this book was amazing! i loved the pic representation, (which is something you don’t often see in popular books, which no doubt this will be) and the character development between Teo and Bel. It definitely added layers of authenticity to the book, making it more than just your average cliche romance!

As was expecting oh this was just a sweet and charming YA romance that was just a delight to read and fly through.
A romance between two people in a Robotics club was definitely a new reading experience for me and oh I loved it plus can’t go wrong with a bit of originality in a genre that does love to reuse certain sun genres, ideas.
So fresh, imaginative new writing material is always fun to read.

Really had a wonderful time reading this one and until I had finished I didn’t even realise it was the same author who wrote The Atlas six! Definitely need to get to that one soon now too.

Since finishing this book I can't stop thinking about it. It was a cute romance and the relationship between Teo and Bel was so sweet and refreshing. But I got so much more from this book. There was more than romantic love that was important. Bel learned that friendships matter, loving yourself matters, finding your space in a world dominated by men is important. I loved how Bel was able to find herself throughout the book. I loved that even though her brothers took sides in her parents divorce she understood that she didn't need to. Bel was able to be herself, even when high school can be absolutely horrible about that. This book shows girls that they belong in STEM. Again this book as a romance was cute but I think digging deeper into everything else is so much better.

wait, that was really cute. I rather enjoyed this one! women are so badass. I’m excited to see what future YA books this author writes! This was a stellar start!

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

A perfect blend of reality, humour, romance, struggles and science, MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE single-handedly saves the YA Romance genre.

Now, if you know me, I'm not really a fan of romance novels especially because I find them—especially the overhyped ones—to be a recycling of a same plot but with different characters. The female interest is quirky and innocent while the male lead is the most gorgeous person in the world. And their story continues, on miscommunication and poor development, but finally they get their happily ever after because hey, the book wouldn't be published if otherwise.

But, this book isn't like the others. As you can say, I initially thought this was the same ol' boring plot with bland characters without lustre, so I didn't request. But after knowing that this was by Alexene Farol Follmuth, who also goes by Olivia Blake (author of THE ATLAS SIX), I couldn't help but give it a try. And boy, I wasn't disappointed.

MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE is about Bel and Teo, and the people in between. It's a coming of age story about the experiences of POC women in STEM. Bel is your average high schooler, who's new to the school and is doing moderately well, until one day she totally forgets her assignment so she has to do it last minute. But as tables turn, her teacher sees potential in her—for engineering. And so, she pushes Bel to join the Robotics Club, where she gets in.

Teo, on the other hand, is the popular hot intellectual at school. He's everything Bel's not—with super rich parents, highly privileged education, etc. And he's the leader of the Robotics Club and recruits Bel when she shows potential.

As many may misunderstand, this isn't just a love story. I hardly shipped Bel and Teo until they themselves caught feelings for each other. And honestly? I was indifferent to them being together. I loved all the different aspects woven carefully into this story—family, friends, teachers and breakups. And the side characters were all fun, too!

All that being said, the only aspect I didn't like of this book was the writing. It kinda read a little to cliché? Especially in the beginning, where Bel's monologues felt a bit forced. But later on, the writing felt normal, or it could be just that I got used to it. Either way, the first few pages weren't really a great start. But being such a great story, I breezed through the entire book in just a single day!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and will now recommend this to everyone I can once it's released!

3.75/5 - i’ve been in a ya romance kick lately so i really enjoyed this book. it follows our two characters bel & teo aka the biggest nerdy nerds to ever nerd. i enjoyed their nerdy flirting so much it had me cheesing so hard. 😁

while the romance was adorable, i honestly felt lowkey cheated because i went into this expecting them to be academic rivals because that’s what the book was advertised as but.. they really weren’t? like they just clashed a few times at the start but i didn’t really feel the rivals tension? i also feel like i needed to see more of their connection if that makes sense? i still enjoyed their cutesy wholesomeness though.

i also liked how it highlighted the issues girls in stem majors face compared to the boys. and i appreciated the way both bel & teo’s coming-of-age struggles were portrayed.

This book was enjoyable. It was light and fun (for the most part).
I didn't like Teo that much in the beginning but I did warm up to him eventually and in terms of Bel, I loved her.
A part of me feels like their relationship wasn't very developed, but we aren't really here for serious, developed relationships here, we are here for fun, sweet teen romance and that's exactly what we got.

"'Bel, nothing is easy for me. Before you, I felt like I was drowning.' I've never told anyone that before, but I mean it. 'Before you, nobody in my life was really trying to see what I actually was, good or bad. They just wanted parts of me,'"

thank you Netgalley, Holiday House, and Alexene Farol Follmuth/Olivie Blake for the arc!!

this book was so relatable, wholesome, and thoroughly thought out and then executed so well. from the dual povs you get to know Bel and Teo, seeing all of the passion and love they find for each other and robotics.

alexene really helps you connect to the characters in the way of capturing teen's minds, essence, and even down to how they talk/text insanely accurately. as a teen myself, i know how it feels to get ready for college, not know what to major in or have plans for the future, having higher expectations placed on you, be at a new school, feeling left out of things or being appreciated, not wanting to disappoint anyone, and avoiding / disregarding feelings, change, family, friends, responsibilities, etc.

i don't want to reveal too much about their romance but the tropes>>!!!!!! such a cute ya romance that really doesn't seem childish at all. was hooked throughout the whole book and because there was never a dull moment, i sped through this book like it was nothing. perfect to get out of a slump. easy to understand what they're talking about like nerds. nerds are hot. very reoccurring theme LOL. these two were made for each other. they bring the best parts of each other out, while introducing new things to better themselves.

i found that when they put themselves first, everything felt so realistic. of course they are going to have problems, but how they fix it!! such a sweet pair who brings diversity, power, smarts, and t-swift to the game. so did the supporting characters. you really learn to love them all.

addictiveness: 4.5/5
sadness: 2/5
characters: 5/5
setting: 4/5
plot: 4.75/5
plot execution: 5/5
writing: 4.5/5
romance: 4.75/5
comedy/banter: 5/5
smut: 2/5 (obviously)

overall: 5/5 so satisfied with this book! will forever be grateful for my first arc read.

"𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

Where do I even begin? I’ve been in such a horrendous reading slump lately and this book literally yanked me out of it. I’m so picky when it comes to YA romances but THIS?? This exceeded my exceptions and left me utterly and wholeheartedly satisfied.

First off, the tropes. There's academic rivals to lovers, opposites attract, dual pov… This baby has managed to pack them ALL. Plus the diversity in characters and women in STEM representation was amazing. Follmuth does a spectacular job displaying the micro-aggressions girls have to face when entering the male-dominated world of STEM.

Every character was so well-written and I mean EVERY character. Dash was the sweetest friend to both Teo and Bel and an entire comedian too. Jamie was a QUEEN and the best hype woman. Don’t even get me started on Teo and Bel. Teo was absolutely whipped from the very beginning and Bel??? An entire icon with her funky fashion sense and badass comebacks. I adored them both so much and their entire romance was just too cute (plus their banter was *chef’s kisses*)

There are way too many reasons to love this book. Teen angst, robot battles, TAYLOR SWIFT REFERENCES! Plus I learnt what a hydraulic pump is and I’ve never felt smarter <3)

**ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

*4,5 stars*

I absolutely loved this little romcom. Though since it was partly about women in STEM I kind of assumed this was going to be about university or college but some American terms completely flew over my head and it took me a chapter or two to realise it was set in high school.

The rivals-to-lovers trope just keeps on winning urg.
Bel and Tea are such awkward but also carefree nerds and I love that about them. The friend group also felt really well-rounded, especially for the amount of pages this book has. Also the modern pop-culture references didn’t even feel cringe! Which many books fail to achieve. The texting also felt pretty realistic, the writing was honestly really well done.

I also liked that this book was just fundamentally YA romance, but also actually a coming of age story and a young adult trying to find their way in life and looking for what they want in the future. And of course we can’t forget also dealing with difficult relationships in your family. I kinda like that they didn’t try to make her super close with her brothers, some books just make it seem like it’s always sunshine and rainbows in families. This book was actually very realistic in many ways while still being whimsical and magical in other ways.

Now for the one thing that bothered me and kept it from being 5 stars (besides the life lessons being a but too on the nose but it’s YA and was done in a cute way) will be under the spoiler tag.

It absolutely wasn’t a dealbreaker for me though, still I loved it to pieces and I might get a physical copy when it releases so I can reread it.





//////////SPOILERS\\\\\\\\\\\\






The ‘i will break up with them for their own good because im making them worse’ trope.
That scene honestly felt a bit pulled out of nowhere and made because they needed a little drama and a breakup… now what I would’ve preferred is the dad forbidding him from having a gf or idk no college funds or something? But then again I did like the drama of ‘oh i fucked up’

It’s also a bit weird how Bel suddenly didn’t even let Teo speak, even when he wanted to make things work she was like ‘nah I wasted my time’. But then afterwards she’s like ‘oh will he call me? This can’t be the end right? He’ll fix it eventually?’
Which is ironic since you broke up girl why would he and also you’re the one trying to teach him that he shouldn’t be the one to try and fix everything lmao

Still urg amazing book.

I haven't read a YA romance since i was 15... and that was almost 10 years ago (I feel so old right now), but I can say hands down this book made me want to delve back into the YA world of romance because words can't describe how adorable this book was.

As a girl studying and working in STEM, this book represented so many people like me and made me proud to be studying science. Bel and Teo are absolute geniuses and I'm totally not jealous. The best thing about this book is how Bel grew from a girl who was unsure of herself and what her future holds (which I related to, so hard), to this confident girl who blossomed under the praise and guidance of her teachers, Teo and even Neelam! (who can I say is so misunderstood, but I loved her snarky ass).

I loved how much of a simp Teo was for Bel, how willing he was to be vulnerable, and support Bel, as 18-year-olds their relationship was so much more mature than grown-ass couples. The conflicts/miscommunication they had were solved quickly and didn't take away from the story at all. This was a feel-good, YA novel at its best. It's about the new girl who built a path for herself in engineering, and the boy who holds the weight of the entire world on his shoulders finding a balance between what he wants to do instead of what he should be doing.

I adored this so much and shout to Jamie for being the best side character and friend in this book. WE NEED A BOOK FOR OUR RESIDENT GIRL BOSS >>>>

This book really hit the mark for me. I loved the diverse cast of characters, the rivals-to-lovers romance and the women in STEM rep!

Women in STEM need more representation in media, and I was so happy to read it in this book! This book details the experience so well, form the discouragement to the micro-aggressions, and how women can push past setbacks to pursue their STEM dreams!

The romance was also so sweet, as well as their friendships. I loved the diversity in the cast, and loved their depth of the characters. This book is a must-read! Will be posting about it closer to release date :)

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!
+release date: may 31st 2022

4.5⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this book!! Women in stem?? Slight enemies to lovers?? Robots ?? i was HOOKED.

The writing was so entertaining, I was so intrigued by both the pov’s!! You have Teo, whose life is set, but on the other hand, you have Bel, who is just trying to figure things out!

The romance between these two was so well developed, you can really see the reality of a high school relationship & the hardships there are as the senior class.

As someone who’s done robotics before, it was so cool to read about people like me!! This book brings out the realities of the stem field being male dominated and how difficult it can be for young girls. I loved how strong both characters were & their own superset arcs were incredibly written.

While some moments dragged a little bit, the overall story was so fun! If you haven’t

Omg I love this book so much!!!!! I had heard quite a bit about it and so had expectations but this book met them completely!! Honestly, I didn’t see this book as only a romance, it delved into so many different types of prejudices that women, in this case in STEM face. I really likes how it not only showed direct sexism but also showed that there’s an unconscious prejudice that lurks around in the small comments that belittle young girls for looking for a career in STEM. It also brushed past the stress that comes with responsibility that kids sometimes take when they feel like everyone relies on them and I loved that! The uncertainties in the future is something I’m sure so many people can relate to especially as it sometimes feels as if everyone around has things planned. It was also really interesting to me how the author looked into two very different characters and showed how there’s always so much that people don’t see and it demonstrates why to not judge people immediately based of what you think you know. Honestly, I think I may have rambled a bit but this book focuses on so much more than romance! I feel like the title kind of alludes to the main character, Bel’s finding if love within mechanics and the different issues that is brought to surface was very insightful. The whole book was written beautifully and I wish Alexene Farol Follmuth all the best with her coming book and encourage all of you to preorder it!

This book was super cute. I loved the "enemies to lovers" vibes that I got from this book. I really enjoyed the STEM aspects of this book. I can't wait for this to come out so that I can pick up the physical copy.

I loved this! Women of color in STEM, an awkward and smart protagonist, a diverse cast and adorable friend group. I really enjoyed the writing style.

Also, I think another book starring Neelam would be brilliant.

I loved this book, it’s the perfect, easy summer read. It did take me some time to get into it but once I did, I couldn’t put it down!

I’m very into enemies to lovers trope right now so this was right up my alley. It was interesting to see a bit of what it’s like to be a woman in STEM. People don’t make it easy on them.

Teo and Bel are so cute together and I love that one of them takes things way too seriously whereas the other doesn’t seem to take anything serious. It makes for a pretty good balance when they aren’t arguing man


Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5

Okay Olivie Blake, I see you! From the same author that gave us the masterpiece that is The Atlas Six, shows us her range by delivering us with a fabulous YA enemies to lovers contemporary romance!

YA contemporary romances will always have a special place in my heart and this one is no different. Not to mention, um hello a teenage girl…of colour… IN STEM? It really took me back to my experiences in high school. This book was really just so wholesome, so sweet, an academic rivals to lovers where the guy falls first! The story was well written the and the plot almost never lacked!

Run and read this book please and thank you ❤️

Big thank you to Netgalley, Holiday House and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title. All the opinions are my own.

The book follows Bel, a recent transfer to a new school, who is utterly indifferent to anything academic related - she is smart but doesn't make any effort to do more than the bare minimum until one day she has a choice to make: join the robotics team or get a C in Physics and disappoint her Mum.

This academic rivals to lovers YA novel was an extremely enjoyable read. It has double POV - Bell, the female main character, and Teo, her academic rival and the leader of the robotics team. It's cute, empowering and really sweet.

The character growth and development was nice as well as the realistic portrayal of how difficult it is to figure out what you want your future to look like when you are only 18. The very end of the book was just the cherry on top - I just love the jumps into the future *chef's kiss*

A tremendously enjoyable YA read.

“At that exact moment, I know I’m absolutely wrecked”

This book is 100% one of my favourites of this year, it’s so warm and heartfelt whilst also being very relatable to scenarios I have experienced. Be prepared as this review is somewhat a critical review of my life experiences. I devoured this book which is a rarity for me as with being neurodivergent, I find it really difficult keeping focused on a book.

’This one has little rivulets of sequins in it—I’m a fool for shiny things’

I don’t think I have ever related to a character before as much as I have with with Bel. Seriously, it’s so nice to see a portrayal of a character that loves coding, art, sequins, is socially awkward and also is a child of divorce. I think it’s so important as well that the way Bel is in the books is so relatable because what she goes through is what young girls like myself experience and we pass it off as normal experiences of high school such as teachers having favourites. I always hated this during school and whenever I needed help I would never ask for it because I would always get called out and I felt constantly underestimated because I was a girl and of Asian descent. I love coding and metalworking but that always put a barrier between me and learning more. Thankfully it never stopped me fully and I’m studying a coding degree but I know it has stopped others from pursuing it. Also, as if I was any more like this character, she embroiders her own jeans, grommets her clothes, DIY’s drawers this is just way too much Deja Vu of my hobbies because I have done all those things so it was lovely to see that in the book.

‘It’s really, really hard to recognize someone as the villain in someone else’s life when you’re pretty sure you love them both’

Also another point that hit home was the relationship between Bel’s parent’s. She is a child of divorce and even though she loves her dad ‘though he’s the villain in her life’ it related to me and what I went through when my parents were getting divorced and how I felt a sense of betrayal when I spoke to my father. I still do to be honest so its great to see that sort of relationship in a book and have her develop a way to cope with it as that was one of the hardest things I had to do.

“If you come to the den of vice, do as the serpents do.”

One other point of Bel’s character I really loved was the development of her abilities and personality. I know some people are irritated in the reviews that she just happens to get things handed to her, however, all it takes is one teacher to connect with you and honestly that can make all the difference. I was lucky enough to have a teacher like Ms. Voss in high school who was my art teacher and she let me do all sorts of things even my Manufacturing teacher let me use the labs without supervision because I was trusted enough similar to the trust they have in Teo and that really helped form my future in studying Digital Design.

I even loved Teo’s character arc. He had so much pressure on his shoulders and he had no idea how to handle it all. One other note aswell of Bel’s development is her procrastination as this hit home because I have ADHD and I will procrastinate to the extreme which leaves me rushing around doing things way too last minute. Her having someone help her is so important to keeping deadlines and I liked how that she realised it too. Another area I loved is her journey from not knowing what to do for the future as I fully back that at 18 years old, having to have your life set is extremely difficult. My brother is going through the same thing and honestly I feel for him. He wants to study in science but unfortunately never did chemistry as he only recently became fascinated with it. Now it’s too late to take it so therefore universities are saying no. There’s honestly so much pressure on kids to have their future sorted at that age, I myself studied pharmacy at 17, straight after school as I never knew which direction to go into but I hated it and then eventually dropped out. It took 3 years after school to figure out what I actually wanted to do because there is a massive pressure when your a teenager to have your whole life planned and it really sucks.

I hope anyone reading this understands that if you don’t know what you want to do after school don’t let it bother you. There are so many people I know who regret their choice because they felt the need to have to go to university straight after school. So take your time and fable in an assortment of careers. Work experience is so important but not much emphasis is given why it is in school, so people just ignore it but it's to give you a better perspective on what your future job is going to be like.

Thank you Netgalley for the eArc