Cute YA novel about a girl struggling to find out who she is in her senior year. What I personally struggle with is how NO ONE previously noticed how insanely smart Bel was/is before starting at the private school. Overall, it is a book that touches on women in the engineering field that is male dominated. Sprinkle in some romance and you have a sweet YA novel.

A charming novel about finding your place in high school and beyond, when your path already seems predetermined for you. It’s about paving your own way forward, making mistakes, learning from them, and being confident with taking up your own space in the world. Reading about stem majors in the high school romance genre really made me so happy, especially since they’re both POC. I’ve always loved Alexene Farol Follmuth’s writing, and this novel really shows range. With such a short book, I expected there to be more movement with the plot and I think that’s what was lacking. The ending also felt very rushed but it was still very much an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for an earc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Despite the title name, My Mechanical Romance was able to embrace other topics outside the romance--which was incredibly adorable, including feminism, gender equality, and family dynamics. Bel is a typical high school student who finds herself thrust into joining her new school's robotics club; here she meets Teo Luna, who is struggling under the pressure he's placed upon himself.
Their relationship may have had a rocky beginning but their blossoming into friendship and love is one that is deeply appreciated. These characters aren't afraid of confrontation and have struggles of their own, which are communicated in realistic ways, both to each other and the reader. Their complicated feelings on matters could be something many relate to themselves.
In recent times I've found myself drifting away from the YA genre but My Mechanical Romance was a must-read for anyone looking for a sweet, heartwarming book.

I absolutely loved this book! The storyline was so sweet and the romance unfolded in a realistic fashion. I liked the added touch of culture for both of the characters. It was a good glimpse of the stresses placed on teenagers to get into the 'right' college. Thank you for this opportunity to read!

This is a fun romance. If you love enemies to lovers trope like myself, you will enjoy this book. You can see the character growth throughout the book. I gotta be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I got this book but I was really surprised how much I loved it. It’s also a fast read.

Before anything else, let me just say THAT COVER IS SO DARN CUTE.

Okay, back to my actual review: I love the diversity of the characters. As a Filipina, I felt seen. I badly wish there were more and better Filo representation in YA/adult contemporary books! Is that too hard to ask for? Sigh, anyways...

The struggles of being a female in a male-dominated field are accurately depicted. And oh, the female friendships in this! Chef's kiss! The feminism here doesn't feel forced or cringey in any way, which I love sooo much. Idk, I'm just so done with this trend of pseudo-intellectualism among YA novels lmao.

The complexity of familial relationships and the different attitudes of the characters toward college life were also portrayed realistically. Plus, you know an academia-themed book is done right when actual learning happens on the part of the reader. (I gotta admit all that physics and robotics talk made me feel dumb. Made me wish they taught us robotics in high school and that a cute nerd fell in love with me or something.)

Now, onto the things I didn't like about the book:
- when a character rambles for way too long
- bel and teo have chemistry but they don't have me invested
- the witty banter is there but it's not enough to pass as an enemies or rivals to lovers book
- the prose isn't as flowy as i'd like it to be but from what i've heard, that really is alexene/olivie's style (?)

Thank you Alexene, Holiday House, and NetGalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

ARC kindly provided by Holiday House through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I welcome you to another episode of family drama, (kind of) enemies-to-lovers, women in STEM, and (thank god) hot nerds in love.

This cover and synopsis hooked me at first sight, and the book didn't disappoint! I had high hopes for this book, and I loved it. The couple was funny and so cute, all I ever ask for whenever I read a YA. Bel was awesome, but what else can I expect from someone named (Isa)Bel?

Her journey trying to find herself and what to do with her future while facing problems in her family after her parents divorced and her insecurities were so relatable, especially with her teacher’s help. God bless this woman, seriously!!!! I can't put into words her significance.

The competition scenes were soooooooooo good I just can't! I'd like to be a little fly during these scenes, simply seeing Bel and Teo working together. All of their moments together were !!!!!!!

This book also featured some representation on our main characters. Bel is part South Asian, while Teo is part Latino. The author also included STEM in a scenario filled with sexism in several ways, such as “small” aggressions that many people don't usually notice.

Concluding, I really, really enjoyed this read!

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for a review)

I'm not usually one to absolutely love YA novels, but this one had me.

It first piqued my interest because it's by the same author (under a different name) who wrote one of my favorite books, Ninth House. I knew that this would be a more YA read, but I loved it nonetheless. It's nice to read a really cute novel with amazing, strong young characters.

This book is diverse, unique, and really features women who know what they want in life and go out and get it. I genuinely loved it so much and hope that my future kids have a similar outlook on life.

Although it was YA, it was academic-rivals-to-lovers, and who DOESN'T love that? Anyways, I highly recommend this book for a unique, cute read this summer when it comes out on May 31st.

Book: My Mechanical Romance
Author: Alexene Farol Follmuth
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review: This book was really good. The cover is so pretty and drawn me in to the book. Through the book it is duo pov which I love so much it book.

I love how this book takes place in high school during a STEM program. I loved how dedicated the characters were towards their academics.

I love the barter between high school enemies in the book. There is a romance between the new girl and named Bel and a nerdy boy who loved science named Teo.

Overall I loved in this book it empowers women to work in science and can perform the work the same way men do. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @holidayhousebks for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I've read Alexene Farol Follmuth's other work "the Atlas Six" under Olivie Blake and when i heard about the author debuting a YA STEM romance i was immediately sold. This book is everything my teenage self would have loved to read and dreamed to experience. It was a really fun read (definitely found myself grinning and squealing to my phone screen as i read it) and now i can't seem to 'shake it off' the fuzzy feelings from my chest.

I love that this book is not just using STEM as a background, but actually dive into the work (in this case robotics) and i appreciate how the author brought up conversations regarding the issue of how STEM academia favors male engineers than female engineers. The highlight of it being there are so much less girls in the robotics team and how the boys would ignore their input during robotic progress. "Girls shouldn't be engineers or scientists" is bull. Women in STEM deserve more appreciation, people! They are amazing!

2 things i hold dearly in this book: the robotics team budding friendship AND Bel & Teo's budding romance.
Sure, the team started off with a slack, with the boys brushing off input from the girls (especially Neelam's) but really... teamwork makes the dream work! there's also an important conversation between Bel & Neelam about acknowledging the difference of privilege & hardwork when it comes to women getting into STEM. Bel & Neelam really prove that women can be great engineers and they work as hard, if not twice. I also love Dash! he's such a sweetheart. Every time Dash came into the scene i always found myself cackling.

Okay now the romance.... i'm obsessed. Giving me such warm fuzzy feelings and bubbles in my stomach. I can't believe there wasn't any one like Teo Luna in my highschool? Teo & Bel really are a match made in heaven. Both of them are really sweet with each other. Teo being supportive and Bel being very understanding are a combination that gives me comfort when reading their love journey/story (of course they have their ups and downs) and that epilogue really just made me happy!

This book might just be climbing my top list for being a comfort book. I appreciate how the author wrote this story and characters. a story of friendship, hardwork, dreams, and love. Well i cannot say that i 100% relate my highschool life with this one because i didn't go to school in the Americas, but i can assure you that the characters are relatable. I can see my younger teen self in Bel, reading about her trying to figure herself out got me reminicing back to my 17/18 year old self. Honestly, this is such a great teen romance story and i cannot recommend this book enough! I most definitely cannot wait for this book to be released.

p.s i know this book isn't released yet and most likely to be a standalone but i want to see more of Bel & Teo :( <3

Before anything, I’d like to thank Netgalley, Holiday House Books & Alexene Farol Follmuth for granting me my very first ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I really loved this book! It's so fun and nerdy!

Earlier this year I became obsessed with The Atlas Six and books with a STEM setting, so when I found out the author of my current obsession wrote a book with a heavy STEM-focused plot? You can bet I requested an ARC as soon as I could.

I’m part of the S in the STEM community, and this book spoke to me in a very special way but that doesn’t mean people with other interests won’t find this read appealing.

Bel and Teo are such fun leads: I loved both POVs, found myself rooting for both and sympathizing with their struggles (individually and as love interests). I saw a little bit of myself in them as in I’ve always been a nerd, a perfectionist struggling with overworking and at the same time, second-guessing my every move.

The way Alexene Farol Follmuth portrays women entering the STEM world is spot on. I’m a male, but the ignorant comments my female classmates mentioned getting on a daily basis is almost identical to the ones Bel and other characters had to endure too.
I’m happy my class has a majority of female students, meaning more girls are getting into science and that in a couple of years, the almost-exclusively-male faculty is due for a change. (Although, from what my friends say, the Engineering campus is still mostly male :/). I cannot believe that some people are still prejudiced to what others chose to study.

My Mechanical Romance is funny and nerdy, but it doesn’t shy away of deeper topics, including the reality of Academia being harsh and competitive: As a personal story, I didn’t get into college right after high school, I felt like such a failure and struggled accepting the fact that things were not going exactly as I planned. When I did get in, I realize that grades were still a major factor: the top grades get to pick their professors and classes first, they get the best scholarship and perks. I think that the way the book touches this kind of things is really important and makes the story a tad more complex.

I’m not particularly interested in robot fighting but reading about them made me curious and I had to pause my reading to peruse youtube and watch videos about robofights. The scenes involving the club and tournaments were my favorite and I’d say that a book that manages to make you interested in a new hobby has an extra layer of enjoyment for the reader.

I can’t wait for you all to read it and I cannot recommend it enough!

Who would have thought that reading about mechanics and robotics would be entertaining? My Mechanical Romance is a sweet, smart, entertaining and interesting story, the cover and the synopsis caught my attention and I had to give it a try and it was totally worth it.

The book tells us the story of Bel, a teenager in her senior year, who goes to a new school and she is assigned to a robotics team, there she meets Teo, the team leader, who is also a nerd, at first they don't get along because Bel challenges him and he gets upset, but as time goes by and the more they get to know each other, the attraction arises between them and they feel the desire to spend time together. I loved the banter and the chemistry between them, steamy and hot!

I really liked the way the author narrates all the problems that teenagers go through, their feelings and the way they navigate this stage. also their relationships with friends. The book takes up several topics such as family problems, friendship, social relationships, but it does so in a very entertaining and interesting way. I loved Bel and Teo's relationship and how they both challenge each other and help each other to be the best version of themselves, and to discover their potentialities.

It is a different story, interesting and fun, highly recommended

I loved this book. It was smart, funny, relatable and articulated being a woman in STEM so so well. I had very high hopes for this book (which is why it took me so long to pick it up), but when I finally started reading I only put it down once (and even that was against my will).
I would’ve loved to have this book when I was younger.

This book isn’t necessarily about love and mechanics, but about figuring out what you want, how to work for it and how to live through disappointments. It’s about making a space for yourself where you're not necessarily welcome or expected.

This book has split POVs between beginner engineer and start out Harper Finkle, Bel Maier, and prodigy and robotics team captain, Teo Luna. Between the two I preferred Bel’s POV. I didn’t feel like Teo’s POV brought a lot to the story, but it’s always nice to see two sides. Their relationship was so sweet and organic, I loved how supportive they were towards each other's goals and how they helped each other to be better.

I can’t even begin to express how much I love and can relate to Bel. I felt so seen in her struggles and exhaustion, it almost hurt to read at times.

“Everyone at this school has plans, and I’m just so overwhelmed by their good intentions that I constantly feel the need to lie down for a solid five minutes before trying again.”

She deserves everything good coming her way and I’ll just leave it at that.

I loved the positive teacher portrayal Ms. Voss brought, and how it showed how important teachers are and can be (we don’t talk about Mac).

Overall this was a great read and if you’re looking for a light, fun read I totally recommend this one. Finally I’ll end this review by saying Neelam world supremacy 2022, give my girl her own book.

I loved this book! My early-2000's emo heart had high hopes from the title and Alexene Farol Follmuth did not disappoint. This book is filled with so much representation, but not in a way that feels overdone or pushy. Also, heck yes to girls in STEM! This book has me ready to go out and make my own battle bot! Not only does this end up being a feel good story, but it can seriously inspire STEM careers for young girls. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for the advanced reader copy.

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth is an unforgettable ya romance. I loved the women in STEM aspect and the main characters being POC. The romance was swoon-worthy, and I loved every moment of it, and the plot. I liked how the book is marketed as a romance, but the plot was amazing and captivating. I lovedthe realistic struggle of high school and how the future, college, is complicated and scary. Mateo Luna, captain of the robotics team, was the living embodiment of perfect book boyfriend and the best academic rival.Academic rivals to lovers is by far my favorite troupe and Alexene executed it perfectly, to the main characters being wayyyy to smart but with each other they slowly start looking past their brains and start looking at their heart they keep very well guarded. I loved how the romance wasn't forced but flowed perfect wit the plot and didn't take anything away from the plot either. Bel is also such a relatable character with her question everything she does as well being afraid to try new things, which is something I've faced so many times and it was really cool to see it in a book. The writing style was a personal favorite of mine, especially the traditions and i loved how everything flowed together. I also loved the POC rep not only the main characters, but the side characters as well, my favorite scene would have to do with the Holi Festival which was to die for!!! Overall I absoltly devoured this book in under a day and would recommend everybody to read once this is published!!

I really enjoyed this young adult contemporary! It includes a well developed cast, realistic problems, a light romance and a fascinating glance into the competitive world of robotics.

Bel goes through so much character growth throughout this story. I was wonderful to see her find her place, gain her confidence and fully embrace her comfort with just being herself. What I loved most was how the author used her character, as well as a classmate, to show the challenges females face in STEM. You see it firsthand with her professor, teammates and then again at competition with other schools. Yay for teachers like Ms. Voss who lift these students up and gently push them to keep trying to find their potential! I know very little about robotics, but I loved the scenes where they were working on the robots and battling in the arena. It provided a great mixture of problem solving, tension and excitement.

The story switches perspectives between Bel and Teo. Not only is he the golden child of the robotics team, but he is the love interest in this opposites attract story. I enjoyed hearing his thoughts and watching the shock he felt as he realized how valuable Bel was to the team. Their romance was slowly developed, super sweet, age appropriate and really embraced that uncertainty of life after senior year in high school. I liked seeing all of the students decide on colleges, get accepted and sometime make last minute switches in interest.

The author also touched on some family issues that many young adults struggle to work through. Bel comes from a recently split home. She is trying to navigate two homes, two parents and siblings who have taken clear sides. Teo comes from a wealthy family with strict expectations and a distant father. Their feelings on these issues showed the mental effect it caused on both.

Overall this was a fantastic YA debut. The epilogue left me smiling and I would even love to see a spinoff involving some of the other characters from the robotics team since they were developed so well!!

As a retired teacher I appreciated the character of Ms. Voss for seeing the potential of a young woman and her steering a young mind in such a powerful way. The story of Bel and Teo was layered with complicated, but realistic family issues such as divorce and expectations for the future. The friends Bel meets are all interesting and unique. My own daughter will be a Junior next year and I could only hope that her experience will be as fulfilling as Bel’s. The creativity and insight into the world of robotics was quite thrilling and made for some fun reading. I really enjoyed this story.

If I could I'd give this book 10 out of 5 stars! This book was so good!!! Ahhhhh! Love it so much! As someone who loves any kind of hands-on project you give me (particularly metal😏), it made me connect to this book even deeper! Like this book was made for me to read! Bel and Teo are the absolute cutest EVER! So should read this book when it comes out on May 31, 2022!! Preorder!!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into reading this and wow… I can tell you I was more than pleasantly surprised. This book had me hooked, the characters are very well developed and their personalities make the book so much more. It’s very wholesome and interesting. I wish I could read this book for the first time all over again.

4.5/5
Romantic Comedy 272 pages
No Spoilers Review

I'm not normally one to read YA books, but this one piqued my curiosity - and I'm glad it did!

The story itself seemed to never really take off for me, but then again I also found myself not wanting to put it down, which is a bit of a weird mix, but it just added to the book's charm.

I found the story to be very believable overall, though I did find that some elements might have been a bit of a stretch, or at least developed more quickly than I would have expected.

Things I liked:
I really enjoyed the premise of the book. Women in STEM are, in my opinion, becoming more common, however, there were, and continue to be, real struggles for not only acceptance, but recognition as well. This is true not only of their male peers, but of other women in the fields as well. The story contained elements of both and did a great job of portraying the difficulties and barriers while not focusing too heavily on this theme.
The way everything seemed to be going "wrong" for Bel. How she ended up in the robotics club. The hardships she had to endure, the realistic obstacles she had to deal with, her perseverance and how things ended up in a very positive place for her.
Bel and Teo's opposing views and how those came together to form a positive effect on one another.
Being privy to the inner thoughts of both Bel and Teo.
All the extra on-the-side stuff that happens in "real life".
The humour that was used throughout.

Things I didn’t like:
How quickly the rapport between Bel and Teo improved from rivals to love interests. I feel like things should have developed over a longer period of time.
I feel like parts of the story might be "too mature" for the younger end of the YA spectrum.

All in all, this was a satisfying read, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in romance novels, or even an interest in the challenges today's teens must face.