This book was SO CUTE! It heavily reminded me of both The Love Hypothesis as well as the Spanish Love Deception. The cover was adorable and well portrays the book without giving away too much but shows just the right amount of character. The pop culture references were easy to understand and the humor mixed with banter made it a real romcom that can be easily enjoyed. I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

This is a cute academic rivals to lovers read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Bel joins the robotics team after missing an assignment. She has a knack for it but doesn't like team activities. She meets Teo, the team captain. They don't see eye to eye in the beginning but once they spend more time together they become closer. I really liked the characters, the way they interacted, and how their relationship developed.

There is a nod to the sexism women experience in engineering when both Bel and Neelam join the team. I always enjoy books with female characters in STEM and women of color.

Overall a great read!

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhhhhhhhhh asdfgh!!

Words! I need more words! This book was just ugh (heart eyes emoji)

I can’t even formulate a whole sentence so I’m gonna list out what makes this book so good:

-rivals to lovers
-rivals to friends to lovers
-found family
-acknowledgment of sexism in STEM
-kick ass girls
-adorable male hero (tbh anyone who doesn’t like Teo can get pushed down the straits)
-fun friends
-POC everywhere 🎉🎉🎉
-did they say heteronormativity in the book??? Yessss!!
-different cultures, in an authentic way
-Holi festival
And you know...
-robots (but like nerds are hot now)

Read it, love it, promote it, this book is like warm hugs, laughter, and snuggles all wrapped up into one amazing book. May 31st can NOT come soon enough!

I requested this book having seen rave reviews on Bookstagram. Unfortunately, the one thing I did not take into account was that the characters in this plot are in high school and hence the language, style and characterization are not to my preference. While this may be a great book, it was sadly not for me as I am way above the intended age group.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you netgalley for providing the arc of this book.

I usually don't read YA books, but I was interested because it's written by olivie blake, and i love her writing style. So back to the book, it has academic rivals to lovers trope and it was a slow burn. I loved dynamic between bel and teo

Apart from the main characters i liked Neelam's abd Dash's characters the most.

𝘔𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 follows Bel as she's coerced into joining her school's robotics club by a teacher who recognises her engineering talent. But what happens once Bel realises that talent doesn't equate experience!?
Hence, enter Teo Luna, who helps her out and as the line between their secret study sessions and secret attraction blurs... love might as well be blooming.

- ~ -

Academic rivals to lovers? Women in stem? An absolutely stunning cover?
This book was made for me!

"𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙤."

Our main character, Bel is the most fun character I've read in a good while. She's funny, intelligent, strong and an incredible engineer!

Teo, on the other hand, is also nothing short of a genius. He might come off as a bit intense but he's a pretty cool guy as you read more about him.

And the romance they shared felt surprisingly realistic and it had my heart fluttering, I mean technically even their first meet had my heart fluttering but whatever. Their inside jokes? Geeking over physics? Taylor Swift references? Yeah immaculate, all of it!

Also both of them had an incredible character development throughout the story. They both started out as a bit naive in the beginning but as the plot progressed they, in my opinion, matured tenfold which was best evident by the epilogue.

- ~ -

The selection of all tertiary characters was well done, featuring genuinely diverse characters with distinct personalities.

There were also mentions of experiences (off page and also on on page) concerning the sexism faced in the engineering field, which would be relatable to many. It was well thought out, the whole subtlety of gender discrimination and sometimes it was apparent but either way I liked that in the end it was girls building each other up instead of a kiss from some charming prince. But also it's a sad reality that there even exists discrimination in the first place :'(

On a personal note, I do recommend watching a Robot Wars video for reference before starting this book because there's a fair amount of technical lingo and it'll give a lot of insight into how the robots fight, their build and the overall palpable tension in the atmosphere.

- ~ -

Overall: A well written YA romance debut with a captivating plotline and charismatic characters!
I HIGHLY recommend you all to give this a try :)
Mark your calendars, it's out 5/31!

4.98 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Loved this book! solid 4.5 stars.
absolutely loved the humor, romance was cute, representation was amazing!, and the story was overall super fun to read.
the first thing about this book that really caught my attention was the character voices and the writing style. the characters were super realistic and really well fleshed out, and they were also relatable in a genuine way. like there were some meme and pop culture references that was so characteristic of my (and the characters' generation) and it didn't feel forced or fake at all. the writing was also like really good to read--by which i mean it flowed really well.
thinking back about the book, the storyline was actually super detailed. like in a good way. it made the side characters more three dimensional too, rather than flat, and i really enjoyed how the plot developed.
about the characters though, there was one in particular (spoiler: Mac) that was super sus and like definitely not Bel's supporter and he (spoiler) kinda got a redemption arc at the end which i did not like. the problems around his character were definitely addressed but didn't feel fairly resolved. yay for Neelam's character arc though!
i liked the women in stem empowerment and feminism in this book; the inequality is always a huge part of our terrible society and i liked that this story not only reflects reality and truth but also educates and empowers readers.
to reiterate, i really enjoyed this book, definitely recommend reading this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a great YA novel. I really liked the realistic dynamic between the characters. The writing and dialogue flowed nicely and it was an easy, intelligent read.
I liked the issues that were imbedded in the story, such as sexism (in STEM too), divorce, familial pressure, and relationships. Definitely a book most teenagers (and people) can relate to.
This is probably a book I will recommend my kids to read one day.

My Mechanical Romance is perfect for anyone looking for a fun romance read. The characters, Teo and Bel, were ones I could root for. I appreciate that they were POC's in stem. It was interesting to see the academic pressure they had to deal with from not only their families but there friends as well. I really enjoyed the setting since I lived in that area of LA. If you're in the mood for a fun teen romance I recommend picking this one up!

It wasn’t hard for me fall in love with it considering it served one of my favorite tropes.
I find the writing quite adorable and the characters quite relatable. I just love these nerds!
The story has been gripping from the beginning and I also see a great character development with 2 POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I would first like to thank Netgalley, Holiday House, and Alexene Farol Follmuth for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Are you looking for a book about a woman in STEM featuring the very favorite trope of enemies-to-lovers? Boy, do I have the book for you!!

This is probably my most annotated book on Kindle, as an underrepresented woman in the STEM field this book was ABUNDANT in references to what that can feel like.

Key Points:

» Characters (specifically BEL)
I felt so SEEN in this book, and Bel was such an entertaining character to read from. I always looked forward to reading from her perspective. As an example, we got these ever-iconic quotes from her:
"I am flirting dangerously with tardiness, he is not even awake."
"I like to think I have eccentric tastes in most things, but I like Taylor Swift, too. I'm human after all."
"I mean, does whatever I do in life really require me to have gotten an A in Civics?"
Let's just say, I loved Bel.

Mateo was also a perfect love interest and a great contrast to Bel's quirkiness. I loved his journey to understanding the kind of privilege he has due to his gender and his family's success. He was a character we so much character growth with his own struggles.

In terms of side characters, AMazing! Jamie and Dash, the main character's best friends don't disappoint, and Naleem's "villainous" aura and her own journey were so well done. They have flaws, they aren't perfect and they grow together, it's just *chef's kiss*


» Important Themes
Her experience is one that many girls can relate to. Finding a passion in the engineering field only to be faced with looks of prejudice and being overrun with men. It's easy to be discouraged when you feel the need to fight for a sense of belonging in this space. The amount of situations she experienced that I still relate to in college is crazy (mansplaining, assuming you need help since you're a girl, not being taken seriously). I especially love this quote:
"There's a lot more kinds of strength than just being outwardly tough, and it's a lot to ask of anyone to succeed when most people in the room are waiting to see you fail"
or this one, that hit home so hard
"...you don't understand how hard it is to be a girl competing with boys who don't even realize that they, unlike us, are perceived as more competent no matter what they do."

» Romance
GUSH gush gushhhhh. I was so into their romance, don't even get me started. I have not read a romance book I was as invested in their love story in SO LONG and this one just did it for me. It was cute, they complimented each other, and the pacing was perfect (nothing dragged for too long, which is my biggest qualm with romance books). Also, me thinking about Taylor Swift after it was mentioned was reminded so hard of Our Song when they both had the same thought of wishing they had kissed *more gushing ensues* I was living for their love story, and couldn't get enough!

Ending Thoughts:
I can honestly not stop saying positive things about this book. I enjoyed this wholesome love story and their tribulations while they were finding themselves. We need more stories like these and I will never tire of reading them (ᗒᗜᗕ)
Definitely give this book a shot, while I'm on my way to read The Atlas Six since Alexene has written that too under a pen name ＼(〇_ｏ)／

This book isn’t really a book I would normally read as it’s a little to young adult for me but it sounded so heart warming I decided to give it a whirl!

It’s a very cute story and I love the direction and story line. This would be a great read for 14-18 year olds.

Side note the pressure some kids must feel in high school makes my heart hurt! My biggest worry in high school was getting to school on time!

All and all cute book and I appreciate the girl power!

hi everyone this was the cutest thing i've ever read and i wll stand by that.

read this book for
- academic rivals to lovers
- women of color in STEM
- dual pov
- banter & cutest romance ever
- nicknames hehe
- author of the atlas six aka olivie blake takes on ya contemporary romance
- banger quotes like: “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.”
- or this one: “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”
- he becomes a swiftie for her???? pls. ( “they definitely don’t mean the version whose spotify is currently paused on taylor swift’s entire discography so he can learn all the words that make her smile” )

my mechanical romance is about bel, who reveals a talent for engineering and is basically forced to join the robotics team. and who is the captain of the team other than teo, someone she immediately butts heads with. cue academic rivals to lovers arc and cool robot fights.

in all seriousness, as a high school senior going through the college application process & a woman of color looking to pursue engineering, i saw myself so much in bel. i'm grateful to always have had a strong support system to be able to not doubt myself when doing engineering, but i still deeply relate to bel and her struggles. not only feeling confusion about your future, but being the only girl in the room. feeling invisible sometimes.

this book tackles the misogyny that comes with being a woman in stem. the direct barriers & negative comments from others, but also the more subtle things. the subconscious doubting of your abilities. the idea that if you speak up, you’re being difficult and not a team player, but if you stay quiet, you get criticized for not saying anything and being passive. i am so thankful that this book tackles these issues.

also bel's just such a strong main character. i loved her POV -- it had so much personality, it was funny, it was insightful, it was everything i ever needed. love her.

the romance in this book is SLFJDLSJ my favorite ever. please. i must admit, teo at the beginning was in *dire* need of some humbling -- some character development, you know? and that's what happened. he's a changed man, tbh and that made his relationship with bel SO MUCH BETTER. they balance each other out. they make each other better. they push each other, they banter, they fit together so well. they're just so cute please i can't handle it.

okay also the robots were so cool fasldjfasd i want to do electrical engineering y'all can you understand why i am so fascinated

the side characters in this book are amazing. lora and jamie are my favorite support system, dash never fails to make me laugh, and i am SO glad neelam was able to share her full perspective at the end.

overall, a stunner. a must-read. a must-reread.

thank you to netgalley and holiday house for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

cw: misogyny, infidelity (mentioned)

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Combining robots with academic-rivals-to-lovers romance—could it be any more perfect? My Mechanical Romance is an adorable YA romance sure to leave you demanding more. Bel, after ignoring her college apps and leaving her future undecided, is strong-armed into joining the robotics team. Teo, after upholding his status as the school’s golden child, reluctantly lets Bel on the team. The two have an undeniable chemistry, even after a rocky start. Will the two of them be able to help each other survive senior year and win Nationals?
I. Loved. This. Book!!! The writing was the perfect balance of cheesy and sweet, with a smattering of references that don’t overwhelm the characters and a smart but realistically teenage humor. The book takes place over the course of a school year, and I think it’s done pretty well. My only argument would be for more fluff/pining/angst in the late fall to early spring section, but I’m a sucker for character development scenes. The plot itself went by relatively fast, and I particularly enjoyed the different checkpoints such as homecoming, winter break, and AP exams so I could orient myself with the time of year. The characters were well balanced, which I know is a common gripe with me. I so do love the side characters! The book did them very well, and I only lost maybe one or two of the group by the end of it (and considering the size of the group, that’s not bad at all!). The characters clearly showed their support for the main couple without overshadowing them too much. The side characters were well-rounded without utterly ruining the focus from Bel and Teo. As for the couple themselves: oh my goodness I love them so much! Bel is quirky-cute and creative, and Teo is focused and hardworking. They complement one another very well, and they challenge each other to do better and think differently. I was squealing and cheering for them the whole way through! If I were to nitpick anything, it would be the insertions of… I don’t know, political stuff? The references to MAGA and heteronormativity. I didn’t mind them, but it took me out of the story a bit. It just felt awkwardly inserted is all.
My Mechanical Romance is a super sweet robotics romance with the energy of a Disney Channel Original Movie, and I loved it so much! I honestly have little to no complaints, I really fell in love with the characters and the story. 5 stars.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and the NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of “My Mechanical Romance.” I appreciated the diversity of the characters and the focus on mechanical engineering and robotics, particularly for the female high school characters. However, not every book is for every reader and this one was not for me. The pacing was too slow for me - I felt like I was building the robots myself, in real time. And it read really young, even for a YA novel.

Bel doesn’t know what she wants to do in life, and seeing as she’s a senior with college applications coming up, she really needs to find something, and fast. Problem is, she’s practically allergic to thinking about the future. Teo, on the other hand, has his college goals down pat. With four years of competitive robotics, being soccer captain, and maintaining a ridiculously high GPA under his belt, he’s confident in his plan to go to MIT. Their paths collide when Bel is forced to try out for the robotics team and Teo is intrigued by her creative and intricate bot design. My Mechanical Romance deals with what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated space, specifically physics and engineering, while also presenting a cute, well-developed enemies-to-lovers romance.

This book is super cute!! Bel is such a cute character, and I really felt for her as someone who didn’t know what they wanted to do with their life until recently. Teo was also relatable since even though I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I always pushed myself towards excellence just like him. The dynamics that Bel and Teo have with their respective parents were also (unfortunately) relatable, and this book had an understanding of parent-child relationships that I’ve only seen in Darius the Great, one of my all-time favorite books. No tears were shed while reading this book, but man was I close.

Teo and Bel also both grew a lot over the course of the book, and while I was initially surprised by the 1st person POV narration flipping between the two of them, I grew to love it. Their inner monologues were completely different, and really gave me a feel for who they were as people and what motivated them. The side characters were also great; I *love* Dash and Teo’s friendships, as well as Bel’s various relationships with Lora, Jamie, and her brothers. I really liked this book and highly recommend it if you want a cute romance with a STEM backdrop!

4.25 This was such a cute and fast, easy read. I’m honestly so surprised I liked this book as much as I did. I just couldn’t put this book down.

The characters and plot felt well developed and realistic. The struggles the seniors went through were very relatable to me as someone who recently graduated.

In the synopsis and in the book, they are said to be enemies to lovers, but they’re not enemies at any point in the story. And I wouldn’t say they were academic rivals either.

I do think the romance could have been a bit better. I did really enjoy the romance but I just felt something was missing.

I loved that this was about women in STEM and about the challenges they go through, like the sexism in STEM. At one point in the story it did kind of feel like it was being shoved down our throats, but all the other times it didn’t feel like that.

I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun and cute YA romance book with dual POV!

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, huge thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange of a honest review. All thoughts are on my own.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's amazing and cute and sweet and fluffy and everything I love to read in a romcom.

But I do have to say that this is NOT an academic rivals to lovers, they were never rivals, more like strangers to colleagues to lovers. It doesn't mean it's less cute.

I loved Bel and Teo, I loved how complex they are as characters, I could particularly connect with Isabel due to all her doubts about college (which I had), her complicated feelings towards her father (which I have) and how she felt towards Teo.

This book also has many messages towards women in STEM and feminism and I think it's a great read for girls that want to be scientists or engineers and to read a cute love story.

Can't wait for the book to come out (which is conveniently on my birthday) and buy it! It's a 10/10.

This was so cute and easy to read. Enemy to lovers is something I can't say no to so when I saw this book I knew I needed to read it. And oh God, it didn't disappointed me at all.

I quickly realized that this book was amazingly written. I never expected to start reading this book and become hooked in the first few chapters.
Firstly, I loved seeing Bel go through her senior year of high school unknowing of what she wanted. It felt so real and I could really feel her astonishment when she realized what she wanted to do in college. The robotics element was there, but it wasn’t overpowering to the plot. It was really the perfect balance.
I also really enjoyed the relationships that grew in the book. The most obvious being between between Teo and Bel. I really loved how the relationship grew, it wasn’t too fast but it also wasn’t too slow. The friendship bonds between Bel and the robotics team were also written amazingly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an eARC copy of this novel.