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’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.’”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!

This book. It was a masterpiece. I also just found out that it’s by the same author as the Atlas Six, which is awesome.

This book is basically rivals to lovers in stem, more or less. Bel, a senior in high school, doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life. She transfers to a private school when her parents divorce, and there a teacher convinces her to try out for the robotics team. She discovers that she’s a natural at it, but the captain of the robotics team, Teo, doesn’t like it when she corrects him while building their robot. The book follows both the romance and their path to nationals as a robotics team

I love that the book isn’t completely centered around the romance alone, and also how the author covers sexism in the world of Stem. It also reminded me strongly of Not Here To Be Liked. The romance was adorable and so wholesome, and I literally squealed when they FINALLY kissed while I was reading in biology class. Although I hate reading on my phone, I could not put this down. I am now seriously considering joining a club of some type because I want the friendship the robotics club has! This book also made me significantly less anxious about doing AP classes later in high school because the main characters still have lives even though all of them were doing full loads of AP classes.

This is definitely one of my best reads of the year and I will be making everyone read it now.

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.