I fell in love with this book slowly and then all at once.
I love characters that make me feel soft and like I wanna protect them if I could. And the author provided that for me. I can say without a doubt that I enjoyed every single character in this book even when mistakes were made.
Also the writing is beautiful but I wouldn't expect anything else from this author.

"Welcome to robotics, Bel Canto,” Teo shouts to me over the sound of our teammates cheering, so close I can almost taste the triumph from his lips.
At that exact moment, I know I’m absolutely wreck."

aka the moment I knew I was wrecked

<i>"It’s probably really stupid how much it unravels me to look at her right then, but I’ve never seen eyes that make me think about the mysteries of the universe the way hers do. It’s like walking through the redwoods. Like feeling the earth beneath your feet while know- ing there are things flying free above you, and things living and breathing below you, and for a moment you just feel connected to everything. Like there’s some sort of unstoppable tide of existence and you’re part of it, even for just a second."

"Because I think about her all the time. Because she surprises me, because she makes me laugh, and because this, whatever it is with her, is the only thing I ever do that’s easy. Because wherever I am, I want her close by."

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

"What he and I have together is the best thing we’ve ever built."<i>

q: bel was it good?
a: i think good or any words that describe how good the book was, are all understatement. -bel (costan, not maier. but still valid)

i'm currently on post-series depression because of my mechanical romance (i'm fully aware it's a standalone but whatever)

i already knew i need this book before i even had a single clue about the book.

there are lots of things to list.

1. the heroine's name is bel (ppl used to call me bel but due to confusion between me and my sister's name we changed our nicknames. but turns out only my nickname has changed. ok whatever some people still call me bel)
2. the heroine is half-filipino (i'm chindo, which little relatable because we're both part south east asian. no i'm not going to talk about the fact that if i took dna test, the result will be 100% chinese)
3. filipino cuisine!!! (pretty similar to indonesian's. we have lumpia too)
4. woman in stem (this remind me i have to work on my physics and biology project and prepare myself for informatics presentation)
5. FEMINISM (another book that do justice to my romantic and feminist part. WHO RUN THE WORLD? GIRLS!!!)
6. light academia (have i mentioned that i really love light academia since forever?)
7. academia rivals to lovers (i don't think it's really the trope, but most of times they're arguing because of school stuffs. i have a fantasy about this trope since i was about... ten? so i basically have a soft spot)
8. THE HEROINE IS A SWIFTIE (this is important. really important. i'm literally obsessed with taylor swift's discography)
9. the heroine youngest of 3 (very relatable. truly. as your family's last and only hope to do things right this hits me truly deeply)
10. the hero is a hot genius nerd (have i mentioned i'm always into nerds?)
11. the hero is badly amazing (if you know, you know)
12. the hero is also an athlete (oh i dislike athletes irl but i can't deny most of them has ideal body. yes of course it's the body i'm talking about, duh)
13. the hero feels guilty about privilege (YES finally there's a representation of this. what do i have to explain anymore)
14. they are both smart-ass (i'm currently manifesting another smart-ass in my life)
15. the hero literally listened to entire taylor swift's discography (i feel like it's a bare minimum for someone whose spouse is a swiftie but still i'll give anything to have someone to listen to taylor swift's discography just so they know the reason i'm still smiling although sometimes i don't feel like it)
16. slow-burn romance...♡ (the tension oh my goodness)

and i think this is enough from my personal perspective and feelings to convince everyone to read this book. (of course, there are more reasons why i really love the book, but those are really personal and private stuffs)

thank you to my booktwt friends to convince me to read this book. you guys are so convincing. and i'm still going to buy the copy of the book anyway.

and sorry to my best friends if i rant too much about the book in gc. i know you guys still love me.

here's my bawling my mechanical romance reading thread on twitter: https://twitter.com/belcynes/status/1511598393826578433?t=hQvqD24oGAoYhs8m225zjA&s=19

***got an arc from netgalley in exchange of honest review. thank you netgalley!

This was a fun read, although at times it was a little too young for me.

Teo (I'm going to be honest, every time I read his name, I first read Tuna) - He was a wholesome character. I really liked how he noticed small details about Bel.
Bel - In the beginning, she kind of annoyed me. "And girls aren't usually into robots." Says who? It's 2022, can we please not. She obviously changes her stance on that by the end of the novel, but just having that, in the beginning, gave me the ick. Although, I appreciated having the representation of women in STEM, especially a "girly" girl.
Mrs. Voss - love her, we all need a Mr. Voss in our lives.
Dash - loved him, felt bad for him when he got rejected by Bel
Jamie - loved her, very quotable.
I enjoyed most of the characters, although the side characters were kind of better than the main two, in my opinion.
The romance was a little too YA for me, I think. Although I really liked the academic rivals to lovers trope, and the romance was mostly cute, it was also a little cringey. The ending was cute and realistic, I guess, so I can't really complain.
Most, if not all, of the male characters said or did misogynistic things to their female counterparts. I got a little annoyed that their behaviour was not fixed/addressed. Mac did say that he learned something from Bel but I still feel like it should have been more addressed. (Although I did like the scene at the end with the sister)
I liked to see how high schoolers are put under a lot of pressure, family expectations and not knowing what to do. Deciding on what you're going to do for the rest of your life is hard (I say when I still don't know and am in my 20s).
Overall, a fun read, I would recommend it to a younger audience rather than to someone in their 20s.

I've been a huge fan of Alexene's work for many years and this book did not disappoint!

The academic rivals, enemies to lovers, slow burn romance was executed perfectly. It's exactly what you want in a YA romance. I loved the banter between the characters, which in other YA novel can sometimes come across as cringy and stilted, didn't in this instance.

Great, quick read!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Such a fast and easy read!
The things that I enjoyed:
- the romance tropes --> enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine!
- the representation --> so much diversity in the cast of characters! So refreshing!
- the funny banter and found family energy
- the main characters were very unique and really stood out as distinct characters in my mind
- the romance was cute --> loved the first kiss!
- robots --> who doesn't love a good robotics competition!?

The things that were less enjoyable:
- how long the romance took to develop --> only got real romance 1/3rd of the way through the book!
- the academic environment was very toxic at times which was stressful for me (a female STEM major) --> made it difficult for me to get lost in the romance when I was frustrated with the behaviours of some of the characters

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.

<b><i>Not your typical high school drama and angst!</b></i>

<b>Overall Rating: </b>4/5
- Friends to lovers
- POC representation FTW
- Women in STEM struggles
- First person dual PoV

<i>Premise:</i> 4/5
<i>Characterization:</i> 4/5
<i>Dialogue:</i> 3/5
<i>Chemistry:</i> 3/5
<i>Secondary characters:</i> 3/5
<i>Unique quotient:</i> 4/5
<i>Steam quotient:</i> 2/5

<b><i>What I liked</i></b>

<i>The POC main characters:</i> This book was a delightful read. Both main characters being POC, I loved how the author wove the cultural influences through the story and how it even shaped the family and personality of the MCs. It wasn't over-the-top and helped flesh out the personalities even more.

<i>Handling high school:</i> With high school stories, typically you expect a lot of drama, tears, and angst - but this one was refreshingly different. It dealt with so many relatable things surrounding career, ambition, internal and external hurdles that one needs to cross at that stage of life. It was a realistic throwback to my high school days.

<i>Female engineer:</i> The hook did not fail to engage me. Yes, this was a romance story, but I loved how the author brought out the challenges for women in STEM right at that fundamental high school stage - when the hopes and dreams are being formed. Having read most of my high school romance stories set in the millennial times, it was also refreshing to read the gen Z perspective.

<i>Robot wars:</i> Can I just gush a little here on how much I absolutely loved the robot wars!!!

<b><i>What did not work for me</i></b>

<i>Individual MC voices:</i> Arguably one of the hardest things while reading a dual POV book (especially first person) is to feel like we are in the head of our respective characters. With this book, I couldn't identify in many parts which character's perspective we were seeing - I had to deduce from secondary characters, or even turning back to the chapter beginning to confirm. Bel and Teo's 'voices' were almost indistinguishable. While the author did a brilliant job fleshing out their individual characterizations, the individual voices could have been more distinct.