Who knew I would be so invested in a high school robotics competition?

This young adult romance had everything- it was witty, charming, and wholesome. Bel is a free spirited recent high school transfer, Teo is a high achieving son of a tech CEO. Can you say opposites attract? I bet you can imagine what happens, however I found that this novel did a fantastic job of making this story realistic and relatable. This book didn’t get bogged down in the technical aspects of building robots (would have lost me very early on) or petty drama. These characters were precious and had me invested very early on.

Searching for a great young adult read? Look no further. Fantastic cover, women in STEM, enemies to lovers? SOLD.

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the book started off pretty slow to me, I first found this book while going through some new releases of 2022 and was immediately drawn in by the description, women in stem? ✅ rivals to friends to lovers? ✅ don’t get me wrong since i’m not a big brain person i was a little lost when the topic of robotics and engineering came up, but it was really cool learning about new things. the book has amazing female friendships and male friendships too which is a first because you can really never find anything positive these days. everyone either fake or fucking each other significant others so there that. won’t say any spoilers but a certain girl character in this book really grew on me. did not like her at ALL at first so i was surprised to see how much her character developed the more we got to know her. don’t get me wrong it took to like the few couple chapters but we got it. the romance between teo and bel was really fun, i got a little bored at sometimes but i’m glad i kept going because those two really do fit each other. bel was able to keep teo in check while teo showed bel a whole new world which HELLO? yes! and we also love a woman putting a man in his place constantly cause the sexism in this book was REAL. in conclusion, it really is a light easy read. i was a tad bit surprise to FIND out the author of one of my fav books wrote this like i was SHOCKED. i had to stop reading and do a tad bit research. but reading it you can totally tell, this has Olivie written all over it. In ways, Bel kinda reminds
me if libby.

a good 3.5 stars and i definitely recommend to anyone looking for a light romance with some angst + any lovers of nerds getting together cause i can’t lie nerds are indeed HOT

Enemies to lovers -one of my favorite tropes. And then rivals to lovers romance explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM! Sign me up.
This does remind me of The love hypothesis, everyone's favorite romance book(i have a different opinion though).
This makes me want to go to this kind of school, just to enjoy the school environment and live a life along with it.

THIS BOOK. THIS. BOOK. OMG. It's everything. It's funny, it's sweet and it's really wonderful. I practically devoured it. I loved Bel so much because she reminded me of me. Teo is so sweet, omg. But Dash? Dash is the MVP and I must protect him at all cost. Lora, Jamie and Neelam were great too. I liked how it wasn't girl-on-girl-hate over a boy, but the way they earned things along the road. I don't understand anything about hydraulics, trust me, and it seem more easy said than done, so haha. But I loved it. I found a new comfort and favorite book!

oh my god. I literally cannot wait until this comes out and I force everyone to read it. even if it’s YA. I haven’t read any YA books in so long, so I was a bit scared that I may not like it, but holy damn. It was weitten so so so well. I laughed out loud, I cried, I sobbed. literally amazing. and the message it sent, i was just so frickin proud.
Bel, loved the way she was undoubtedly herself and absolutely loved the way she found herself at the end of the book. It was so beautiful to witness the thought process and the character development throughout the book.
Teo, the same thing. just witnessing the journey of him having to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders to accepting he won’t and cannot always be the best was heartwarming.
I was so PROUD of Bel and Neelam and literally every single character was so GOOD.
can’t stress it enough.
read this book when it comes out or else…

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free eARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review so an honest review is what you get. I was a bit bored tbh, I’m not sure if the pacing was slow or if the book should’ve been shorter? Other than that, it’s a wholesome, cute story. Definitely would’ve enjoyed this more of I was younger as it’s more middle grade/teen, but I loved seeing nerdy protagonists in STEM! I didn’t mind the lack of communication skills Bel had because she’s a teenager and even adults are still learning how to communicate! I loved the diversity in the main characters and their banter was really refreshing and made me laugh a couple of times.

3.5 stars

This is such a sweet and lovely book.

It is told from the perspectives of the main characters (Theo and Bel), and we see them getting to know each other as well as the struggles that teenagers face and live through. We have a nice variety of side characters, including people who make the entire high school experience seem real, rather than just friends as cheerleaders.

I usually have trouble reading books from the perspective of a teen, but this one felt like a nice kind of reminiscing. The way the story was written made me care about and relate to the characters. The complexities of their individual struggles and situations, and how they influenced their decision-making, the difficulties of being a woman in science, and how other women in the field feel they are working against you. It's a fantastic book that covers a wide range of important topics that merit in-depth discussion, that I feel should be happening more often.

This book is also very inspiring because I ended up wanting to build a robot and have no idea how to do so. I would recommend this book to many people, but if you have a passion for science (particularly physics) and reading and your school doesn't have a great science program, this book might leave you wishing to become a mechanical engineer.

This book was so cute. I wish I would have had it when I was in high school. I like that the focus of this book isn't just the romance but also Teo and Bel's own issues. They deal with things that many teens have to deal with when struggling with the pressures of high school and college apps. It was also really cool to see all the girl power in this book. I liked the acknowledgment of how hard it is for girls in STEM. I know quite a few women who received backlash when pursuing STEM majors in college, especially anything with tech. This book is a really feel-good read for me. I highly recommend it and will be trying to get my little sister to read it.

4.5/5 but I’m rounding up bc I loved this. The pacing and main romantic conflict needed some work but it didn’t take away from how excellent this book is. This is my kind of contemporary romantic comedy. The humor was clever, the characters were memorable, the issues were relevant and the plot was fast paced. I read all day and did not put it down even while whipping up coffee. Highly recommend everyone pre-order immediately.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This read was so adorable!!! I found it so wholesome and tugs on my heartstrings. Academic rivals to lovers?! And also more representation in the characters. This was slow for me in the beginning but I absolutely enjoyed it. If you are into young adult contemporary romance, this is the book you should pick up

"The world is not very helpful for a smart girl. More often, it will try to force you inside a box. But I urge you not to listen."

First of all, I have to state that I'm not really into romance books, so when I say this book is GOOD you better believe me that it is THAT good.

Okay, here's the list of things that I love from this book (and why you should read it):

1. The female lead character: Bel Maier. She's a genius girl in engineering, but never realize her own potential until a teacher come up to her and force her to join robotics, which is "not a common place" for a women. Bel is kinda quirky, and she never hesitates to wear fancy accessories, and it makes people doesn't take her seriously as an engineer (because she's so girly). But a genius is a genius, no matter how sparkly her shoes and earrings are, right? I love her character development. I love how she treat everyone with kindness even to someone who acts bitchy to her. I love that she intends to support other girl. I basically just love everything about her. She's strong, and super kind, and funny.

2. The male lead character: Teo Luna. A football team captain, a robotics team leader, and a super-popular boy. He's also rich and cool and cocky (overprivileged, I guess?). He kind of reminds me of Peter Kavinsky (from TATBILB series) + Adam Carlsen (from The Love Hypothesis). Actually, I can't relate to his problems, and that makes me don't see special things that is should adore about him, but I'm a sucker for a hot, genius, and rich fictional boy, so yeah.

3. I love how Alexene wrote the gender inequality issues so subtle in young adult's life. How Teo's fragile masculinity shows up, and how Bel not easily complies to him like the others in robotics team. And I also love how Alexene depicts Bel's struggle, that she's a girl in a boy's world, with the only girl who supposed to be her ally clearly shows that she doesn't want to get involve with Bel, and yet Bel still choose to believe her! I love how "spicy" Bel when she scolds the boy who's being a dick to her at the robotics tournament and how she determines to shows them who she really is and manages to beat them. Bel is a QUEEN i love her so much!!!

4. The relationship between Bel and Teo, they're soooo cute together! I love how Teo defends and supports Bel everytime and how Bel tells what she's thinking about Teo that he's a bit too "in charge" for almost everything. But I kind of feel that the growing love between them is less detailed and less thrilling, compared to the dynamics of their relationship when they realize each other's feelings until the moment of their first kiss. But I love the couple tho, I think they're complete each other!

5. The diversity! One of my favorite scene is the Holi festival that Alexene depicts so good!
I also like the elements of Filipino culture in Bel's narration.

6. I notice that one of the character here, Neelam, the only girl except Bel who's an engineer in the team, says something that left Bel second-guessing herself. I thought it's kind of an impostor syndrome? This topic seems to be just pinned on the story so it's not explored further, even though I think it's quite interesting to discuss..

After all, this is a very enjoyable and easy-to-read book with an inspiring theme. I have a very good time reading it and yes YOU should really read this book too!

My mechanical romance was such an amazing read I was hooked from start to finish. I mean who doesn’t love reading about women in STEM?
Bel not thinking about much when she switched schools during her senior year thanks to her teacher and a last minute assignment submission Bel is given the option of joining AP physics to make up for it along with tryouts to the Robitics club and just as she thinks she won’t be accepted she’s quickly accepted and struggles to find her space but with the help of her team and learning what it means to be on a team Bel reclaims her space and even find a little romance along the way.
I also loved how the characters listened to each other as they talked through issues or struggles and supported each other.

It was such a cute “enemies to academic colleagues to lovers” romance. I loved how Teo and Bel’s relationship slowly built up over time and how they impacted each other especially how Bel came out of her shell and started to take up her own space towards the end and even though things didn’t go as originally planned they still worked out in the end. Who knew how much the robotics club would change her life and she’d find her passion. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for myself and friends.

I definitely didn't expect that! I loved it!

Bel changed school after her parents divorce. A school where everyone has a plan for his future, knows exactly what they love and where they want to go. She does not.
She was practically forced into joining AP Physics and a robotics club. She discovers that she loves robotics and she got a talent.
The challenges that girls faces in STEM, and the downgrading from teacher and peers.
And then comes Teo Luna the star and leader of the team, the one who recognized the potentials she has for design and engineering.

I wanted to know more what happened to Teo, with his father who was pushing him for more and more. Someone like Teo who was a perfectionist, a leader, someone who only takes thing in his hands, someone who has pressure from everyone to be an idiol. It's a miracle he didn't fall apart. In this novel, it's been shown that his relationship with Bel saved him, but.....

Anyway.. I LOVED it!

I LOVED it!! I know nothing about engineering, but that didn't matter, this was such a fun story! I loved the banter between characters (and that they were diverse), and reading about girls in STEM always gives me feels. It definitely touches on the struggles of women in STEM but wasn't preachy. It was perfect.

Such a cute, nerdy, YA romance and I'd definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc!

My Mechanical Romance was an amazing read.

Bel is a high school senior and the new girl at school who is trying to adapt to her new environment, in which everyone except for her seems to have her life figured out. Teo is the "perfect boy" to the eye but in reality he is the son of a tech mogul who has way too many things on his plate. After Bel is encouraged by her physics teacher to join the robotics team, she and Teo, who didn't start off as the best of friends, will be forced to spend more time together.

They way the author describes the struggles of not knowing what to do with your future, how everyone seems to know and how things don't always go as planned really touched me.

Bel and Teo are very lovable main characters. Although I wasn't particularly fond of them at the beginning they did grow on me as I watched them grow and the story progressed. The supporting characters were also great although I wasn't a huge fan of the "the only girl on the team hates the new girl coming in" trope.

The way it touched the struggles of women of color in STEM while keeping it age appropriate for YA books was something I really appreciated and I found the writing style of the author to be very lovely, fast and light.

Alexene Farol Follmuth's incredible ability to create such a sugary-sweet and charming book should be scientifically studied. Not only is the title clever, but the writing and the dialogue between the characters are too. This book is so much more than just a teen/YA romance. It showcases the pressure teenagers have to figure out their life and create this grand plan before graduation. It explores the different types of experiences that girls experience in STEM such as racism, sexism, and misogyny. The romance between Bel and Teo is sweet, but this book is so much more than that. I want this made into a movie immediately.

This is a cute YA romance. It’s an opposites attract story and the romance is slow burn. A lot of focus is spent on the individual character arcs and personal growth so at times the romance feels like more of a side plot.

The “girls in STEM” aspect is a big part of the book and the main character as well as other female characters face various types of prejudice and discrimination, some of which is unintentional. I liked that the book shows several of the more insidious aspects of this, for example one female character who is seen by the boys and male teacher as angry, bitter, confrontational, etc. and how this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when they continuously underestimate her and exclude her. A lot of this was relatable for me.

The characters were well written and their arcs and character development was handled very well. I also thought the writing was well suited to the type of book and flowed well, I found the book difficult to put down.

For about 3/4 of the book I thought this would be a 5 star read, but in the end I’m only giving it 4. The ending of the book just felt a bit too much like a fairytale. There was very low conflict, everything worked out for the best, all the characters were “coupled off” and accepted to their dream colleges, the epilogue just felt too fluffy for me. Towards the end I also felt that the portrayal of misogyny towards women in STEM lost all subtlety and it felt very much like it the message “discrimination is bad - women have to stick together” was shoved in my face. I think the author should have more faith that the reader can pick up on this without practically spelling it out.

In summary I really enjoyed this book and would have enjoyed it even more as a teenager. It’s the book equivalent of a teen romance Netflix movie. I would definitely recommend it to teenage girls interested in STEM.

this is the best thing ive ever seen i mean nerds in stem ??? it incorporates pop culture without being cringey, talks about important topics such as feminism and family struggles, and accurately portrays what its like being a teenager in california. and it does all of this whilst having the cutest love story ever. this book fr had me kicking my legs and twirling my hair AND while im sick (so u know im not lying about it being a 5 star read !) i love that this book had underlying plots and themes that weren’t just romantic so this book wasn’t overwhelming at all. the writing was very different compared to alexene’s (better known as olivie blake) previous works but i loved it just the same and it reminded me so much of how she talks on twitter- go follow btw she’s hilarious💝🙌 BUT ANYWAYS this was a great read very lighthearted (very much needed since im currently also reading long way down☹️) also i adored the taylor swift allusions (seven- which mightve been unintentional-, nothing new, and the shake it off reference). anyways im super lucky to have read this before its been released and bel & teo r my babies foreal go read it as soon as it comes out u wont regret it💝💝 also also this felt a little.. ok well autobiographical isnt the right word but like the way jo march is based on louisa may alcott is like how i feel bel is based on alexene and i might be wrong but like thats so cute and makes me love both of them even more

A perfect YA contemporary romance if I've ever seen one!
I already love and respect Alexene for her work as Olivie, so I was beyond excited for this new direction that she was taking. And I am incredibly impressed and happy that I got to experience this book.
It was a quintessential YA romance; it had everything I love about the genre and more. Bel is such a relatable character, I actually think she may be THE MOST relatable one that I've ever read about in this type of books. She is flawed, she is confused and lost. I love how other play significant roles in her finding the right path for herself. <spoiler> I love how she found this particular path, the one that is not attending an Ivy and all, but a great path nonetheless and she still became extremly successful, no matter where she went to school. It deftly breaks this toxic narrative that you need to have it all figured out in high school and attend the best schools to become successful. I wish more people would see it that way. </spoiler> Hence, I really do believe a lot of people my age (last year of high school, big decisions ahead) could use representation just like this.
Her family dynamics may be really relatable to a lot of people as well and I think it's really great to show this perspective. I loved the side-characters a lot and maybe secretly wish they could get their own books, because I would love to see our dear Dash or lovely Jaime continue their journeys and maybe find some people to enjoy them with.
And then we have Teo who is such a great guy. <spoiler> I wish we could have seen him get more closure with his dad because it really was toxic and sad to experience how he was with Teo. </spoiler> But I loved his relationship with Bel, all their pining and Bel's "it's definitely not a crush". I loved how he genuinely cared about her and other people even if he himself had some maturing and self-discovering to do.
I just honestly love everything that Alexene produces and she is my favourite author ever. The acknowledgements (especially the ones to her to her husband) were just the sweetest. We cannot forget how great of a representation women in STEM got in this book. I believe it could majorly change some girl's lives or at least shift their perspectives a little.
Ah, to read it again for the first time...

the premise was so cute and it's an olivie blake so i went in knowing i would probably get confused by the science speak
but thank god i'm taking ap physics rn because that kinematics knowledge was coming in clutch
i thought the relationship between teo and bel was so sweet and i liked that they were their own person and had their own struggles
but this book is just far too short to deal with individual development AND a fully formed romance so i felt like i got cheated out of both
the identity issues got resolved way too quickly at the end?? and i would've enjoyed seeing the belteo relationship develop more because some parts felt glossed over
super super standard ya so it's trope-y and cringe-y (and felt like follmuth had not spoken to teenagers in decades - the AOC mention??? BECHDEL TEST???? babes,,, nobody talks like this in real life)
but it's sweet it's cute <33