I ADORED this book!!! The young girls of color in STEM rep is so well done in this book!!! Ostensibly an opposites attract YA romance between two high school seniors who get forced to work together, it also has great messages about the hurdles girls face trying to enter STEM fields, especially girls of color.

When one of her teachers notices how talented Bel is, she coerces her to join the robotics club where she meets Teo and discovers a love for engineering. The romance between Bel and Teo is sweet and wholesome. Both help challenge the other to expand their horizons and find the courage to take chances. I also really enjoyed the friendship that developed between Bel and her other female teammate Neelam. These two started off butting heads but eventually form a bond as they show the boys how great girls can be at STEM too.

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Yen's Love, decoded or the Disney movie Big Hero 6. The robot building and competing storyline was so fun and this book is sure to help inspire a new generation of girls in STEM!! Much thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for my advance review copies!

Relatable Nerds. Loved the book more than I anticipated. It was a quick read, a nice story and nice characters. It was not really gripping and there was not too much depth but it was a fine read and will be a fine read to anyone who loves romance and enjoys enemies to lovers and nerds in one.

I got a free copy through Netgalley, this is no way affected this review.

ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS!! I REPEAT, ACADEMIC RIVALS TO LOVERS!!

This book was so much fun to read. I loved how all of the characters interacted with each other, their banter and just their personalities. Every single character was well fleshed out and I loved reading about every single one.

The author also knows very well how to write academic rivals to lovers. It was amazing to see how Bel and Teo went from competing against each other to working together and growing into something more.

I did wish we could have delved a little more into Teo’s side of the story, because I feel like we focused a lot more on Bel. But nevertheless, I really liked reading about these characters and their story

So I received this as an arc but I lost my copy before I could finish. I made it enough of the way in that though I wouldn't fully trust my review I don't want to mark it as will not give feedback because I've got some opinions to share! I will admit that lately I've been struggling to read romance books, as someone on the aromantic spectrum, so me picking up a romance book probably wasn't the best idea. Butttt i did enjoy this book for the most part!! I really loved the premise of exploring women in stem ahhhhhh that part killed me. I wish I had gotten to read more and hope you can take some of my thoughts into consideration!!

First of all the characters are genuinely so adorable and believable together! And you get to know not only the two point of view characters but all of the other characters as well AND you get to see each and every one of them fully rounded through the different points of views! The cultures and interests of the side characters are just about as explicit and interesting as the main characters.

Second of all the message and discussions about college in this book are fantastic. As a coming of age story, it shows a wonderful amount of diversity in whether people know where they're going, are completely lost, or are somewhere in between. Also and this is dumb but if you care you care while this is inherently a book about the importance and joy that STEM/Robotics brings both Tao and Bel it doesn't look down on people who decide not to go to college, go to a college that isn't the most prestigious and it doesn't for a second imply that the STEM fields are inherently more important than Humanities. This is a MAJOR plus for me because so many academic-driven YA books miss this by only showing singlar acceptable paths.

Third of all I really liked that there was a flash-forward at the end and we got to see Bel and Tao together but also competing. Because their banter is incredible and I think that a lot of YA books miss out on whether or not the romance ends at graduation.

Fourth of all, THE BIRD MOTIFS!!!! MY HEART <3<3<3!!!

Disclaimer: I received a free Advanced reader copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would have liked the diversity of the two leads' backgrounds in terms of race and religion explored a bit more. It seemed more like costumes for the characters to wear, rather than something that informed their characters or how they act. Maybe Teo could wrestle with some Catholic guilt, and that's why he has trouble agreeing to do too much. Because of past guilt when he didn't. Maybe Bel could have been conflicted about siding with her white dad over her Philipino mom, not just who had infidelity and caused the marriage to end. It just seems like a wasted opportunity, when only a few lines here and there could have been added to make the book not just about misogyny and teen romance, but also racism. But maybe it was there and got edited out because it's a YA book and the editor(s) wanted to simplify it. I still found it funny, engaging and I learned a lot about competitive robotics clubs.

5 ⭐️

Thank you Holiday House and NetGalley for an advanced copy for review.

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

Bel Maier is a Half-Filipina who has no idea where her future is going and is completely averse to filling out or even talking about college applications. She transferred to an illustrious academy where she accidentally showed an aptitude for engineering and was immediately recruited to join the school's award-winning robotics club.

Teo Luna is the captain of both the robotics and soccer teams, and he is the only son of one of the most successful software companies. On paper, his life looks perfect and easy. But is it truly easy being the perfect son, friend, and captain all the time?

I devoured this book in a few hours and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is delightful and sweet and can be hard-hitting at times. It's a story about finding what sparks our passion and pursuing it, navigating challenging family dynamics, and taking up our own spaces in a world where we are told we shouldn't.

17-year-old me would have related to this a whole lot. There are still parts of it that resonate with 30+ old me. The first is that - you don't have to figure out who you are and who you want to be right away. It isn't too late for you, despite the pressures of society, family, friends, etc. It's okay to be a little lost and to try different things. At the same time, it's okay to lean on other people. To not be perfect whatever it is that people expect us to be. It's okay to be a kid and enjoy life.

The diversity in this book was incredibly refreshing too in a completely organic, not-trying-to-hard kind of way. And the romance between the main couple was adorable. I also love how realistic and encouraging this book was. It wasn't fairytale-like in that everything comes easy and works out perfectly in the end. It takes work and effort but it's worth taking up that space.

This was such a cute and heartwarming book and I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. All the characters are deeply flawed, yet so lovable. There were so many instances where I could relate to Bel (and Neelam) in terms of their experiences as women in STEM. Teo took some time to grow on me because of how dismissive he was to Bel in the beginning. But he grew on me eventually and I love him now! All the moments between Teo and Bel made me swoon! I really enjoyed their dynamic a lot, especially the epilogue made me so happy! I love when characters’ dynamic remain mostly unchanged after they get into a relationship. I love that Teo and Bel still challenge each other and have the playful rivalry between them despite of being a couple.

One of the things I did not like was how they treated Neelam. Well she’s also not the nicest person ever but the whole robotics team was very dismissive of her and rarely took her seriously. Even though things got somewhat sorted in the end, they never actually shown any appreciation for her work. I understand her feeling like an outsider within the team and that just makes me sad for her.

Overall I loved this book and would definitely recommend to everyone! Especially the fact that I enjoyed it so much while I’m in the middle of a reading slump says a lot about how good this book is!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holiday House for the e-ARC to read and review. A few chapters into my reading, I physically left my cozy reading nook and went to my local bookstore to pre-order a finished copy for myself, because it was THAT good. I've never done that before - purchased a book I was already reading? I just really needed to support it and also see how the edits may have progressed with the published version.

It's hard to say exactly why I found My Mechanical Romance so enjoyable, but it definitely had a lot to do with the snappy writing style and great themes of getting into STEM. It wasn't just that it's great to see YA works encouraging women to get into STEM fields, but that it was a super realistic look at the many ways that can play out. We're at this moment in history where a whole generation of girls may have already grown up KNOWING they can break into STEM, while still encountering age-old challenges along the way. There are still stereotypes and road blocks at every turn, even if today's teens could have been involved in robotics type programs since they were tiny tots. I found that this book did a great job at illuminating those different areas of tension and aspiration while keeping the whole tone exciting and engaging. The romance wasn't even my favorite, it was just one element of a really cool slice of life type story.

Special thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

This book is cute, I'll give it that. It has all the elements of the typical fast-paced rom-com novel and I really liked Bel's personality. Of course, the representation of women in STEM is so strongly depicted and well-written, and I love how it acknowledges the way women struggle to fit in, feeling the need to prove themselves to an industry that is dominated by men.

Also, I wasn't a big fan of the writing style. It felt very 'dear diary' to me with all the internal monologues and the sort of unnecessary fillers. I'm sure many other readers appreciate this but It's not my cup of tea. It was difficult to stay engaged with the plot because sometimes It felt like it wasn't going anywhere, but it was still an enjoyable read and I particularly like the way Bel and Neelam patched things up. I like how their circumstances caused them to actually see one another and open up to the idea of friendship.

I do think the reason why this book hasn't fully ticked all the boxes for me is because I was kind of hoping for a more 'academic rivals to lovers' type, and while Teo and Bel didn't exactly click on the get go, it wasn't that. This isn't a negative flaw in the book, surely, but I'm just saying, if you're thinking of reading this book expecting what I had also expected, you're not gonna get that.

thank you so much NetGalley for this eARC!! this book has so many of my favorite tropes, from academic rivals to lovers, girls in STEM!!! and especially Grumpy x Sunshine, and anyone who know me would know that i'm a sucker for this trope.
the plot and the characters itself were so well written and the diversity of the characters and its representation was amazingggggg! (the fmc is half filipino!! mahal!!) i also loved the part where they all played holi..because you know you don't get to see or read these kind of representation in books. and REPRESENTATION MATTERS GUYS!!

this book wasn't only about romance , it also talked about girls/women in STEM, classism, physics (obviously), team dynamics, family problems etc.

and you should know that they are suuuuperrrrr cuuuteee couple!

and to all the swifties out there, the mmc literally learned the whole Taylor Swift discography just for her!


i dont have much to say about this book other than , GO READ THIS BOOK!!

#alexenefarolfollmuth #mymechanicalromance

This was so so fun! I was impressed with the plot and characters of the book, who develop really well over the entire story! Additionally, I am in love with the addition of STEM and robotics to the story, we really need more representation of this across media featuring young adults (especially young women), especially in the young adult category.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My Mechanical Romance is a YA contemporary romance that follows high school seniors Bel and Teo after Bel transfers schools and joins the robotics team. Teo is an only child, star student and captain of the robotics team; Bel is the youngest of three, smart, has good building sense, and a little directionless at the start of the book. While told in dual POV (which I love seeing and wish was more common!), I felt that we were following Bel’s story more than their story.

I do wish we had gotten to see more the bots in action and would have liked to know more about the technicals or mechanics of the actual building of the bots. This is one thing I personally look for when a romance or rom com has a more niche topic featured. Since the story had more of a focus on Bel we also saw how she handled being a young woman exploring a STEM field. I thought this was handled very well, especially because it could have been so easy to fall into a “not like other girls” rhetoric. I appreciated getting to see how Teo thought of Bel and how people treated her, as well as how Bel was experiencing things firsthand.

Storytelling-wise, I found the narrative a bit repetitive and slow at times, and I had a few issues with how close Bel and her friends seemed to become in such a short period of time. In contrast, the way the teenage characters spoke with each other felt very natural, which is not always a given in YA contemporary stories.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was adorable! And contemporary YA is a big hit or miss for me, but I decided to pick this up first because of the title and then after I found out its from the same author as the atlas six. And since I don't want to read that one right now I decided this book would be a good place to start and know the author.

First I'm not sure I like the writing, but I cant put my finger why. And something else I didn't like is that the characters acted a bit.. off(?) sometimes or a bit extra. But besides that i really enjoyed everything else and it was a good thing I decided to pick it up. I enjoyed the characters and i definitely could relate to Bel since I also took a long time to decided what i wanted to do with my life (and honestly I'm still not sure sometimes).

Overall is a quick, light and fun read! Great to get you out of a slump.

Two chapters in and I was already hooked. Not only was I interested in the main characters, but all the side characters made the story so much richer with their own quirks and personalities.

We get two points of view, Bel and Teo’s which really works since I found myself caring about what each of them were thinking about an interaction or situation.

This book deals with family conflicts like the aftermath of divorce and family’s expectations to always be exceptional. Bel navigates being a teenager, transferring to a new school because of her parent’s divorce, trying to figure out what she wants to do after high school, all while trying to take her teacher’s advice to “take up space”. Teo is constantly stressed about his heavy load of AP classes, robotics club, and soccer, while appearing perfect to his successful CEO father and classmates. There’s also the unequal advantages boys have in STEM programs and the lack of faith there is for girls to succeed in these programs.

In the end the main characters, and some side characters, learn a lot about life, love, and not underestimating one another, all while building cool robots and kicking robot ass.

I had so much fun reading this that I actually lost sleep over it and I’m not mad about it.

Wow wow wow! Do I dare say this is my favorite YA book I've read all year? I was so impressed by this book. The way all the characters are developed was amazing; I was even rooting for the more minor characters, like Dash and Neelam, all throughout the book. And can we talk about Ms. Voss? I think we all could use a Ms. Voss in our lives. This book made STEM and robotics seem so fun and I left the book wishing I had the opportunities like Bel had when I was in high school. I really hope a lot of teens get their hands on this because it could totally shift their perspectives toward STEM in a very important way.

I didn't end up liking this book. I was trying so hard to, and maybe it's a “me” problem, but it was not interesting at all. The characters had no real chemistry and it seemed like they were both privileged people who were finding ways to justify having privilege. The side characters were so distracting that they deviated my attention from the main character, and the side ones had no real stories except having associations with the main character. I wish there was something more to the plot that made it interesting and the characters more lovable.

I am freaking speechless. This book summed up my academic experiences so well. Reading Bel's struggle with imposter syndrome made me feel so damn seen and heard.

I was entertained from start to finish! I gobbled this book up so damn quickly. I wanted to see what Bel would do next, how the issues with her indecisiveness on her future, her insecurities about her talent and her family conflict would be resolved. I loved the character development she underwent.

I also love Teo. He was cute as all hell. Like rich, smart and hot? And let's not forget he's not a douchebag.

This was such a refreshing read. Honestly I would recommend this book. Especially to my STEM Girlies who know the struggle of being in a male dominated field.

4 stars

Lately I've read so many adult books with characters that sounded/felt so very YA that I had to double check if maybe I read the blurb wrong that it was super refreshing to read a YA book with characters that although are in their teens/YA age were so mature and well-rounded!
I really liked this book. It was fun and felt realistic enough for me to wish I had this book in my teenage years.
I love Bel, she was fun and her struggles I could relate with. I really liked her family life and her interactions with her brothers and friends. Also her relationship with Ms Voss was amazing!
With Teo, it took me a bit to get but surprisingly I find myself relating more to him. Especially how he was the "fixer" (which I pretty much was when I was that age) and the struggles and difficulties that come with that.
From him, I adored Dash and Teo's mom. I was so glad he had people there when he needed it. Now, I hated his dad. With passion yet as someone with a similar parental figure in my life, I find that realistic and I'm happy the author didn't gloss over that type of relationship.
The romance part was cute but it happens fast and other things take more importance in the story. Still it was sweet.
Overall this was a really good enemies-ish to lovers book (they're more competitors than haters) with some real life problems and girl power vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 4/5

MY SWEET. SWEET. SWEET LITTLE BABY NERDS.

i loved everything about this book. everything, everything.
it would've been an easy 5 stars though if we had gotten a little more closure on *SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD* teo and his dad. we had the confrontation between them in the hallway outside of his bedroom that bel overheard and while she mentions it, we don't see the aftermath of teo and his dad's relationship after. there's that small scene when teo gets sick and is content with being reminded his dad still cares about him - which is extremely said to think that he has to remind himself that his dad likes him. i just wish that relationship / dynamic was flushed out a little more.

i also wish we could've seen a scene where bel confronts her mom and/or dad about the pressure she feels having to choose sides. she sees her parents at the convention and is satisfied to see them again though it's one of her biggest dreads. they've been willing to set aside their differences for their kid but haven't thought to do it before or remind her that their biggest thing in common is her?

i felt like a lot of tension was built on the relationship with these kids and their parents and nothing came out of it, no real resolution.

but the story itself, the romance, the women in STEM and highlighting how common it is that men are taken more seriously in these things, even outside of the actual fields and moreso in schools amongst their teachers was very carefully and nicely highlighted. loved bel. loved teo. <3