Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the e-ARC.

I've been reading Alexene (AKA Olivie Blake) work since she self-published Masters of Death. Her fairy tale collection is amazing and once more she didn't disappoint with this really cute YA.
This story happens during the senior year in high school of our main characters and all the things that come with being a senior and having to apply for college with no idea of what it is that one wants to do in adulthood. I wouldn't say it falls into the enemies-to-lovers trope, because they did not seem like enemies in the first place, but it is a nice way to show how young adults can fall in love.
I find the story well paced and the characters are definitely relatable and having two points of view made it even more relatable. I really liked the strong female characters, that are both Bel and Neelam specially for having such different personalities.

Also, "nerds are hot" and the ones who can build robots, even more xD

I really enjoyed this book, its an amazing YA Romance debut novel. It was well written, witty and just fun to read. It made me want to go witness a robot fight match🤣 Bel is this eccentric happy go lucky person that has amazing talent but no real motivation to pursue them. When she by accident reveals that she has an knack for engineering and she is kinda forced to join the robotics team. Its a male dominated club and the boys ignore Bel, there is another female on the team Neelam but she hates Bel. The captain of the Robotics club, Teo recognizes Bel's talent but they soon start budding heads.

This book is an Academic rivals to lovers and it explores the difficulties of being a woman and a woman of colour in STEM

I highly recommend this book♥️

Thank you Net Gallery for the eARC)

oh my god.
A CUTE LITTLE NERDY HIGH SCHOOL LOVE STORY IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED.
I feel like maths and science enthusiasts are rarely every represented as the main characters in a story and when they are it's done.... not that well. BUT
this book is so so so adorable.
I loved Bel as a character and seeing her fall in love with robotics literally from the beginning. It's so refreshing to see that she didn't actually like at first and tried it out only because her physics teacher (she's so cool) urged her to but then ended up loving it.
As for Teo I was a bit iffy about him to begin with because he was a bit bossy but I think you understand a lot more about why he's like that. Plus they're only high school kids so this isn't even a massive flaw or anything. I did LOVE the fact that he was so open to helping Bel and how kind he is. It just shows how considerate he is. AHHH I LOVE THESE TWO.
the story itself is just chill and cute and nothing felt unecessary it was just.... nice. It made me smile a lot

One aspect I really liked was Neelam and her place in the club. Now I love Bel and while I don't think Neelam being mean to her was justified but Neelam being angry at Bel is completely normal and justifiable because it's very very clear how Neelam's not taken seriously when (I'm sorry to the other guys) she's the smartest or at least the second smartest and most talented in the club. It's funny how she's kind of villanised at the beginning because it just shows how women feeling rightfully wronged about injustice and prejudice towards them is seen as then being annoying, unecessary and rude. The way Bel and Neelam have a talk afterwards and Neelam explains how Bel got it easy is just so so so important!! I just love this little addition to the story. I find that olivie always adds subtle (well not so subtle) digs at problems in society and even as alexene farol follmuth she does not fail to.

Highly highly recommend this book. It made me feel so understood and it just a story that I rlly liked

Loved this book. When I first started reading it, I thought it would be a typical, cringy, romance story, but this book exceeded my expectations. I loved loved loved Bel, she had so much depth to her character. All in all greatly enjoyed this book. I got an Arc from netgalley for my honest review.

This book was wonderful and wholesome! It's written beautifully and teaches young women that it's okay to take up their own space in the world and to go after your dreams, despite all those that might disagree.

TBel was easy to fall in love with, as was Teo. The chemistry between them was amazing. Enemies to lovers in a STEM setting couldn't have been done any better.

Great book! Rare to find a YA rom-com that is geared toward the nerdy side of HS. Who said robotics was a bad thing? Follmuth definitely takes it for a positive spin in this trope.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for the eArc!

I absolutely adored this YA romance! This is the kind of YA book I wish I had when I was a youth myself. The romance aspect was pure and wholesome. The STEM rep was top notch. It felt very empowering! I love Bel and her quirky bird pants. I love Teo and wish he wouldn’t take on so much pressure. I love how they balanced each other out. I appreciate that this book also normalized getting a college rejection letter. I also loved that it made robotics so cool, and I felt heavily invested when they were at Nationals! It was just v good. I would recommend to anybody, not just the youths!!! 5 stars!

When I read the sinopse of this book I got very interested in it and had a lot of expectations from it and I’m very happy that it exceeded them. I started reading it and couldn’t stop and definitely slept late than I should have a couple of nights because I was reading it.

I love seeing books with women in STEM fields and I think it’s a great theme to have in a YA book because I know that if I had read this when I was in school it would have encouraged me to have a different relationship with my STEM classes.

The romance was really sweet but i felt like some parts of their relationship was a little bit rushed which didn’t affect my rating of the book but I see how it could for someone else.

This book isn’t what I read the most currently but it is what I read a lot some time ago and, again, would have loved to read when I was in high school but I’m glad that people that are in that position get to read this book, it’s a new favorite of mine.

This book had a bit of a slow start for me, (I read it as an ebook which is not my usual) but when I got into I couldn’t put it down! It had me giggling like an idiot, which I find my self doing less and less the more books I read. I tend to find books with pop culture references a bit cringy and while this one does toe the line at some instances, the author does a good job of spacing them far and few enough between that they were not totally unwanted. But the title is literally a pop culture reference so I can’t hold it against it.

I had a great time reading this one and found myself flying through it. They're high school seniors and there's some closed door romance so be aware of that if you're an adult reading it. Mostly the book is just absolutely adorkable and brought me joy. I also loved the themes of women supporting women, even when they're not your best friend. Would definitely recommend if you like YA romance!

Such a great read!

I definitely think I enjoy Olivie Blake's ya books more than her adult! After having a little bit of a miss with TA6 I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one 💖

I'd definitely recommend it you're on the fence about picking this up!! 😍 It was the absolute perfect read to have post reading slump 😂

"My Mechanical Romance" was such a fun and amazing story to read! The story and the characters were all so interesting and I was hooked from the start.

The book follows Bel and Teo. After one of Bel's teachers convinces her to try out for the robotics team at the school, she finds herself being forced to be around Teo Luna, the rich and spoiled kid. Teo, who's the captain of the team, sees that there is a lot of potential in Bel, but he can't seem to stand her attitude. But after having to spend more and more time with eachother, they slowly become closer and find themselves falling for one another.

This book was such a nice read. I absolutely loved the main story. The story idea was so interesting and it really got me hooked! I loved Bel right of the bat, and I slowly started liking Teo more and more thoughout the book. They had really good chemestry and it was really nice to see them develop and slowly open up to eachother. I also loved all of the side characters as well, especially Jamie, who has been there the whole time watching this unfold.

It was so easy to get invested in the story and the romance was so good as well. I would definitely recommend this book!

5/5 ⭐️
thank you to holiday house publishing for this arc! this novel will be released on may 31, 2022.

this was so freaking good. an academic enemies to loved story, but make it STEM??? count me in. my mechanical romance is a cute YA romance that is both funny and nerdy at the same time. bel maier is filipino (i loved the filipino references here) and isn’t totally sure what she wants to do with her life, until one of her teachers suggests engineering. the team is made up mostly of boys, enter mateo luna, who sees the talent in bel and asks her to join the team. this seems to be great, except that mateo doesn’t actually want bel’s opinion and neelam (the only other girl on the team) doesn’t like bel either. this story follows bel and teo as they navigate finding themselves, their passions, and their love for each other. i loved that this book wasn’t just about robotics and love. it was about finding out what you enjoy and what you’re good at and then loving what you do. the romance in this was cute and soft. i really enjoyed bel and teo together, especially how nerdy their romance was. i loved the supporting characters, especially jamie, lora, and dash. and i love the complexities of teo and bel’s families. even with the ‘perfect’ like that teo supposedly has, he still has flaws and i love how that was a part of the story. most of all, i love that alexene follmuth portrayed the reality of how women are perceived in a workspace dominated by men. i feel like this is such a prominent issue and i love that alexene discussed in such a smart and relatable way.
overall, this was an amazing YA read and i cannot recommend it enough for everyone to read as soon as it is out :)

“i need to take up my own space. i need to be my own push.”

This book hit so many high points for me, and I’m going to try and capture them (spoiler-free).

Things I Loved:
- Women in STEM focus
- Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope
- Combat Robotics Competition
- Great Cast of Characters

This is a book that I would have loved to have when I was younger. The messages captured inside are so important, and I think many girls will relate to Bel and her journey to figure out where she fits in her school and what she wants to do with her future. None of the characters are perfect, and this story reflects the messiness and joys of high school life. The romance between Bel and Mateo was sweet, and I loved watching their relationship change from enemies to friends to lovers, all with the background of their school robotics team. As I mentioned in my list of things that I loved, the female STEM rep and females supporting and encouraging each other gave me fuzzy feelings.

I was sitting in between a 4 and 5 star for this one, and I ended up deciding on 4 stars, mostly for pacing that I wished had been more consistent throughout the book. Some of the time when I was reading, I couldn’t put it down. Other times, I didn’t feel that way.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend this one to YA readers and adults alike, especially for girls who want to see themselves represented in STEM.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Love how this is giving me high school romance with the intelligence vibes!!! The characters both have things going on but they come together in a safe space to relieve their thoughts. It definitely hooked me when the author mentions real life situations!! Overall review is on my instagram: in.an.alternate.world

My Mechanical Romance is Alexene's first YA novel, and man, I cannot wait to read more from her. Being 25, I thought I had outgrown YA. I heard about this novel having an awesome collection of Taylor Swift references as well as being incredibly diverse, so I wanted to give YA one last chance -- and I'm so glad I did. My Mechanical Romance was just as much as Bel's story as it was Teo's story. It was very easy to transition between the two voices. The characters were relatable, funny, and powerful. I also didn't know much about STEM or robotics going into this. story, and the author made it really easy to follow what was going on.

There was an equal balance of friendship and romance within the story, which I loved. The side characters were so much fun to read about, and everyone had their own purpose and happy ending. When the book comes out officially on May 31, I can't wait for more people to read it just so I can share some of my favorite parts and lines from the story.

The story was cute and interesting, but everything felt rushed. The relationship between Bel and Teo was rushed and their yearning is not enough. Overall, it is an enjoyable rom-com.

My Mechanical Romance, written by my favourite Alexene Farol Follmuth aka Olivie Blake, is the most heartwarming book I’ve read in a while. This book is really precious to me because I could relate to these characters on SO many levels.  

I am absolutely in love with Alexene’s writing. This book might seem like a simple, fun romance but there’s so much more to it! I assure you that it’s not your typical academic rivals to lovers story.  I loved how the author tackled more important topics like the struggles of girls in STEM, imposter syndrome and heavy family dynamics amongst others, while still giving us a lighthearted, funny and romantic story. 

This book ticks so many boxes when it comes to trope: STEM academia, academic rivals to lovers, dual POV and many more! I also feel like this book outshone in the diversity department. I love that we got to read about so many diverse characters, from so many different backgrounds. I loved reading about Bel’s Filipino background and I absolutely enjoyed reading about the Holi festival. Oh and, did I mention that samosas are part of the story too?! 🤤

Bel and Teo have my heart. I was living for every cute interaction between them. The banter between them was amazing and their character development was simply exceptional. The more I read about them, the more I fell in love with them. I really loved all the other characters as well. Bel’s and Teo’s friends were so supportive and I even started liking Neelam in the end. I could connect with her somehow and once this happens in any book, I know that it’s going to be a book that I will constantly be recommending.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It deserves all the stars! If you’re someone who loves the Never Have I Ever show, then you’ll devour this book because it gave me major Never Have I Ever vibes! I totally recommend this book and I can’t wait for the world to meet Bel and Teo and all those marvelous characters once this book is out at the end of this month!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

A very cute and fast read! Loved the chemistry between Bel and Teo. I'm a sucker for high school romance from time to time and this one did its job. My problem with the book is that I was hyped for academic rivals to lovers and this is definitely not one of the tropes even though it's advertised like this. Sure, they argued maybe 3 times maximum before they became friends but I would hardly call it a rivalry.
I wish there were more romantic scenes tho. Bel and Teo had great chemistry and their potential was kinda wasted. I feel like the author focused more on the problem of not treating women in STEM seriously rather than on romance which is understandable but still I was expecting more. It was supposed to describe first love so I was expecting something more intense.
The book wasn't perfect but really enjoyable so at the end of the day, I had a lot of fun reading it.

This book was the definition of adorable , but also badass in a girls I’m STEM are powerful sort of way. And I can confirm that, had I gone to school with a Teo, I too, would have crushed on him hard. That being said, this book had tons of heart and Bel is now on my must protect (though she can take care of herself just fine) list.