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.

I spent every spare moment of my day reading this book because of how cute it was!

I think the author did an amazing job on creating such diverse characters, there were lots of different backgrounds and cultural references throughout the book. (I think Bel might be my favourite character I have ever read)

This book was the perfect mix of Romance and STEM. (It reminded me of the Love Hypothesis)

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cute romance to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for this ARC!

#MyMechanicalRomance #NetGalley

It was the perfect balance between a commentary of WOC in STEM, a heartwarming coming-of-age story, and a love story that had me giggling and kicking my feet. Bel is an incredibly endearing character that is incredibly easy to root for and her voice never felt forced or inconsistent with who she is as a character. Despite Teo's high profile life, I felt that I could relate to him almost instantly. Follmuth's entire cast of characters accurately portrayed the different people we come across during our young adult years, acting as the icing on the cake to a story that already felt so familiar to me.

This is my new favorite book. Everything about this book was perfect. It was so soft, so sweet, filled to the brim with the most interesting and easy to root for characters. The conversation on feminism in STEM fields, as well as how the field is male-oriented and littered with microaggressions, was a focal point but not overstated or cringeworthy. Bel and Teo were so easy to fall in love with and there were a couple of times I had to pause just to scream into my pillow because I loved them so much. This book features engineers, cute YA romance, diversity in the main characters as well as the supporting cast, and a lot of poignant family moments and discussions. Such a quick read and worth every single second. I HAVE to get my hands on a physical copy.

This felt so real; the characters, the dialogue, the friendships, the discrimination, the hurt,…

This book felt long (it isn’t)… but in a good way. I felt like everything that happened had to happen; to enhance the plot or/and the characters.

I reallyyy liked the characters, all of them. They are so unapologetically human. Especially Neelam, how mad she is at the world. And rightfully so because the world (read: society) is mean to us; as women, as women of color.

I looveee that the romance plot didn’t outshine or took away from the main plot. That is; WOMEN IN STEM and how they have to work harder than men to succeed. I love the awareness that when a man is outspoken he is ‘assertive’ and when a woman is outspoken she is mean and unlikeable.

This book exceeded my expectations.

*I was given an eARC of this book by Netgalley & the publishers in exchange for an honest review.*

Bel is a new student in Essex High School, her last year before college she transferred because of her parents divorce. She doesn't know what she wants from life, what path to choose, all she knows it that she wants everyone to back off of her. She is kind of forced to join the robotic club where Teo Luna is the boss, the guy who everyone loves and depends on. Very fast Bel finds out how difficult it is to be a girl in boy dominated field and that for some things you must work much harder than you think.

I am surprised by "My mechanical romance". I was expecting pure young adult romance which will be a little to sweet but still very entertaining and instead I have read a fantastic, uplifting and empowering book where romans play second fiddle.

It is a #girlpower book.
I am not a fan of authors/directors/artists pushing THE MESSAGE in their work, but when it is done with taste I love it. And here it is done almost perfectly. Here we have an example of healthy feminism, which is basically a centre of the plot. I really enjoyed how author focused on "being a girl as a human" and not going into cliché picture "she is a girl, but she IS different".

Overall the book is not fast paste but it is naturally flowing so you don't get bored. You do want to know what will happen next and, of course, if Bel and Teo will end up together. The characters are very well created, and they are growing with the story. I also appreciate that supporting characters have depth.

I do recommend "My mechanical romance". It is a very good story with unexpected twists which will bring you joy!

Thanks to netgalley for this STEM romance ARC titled The Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Title: The Mechanical Romance
Author: Alexene Farol Follmuth
Genre: STEM-romance, young adult, contemporary fiction
My ratings: 4.3

With absolute humour and candour, this dramatically witty academic rivals to lovers romance discusses both the hurdles that girls of color experience in STEM and also the vulnerability of first love.

Refreshing and intriguing, the majority of the plot focuses more on how people in STEM works. This is very new especially to me, and I haven't find and read that much romance books with STEM representatives, so this one is quite unique to me. I was exposed to a lot of new terms (some are quite familiar cause I used to take physics) and it was fun and exhilarating to see how things work between school stuffs and love.

This book does not solely focusing on 'love story' but rather covers important issues like 'gender in equality' and also about the uncertainty on what your passion or what you want in your life, withholding the tradition of being an accomplish children for parents, and so forth. This book discusses these issues through relatable characters like Teo, Bel, Neelam and many more. To be honest, I like how the ending turns out. The Mechanical Romance also changes my way of thinking and somehow it also linked to my own personal experinece which I could relate to these characters.

The characters are very well-written, with each of them has their own flaws and finally they got their own character growth which I adore so much! In the beginning, I believe many would hate Neelam for the way that she behaves, but trust me later on, you will get why. Teo and Bel is just super duper cute! The author is very right that nerds are hot. I agree. Intelligence does make someone more attractive. Bel is just so uncertain about everything due to her personal reasons, and I like seeing her blooming into such an astounding person. And we also have Teo, the epitome of hot nerds who carries extra burden on his shoulders which makes him want to help everyone despite it is not a one-person job.

Overall, The Mechanical Romance has everything I want in a STEM love story.

I gotta be honest, at first I was a tiny bit skeptical about this book. Boy was I wrong.
I loved every single page of this book, I loved how the characters were described, how the author decided to threat certain subjects.
What I loved the most is that this book its not just a love story, it treats very important subjects too, like how women are overlooked everywhere, especially in science.
I loved it, it gives some very powerful messages to those girl out there who needs a little push to show the world that they can do it. "if a boy can do it, how hard can it be" right?
eARC provided by netgalley.

this book is so good, like literally what i think is the STEM academic rivals to lovers type of thing that everyone will probably like, although it did take me some time to get into the book and like rereading it for me to understand the book and love it, because robotics isnt something i understand but I love the teenage romance, and how the real going to college was a problem to high school romance student and i just relate it to some level. absolutely incredible writing and im giving it a 4.5 stars.

Sobbing, crying, throwing up - this was such a wholesome read. It took me a little while to get into the story (it dragged, hence not giving the full 5 stars), but once I did? I ate it up. I'm truly surprised by just how much I loved it by the end. 25 year old me beating the "YA shouldn't be read by adults" allegations, and I truly love that for me.

This book has everything. EVERYTHING.
- slow burn academic rivals (-ish) to lovers
- grumpy x sunshine
- woc in stem rep
- found family/solid group of friends
- robots (need I say more?)

Alexene Farol Follmuth (which many of you may know is Olive Blake writing under a pen name) really set out to right the most wholesome cutest YA romance read with emotional heart and delivered.

I adore the whole cast with my whole heart but I really, really appreciated watching Bel & Teo's character development throughout (and of course their eventual romance) the most. Follmuth gave us two complex characters and I loved just watching the both navigate through life.

Follmuth truly did wonderful job highlighting the struggle women in stem face and the blatant sexism they face trying to operate in what is such a heavily male-dominated space. The conversations between Bel & Neelam in particular hit home.

"The world is not very helpful to a smart girl," says Ms. Voss "More often it will try to force you inside a box. But I urge you not to listen."
Because we all need a Ms. Voss in our lives <3

4.5 stars!!! I did not expect to like this book so much! The beginning was a bit slow, but it eventually picked up in the middle. I wasn't a fan though of the usage of parentheses, but that's just a minor thing. Bel and Teo were so cute! The author also really captured the anxiety of applying for colleges. going through robotics competitions, and not knowing how things are gonna work out. As a former robotics team member in high school, the nostalgia hit me full force and I actually teared up several times reading this lol. THE ENDING WAS PERFECT I LOVE IT. GIRLS IN STEM LETS GOOO

did i or did i not just give a five-stars rating to a YA romance? how the tables have turned! the following statement will come off like a pick-me-girl line but i really don't read a lot of YA romance or anything with romance as a main plot because i just can't really connect with them and believe me i tried. a lot of the books i read have romance as a side plot though, which is something i much prefer because i like romance like a little bonus here and there, some tiny treat (or threat, that is) to support the main plot and/or the character. however, learning from TVD duology last year and also TSHOEH i realized i have to give more chances to the kind of books i rarely read even though i might end up not liking them but who knows right!!

and oh, look at where we are now. i ate this shit up. served it in a silver platter, lighted up a candle, made yummy noises that are slightly inappropriate, gave a compliment to the chef.

i just love this. first of all, that blurb? that opening about a main character who is uncapable of planning? now that is how any book gets my attention. proceeds to the story and i was hooked immediately. the characters are so fun to read, they are characters that make you grow some kind of fondness over them throughout the story. bel is the kind of character that is so easy to relate to, i think at some point everyone is a bel canto. teo luna, however, pissed me off at the start but his development was so good i was almost ready to fall in love with him. but no because dash is more like my type (omg look at me an adult nearing her 30 swooning over a fictional teenage boy. should tell you a lot about me isn't it). don't even get me start on jamie and lora and neelam. i will die for them. ms. voss can't even compete with me because i'm unhinged and have very little reasons to live.

i love everyone's dynamics and friendship, and though jamie and lora are the absolute sweethearts, the typical best friends, neelam and bel has the dynamic that is so very interesting to read. honestly i think out of all the characters, i treasured my time getting to know neelam the most. it was easy to be pissed off at teo luna at first, he is a privileged male in an environment that worships him and though he is not a bad person he benefits from it. but i disliked the fact that i didn't like neelam at first, and i wanted to like her. my feelings were exactly how bel felt when she knew neelam wasn't very fond of her and her disappointment seeped through me as well because i too expected her to be an ally. i like how the turning point in their relationship is written because not only that explains why neelam is the way she is, but also it confronts me and my own judgment, my blindness and my cluelessness, shaming me for not getting her at the first place while i'm supposed to, when it's right in front of my face. i love it because i can feel that not only she's angry at bel she's also angry at people like me, readers like me, and she has every right to. her little speech left me speechless (see what i did there haha). after that neelam escalated to the same place at jamie and lora in my category of Favorite Besties.

the element of feminism in the book is absolutely exceptional. i personally really like the way it is written, the way it is shown through the characters' actions and thoughts, and just really suits the teenage characters. there is no feminism theory or angry, fiery, jargons but it is there nonetheless. the girls' struggle, the discrimination, the confusion, the disappointment, the sadness and the rage for always being put at second to last after the boys, for not having the same kind of attention, for not having space, for being misunderstood and considered as not as skillful or worse, as only a part of 'diversity point'. there are parts where i just legit cried because i was frustrated as well lmao i'm not in STEM (i'm a liberal arts person through and through) but i spent working in a team where i was the only woman for 2 years and God. everytime i think about it i just want to jump off a bridge haha so i can only imagine that being a woman in STEM the struggle is just.. multiplied. and it is written so well here i really really like it. not only with the female characters, the author also presents the concept of internalized misogyny through teo luna, because he is not actively hurting bel or neelam or lora feelings, he just does not know that he is. but he fixes it, he learns, which is a lesson for you all men out there if a teenage boy can unlearn everything he's known and ingrained in him you can do that too🙂

now, the romance. i love it. this, this is what i want from a teenage high school romance. the STEM background is not only a background, it is actually a part of the story, it is the main element that very much participates in the ups and downs of the couple relationship and not just, you know, them making out all the time with very graphic details. (i sound like a 70 year old but with this back pain im not even get mad being called a grandma) their banters are cute and funny, and because both of them are very smart their jokes are also witty. i love the way the hanging doubts of youth and young love written here, to the point that i think if someone makes a movie out of this book i would definitely watch it. (now hold on there this book isn't even released yet lmao)

oh AND THE WRITING. i did not know this book was written by olivie blake and that this is her real name until at least a quarter of the book. i've heard about olivie blake before, 'the atlas six' is a famous book series and i saw snippets of 'alone with you in the ether' that was enough to make me add it to my tbr but this book just assured me about her writing even more and now i really need to get my hands on 'alone with you in the ether' as soon as i can. i can't really explain it i'm bad with words (there are people who said that i'm good with them but i honestly think i'm not i just really like them) but she just knows where to be poetic at the right parts where they just flow and emphasize the moment argh i can't elaborate for shit but it is one of the things that also plays a part in me liking this book. i even read the acknowledgements because apparently i can't get enough.

the epilogue it just lovely as well and yet still realistic. obviously less relatable to me because i'm still a disappointment lol but happy for how things turned out for each character. it closes in my favorite way of young adult book's ending, where i can still feel the room for the characters to grow, that outside of this ending there is still more for them. all in all, this is The YA Romance Book for me. assuming that i don't forget because i can't really count on my brain these past months (years?) and i have the money, i really want to have the physical of this book when it's officially released on may 2022!

The story follows a teen girl who’s trying to make a name for herself in STEM which is mainly famous among boys. Bel Maier is in her final year of high school, and after transferring to a new school in her senior year, she struggled at times to fit in with the new people, some of them are nice, but most of them aren't. Teo Luna, the hot geek and teacher’s favourite at Bel's new school, is one of those people. They were sort of like rivals at first, both are geniuses, coming from different social classes, but eventually they grew fond of each other.

This story didn't instantly draw me in. Maybe it's because I'm not very familiar with robotics but yes they are hot. NERDS ARE HOT. For me, it started out slowly. The second half, in my opinion, is more engaging and the characters' dynamic has also improved by then. Bell and Teo were two characters with a lot of depth. Teo believes he can mend things on his own, while Bel is unsure of her own goals. They both learn their weaknesses throughout the book, albeit with the assistance of other people. THE FIRST KISS was soooo cute!! I also really enjoyed reading about Neelam, whom I eventually came to admire because she was a baddie who hates boys and at the end she confronts Bel and advises her that this field is not a joke and very hard for women. I was so happy when they made up and became besties.
Also, a fantastic representation! It was great to see such diversity. There were numerous characters with diverse backgrounds, and the author went even farther by including cultural references for the characters. This is such a refreshing read but i do think it’s over-marketed as academic rivals to lovers. Well they were rivals in a short period of time, but actually they never hated each other. I really need to stay away from YA romance though.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review from me!

Kind of feel like I’m floating in the clouds rn. I’ve been stuck in a reading slump for months but reading this beautiful gem made me feel so incredibly happy.

My Mechanical Romance is a beautiful beautiful 5 star read (trying to channel druig here). I literally binged it in less than a day - it was THAT good. I can’t wait for it to come out into the world and for everyone else to also fall in love with this story (May 31st - mark your calendars!!!)

This book tackles the challenges of being a woc in stem, the struggles of being a child of divorce & the universal feeling of being
18 and not knowing what to do with your life after high school.

This story is filled with clever humour, witty banter & it really speaks to this generation of young adults (without trying too hard to imitate teenagers). It’s full of youthful energy. Even as a 22 yo, I found many things I could relate to. Some of Bel & Teo’s conversations reflect a lot of the anxieties felt by young people today.

I loved seeing character growth and development from start to finish & the realistic depictions of teenagers, without it being forced. You’ve got found family as well as the challenges of navigating the relationships within your own real family.

It was pretty easy to dislike Neelam and Mac in the beginning (and rightly so), but I’m really glad that their characters were fleshed out a little bit more & that we got to understand Neelam.

And the romanceee? I literally could not stop grinning the whole way through. Teo and Bel are so adorable & their back and forth banter had me squealing into my pillow. Teo Luna exudes the biggest soft boy energy I’ve ever seen. JUST PURE UNFILTERED SOFTNESS.

Alexene was really right, nerds are hot.

I’m not a huge YA contemporary reader so I wasn’t 100% sure this was for me, BUT after reading 2 of Olivie Blake’s books, it’s safe to say that I would wholeheartedly read anything that woman writes, be it her shopping list.

Okay, before the three star scares anyone else, please note, this was really cute. And the enjoyable parts were very enjoyable. There is a good chunk of diversity, this is STEM-focused, and, for something a little different, it's engineering kinda sorta <i>Big Hero 6</i> style with combat robotics. Very fun. Overall I think this is also likely very relatable on the subject of expectations for YA-aged kids transitioning into college, etc, too. Especially these days.

"<i>Sometimes I think I'd rather be forty and wondering where my life went instead of seventeen and relentlessly hounded about my future. I can't wait for my life of quiet desperation so I can finally meditate on all the ways I wasted my precious youth</i>."

So with all that goodness, why not a higher rating? Truthfully I don't know. There was just something.. missing. I don't know if I wanted the rival-flavoured dislike (not quite hate) to go on longer or not because I really liked how they warmed up to each other. I appreciated, too, that it wasn't all easy fun joy within the robotics group itself. There were contentious relationships and dynamics and that felt very real. It wasn't just outsiders (notably other boys) who made life difficult, and judged, the female MC for being involved, it was also the other girl in the group. And her reasons do eventually become revealed and are valid. Not 100% but like.. even the female MC comes around to it. It worked.

<i>She's acting like she knows me, and I feel like that's not fair. I've been enjoying getting to know her, but apparently to her I'm nothing new.</i>

But between those conflicts, the pressure the male MC had pressing down on his shoulders from those around him, and particularly his parents, it was again very real. Though of course I liked this particular style of conflict less. But I can't say it really soured the whole enjoyment.. I don't think?

"<i>You're new, you know? You're like this new colour I didn't know existed and now I see it everywhere and I'm like, thank god I can see it now. Such a bummer if I never did.</i>"

See, honestly, I don't know what was missing, or what maybe hit a wrong note (maybe it just could've been longer? maybe something could've been better fleshed out, more time with the secondary support so they felt a tiny bit more like their own persons? maybe, as I ponder this more, everything was just a little too.. surface) but regardless I think this is definitely worth your time if you're interested in picking it up.

This was so wholesome. I absolutely loved the women in STEM rep. Especially since I am a woman in STEM and I could really relate to alot of the things talked about. Although, I went in thinking this would be in a University environment so I was little disappointed at first when I found out it was set in High school. I do prefer reading romance between adults, but that's completely my fault for misreading the blurb. But, I do not regret reading this! It was really cute and the characters are all so likeable (yes, even Neelam).

And I just want to point out that, no it is not an enemies to lover, or rivals to lovers, or whatever you want to call that trope. It is simply a strangers to lovers which, in my opinion, is the best trope.

There was something else that really surprised me. And that was the fact that this is written by the same author as The Atlas Six. Which is just mind-boggling. I couldn't help but compare the writing style between the two books. The writing in The Atlas Six is so rich and complete, but in comparison, My Mechanical Romance seems so shallow. The dialogue and description was sometimes repetitive. I just feel like of the book had a few more revisions it would be perfect. Because I know for a fact that author can do better.

This was cute, funny, flirty and witty. I love the STEM background of this story, kind of reminds me of The Love Hypothesis. Read it!