I am beginning to think I will love every book this author writes! I don't read much Romance Ya anymore, unfortunately it's a genre I don't like much anymore but, this book completely won me over! Amazing characters, addictive story and a super fast and fluid read!

I’ve been looking for a book for the 8th graders in my class, who are really into building, maker spaces, and STEM/STEAM in general. This book is it! With real, spunky characters who stand up for themselves and what they believe in, this book will give teenagers the fun read they need while still reinforcing all the good things.

Loved this YA Stem rom com. Gave me Ali Hazelwood vibes only YA, and loved that it was about robotics which isn’t one of the sciences I’ve seen covered before in rom coms. Bel and Mateo’s acquaintances to lovers storyline was really enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more by the author. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you have any pre-conceived notions about "YA romance" type novels being too formulaic without enough substance, throw those notions out with this one.

Although the attraction between sassy Bel and the charming Teo is evident early on, this story is so much more.than just the love story. Intermixed with budding romance is Bel's introduction to the robotics club and all their hard work preparing for their upcoming competition. Interpersonal relations between club members in both positive and negative ways adds spice as the group discovers each other's strengths as life throws curveballs

Teo, Bel, and all the supporting characters were a joy to read about. Everyone had such depth and the robotics competition added an extra layer of anticipation into the reading experience!

"My Mechanical Romance" é um livro que aborda temas importantes, como a representatividade feminina na ciência e a pressão social sobre os jovens em relação aos planos futuros. A autora, Alexene Farol Follmuth, constrói personagens cativantes e bem desenvolvidos, que têm que lidar com questões familiares, pressão escolar e as expectativas sociais em relação ao futuro. A forma como a autora aborda o tema do preconceito de gênero é sutil, mas muito impactante, mostrando como ele está presente em todas as esferas da vida, inclusive na escola e nas relações pessoais. É uma história sobre amor, amizade, perseverança e representatividade feminina na ciência. Com uma narrativa bem equilibrada entre robótica e romance, é um livro que vale a pena ser lido por todos aqueles que buscam uma leitura inspiradora e emocionante.

This was such a fun, adorable and quick read. Loved the main characters and the plot. It was a little slow at times, but not at all boring.

The relationship between Teo and Bel however was my absolute favorite part of the book. Seeing them slowly become friends and then seeing that blossom into love was so precious. They really cared about each other and seeing that, warmed my heart!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, Holiday House, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read this last year, but I forgot to give it a review. My Mechanical Romance was a cute read about Bel, a highschool girl who got into the Robotics club, where she met Teo. Obviously there's gonna be some cute love story here since this is a YA romance. It was definitely not the best YA I've read, and I had some issues with the book as well (although mostly I only have good things to say about it).

First things first, the pros.

1. The female characters (especially Neelam).
The girls in this book are all unique and have their own distinct personalities. I especially like Neelam's fierceness, and I wished that the author gave her more spotlight because I think her character is way more interesting than Bel. Bel was also very relatable and fun to read about, and her struggles with college is definitely one that hits close to home.

I also like the fact that this book encourages girls to participate in STEM, and the sexism and misogyny that exists in the world of STEM. From snide misogynistic remarks to internal bias, the discrimination against the female characters is portrayed well in here. I'm currently seeing a rise in YA books having important discussions on social issues, and this book is a good addition to the collection.

2. The romance.
I really enjoyed the romance aspect of the book. It was cute, simple, and not messy. Sometimes, that is all you need from a YA romance, and My Mechanical Romance covers that aspect pretty well. It wasn't something super memorable, but at least I liked it for what it is. I think there were more focus on Bel's backstory than the romance, but I didn't mind it since I enjoyed that part as well.

Now, onto things I didn't like:

1. The pretty privilege.
So in this book, Bel is portrayed as attractive, and it's one of the reasons why Teo (the male lead) likes her. It's to the point that Neelam is sidelined simply because Bel has pretty privilege, and this book tries to address that by making Neelam confront Bel. But for some reason, that plotline wasn't explored well. Neelam addresses it, but Bel did nothing with the confrontation. I really thought that Bel would go up to Teo and talk about the bias, but she did nothing of that sort. For a book marketing itself as a feminist read (with the #womeninstem thing), I felt that the book should at least include some sort of rebuke to that. It was also painfully obvious how Teo and the other male club members were critical of Neelam not only because of her attitude but also because of misogyny. It was just weird for Bel to not address that issue AT ALL. Although of course, I'm not putting the blame on Bel since she's not responsible for Teo's actions...but the book itself doesn't try to do anything about it. I guess it is realistic, but I expected this book to address that aspect in one way or another.

2. Teo.
Teo is a decent guy, but like any other guys who benefit from a male-centric world, Teo doesn't really do anything about the misogyny happening in the club. He's also the club president so you think he might've noticed it, but no. He simply did nothing about it. I don't know how to feel about that. On one hand, I do enjoy the romance between Bel and Teo. But on the other hand, Teo's silence towards the misogyny made me dislike this book in that aspect. It is indeed a realistic portrayal of the STEM world, so maybe the author is trying to approach it that way...I don't really know.

Also I don't really like the fact that this is promoted as academic rivals to lovers since they weren't really rivals...I feel like Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach or If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang fits that trope more. If you're interested in reading a cute YA romance book that doesn't try to hide from the realistic side of STEM, try this one out.

I love book with woman in the STEM world and this is not bad at all. Funny, interesting, and very very fast to read.
I loved it!

This was such a fun adorable read. I loved every bit of it. The Characters where great aswell as the story.

love this YA stem story, and from a lead who was avoiding all school social things until she figured out she was good at this. I hope this author writes more ya and that these group of friends have more stories in them.

I actually really loved this!

My Mechanical Romance follows Bel, a girl who hasn't really put much thought into her future plans. When she inadvertently shows a talent for engineering, she is accepted onto the school's highly successful robotics team. There she meets and butts heads with team captain Teo Luna, a boy who always has to help and is dependable to a fault. We watch as the two of them learn from each other on their way to Nationals.

I think this book was so stinking cute and was the perfect kind of YA book. I wish there was something like this out there when I was reading more YA books. I'm not very into STEM myself, but I mostly loved Bel's journey into learning how to be a woman in a male-dominated space and to demand her own space and accept that she likes robotics and that's okay! The romance between Teo and Bel was SO adorable and had me giggling half the time.

What I liked most about this book is that I think it toed that perfect line that YA often struggles with it felt light and fun and refreshing, but it wasn't dumbed down at all. It felt like this was a really smart read and could potentially help readers become more interested in STEM themselves. This plot was so unique too and I definitely feel like it stands out in the YA romance space.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it to readers! thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the arc!

this story is truly wholesome, the main characters and the manner in which the story has been built up is just very sweet. The pace is a bit slow but it is no way boring at any point. It is a fun read overall.

2.5 stars.
I ended up listening to the audiobook for this one. The narration for this book was done really well but ultimately this story did not keep my attention. I find it a bit hard to pin point the age range this book is best suited for, some parts felt more middle grade, some parts were handling more mature YA issue.
I do want to praise the way this book handled and put a focus on young women in STEM. I also really appreciated the subversion when a side character "called out" the main character for assuming she would automatically succeed in an area that takes most people years of hard work to get to where they want to be.

I read this book in one sitting it was so fun and easy to read! I loved the characters so much, Such an adorable, fun and quick book.

I loved this book so much! It was such a cute read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC!!

Teo and Bel were the absolute cutest, I am in love with them and this story. I really enjoyed how it was dual POV with great character development throughout the entire book. I loved how it talked so much about the inequalities faced and how that affects girls interested in something like this.

Reading Teo and Bel feel safe and comfortable with each other, slowly become friends and then finally relaise they were actually in love with each other was so precious. the way they cared about each other meant so much to me!! Teo feeling like Bel saw more of him than others and just understood who he was without having to keep up his facade was so important. Bel letting Teo in and letting him help, because she slowly started having fun and not feel judged in his company <33

they were like a breath of fresh air and this is one of my new favourite books of all time i love them so much

3.75

A fun, flirty enemies to lovers, YA read!

I had a great time reading through My Mechanical Romance. It was a quick read- I read it in one sitting! I liked the STEM elements in the story. I would have appreciated a bit more depth, but other than that it was a fun time.

I read it as an arc and i love to see how popular it was after the release. The relationships, stem talks, romance... Everything was so fun and good.

My Mechanical Romance is a dual point of view young adult romance novel featuring the two main characters, Bel and Mateo. When Bel is aceing her on-level physics class, she gets moved up to advanced physics, where she begins to butt heads with Teo, who's the president of the robotics team and is somewhat of an extreme control freak. When Bel joins the team, their rivalry only gets worse until Mateo finally realizes that Bel is by far the smartest person on the robotics team.

This book was one of my favorite reads of 2022! Bel and Teo are so cute and the fact that the third act breakup wasn't rooted in some sort of misogyny made the book even better - especially when highlighting women in stem without shoving it in your face (as a fellow women in engineering - thank you).

Enjoyed this but didn’t love it. Sometimes these cartoon covers are hit or miss for me. Overall okay

I adored this cute romance that indeed has bots!
Love how the author dives into woman in STEM along with the challenges, especially since Bel is a person of color. The whole female mindset and kicking dudes butts along with girls can do anything that boys can do was just adorbs in this YA romcom book, definitely recommend to all!

I didn’t give it five stars just because some of the chapters felt too short or just passed way too much which could’ve gone into more details I feel like.
I feel like too I would’ve love to see more Teo with his problems with his own family than just Bel?? It could just be me but overall I enjoyed this a lot!