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

Big thanks to Holiday House for the ARC through NetGalley. This book found me in a pretty busy season of life and was just what I was looking for to get me out of my reading rut. This was such a wholesome and enjoyable read. It made me reminisce on my high school days and gave me all the warm feelings that you get from a feel good storyline. It was easy to invest in the characters because they were relatable and the dialogue was natural and easy to get lost in. Highly recommend the read!

Thanks to @netgalley & Alexene for this e-Advanced Reader Copy!

This novel follows Bel, a young women who thus far isn't that interested in thinking about her future. That is until she accidently reveals the extent of her talents for engineering... resulting in her basically being forced to join the robotics club where she meets Mateo Luna, club captain...

What I liked 👍
● Representation of women in STEM 🧡
● Bel was just a very believable character.
● The diversity 🧡 I loved that she incorporated elements from different cultures.

What I wasn't keen on 😭
● At times I struggled to stay engaged with it but I think that's in part because I'm older than the intended audience.

💭 Overall this was a cute, fun romantic YA read. So if you enjoy reading about women in STEM & YA novels I'd recommend giving it a go!

Rating ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 5/5

I really enjoyed this story. It was such a feel good romance and a good story of personal growth for Bel. I liked the natural progression of friendship to more between Bel & Teo. It felt very realistic. This story also had me interested in robot battles, which is not something I ever thought I would care about. This was a lighthearted novel for me but that doesn't mean it didn't stray from serious problems for young adults like academic stress, divorce and the hardships of being a woman in STEM. Overall, I think this was a great read.

This story follows two members of a high-school robotics team. It has a bit of an enemies to lovers to it at the beginning, which I loved. I feel like anyone who loves YA will enjoy this book. It's got friendship, romance & mechanics. Like what more could you want. I do believe the pace of the book was a bit slow at times. But I still managed to finish it. I just think if you're looking for a new YA then this is definitely a book to check out.

This was a sweet read. Highly recommend if you have any STEM background as you will love nerding out with this book.

It took a bit for me to get into, but I enjoyed the 2nd half. I liked the MC Bel… she was quirky and fun. Teo grew on me as the book went on.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy on exchange for my honest review.

Bel is the new kid with freshly separated parents and a phobia of the question, "What college are you going to?" After submitting a self-proclaimed hail-mary project, Bel is given an ultimatum. Try out for the robotics team or goodbye nice GPA.

Here enters Teo Luna, robotics captain, soccer captain, and all around hot shot genius. MIT bound, Teo doesn't plan on focusing on anything except his future....... That is until a certain new girl dares to tell him his design is no good.

*Insert Enemies to lovers theme music here*

This was such a cute story about learning to take up your own space. I loved Bel and Teo together and I found myself rooting for them so hard. The friendships in this story filled me with so much joy. I'm absolutely loving the rise in stories about women in male dominated spaces. This is one I will definitely be picking up again.

Pub Date: 5/31/22
~Special thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an hones review.

i enjoyed so much this book, enemies to lovers? OH YEAH in STEM? HELL YEAH.

Many thanks to netgalley for making this reading possible, I had a lot of fun with the story. At first I thought that everything about apps with a romance was not going to work but when I reached 25% I fell in love with the characters, with that tension that was growing until the end and how it can keep the reader attentive to every detail.

4/5 stars, well deserved

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I honestly wasn't expecting to love this book, but I did. It was so cute and super enjoyable. I was so thankful there was an epilogue, but I am wishing for a second book because the story was that cute! I think this is my first book to read about robotics and the author's descriptions kept me engaged with the stories. I think many ages would enjoy this, but I would consider it a YA read (13-17 years ish), in my opinion. Loved it!

this was such a fun and fast read. I really loved getting the povs from our leads and how their banter was throughout the story. it did take me a second to get into the story but once I was I couldn't put it down.

I added this book to my NetGalley shelf when it was a "Read Now" title. In hindsight, and after having tried it out, I just don't think this book is for me. I'm not any fan of STEM and I'm also a bit over straight YA romances. I will however still give it a 3 stars on here, because I believe it is exactly what someone who like these subjects would love to see in a book that treats them.

-The writing was incredible, what I loved most about this book is how realistic it is. How each character showed us the struggles of high school. And the reality of high school relationships and dealing with their consequences.
And I think we all need someone to support us like how Mrs.Voss supported Bel.
I absolutely loved this quote

“You can stand up without standing alone”

What a great YA read, such a positive story. Having known young girls who wanted to go into engineering and the hurdles they had to overcome to be taken seriously I appreciated that the author has bought this to light in her book. It’s a story that celebrates friendships, diversity, inclusion , dreams, love ,family and so much more. I loved the characters and especially loved that it was a female teacher to push the main character into a male dominated club . A male teacher runs the club but learns that girls can be just as amazing as the boys if not even better but that they all work better as a team. The book was easy to read and it flowed really well between the point of view of the two main characters.
I think this would be a great story for schools to read in class or at least recommend it.

I received a pan advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I really loved the word play in the title at the start. However, I would have appreciated seeing more of the technical terms used instead of robotics being the means for romance. I loved all the subplots but I wish we had seen more of them. I especially loved all the different character interactions aside from the main characters.

ARC provided through NetGalley. Thank you!

After seeing the gorgeous cover and reading the blurb that suggested a girl being interested in STEM, I was very excited.
This author, who also wrote Atlas Six one of the biggest books being discussed on TikTok, I was really excited to get into My Mechanical Romance (love the word play in the title too) and it definitely did not disappoint.
Alexene wrote about some prominent issues for girls and women pursuing academic or career aspirations in STEM, a male-dominated sector.
Seeing Bel be really nervous about sharing her knowledge with a team she did not know was really great. It was clear sexism, although not blatantly obvious, was a key issue for female students in STEM subjects.
Alexene also portrayed Muslim characters - Neelam, who was a truly prickly character after working so hard to get the recognition she deserves among her male counterparts, and what the Holi Festival was and the significance of respecting its origins and what it means for Muslims to celebrate it properly.
Other cultures were represented aswell: Filipino and Mexican being discussed the most.
I loved that each character, whether main or side characters had their own story and issues they faced once they turned 18 and had to figure out their futures.
I think this book is suitable for a wide audience and would be a great read for young adults at a similar age as it's definitely a relatable story and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much!

I fell in love with this book cover and the title as soon as I saw them and knew I just had to read it.

Then, this book took me by complete surprise. I was expecting it to be cute and fun but it surpassed every expectation. I was not ready to fall in love with this book quite so hard.

Bel and Teo have my entire heart as both individual characters and as a couple. Their relationship was so sweet and so healthy. They bring out the best in each other and it was so much fun to read. There were so many adorable moments and I really enjoyed seeing their journey from friends to something more. There are some really beautiful moments between them and lines describing how they feel about each other that just melted my heart.

I thought it would be fun and silly but it was so much more than that. This book was powerful.

It highlighted the exclusion of women in STEM and one of my favourite moments was Mac realising that he had learnt a lot from Bel. Often, the problem is that people don’t realise they hold different expectations for boys and girls and that they place them with differing levels of responsibility. Mac realising that he had unconscious bias towards the boys was really important and gives me hope for a better future for the girls of tomorrow.

The side characters in this book were also just wonderful. Lora, Jamie and Dash all have my heart (especially Dash, who is just the best friend ever). Their friend group brought me just as much joy as the main couple and this is so important to me in a book.

And I found myself absolutely loving Neelam! I thought her character was so important and seeing the differences between her and Bel was really interesting. Some of the conversations between the two girls about the adversity they face being women in STEM were so impactful and I just wanted to give Neelam the biggest hug.

My favourite theme throughout the whole book was Bel learning to take up space. She also learnt to take control of her own future and establish her own dreams based on what makes her happy. It was amazing to see her development and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

The epilogue had me smiling so hard I thought I’d give myself a headache!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holiday House for the advanced reader copy. I could read about Bel and Teo and all of their friends forever. They have my heart.