Thank you so much Holiday house for this delightful arc! This book might be my new favorite comfort romcom, it felt like a cozy warm hug and I ate this up so fast and couldn't put it down even when I had a history test I need(and still need to) study for. I loved the feminism and women in STEM and how the book explored the sexist in STEM and engineering. The characters were amazing and complex and each had thier own flaws that they worked through, even the side characters were lovely to read about. The Stem parts were slightly confusing cause I've never been good at physics lol but I still loved reading about it and honestly it made me want to learn more about physics so I can build awesome robots and do robot battles. When this book comes out I'm definetly buying a physical copy because I want to look at this on my shelf all day long and I love the name pun which initially made me want to pick it up so badly and it didn't dissapoint! And the romance was so sweet and cute and amazing and I love how Theo and Bel balance each other out and are able to support each others struggles. I also love how Alexene didn't go to the straight route of getting into your dream school (such as like Havard ect which alot of movies and books tend to do) which was a really unique path which I absolutely love and I could go on about this book forever!

Thanks NetGalley for providing me this eARC.
If u are looking for a cute teen rivals to lovers romance book. It’s well written and I really liked the characters. Like other readers I find the first part a little bit slow but it was a really enjoyable reading.

I COULDN'T PUT THIS DOWN! I MEAN A RIVALS TO LOVERS SET IN AN ENGINEERING MAJOR, COME ON HOW COULD I NOT LOVE IT!!
I absolutely loved Bel, she was smart and down to earth. I adored her quirkiness. also, she reminds me of myself when I was younger. Mateo is just a cutie. I wanted to protect him from the world, the slow progress of them growing close together was really so heartwarming.
It was a fluffy read that I wouldn't mind reading again.

On occasion I do like to read a bit of contemporary romances so when I got the chance to read My Mechanical Romance I took it. It was a cute and suprisingly deep read.

When Bel, accidentally, gets herself into the robotics club, she's not exactly embraced right away. The only other girl doesn't seem to like her very much and the club president doesn't like it that she doesn't always agree with him. But as she and the club president Mateo continue working together it is clear that sparks are starting to fly.

One of the things that drew me right into his book was Bel. I took quite a liking to her. Its not easy when your parents are divorcing and are expecting you to take sides. Its not easy when you have to pick what to do with your future when you don't even know what to do in the present. And then when you do, you don't get taken. I think that the book shows well how hard it can be for kids these ages to know what they want to do in the future. Sometimes you just haven't found that thing.

Its clear that her and Mateo have chemistry. But things don't evolve until they actually get to know each other. They learn about each others lives before they really jump into any kind of relationship which is another thing I appreciated about this book.

All in all I think that My Mechanical Romance is a cute read for anyone but especially great to read for those young adults struggling to figure out what to do after high school.

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

“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.

This was such a cute book! Omg it had that butterfly feeling that made me want to kick my feet around and squeal!
This follows Bel who just moved to a new school and has to sign up for the robotics team unexpectedly and Teo who has been the star of the team and the school overachiever since kindergarten. I have to say they make such a cute couple the banter was perfect and their humor complimented each others so well.
Bel was such a good female MC for a STEM novel. Young girls interested in science this ones for you. Bel is such a good character and I will forever love her.
Teo was such a cute LI. It truly is the little things like the bird knob and listening to Taylor Swift. (Side note the T Swift stuff was one of my favorite things about this book.) I hate it when the love interest has no character development and they just exist to drive a trope and this didn't do that at all he had his own struggles and triumphs. His father and playing soccer and his friends. I love Teo.
My only little critique of this book was that the ending felt a bit off pace. After Teo got sick every thing felt a little fast but I think this was due to skimming over the part where they were broken up. I think this would have been a flawless book if there was more yearning during the third act break up.
Overall I think this book was adorable and I'm so glad I got to read it early. I loved the pop culture references. (I know some people hate but I adore it.) I definitely will be adding this to a list of favorite YA romances.

This is by far one of the best academic rivals to lovers books that I've ever read, the main characters were so incredibly engaging and I think that this book really had a lot of nuanced discussions about sexism in the STEM world in a refreshing way that included the Woman of Color experience, something that is often left out of conversations regarding modern feminism, unfortunately. I loved this story, and I think a lot of different people would love it too!

Super cute little YA romance!

Enemies to lovers? Yes.
STEM? Yes.
Pretty awesome robots? Yes.

This was a super quick read with some super cute scenes. I liked both main characters. But, I really fell in love with the supporting characters. Dash was probably my favorite.

This is a perfect read for teens.

As a girl interested in a STEM career I loved this. You don’t have to like everything STEM to live this book Bel and Teo are amazing characters. Both have different energies, but they go so well together. I love me a good YA Romance because they are always fun and light and that is exactly what this book was. Bel is a great role model for young girls as well. So on May 31 run and get this. I promise you if you are into BookTok books you will be seeing this on there so you might as well get it when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGally and Holiday House for my digital ARC.

Thank you Net Galley for an 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!

This is an amazing slow burn that later hooks you when amazing friendships start forming. This one friendship though….. it evolves into something way more amazing than a friendship.

This book is about a theme I’ve never read before but it’s amazing even if i can’t imagine being like Issabel

Thank you NetGalley and HolidayHouse for providing me with an advance digital reader copy in return for an honest review!

"Take up your own space, Bel. Don't let other people tread over it."

Despite having enjoyed The Atlas Six which was written by the same author, I tried to lower my expectations on this book because there were only rare occasions I really loved YA titles. Not to mention a book about high school students building robots? Not my thing. But... but.. THIS BOOK REALLY SURPRISED ME! DESPITE ALL FLAWS AND THAT, IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD EVER ASK FOR IN A YA BOOK!

If like me, you also love books with:

💖 Good Filipino representation (read the first page and literally thought the character was Filipino)
💖 Taylor Swift references !?!?! (which is probably enough reason why you should read this!!)
💖 Strong female character in STEM that you could probably relate to
💖 Boy-obsessed trope (Teo ily sweetie x)
💖 Lovable secondary characters
💖 Great storyline that will keep you up at night, blushing, giggling, and everything while reading it
💖 Feel-good vibes that will comfort you in tough times

Then, YOU SHOULD READ IT! GO FOR IT, SPEND THAT MONEY, IT WILL BE WORTH IT. TAKE THIS AS A SIGN TO TREAT YOURSELF TO A GOOD BOOK!

As for me, I will definitely binge-read her other works while waiting for The Atlas Paradox to come out!

Before I end this review, I'd like to thank you, Olivie, for making amazing male characters that actually don't exist irl. Now my standards for men are so high??

P.S. This is my first time writing a review on Goodreads so that itself already speaks something about how much I appreciate this book!

She didn't know her life she can make stuff on quick and when she was told to give robots a try she likes it but didn't know everything untill he helped the more they hung out the more they wanted to help each other in life

Honestly I didn't expect much considering the current state of YA romance. But it turned out to be quite good.

The female protagonist doesn't spend any time on the 'not like the other girls' section. She's just a lost girl with a passion for science who's being dragged into the rat race of academia. And good God, isn't that one of the most relatable dilemmas for a high school kid to have? Not dramatic relationship problems. Not saving the world. Just not wanting to choose a career when you're not even an 'adult'.

The born perfect and lucky without trying aspects of the leads is a bit hard to digest.

The robotics and geeky stuff is balanced enough to be exciting and interesting but not overdone to the point of boredom/textbook drought.

The feminist/misogynist bits are showcased well enough yet lean towards justified misanthropy (Neelam). But male domination in academia and the societal norm of mechanical engineering being gender exclusive is an important discussion.

I kinda was hoping for some closure on the parental issues. But I guess the author was trying to be realistic. xD

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ARC.

THIS BOOK WAS PHENOMENAL

I don't even know where to start with this book. I was hooked from the beginning of this book. Once I started it, I could not stop and read it in one sitting. This is the first book I have read from this author and I went in completely blind and boy was I not disappointed.

Bel was thrown into the robotics club by her teacher Ms. Voss. Teo, the robotics club captain, decides that she has the most potential of all the candidates that have tried out. The readers then follow Bel and Teo's blooming friendship take a turn for the worst... until it doesn't.

This book was one of the best books I have read this year, with well-rounded characters with interesting backstories. The story was well-paced and the plot was interesting. I easily connected with the characters and was able to quickly immerse into the story. WELL DONE <b>*insert clapping here*</b>

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review*

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!

Thank you netgalley and Alexene Farol Follmuth for the ARC of this book.

This was such a nice fresh breath of air compared to my usual thriller reads. It was a cute YA romance between two people Bel & Teo. This was a super quick and easy read. Told by both POVs the story progresses and we learn more about each character.

Loved the nerdy aspect of this book and feel this is a great refreshing YA romance novel.

4,6 ⭐️

I was afraid of being disappointed with this book, not because I didn’t like the premise but because I loved it. Enemy to lovers? WOC in STEM? I mean WOC IN STEM?! Freaking yeaaaaah.

It’s a great read, the MC and support character are touching but I will talk mostly about Bel. It’s not that Teo is not interesting, it’s more that even if it’s a great character, I will say it again: WOC IN STEM.

Bel is a fantastic character, touching, real, funny. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, but seems to be the only one without a career plan. YEAAAAH, choosing your passion, what to do with the rest of your life in high school is expected but it can be hard. Her nuance relationship with her father felt honest. To find a new between a child and its parents, after a divorce, is challenging. I’ve loved her growth. You should not be afraid to take some space, everyone deserve it.

It’s refreshing young adult romance, you should give it a try.


Thanks NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review

This was so much fun! I loved the relationship and the characters were so well developed I fell in love with them as individuals too. It was well written, full of love for STEM and robots and had loads of valuable messages! 10/10 would recommend

3.5

This book was so cute! It's been a while since I read a young adult romance and, even though I don't feel like I'm part of the target anymore, I still enjoy the cuteness of it all.

There is so much representation in this book. Most of the characters are POC and the representation of women in STEM is amazing and beautiful. I love Bel's relationship with her friends and Teo, although I have some complains (not big), just little details. I would have LOVED to see more of Bel's and Dash's friendship. They say they are the same person and I would have enjoyed seeing more of them. Also, Bel and Teo's relationship is beautiful and I loved it, BUT I was expecting academic rivals to lovers and it was barely that.

I sometimes didn't understand what they were talking about when they spoke about the robots and physics, but overall, I really enjoyed this story:)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.