As a fan of Olivie Blake and The Atlas Six I was so excited to read this novel. As a scientist myself I felt that the undertones of sexism was completely apt, however the outcomes from several scenarios was very optimistic and I am not sure how they would pan out in the real world. This was unexpected from an author that was so accurate in her portrayal of humans and their flaws in TAS. However, I do think I will need to take into account the different audiences that these books were made for.

I think the representation in the characters was amazing and the plot was heart warming. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

I love My Chemical Romance so I thought the title was 10/10. I liked the dual POV but I wish the main characters had been rivals for longer, I think it would've made their eventual friendship/romance that much more sweeter. The pacing was a bit slow but I still really enjoyed it.

I absolutely adored this book it was super cute and the dynamics between the characters was everything. Reading a STEM romance made me feel so happy! There aren't many romances about "nerds?" So reading this was just everything I wish I had in high school!

4.5 stars :)
I LOVED MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE!!
I see nobody ever talk about this book but it was just amazing.
I love Bel and Teo so much and I found the whole mechanics/engineering/robots topic so interesting! At some points it was really hard for me to understand it when they talked about science things because English isn‘t my first language and I don‘t understand Physics, but the book was great nevertheless.
I also adored all the Taylor Swift references in this.
The tropes were amazing (academic rivals to lovers? i‘m sold). The book was fast paced and it was easy to get through, I liked the writing and the characters were so relatable. I also loved reading the book from both POV‘s.
I also kinda fell in love with Teo. He listened to Taylor Swift songs for Bel? That‘s the dream.

rating: 3.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
genre: young adult
edition: audiobook mixed with eARC

This book was a pretty fun ride! Not having been a science or math geek at ANY point of my high school career, some of the nuances of working on a robotics team were lost on me. BUT watching Teo & Bel come together both as science nerds & as a couple was absolutely adorable.

I LOVED the text message exchanges between Dash & Teo as well as with Jamie & Bel (the narrator for the audiobook really NAILED preppy, overachieving high school student with Jamie but I also somehow didn't hate it?).

Things I Liked:
✨ The representation of what it's like to be a child of divorce later in life. Follmuth really encapsulated what it's like to feel like you'r win the middle and that you're stuck choosing a side. Bel hides so much of herself & her senior year from her parents because she doesn't want one of them to feel inferior or left out of anything. It's a difficult thing to see & understand what your parents are going through and feeling helpless or lost.
✨ Bel was a delight. I absolutely loved the smart slacker energy that she brought to the table! & all of her "Well..um..not really..." unfinished sentences were amazing.
✨ I liked that we got to see both Bel & Teo kind of come into themselves! Teo starts the book so assured & confident in what he's doing and where his life is going...but it's not until Bel comes along and inserts chaos that he realizes he's drowning under all of his family & friends expectations of him.
✨ Bel & Teo = yes.

academic rivals to lovers, I am already sold!!

I didn't expect to like it this much. I am a STEM student who doesn't like physics that much. And this book made it look appealing to me.

Bel and Teo meet in a robotics club, Bel finds a real place for herself In this group, despite the fact that she was basically forced by her teacher to join.

This is a cute, opposite attracts book.
But there is not much of a story here.

I thought this book was so cute and very enjoyable to read! I'm a sucker for STEM romances and dual POVs so I was very excited to get my hands on this book! I went in without much expectations but left me with so much joy and serotonin! I definitely recommend to those who love YA romances with strong female and POC characters with a light hearted plot and wholesome romance!

This was a super charming book and great for young adults! Nerdy romance, rivals to lovers, girls in STEM and dual POV that was done well! I also loved that this book had some strong female empowerment, and the diversity was amazing!

I did feel like this book was a bit slow at times; however, the plot was strong and kept my attention. I also appreciated that this comes across as a transitional book for readers about to start reading contemporary adult. Additionally, any book that references Taylor Swift is usually a winner for me!

“I should not be wasting my time on high school boys when I was clearly born to be some artist's muse, which is a calling I will probably age into around my late twenties.”

I am a sucker for STEM romance, nothing is more up my alley than this sub-genre but somehow I didn’t have many expectations from this book and once again I dived in without knowing anything about it except that it's STEM-related because well the title. This was also an arc, and my expectation from arcs is lower than average, but still thank you NetGalley for sending this baby over BECAUSE MAN AM I IN LOVE WITH IT???
The characters? AWESOME, plot? Beautiful, inclusion/diversity? Definitely admirable. I was unable to keep this down right from the start.

“He smiles, and I know that win or lose, Teo Luna and I are made of a strong foundation. What he and I have together is the best thing we’ve ever built.”

This was such a charming and enjoyable rom-com about first love, exploring what you love and want from life, and working as a team. The book's pace was pretty good, and the narrative was really captivating. I adore the characters, particularly Bel and Teo. I adore Bel because she is imaginative, intelligent, persistent, and kind. Bel had a huge personality development which is a must and I genuinely felt so proud to see her go by the end that might or might not be tearing up. Teo, who is incredibly ambitious, intellectual, kind, charming, and trustworthy, has my heart. We love smart men in this house, ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO LEARN THE ENTIRE TAYLOR SWIFT DISCOGRAPHY.

“It's a lot. Trying all the time. Trying not to screw up, just makes me feel so tired. There's all this pressure to plan for a future, you know? And like, what future?”

I also love how each of the supporting players has a distinct personality and plays a significant role in the plot. I like how genuine the characters were; in most high-school romances the prep for SATs and college App seem so easy but this book managed to acknowledge how tough it actually is and the toll it takes on students. All the characters were dealing with their own problems and attempting to find their own paths, which is something I haven’t seen often. The connection between Bel and Teo was incredible, and I adored their cute little banters. I thought it was great that the author brought attention to the difficulties that women of colour experience in STEM fields, especially young women of colour.

“The world is not very helpful to a smart girl. More often it will try to force you inside a box. But I urge you not to listen.”

Okay, long story short. I really loved this book. Like a whole lot. At first, I was unsure about the novel but I really loved how the book sets the pace on this romance.

Teo and Bel really get the height of what a romance is actually like in high school. You have the kids who’s rather stay in the shadows and then the kids who shine as soon as the spotlight hits them. Somehow, Bel and Teo are going to have to extremely compromise on how they are going to fit their lives together so that they are both happy.

I wish there was a way to send to my kindle when I read this but it was a really good book overall.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Unlike everyone else at her new school, Bel doesn't have her future figured out. She's content to drift through her senior year without a plan, but she's practically forced to join the robotics club who aren't thrilled that she's there. Determined to win Nationals, Robotics captain Teo is giving his all to building the robots. He and Bel don't see eye-to-eye on anything, and they get on each other's nerves. But the two end up spending time with each other as they build robots after school, and they realize that they actually make a pretty good team.

I was torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars, but I ultimately gave it 5 since it was such an enjoyable read! Bel was such an entertaining character, and I loved how quirky she was. Teo did kinda get on my nerves at first, but he grew on me as the story continued. Their relationship (opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers) was cute, and I desperately wanted them to get a happy ending!

I also really enjoyed the "girls in STEM" concept. It's nice to see more books coming out like this! However, I will say that it got a little old that every male character in the book was basically portrayed as sexist. I think it's plenty reasonable to have some male characters give the girls a hard time about being on the Robotics team, but I don't think it makes sense to have all of them be like that.

Overall, I loved this book! The romance was adorable, the story was interesting, and the characters were fun to follow along with! I laughed out loud a few times, usually at some snarky comment Bel made. I'm getting really picky with YA contemporary romances, but this was the wholesome, light-hearted read I needed! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes enemies-to-lovers romances and awesome female MCs!

Content: some swearing, the main character makes jokes about offending her religious mother with her "blasphemy", no sex but it's discussed, kissing