This book was perfect in every way. It was such and adorable and fluffy read with a bit of angst. Bel a girl who just moved to a new school joins the robotics team where she meets Teo. In the beginning they get of on the wrong foot but soon get closer. I loved this book and every character and how they were all so layered. Not one single aspect of the book fell short. I also loved the fact that the story played out in a STEM field and how it was made fun to read. While reading the book I, more than once laughed out loud because of the writing style. It felt adorable, hilarious and alive. It also checks every "important" thing on my list:
- Enemies to friends to lovers
- POC characters
- a mix of fluff and angst
- badass women in STEM.
- And hot nerds

So if you love the tropes above then what are you waiting for and go pre-order.

My mechanical romance is an incredibly heart warming romance book. The story revolves around two characters, Bel and Mateo, who tell the story through alternating first-person POV's. Bel is passionate about building and creating things but has never used her talents in any academic way. When she joins the robotics club, which is headed by Mateo, a "golden boy" and widely-admired genius, she might finally have the opportunity to answer the life-changing question thar people can't seem to stop asking her, what she plans to do after school. With their difference in opinions and ideas, Will these enemies and academic rivals turn into something else? Or are Bel and Teo destined to be apart?

I originally requested this book due to the cover but was absolutely amazed at how good it was. It was the perfect academic rivals to lovers story with an amazing combination of both romance and engineering.

The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed about this book was the academic aspect. I loved how the robotic scenes as well as the engineering scenes were written and described. It helped the reader to envision how everything was happening and sort of allowed the scene to play out in front of them.

Bel and Teo were both exceptional characters. Bel was an incredibly unique character. With her unusual ideas and personality, she truly made an exceptional main character. Teo was your typical genius male lead. He always tried to fix everyone else's problems and was the perfect guy for Bel. I loved how both Teo and Bel pushed both themselves and each other to be the best versions of they could be. It strengthened their bond to an amazing extent.

I really enjoyed how women in STEM were portrayed in this book. The conversations and discussions regarding this were apparent in the books and it just made it all the more interesting to read.

Overall, I think this book was incredibly enjoyable. It was the perfect quick, light-heart read with the perfect combination of love, friendship and intellectual discussions.

A rom-com with POC main characters in STEM? Yes please!! I absolutely love romance books, but if it's nerd in love I love it even more. They were both equally as awkward and it was adorable.
Teo Luna's character made me so happy. Us Latinos are almost always hyper sexualized, so it was refreshing to see a Latine character just being goofy and nerdy.
To conclude this, yes, nerds are hot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

My mechanical romance is a story about Bel, who can't decide on how her future should look. In the midst of the chaos that her parents' divorce causes, Bel is faced with the stressful decisions of which college to apply to.
But when she is forced to commit to the robotics team in her school, she encounters Teo, the nerd who knows exactly what he wants.

I wanted to like this YA book. But sadly, I didn't. It was filled with clichés all the way through. Starting by the romance between two opposite characters and ending with a tournament which results were foreseeable. The whole time through I felt like I was watching a teen drama movie and to be honest the only person I could identify with was Neelam, who profusely disliked Bel. Just like Neelam, I thought Bel was a privileged girl, who never had to actually work for something. I had higher expectations for this book, but at least it featured girls in STEM.

I really can not pass up this book since I was so captivated by its cover. And this book is a treasure that completely encircles you.

Bel was forced into joining the robotics club by her teacher, who sees her potential. There Bel meets Teo Luna, captain of the club, who ignores her, and so does the whole team. Teo and Bel both have unique but distinct abilities. So, they make a secret team. However, the closer and longer their study sessions are, the greater the spark between them gets. Bel detests from thinking about the future since she has to deal with the present—dysfunctional family drama. Teo has everything planned out, and the final robotic national championship is just the cherry on top. Teo's ego is bigger than his grades, and Bel is hell-bent on breaking it into small pieces, but this might destroy their bond.

The beginning was slower for me, but after a few pages, I was so hooked. Although I hardly grasp the STEM aspects, I don't feel left out. I enjoyed the robotic parts and also the thrill of competing at nationals. It has too much to devour.

Bel's personality, her distinct ideas, and her effort to live in the present rather than plan for the future are enticing to me. That's quite relatable. And Teo is incredible, almost flawless, but it still feels like a weight to not become perfect at some point, which is so compelling. Aside from the Bel and Teo, Neelam holds a particular place in my heart, too hard to crack, a spirit strong enough to face everyone when everyone wants to ignore her.

My Mechanical Romance is much more than just a young adult romance. This book focuses on the challenges that females face in male-dominated courses. The youths struggle to pick the appropriate future for themselves, and so do those who have already made plans but still feel the burden of the unknown future. The family drama with their academics affects their thoughts. Very beautifully written.

Overall, it is a cute and fun romance read. Humor, romance, laughter, strong characters, and engaging storylines are all equally present. Although the romantic aspect is still lacking for me, it is not the one to pass on.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of My Mechanical Romance.

Having read TA6, MMR was such a difference in the writing style, that obviously comes with the genre. It was quite impressive, actually.

I picked up a contemporary romance after a long time, and I wasn't disappointed. The main characters were interesting and they had me invested in their processes. Of course, love a good women in STEM rep!

The POV switch occasionally felt too much, but I'm sure it was just my inexperience with it.

My Mechanical Romance was an unexpectedly cute YA book. I sort of had high expectations from this because I am a huge fan of Alexene (a.k.a Olivie Blake, one of my favs). The writing style was obviously quite different in comparison to TA6 and it took me a while to get used to it. But eventually, I really started enjoying it. It's a fun writing style with such great lines of dialogue thrown in. Some of the banter was so hilarious that I burst out laughing.
And as someone who is also in this odd stage where I am applying to grad schools, but I am still confused about what to do, Bel felt so relatable. I felt as though I was partially reading about myself in the pages of this book. I really enjoyed the romance too; it was very cute and made me smile so much.

Overall, if you're looking for a lighthearted and fun read, then I'd recommend My Mechanical Romance!

3.75!!

first of all, the cover is just the cutest!!!! bel and teo??? the cUTEST!!!! the robots?? pERFECTION!!! their team??? I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!
I was never a physics girl in high school but this made me wished that i was!!!! i wanna build robots and watch them fight each other!! I also just loved that Bel didnt really have a plan and it was great to see how she dealt with it because it feels like you have to have things figured out in highschool, but it doesnt have to be like that!! I really liked the epilogue because she was exactly where she wanted to be even if it hadnt gone like she had planned LOL !!!
can we just talk about the robots really quick tho because???? WOW!!!!!! those scenes were so badass !!!!!!! ii freaking loved them kicking some robots butt!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Netaglley and publisher for the earc in exchange for an honest review. !! Look out for this sweet read that comes out may 31st, 2022!!!!!

Academic rivals to lovers supremacy this book was immaculate. Bel and Teo were so beautifully suited for one another and their chemistry was so marvelously written. I love this authors writing just as I’ve loved all of her previous work. This book had me muffling my screams at 1 am because it was just adorable. Every now and then I feel as though I’ve outgrown the YA genre then a book like this comes along and sucks me right back in. It was just so beautiful and included important themes on women of color in stem. Everything about this was beautiful and I have already preordered the book.

i loved this book soooo much! there’s a certain essence you need to capture when writing rivals to lovers, and this book got it perfectly! (especially in the epilogue oh my goddd). i very much recommend this to anyone who’s looking for academic rivals to lovers! this book is about bel maier, a girl who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life and ends up joining the school robotics team where teo luna is the captain. i don’t know anything about physics, but this book wrote everything in a very easy but scientific way that i was about to follow along!

i really loved how fleshed out every character was. they all had their struggles that we got to see even if it was only in two povs (neelam, dash, etc). also loved the girl power! i love seeing badass women in stem. i found myself being able to relate a lot to bel and her struggles throughout the book, and i really adored teo and their relationship! it was really refreshing to see a male character who was a nerd. a nerd. he’s my nerd i love him. i do wish the book was longer only because i wanted more of them. i can’t wait to be able to talk with everyone about this book!!

Giving this book anything below 5 is an offense and I'm extremely biased towards the author. I loved reading this, definitely a lot lighter than her previous books but has made an impression on me. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Y’all probably already know by now that my collegiate background is a degree in chemistry and my love for stories about women in STEM is unmatched. This story gave me everything I needed from unexpected romance, strong female friendships, and learning to take up your own space. This was such an important story of growth for our main character and I was so happy to see that she got a happy ending.

Thank you to Holiday House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth is an absolutely adorable YA rom-com that is basically To All the Boys Before meets MacGuyver. The story revolves around two characters, who tell the story through alternating first-person POV's. Bel loves building things but has never considered using her talents at school. When she joins the robotics club, which is headed by Mateo, a "golden boy" and widely-admired genius, she might be in over her head. Will these enemies turn into something else?

Here is a funny excerpt from an opening chapter which is from Bel's point of view:

"Hmmmm. Crap.
Okay, so I know the catapult project was probably (definitely) in the syllabus, but in my defense, there was a huge essay due in English last week and I have a quiz this afternoon in Statistics plus a group project in Civics, and anyway, it's really not my fault my grasp of time is so flawed. Aren't there a million different scholarly articles about the impact of academic stress on teens or something? I'm pretty sure I could find at least a dozen if I really put some effort into researching. (I won't, but it's a valid thought, right?)"

Overall, My Mechanical Romance is a lovely YA romance with a witty main character. One highlight of this book is Bel's narration, which is as great as Veronica Mars's. I also love how different this book was from the author's previous book, The Atlas Six. I loved that book also, but that one is definitely adult, while this one is on the younger side of YA. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that I don't really enjoy alternating first-person POV's. I'm sure that many other people won't mind it though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're fan of YA romances in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

4.5/5 stars rounded up

This was such a joy to read! WOC in STEM, dual pov, lovable characters, and an enjoyable plot with robots.

Bel was such an enjoyable character. She was funny, weird, and relatable. Her fashion sense was immaculate and her quick smebacks were hilarious. I loved Bel and was rooting for her in every way.

Teo was definitely a bit arrogant in the beginning. He thought he was a little better than everyone but he definitely got better as the book continued. Also he was just so relatable as well. He felt he had to hold everyone up at his own detriment.

Their relationship?! Absolutely adorable! They lifted each other up and helped each other when down. Also the Holi scene? One of my new favorite kiss scenes, I adored it. Bel and Teo cared for each other so much and their my new favorite couple.

The story also had some important conversations about WOC in STEM and would recommend reading some reviews by WOC to expand on it.

Overall, I loved everything about this book and recommend it to everyone

I really enjoyed the book and the romance in it. It was nice to read an academic centered romance and the challenges the characters faced were somewhat relatable.

A cute and tender romance, but this story is more than that. It expresses the machismo and the fight that women who want to dedicate themselves to engineering, science, mathematics, and other professions that society views as men's jobs must carry out; And how this same idea that is instilled in us from childhood makes us believe that we are not intelligent enough to get ahead in that environment. It shows how sometimes people are not even aware of these sexist microaggressions that they commit and how they favor men.
Another of the topics it touches on is the pressure that adults put on teenagers about their futures, and how difficult it is to find what you like when there is always the fear of disappointing, failing and not being enough.
I also think that the family complexity that the characters have adds to the story and its development.
The romance? very beautiful, I was dying of anxiety and anticipation until they finally kissed. The author developed it so well that I believed everything that happened; It never gave me the cringe (and that's quite an achievement) and it really felt like something that could happen.

This book had me smiling the entire time. I’ don’t usually pick up romcoms but this one caught my eye and i’m so glad i read it. The writing and the story was excellent and well told and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so happy I got to read this book…I literally finished the whole thing in half a day! I felt I could really relate to this book and the main characters

You’ve got the enemies to lovers, high school romance, as well as the science theme running through.

Something I loved about this book were all the modern references which makes you feel as though you’re in the same world as the characters.

There was the perfect amount of humour and wittiness between characters which I really enjoyed too. I found Bel, the main character, really likeable and I enjoyed her dialogue.

Overall, I thought the book was really well written and I would definitely recommend, so snap it up when it’s out!

An enjoyable academic centred romance that although wasn't one of my all time favourites, will be right up my students street.

3 Stars ⭐️
This book was wholesome, enlightening, and very cute. I really loved reading this book, but I think it could have been better.

Bel is a Senior that just moved to a prestigious high school, and like many 17 year olds she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. Bel gets involved in the schools robotics team and that is were everything begins to take shape. She meets the team captain, Teo a boy that carries the world on his shoulders. He is very dedicated to his academics and knows exactly what he want out of life. They could not be more opposite, but somehow they make a connection.

The plot, the characters, and the story was amazing. There was a great message throughout the book about, women equality and how women are treated in male dominated fields. Bel and Teo really showed the different sides of adolescence. There was also so much diversity and different cultures exposed in this book and I loved that about it! To be honest this book had so much potential and I really enjoyed reading it, but it was done very poorly.

I hate to have to say that this book felt unfinished. The writing was confusing and I felt lost a lot of the time. If I would describe the writing in this book I would say it was similar to when you tell your friend a story and you forget a bunch of key details to get to the point. The book felt slow, but also rushed. I believed at some point that I may have accidentally skipped a chapter or forgot to read something, but that was not the case.

I’m not sure if I would recommend people to read this book. It was an enjoyable experience, but the book was not well written. If you can get past a lot of confusing storylines and writing strategies, for a good plot and interesting characters, then I highly recommend!