3.75 Stars!
I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of this book (the first half felt kind of slow for me).
Things I liked/loved:
- The gradual buildup of the relations that Bel had with everyone whether it was romantic or friendship
- The diversity representation throughout the book
- The way issues were discussed/worked through, such as parental pressures, parents divorcing, being burnt out
I would say the book was pretty realistic, in terms of Bel getting a reality check. Not everything went perfectly according to plan because, in life that happens, you can put all your effort into something and still not get/achieve it.

“I promise I’ll still like you, even if I ever have a problem you can’t fix.”

📖 My mechanical romance

Cute and nerdy YA story that focuses on team of students who compete in robotics. We meet Bel, who finds her place in this team and Mateo, who is team leader and wants to win in national competition. But Bel isn't so hyped on it and it takes time and long hours together with them and robots and sparks begin to fly. Will their romance jeopardize the competition?

Nice read, thanks to Netgalley for receiving ARC copy. I missed cover image and constructed chapters but overall I enjoyed the book.

"You can stand up without standing alone" My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

📚REVIEW📚

Bel is the new senior transfer at her school, after putting not much effort in designing a catapult, Ms Voss decides to move her to the AP Physics class days before the robotics try out, needless to say she makes the team. Now she has to contend with the annoying Teo, the guy who lives in a mansion, gets everything right and leader of the Robotics team.

Here is your opposites attract, acadamia, enemies to lovers trope. I enjoyed this book alot, seeing Bel grow into her own skin. The fighting and arguments and the first kiss... Swoon worthy!!! It was so interesting to learn about STEM too. There are also so many dynamics around females entering a male dominated industry and how we still as females need to let our voices be heard. I laughed, sighed, sniffled and nodded my head so many times.

Rating
5⭐

Huge thanks to the author @afarolfollmuth, @holidayhousebks, @peachtreepublishing, @pixelandinkbks and @netgalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I have an attachment to how Alexene/ Olivie writes and here amazing characters and books. I loved this YA novel and the cuteness it has. I loved Bel and Teo! Never thought I’d see myself reading about STEM or about robotics. Loved how realistic the characters are for their age and how relatable they feel. I’m pretty sure as a teenager I said the word like with every sentence. I love enemies to lovers and adding rivals? Please and thank you!! I will be purchasing the physical copy of course.

DNF held out on writing this review pre-release but now that it has been published and rather well loved I can safely say that it was not for me.

This was such a cute book!! I am really glad I read it, it was just what I was hoping it would be!

My Mechanical Romance is a story following two characters, Bel and Teo. They go to the same high school, and while they're complete opposites, they find themselves working together in the robotics club. Bel is finishing high school, and while she likes making stuff, she is not too keen on extracurriculars and isn't even thinking about college applications when she is basically forced to join the robotics club. Teo, on the other hand, is the caption of the club, he does soccer, and is very focused on his future. They start off a bit shakey - the boys of the club are ignoring her, and the only other girl doesn't even like her. But Teo and Bel realize that working together actually brings good results to their team, and they're growing closer.

I really enjoyed this book, as I already mentioned. I liked the romance that is the center of the story, but I also like how many other aspects the book brought. I liked the talk about how women in STEM are treated, and how much harder they have to work, only to not get the same recognition. It really did an amazing job of showing how much really goes into being a woman at such position. I also loved how it portrayed being a teen, at the end of high school, and how confusing of a time that can be. While Teo has everything figured out, Bel is hiding behind the facade of not caring, because she doesn't know how to balance everything she's going through. There are parents, friends, teachers, everyone just expecting you to figure it out - and I like how this book in the end emphasized that it is okay if you need more time to figure it all out. That it's okay if you change your plan, if you're still unsure of it. I really appreciated that about the story.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book! The focus is, of course, on Bel and Teo, whose POVs we read from. But I also enjoyed the side characters a lot, especially Bel's brother Luke and her friends Jamie and Lora. I also liked Teo's mom (even though I started the book disliking her), and his friend Dash, who's also in the robotics club. I wish we got to see more of Neelam, even though I enjoyed her character as is. All of the characters are well-developed and I enjoyed reading about them. I loved reading about Bel becoming better friends with Jamie and Lora, and especially liked how she at one point thinks how nice it is to have friends that are supportive and just there for you.

I really did like the writing style, the book felt dynamic, and the dialogues were interesting. The pacing was just right, the romance took enough time developing, and I really felt like the characters seemed real. At times, I did feel Bel was a little too much "not like the other girls" for my taste, but it was only a few scenes where I thought that (like when Teo notices that her hair is held up with a pen and not whatever else hair tie everyone else uses - the way he thought that was what made me feel this, not that she was using a pen instead of a hair tie).

Overall, I really loved this book! It was the perfect balance of cute, fun romance and a more serious commentary on women in STEM, and figuring out your future when you're in high school. It was a quick read, I flew through it in one sitting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys ya contemporaries (and even if you don't, maybe you'll be surprised). It was truly a lovely book!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It started a little slow, but then it got interesting and I started to care about the relationship between Teo and Bel. It's a great YA romcom with STEM and funny banter.

“Take up your own space, Bel. Don’t let other people tread over it.”

First of all, this is a sticky-sweet romance book. Even with the enemies-to-lovers storyline (which I LOVE by the way) it never really felt like Bel and Teo were on opposing teams, more like the same team with two different viewpoints.

I honestly loved all of the sides of people in STEM that this book exemplified. It really portrayed how all people can become interested in mechanics, programming, and building. Each character’s growth throughout My Mechanical Romance shows a different way to navigate passions, goals, and expectations.


Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for allowing to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4774757730

⁑ my mechanical romance by alexene farol doll muth ⁑ - (e-arc) review

4.5/5 ⭐️

definitely one of the most memorable ya romances i’ve read! i think the author did a great job of writing the banter between these academic rivals, and also keeping it once they became lovers. i only knew of the romance section of the plot, but the heavy topics made this book so amazing. the pressure of academic success from parents and peers, stress from divorced parents, and sexism within science fields was drawn out so well by the author, it made me feel connected to the story. and, i just love science romances, so so sweet. i highly recommend giving this a read!

enemies to lovers / academic rivals and stem (woc in stem!!!)
like the idea and the plot was great but the execution wasnt.. i feel like the pacing was weird and teo was kinda annoying sometimes..
other than that their chemistry was cute

"I mean come on, boys can do it," I call out to her. "So how hard can it be?"

I went into this book with mixed expectations, and I'm so glad to say that it exceeded all of them. I've read one other book by this author, The Atlas Six under her pen name Olivie Blake, and I wasn't a big fan. I mostly had trouble with the writing, which I found almost too philosophical with not a lot of action. But My Mechanical Romance is a YA book, so I figured I would give the author another go and see if I liked this one any better. And I really did.

My Mechanical Romance follows Bel, who had recently been added to her over-achieving high school's robotics team, led by the intelligent (and rich) Teo. She has to learn a lot about robotics while gaining confidence in her role on the team. And yes, Bel and Teo fall in love. Right before picking this up, I had just finished a long high fantasy story. And while I love long fantasy stories, I found myself needing something quick, fun, and easy to read afterwards, and this book fit the bill.

The plot and subplots hit a little too close to home. As a STEM girlie myself, I loved how this book showed the realities of being a woman in STEM, and how we can inspire the next generation of young girls to also aspire to be engineers and technicians and all the jobs that are stereotypically filled by men. I also really liked how Bel brought a different view to the robotics team as someone who was more creative and thought out of the box. I was a mathematics major but also have a minor in technical theatre and have done plenty of theatre- and literature-related extracurriculars, and I'm a firm believer that being well rounded in not just STEM but also creative pursuits benefits everyone.

The subplot of Teo learning that he doesn't have to put so much academic pressure on himself and how academics aren't the only thing that matters in life is so so important. This is an incredibly important lesson for everyone to learn, and I unfortunately only learned it in my final semester at college. If you're stressing about your grades, your future: it'll be okay. School and grades aren't everything in life and you bring so much else to the world.

This book has plenty of pop culture references (including several Taylor Swift ones hehe), which I normally dislike in books. But I thought they suited this story well. It's rooted in our modern day, so any references didn't feel out of place at all.

My Mechanical Romance made me gasp and tear up multiple times each, and I'm really, really happy I decided to give this book a chance.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book; this review reflects my honest opinion.

Overall this book was a really quick and fun ya contemporary! I really love the diversity and STEM aspect of this book. and the romance was cute. I wish we got more of Teo and his dad. I think there could've been more said about their relationship that could've helped wrap up the ending of this book. This book is advertised as an academic rival to lovers, however, it really isn't. They crash a couple of times in the span of maybe a few days, but definitely nothing close to academic rival to lovers.

Super cute I loved the story and it was much better than I expected.. enemies to lovers but in a STEM setting it was perfect!

"Maybe life hasn't always pointed things out to me in the way I was expecting, but if I was lucky enough to let the universe catapult me here, then all the hard stuff along the way was worth it."

Somehow this book was everything I wanted and more.
It speaks a lot to the idea that robotics is only a 'boy's thing' and how difficult to not be a boy but still have a passion for it. Which is something that Bel and every other girl in the club had to face. I think it was handled really well and brought light to something that needed it. Plus, it led to competition scenes that had me SO INVESTED.
Also I think the dual pov lead really well with the story. Bel and Teo are both facing complicated mindsets and seeing them both deal was relatable and almost comforting in a way.
I LOVED Bel's personality and her humor. It was so fun and made me feel like we were friends. Sometimes teen contemporaries can feel really disconnected for me but this one was perfect.
The romance was so satisfying, and I love how they continued to banter even after the relationship started. AND OMG taylor swift was mentioned in this book... made it ten times better.
Would recommend!!

Such a sweet and cute love story. Lead pair has my heart. Isn't it lovely to see young people fall in love!?
I loved how Bel is just herself. She crushed Teo right from the start(You go girl!!)
The highlight scene for me is the conversation between Bel and Neelam. I didn't expect Neelam to open up like that. We can understand why she is so cold and strict with Bel and others in the team. Girls like her are inspiration to next generation girls that are afraid of male dominance.
Ms. Voss is a star. She gave a push to Bel that she didn't know she even needed. She is the game changer.
Well, all the characters seem to be good and perfect. The story is unique. I actually want to see a movie adaption just to see robots fighting(Those regionals and national competitions).
It's definitely a must read!!!

I literally love this book so much!
I love Bel's personality, I feel like I can relate to her so much especially right now reading this book right before graduation and still thinking about what to do at Uni.
Teo is just perfect in every way, I loved his character so much with him being the leader of the robotics team and how he acts towards others.
Bel and Teo are so perfect together, I loved the chemistry between them.
I have nothing more to say other than I absolutely adored this book.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵: 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

I don’t know how to properly put into words the adoration I have for this book, so just a warning: ramblings ahead.

I loved this book, not only because of the women in STEM and the Filipino representation here since I belong to both but also because of the plot and the characters. It was easy to get into the story since I liked the premise, and the writing style was also good. I will definitely read more from this author. Aside from Bel and Teo, some of my favorite characters are Jamie and Dash. Their personalities were such a nice balance between the MCs. Please, they were so cute. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud with their statements. One thing that I really loved was Bel and Teo's banter; it was funny and kilig most of the time, haha. I was down bad for them, tbh. Secret revealed: I have a thing for banters of the characters, as long as it is well-executed by the author (Alexene didn't disappoint, guys). The robotics events reminded me of my classmates' experiences during their own preparations and competitions, so I was quite familiar with the terms mentioned. It was fun learning all those robotics things! My inner nerd was happy with it, lol. It should be noted that I lost count (again) on how many times I uttered "that doesn't happen in high school!” in some scenes because it’s true, HAHA. Go read it yourself so you would know what I’m talking about. My Mechanical Romance made me reminisce about the moments I had in high school tho. I truly love this with all my heart. Also, Ms. Voss' was such a lovely and supportive character. It was so nice to read how much she believed in Bel's abilities and capabilities, even if the latter didn't do so. We, seriously, need someone like Ms. Voss in our lives who trusts and knows that we can take up our own space even if we think otherwise.

On a more personal note: I could relate to both Bel and Teo to some extent. With Bel trying to figure out what she wants and navigating her way to tread her own space and Teo learning to differentiate which things he should carry and be responsible for and not. It resonated with me. I may or may not teared up a bit in that particular scene #crisis, lol.

This may be cliché, but my takeaway is: Don’t be afraid to take up your own space because, in time, you will make it. And you are not alone in doing so because there are people who genuinely believe in you. Learn also to weigh which things are yours to carry and be responsible for; just because you got used to it and are available for them doesn’t mean you should always do it.

This was such a good read. I definitely recommend it!

4.7 ⭐

Lastly, huge thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Aaahh!!! I can’t believe how cute this book is! I enjoyed it a lot more than I initially thought I would. If I put it simply this is the ya version of love hypotheses but there’s a lot more girl bossing going on! I love love both mcs they are so cute and both resonate with me as they remind me of my younger 18 yr old self! Also the entire time I was reading I kept thinking about Robot Wars that used to come on when I was a kid so a lot of nostalgia was bought up! The romance is super cute and I live for innocent banter!

My Mechanical Romance is a great coming of age contemporary romance centered around STEM, finding yourself and creating your own path in life. I really enjoyed the writing, story and overall message - a great read!


Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“It's really, really hard to recognize someone as the villain in someone else's life when you're pretty sure you love them both.”

“I’m only good when I’m with you, Teo,” I say, and then, because it’s so pathetically true, I swallow hard. “I’m at my best when I’m with you.”

“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 book is a young adult romcom romance book. rivals to lovers type of book. Bel joins the robotics club where she meets Teo. Bel doesn't care much for the competition where as Teo is all about it and wants to win. i felt that this was a cute book, the characters were relatable, it can be predicatable at times but it was still a fun ride. the characters kiss, banter, flirt, there is mention of sex but no spicy new adult type of scenes. would recommmend fans of romcoms, robotics, YA to read this book.