Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love how much of a hobbyist Bel is. Right away, she’s like “Yeah, I built that. What like it’s hard?” Okay, so that wasn’t the exact language used, but that’s the impression. I loved that immediately. It was interesting that she was discounted by the robotics team because she doesn’t know the right words. Throughout, it felt like a classist observation since it looks like her previous school was not regarded academically.

I didn’t like Teo. From the very beginning, he came off as the smartest person in the room, but that’s because he doesn’t let anyone else speak. It was infuriating to get through this book with that. Also, he believes he has to be in control of everything, but that seems more like a role thrust on him. If his leadership has been assigned to him, then he hasn’t earned that role and everyone automatically assumes he’s the smartest in the room (I totally get where Neelam’s coming from by the way). His sexism doesn’t hand wave itself away when it gives the impression he only listens to Bel because she’s cute. If that been changed to “not cute to cute once engineering involved” I may be more lenient.

I think I know what the author is trying to do with Bel and Teo’s arc. She needs to take up space and he needs to release some stuff because he’s not responsible for everything. However, Bel is the only one who works on that throughout the novel. She keeps making conscious efforts to take up space whereas Teo is forced to release stuff.

So much sexism by a majority of the male characters that I wanted to gag. The female characters are top notch and I wish the focus was more on them than the relationship (especially Bel and Ms. Voss). Ultimately, the romance aspect of this failed for me, except for the epilogue which I liked. Don’t get me started on all the adults (non-students) in this book. They put too much pressure of all of them and for what? Competitiveness, sexism, and stress?

Is this academic rivals to lovers? Umm… not really? If it were Neelam and Teo, then I could see it. I wish this was more focused on Bel realizing her voice, being friends with some engineers, and navigating something she’s done as a hobby to a potential career.

Absolutely loved this book. Especially loved how the author made sure to include the aspects of engineering and physics as much as possible in the book, which to me was what made the book different and a fresh read. Can't wait for the book to be released.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review .

I LOVED everything about this book. It champions the issues women encounter in STEM and challenges gender stereotypes without being too blunt about it.

I really enjoyed the character development and how friendship is portrayed throughout the book.

it took me quite a while to actually pick up this book. not because i was busy but because i wasn’t in the mood for a high school romance until about mid-april. im not a fan of stem and this book had a lot of that to go around. i took a small break about halfway through this book to tear through another and then came back because i couldn’t leave bel and teo alone for too long.

i really liked them both individually and together as a couple. they were very honest and straightforward with each other when it really came down to it. bel was funny and weird and teo was besotted by her weirdness bc his best friend, dash, is the exact same lmao however, their relationship didn’t feel like it was developed well enough to reach the “i love you” stage. something more was missing.

teo trying to look the other way when it came to the misogyny and sexism that surrounds bel and neelam really annoyed me though. and mac? still hate him. bel should not have “forgiven” him so quickly. just because she gained the approval of a man who was being such a passive-aggressive misogynist towards her for most of the school year doesn’t mean he actually realizes all the wrong he did. and neelam? i wanted to like her character but i couldn’t. the bitter, fiercely intelligent woman in stem trope? drag it out back and take it out of its misery already. i’m not saying she had to be all happy-go-lucky though. she just didn’t need to act so much like <italic>that</italic> that others didn’t seem to like her even one bit. it’s so easy for people to say you’re difficult to work with when you truly are difficult to work with and are too jaded by the environment to try and change that.

the complicated relationships with parents was a nice touch. i still don’t like teo’s dad though. i feel like the author was trying to cook up a specific angle about teo’s relationship with his dad and then decided to turn off the heat just as it was beginning to sizzle. a lot of the book felt like that by the third act to be honest. not to say this was awful, it just wasn’t groundbreaking or life-changing is all.

oh, and luke? has my whole heart. hope he’s thriving!

all in all, i’d rate this 3.25 stars!

This was a cute read! It was cute and simple, and overall, an alright read. I wish there had been less focus on the 'girl power' aspect of the story and more on the romance, or at the very least made it seem more natural to the story VS. how out of place/character and forced it felt. The ending just was very fake girl power heavy- as far as how Bel gets into school and everything.

I did like it though, and I think it was a cute romance. I just wish it had more of the cute romance! And more enemies to lovers- that definitely felt lack luster. It felt more like mild annoyance to lovers.

I absolutely adored this book! It was such a quick, fun read. This book gave an perfect glimpse into what women go through in this industry. I work in the semiconductor industry, although not as an engineer, so I know that it can be such a difficult industry to break into. No matter how talented you are, the men are quick to classify women as “diversity hires.” Shout out to all you STEM girlies! You’re killing it!!

Bel was so odd but in the most endearing way! I loved her character. Teo was such a sweetheart. He definitely took life too seriously, but the adults in his life put so much pressure on him to achieve greatness. I think once Bel came into his life, she helped him find a balance. I loved the depiction of friendships, relationships and realistic family dynamics. The relationship between Bel and Teo was so sweet. I caught myself smiling so many times while I was reading this book. Their first kiss was sooo swoon worthy. This story was just so wholesome and heartwarming and I wish that I had books like this to read when I was in high school.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House and Alexene Farol Follmuth for an advance copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.
I requested this book because I was curious to see how the author would tackle YA romance and I wasn't disappointed at all.

This was a light, fun read and I appreciated what the author wanted to do with this story.
There was a note of 'females shouldn't be underestimated' which I appreciate for a YA book because it gives that positive message that even if there are obstacles you can put your mind to it and accomplish anything.
I also loved that towards the end of the book, the main female lead's life didn't go exactly how she wanted but she adapted and worked hard to accomplish her end goals.

The romance was built up nicely and believably, there was no insta-love here which I appreciated.

SEE FULL TOUR STOP FOR TURN THE PAGE TOURS ON INSTA @delightful.reading on 4/29

As a girl in STEM, I'm really fond of books that have girl power + STEM. Some of Bel's experiences mirror my own: a really cool female physics teacher who inspires students to pursue engineering? I also had one of those, so it was exciting seeing this type of mentor on page. Also, robotics being heavily male dominated, especially in the competition realm? My own experience with high school robotic competition also had more guys than girls competing. Although my experience was different than Bel's, it's kind of neat seeing some familiar aspects in a novel. All in all, I'm kind of excited a book like this exists!

The book itself is really cute! I loved the portrayal of female friendships! Some of Bel and Jamie's conversations could literally be a conversation that I had with one of my best friends. I also liked Bel and Teo's relationship development! They have some really cute moments!

This book does tackle some of the challenges girls in STEM face. The little annoyances here and there. These challenges tie into Bel's character development, too. She has to not only face some gender-based microaggressions in robotics, she also has to decide if engineering is actually for her or just a crazy suggestion by one of her teachers. This journey of self-discovery was really neat to see, although I did get a smidgen frustrated with Bel in some parts because of it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this! I loved the robotics angle and the rivals to lovers trope. Also, I'm really hoping for a NA/college spin-off featuring some of Teo and Bel's friends.

Post Note: I thought there were going to be more than one reference to MCR but there was only one: someone off-handily mentions that they are listening to "Teenagers." So don't start reading this for MCR.

My Mechanical Romance was a good read. It was light and full with young adult high school romance. I'd probably enjoyed reading this book more if I were my younger self. If this book adapted into series or movie I'd definitely watch it.

My Mechanical Romance started a little bit slow but the plot is very interesting. The book is well written. But there were chapters that bored me.

The characters are diverse with different backgrounds and the author even included the cultural references for the characters. That's the most interesting part beside the enemies to lovers trope.

Some people really adored this book and I respect that. After all it goes back to everyone's preferences. If you love high school romance and enemies to lovers or robotics or hot nerdy guy, then this book is definitely for you.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

girls in stem needs to be a MUCH bigger genre because i can NOT get enough. i loved that both the mc and li needed to go through character development and that the environment was still realistic without feeling disheartening. super cute read, hope there are sequels that either follow bel and teos journey, or any of the side characters

*arc for honest review* i loved this book it was such an easy read for me. teobel were so cute!! i totally recommend if you want a short easy read!! they’re were parts like their little break up that wasn’t necessary in my opinion because they quickly got back together but overall i really liked it!

I have to admit I got this book because My Chemical Romance is my favorite band. And you know what? How do they have this as the title and not even mention the band lol
So the book is about robots maybe that's why.

Thank you NetGalley for sending a copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.
This was a good YA Romance, with overall a nice plot. There of both point of views, from the girl Bel, and the boy Teo, which is really great. I loved Bel, she was truly awesome, and the fact that she had those doubts made her more real, and it felt good. Teo was also a great character, he was genuinely so so sweet, and how he treated his pears made me a little jealous. Yes, I admit it, I want a Teo in my life.
This is a very feminist book, and I always love to real women in STEM!
Overall, it was pretty good, if you’re looking a fast-paced YA who will take your mind of some of your problems, this is a good one!!

I had very high expectations but they unfortunately weren’t met. I really didn’t like the writing style and thought the author was trying too hard to be funny and relatable but ended up writing unauthentic teens. The ending was cute and it had some good moments, but I’m still very disappointed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this E-Arc!
I'm a huge fan of Alexene Farol Follmuth's writing style and was super excited to dive into this different genre from her! It's such a wholesome read that will definitely put a smile on your face, which is personally something I look forward to when reading romance. The main characters are well-rounded and likeable, but not in a "they're perfect and never make mistakes" way. I LOVE the academic rivals to lovers trope so this book managed to speak to me even though I knew nothing about robotics! Would definitely recommend to someone approaching young adult romances!

4 - 4.5 stars.

Sweet, funny, charming, and hilarious - this was a quick and delightful read!

I honestly had no idea what to expect. I haven’t read anything from this author before, and I was a bit nervous this book might be overhyped, but it is definitely worth the hype!

I found Bel to be charming and funny, and strange, and likeable… Just on the right side of “manic pixie dream girl”. Teo was thoughtful and smart, and I would have absolutely had a crush on him if he went to my school. The themes of belonging and sexism, and young love, and the complicated dynamics faced by families, and women in stem were all represented thoughtfully and with care. The secondary characters felt well rounded, and were so likeable (begging!! praying!! for a Dash spinoff!!) — and honestly, this book was a ROMP.

I adored it, and am glad for the chance to have read it!

Knowing this was a YA, academic rivals to lovers, with woc in STEM by Olivie Blake, I was STOKED to read this! I loved that there were conversations about women (specifically women of color) in STEM and how that can steer women away from the field as a whole or how they experience imposter syndrome. Seeing these topics in a YA romance was really refreshing to see, it felt a bit more realistic and something that teens can actually relate to! But as I was reading, I kept feeling like there was something missing. The relationship between the two MCs seemed very rushed and could've been fleshed out a bit more along with the "academic rivals" aspect, which was very much missing in my eyes. Maybe it was the short length of the book or that I'm so used to Olivie's adult writing style, that's MUCH more detailed and easier to pull off in short page counts.

All in all though, if you go into this solely for a fun, short and sweet YA romance you'll definitely have a good time reading about these characters! Especially if you're in the STEM + robotics world yourself, this is 100% for you!

i won’t lie i requested this cause i love my chemical romance and i loved the title and luckily for me i loved the book too!

I really didn't care about the MCs at the end to be honest. I just didn't feel more than friendship between them. However, I did contents in between till the breakup I guess which let's face it was inevitable.

Anyway, it was an okay read I guess

I adored this book. Will for sure be a bookstagram and booktok favorite. I found the characters incredibly loveable.