I was super excited to read this book for a few reasons: I, myself, am a Woman in STEM™, and know how attractive a pretty, smart boy can be; I'm a sucker for a romance novel, and I love Alexene's (aka Olivie Blake's) writing.

To my surprise, her normally poetic prose didn't feature in the book as much, but rather the writing is more witty and sharp; it has a lot of dialogue (which was engaging most of the time, although I did roll my eyes at some of the lines that were supposed to be feminist but felt more out of touch, like "Do you have to be so painfuly heteronormative?", or a point in which Bel points out that her conversation with her friend Jamie isn't passing the Bechdel test), and many afterthoughts between parenthesis, but still delivers some gorgeous quotes that had me kicking my feet in excitement.

It starts of a little slow, but once it hits the halfway mark it picks up: it took me almost two weeks to get through the first half, but only a few hours to get through the second. Bel is a main character that I really liked. Even though the book tries to sell her as a little bit of a quirky-not-basic MC, she still resonated so much with me with her struggles to determine what she wanted her future to be like, the feeling that she doesn't really know as much as her peers, and the sense that she just got lucky most of the times and didn't deserve things. I wasn't a huuuge fan of Teo at the beginning, but he definitely earned points by being so in love with Bel and by trying to be supportive of her.

The romance is adorable, and the robotics element was definitely engaging, especially during the tournaments. I really liked the side characters as well: Dash, Jamie and Lora are a charming bunch. All around a very cute, light-hearted read!

I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Although YA isn’t my usual go-to genre, I really liked this! I love reading books with heroines in STEM, and this was such an encouragement for teenage girls aspiring to pursue this field. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely be getting this when it’s officially out, as well as recommend it to friends!

An enemies to lovers romance at its core, My Mechanical Romance (I also love the name choice for the book because… MCR.) explores the struggles girls of color face in STEM and showcases the high expectations high school seniors have to deal with, such as college applications, not getting into your college of choice, and trying to date at the same time.

I enjoyed the character growth for Bel & Teo along with the enemies to lovers relationship (truly my favorite kind). Both characters are super relatable and i also never thought about reading books about characters who enjoy robotics classes in high school but i was into it. i couldn’t put this book down and finished it within a day and a half.

It’s an adorable and very well written YA novel and you should definitely pick it up in stores on May 31st. 😊

Thanks to netgalley for the arc! 😊

My Mechanical Romance is a callback to a quintessential 80s romcom/coming of age! With the focus on STEM students, there is also a much needed conversation surrounding the challenges women in STEM face. More than that, it's a love letter to the science itself, featuring a diverse cast who embody the high school experience. It challenges girls to take up their space in the world and embrace ideas that scare them.
This book has:
✅ challenging family relationships
✅ struggles of women in STEM
✅ realistic Gen Z outlook on the future
✅ academic overachievers + students who have no clue what they want
✅ the nostalgia of senior year of high school
This book is perfect for anyone looking for a cute YA contemporary!

The best YA nerd romance is this one.

Bel is kind of really good at building things and thanks to a project in school (that she barely made minutes before class) her teacher made her move to AP physics and go to the tryouts for the robotics team. Bel will have to find her place and realize what to do with her future.

I loved this book. Bel was such a relatable protagonist and her relationship with Teo felt super natural and sweet. The side characters were a fun company and all the robotics things were fun and understandable.

I flew by the pages and I'm definitely re reading this book someday. Also, has you seen the cover? Stunning.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before its release.
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PLOT: My Mechanical Romance is a young adult story about a team of students who are in their senior year; a senior year that entails fears, ambitions, passion etc.
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Bel is a quirky and smart girl who isn’t really sure what to do with her life. She doesn’t want to deal with college applications because she feels she is too young to decide just one thing for her whole future. Through some circumstances that I won’t mention (no spoilers), she gets into the robotics team, and there she meets Teo. Teo is the exact opposite of Bel; he is driven, ambitious, unstoppable, and persistent. He knows what he wants and he is thriving. He is cute and nerdy, and he and Bel make a great team. They are becoming fast friends, and perhaps something more.
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Nothing comes easy in life, and these characters have to figure out what they are passionate about.
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THOUGHTS: I wasn’t hooked in this story immediately. Perhaps, because robotics isn’t really something that I know much about. It was really slow for me in the beginning. I would say the second half of the book is more interesting. The dynamic between the characters is stronger, as well.
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The characters are well-written. Both the main and secondary, I would say. This is what I actually liked more in this book. Every single character is unique.
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Plus, it’s interesting to see the academic element in books, and also, the difficulties teenagers have to face in order to achieve their dreams.
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However, I wasn’t convinced 100% by the relationship between Bel and Teo. Perhaps, it needed more buildup.
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On the whole, I needed a bit more.

Holy moly - I truly could not get enough of this book. Completely loved it, front to back, and was so sad when it was over. This was new and different and still very precious and wholesome. Sometimes I get a little nervous with how adult YA can actually be, but I would love for any YA-er in my life to read this and would happily give it away to anyone to enjoy.

All of the characters were very endearing but also felt like just the right amount of teenage angst. The pressures of high school are intense, especially in a settling like we see in this book, and I enjoyed the attention and care paid to that, while also keeping things light and funny. There is nothing like some text banter between friends and a good old-fashioned crush, and I loved every bit. Some more serious topics were also tackled like divorce and parental strife, both handled with care. I loved, loved, loved Bel and her evolution through the story - the storyline itself was great and different - bots! Robotics competitions! Regionals! It's like Glee but circuit boards and well, far less singing tbh. I SHIP IT.

Five raving stars and I can't wait to read this again when it comes out in May. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this, and I will keep my eyes peeled for more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest opinion

Bel's life changes when her parents get divorced and she is enrolled in a private school her senior year. She starts off fairly aimless, just trying to get by until a Woman Science teacher sees potential in her. Bel is pushed into trying out for the robotics team and despite not wanting to join it becomes life changing. Teo, the leader of the robotics team, is a genius with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The two clash at first but begin to see that they may be building towards something great together.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved the way this Young Adult Romance took on the way girls are discouraged from trying in STEM fields. Bel is such a realistic character and watching Bel grow and learn to believe in what she has to offer was beautiful

The robotics elements of the story were exciting. I was getting super into it. The book had just the right amount of robotics/science and always kept it to a level a reader without much knowledge could enjoy.

The Romance was a slow burn but adorable. The dorky banter between Bel and Teo was everything. The characters complimented each other , including the secondary cast.

Overall, I loved it. This is a book I would recommend if you love female empowerment, teenage romance, and think nerds are so hot right now.

This one is available for pre-order and comes out May 31st.

#arcreview #youngadult #youngadultromance #girlsinstem #romancereadersofinstagram #bookreview #bookreviewersofinstagram #bookstagram #mymechanicalromance #robotics #hotnerds #talknerdytome #windycitybookstagrammers #bookishpost #bibliophile #marchreads #bookwormsunite #debutbooks

I knew I would love this book when I finished the first chapter. I instantly felt connected to Bel. I loved reading her point of view. Her character development was done so well. I love how authentic and creative she is. She likes to wear colorful and sparkly outfits, unique jewelry, and even makes some of her clothing pieces herself. I appreciate reading about a character who isn’t afraid to embrace her passion for style. At the beginning of the book, she doesn’t really know where she fits in or who she wants to be. She struggles with finding her place in the world. Reading about this specific struggle felt like receiving a hug, it was so comforting. I think this book is exactly what I needed when I was in high school. I’m in college now but it took me a long time to choose what I wanted to study and what I wanted my future to look like. I was rooting for Bel and wanted to see her succeed. It was great to see her find passion and inspiration as she explored her interests. Bell is brilliant and intelligent. Who doesn’t love women of color in STEM? This topic was written beautifully and realistically. Bel wasn’t given the same treatment as her male teammates and even though this initially discouraged her, she quickly proved how she was just as capable as them, if not more. The topic of elitism and classism is also discussed well. As a woman of color myself, I saw firsthand the opportunities I lacked and the challenges I would have to overcome in order to be successful. I relate to Bel so much, even in the simple aspects of her character. The friendships in this book are amazing! I wanted to be part of the girl group so bad. And the romance was just as awesome. The academic rivals to lovers trope is one of my favorites. It was so cute! It captured all of the feelings that come with falling in love. Teo was a great boyfriend. He was thoughtful and respectful. It was so apparent how in love he was with Bel. There was also so much depth to his character and I like how his point of view also felt authentic. As book lovers, we love smart boys and like the author said, nerds are hot. I don’t make the rules but that’s a fact. I strongly urge you to pre-order this book now! It is out May 31, 2022. It’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I will not know peace until I own a physical copy of it. I’m pre-ordering it now!

I guess I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the sweetest book I've ever read.
First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
The genre of the book is "Teen romance", so if you're tired of the repetitive adult romances, you're in the right place.
I had read the author's The Atlas Six before, and although the genres were completely different, I did not miss the similarities. In the book, our main characters Bel and Teo are high school seniors at a private school and they are both interested in robotics. Naturally, be prepared to hear occasional physical remarks, which I find quite sincere; It shows that the author knows what they're talking about.
Apart from the sweetness and harmony of Teo and Bel, I especially admired Bel's character design. We all know those classic "I'm not like other girls" stereotypes. Here's Bel, the person those characters wanted to be but couldn't be. She is such a unique character that deep down I wanted to be her too.
Let me quickly mention that the book has the tropes "academic rivals to lovers" and "boy falls first" 😉.
The book will be released on May 31, until then I hope you can wait because you should definitely read it 🤍

Had really high hopes for this book, because The Atlas Six was an immediate all-time favourite (same author, different pen name!). And objectively, the writing style was strong and recognizable, but it didn't work for me at all. It made the book feel overwritten, because it felt like every single line needed to be as snappy as possible, and that made for an exhausting reading experience to me. On top of that, no matter how much I loved the concept of girls in STEM, I just found the story to be really uninteresting, and it couldn't hold my attention.

before i start the review, i would like to let everyone know i was grinning like a total idiot throughout 95% of this book because of how cute it was.

my mechanical romance is a cute academic enemies-to-lovers with the main character being a woman in STEM. i recommened this to anyone who wants a light and cute read. the story is like any other generic YA romance, and there were times where the characters would annoy me and i'd find them a bit pretentious, but i let that slide because no one is perfect (even fictional characters). i loved the banter between the two main characters and the development of their enemies to friends to lovers relationship. i also really liked the emphasis on struggles of women on in STEM and just feminism in general throughout the book. my chemical romance shows girls that their gender doesn't define them. it shows the struggles of the main character being a girl in STEM and gives a good lesson of how just because someone is a girl, it doesn't mean they're lesser than a guy. it shows that no matter the gender, anyone can succeed if they try hard enough. i truly did enjoy this book, and even though i'm in the biggest slump ever and super busy with school, i managed to finish it in just a few days.

thank you Holiday House and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I really enjoyed My Mechanical Romance!! It was a quick, easy read with main characters and friendships with fun dynamics. The story is told through the perspectives of high school seniors, Bel and Teo. Bel wants to go with the flow and not have to worry about the pressure of whatever is out there after high school while Teo is quite the opposite and feels like he always needs to have the solution to everything in order to have his life together. But you know what they say... opposites attract and these two find themselves learning to work together on the Robotics team. The more they work together, the more you can see how their relationship helps them find a balance between being too chill and too uptight. Bel and Teo have great banter and natural chemistry which made both of them so easy to love.

I loved the strong female characters in this story. Not only did Bel have good qualities as the main character, but other female side characters did as well. Whether it was her mom working to support the family; her ambitious, kind, and loyal friends and supportive female teacher. The representation of women in STEM and the struggles they face in a male-dominated industry was done so well especially showcasing it at the high school level where they haven't even started their careers yet. It is such an important topic and I hope many young girls will read this book and realize they deserve to take up space early on. I also appreciated how the story showed the struggles girls face in a variety of ways because while girls are already at a disadvantage, not everyone's experience is the same and at the end of the day we need to support each other! (Bonus points for the Filipino representation with Bel being half-Filo go women of color in STEM!!!)

Thanks to Holiday House and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! I thought this book was a carbon copy of all the middle grade romcoms I read when I was younger. I think it does what it sets out to do, but it is nothing spectacular.

absolutely LOVE this book!!!! i really adore the high school romance somehow it's so sweet and just such young innocent love (IN WHICH I LIKE OF COURSE) i also just like how i automatically sympathize with both the main characters because i just relate with their struggles :( as someone who just graduate high school and get in to college a few years ago, i still rememble the struggles and the anxiety from not knowing what to do with your future, especially in Bel's case it's so frustrating :( ANYWAYS i love this book, i love the romance SO MUCH, the chemistry between them 😍😍🥰 the friendships!!!! and reading this makes me miss high school 😭😭 IMMEDIATEY 5 STARS WHEN I START GRINNING AND PUNCHING MY PILLOWS WHENEVER I READ THE CUTE ROMANCE PART

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Take up your own space, Bel. Don’t let other people tread over it.”

Girls in STEM!! Boys who are nerds and also idiots!! Complicated family relationships and fear of the future!!

For all intents and purposes, I read this in one go. I absolutely could not put it down. In the beginning, I wasn’t totally certain I’d love it, but even then I was hooked and invested and, shocker, by the end I was crying and obsessed. The plot is somewhat slow to start, but it picks up quickly and everything builds until suddenly you’re reliving long-buried high school memories and for some reason you’re okay with it. It makes you nostalgic for that high school rush and, for me at least, made me proud of how far I’ve come from the senior scrambling to have everything figured out. The romance is sweet and adorable and it was so easy to root for Teo and Bel all the way through. Did they put my emotions through the ringer in the last half? They sure did, and I loved every second of it.

Every single one of the characters is unique and endearing and I couldn’t get enough of them. The emphasis on women (and WOC) in STEM and on women supporting women warmed my heart, and on the flip side watching Bel face all the sexism that comes with the field made me angry and sad and so proud of all the big and small ways the women in the book all pushed back against it.

As much as I want to keep this review somewhat short for once, I can’t not talk about Bel. I saw so much of myself in her, both in terms of myself at her age and myself now, and it just made everything hit that much harder. Even the very basics felt eerily similar: I did robotics, I was good at math even though I didn’t like it or want to be, etc. And that’s without even touching on the deeper stuff. Even if you don’t relate to Bel as much, her emotions come through so clearly on the page and she’s so easy to sympathize with and root for and I love that teenage girls will have a character like her.

Frankly, I would read anything this author writes, which is saying something because it’s not easy to get me to read YA contemporaries. While this felt definitely distinct from her other books, it still had all the excellence and emotion that I look forward to. There’s a moment towards the end of this book where a younger girl sees Bel at a robotics competition and is inspired by her. Bel recognizes that she only has to inspire one person to choose STEM, and that person in turn only has to inspire one person; that everything builds and this is how change starts. This, I think, sums up both the book itself and how I hope this book will affect teenage girls considering STEM.

i’m in awe of how cute this book is! the pace was little slow in the beginning but it was honestly worth it when it started to pick up! i wasn’t sure what to expect when i started reading but i’m so happy i continued it! the relationship between bel and teo was so wholesome and i loved seeing their little moments and glances before they even got together. you could tell they cared so much about each other. also, this book is dual pov so we got to see the thoughts of both bel and teo!

bel is the cutest ever! i love how throughout the entire book, she never stopped being herself. she was such a relatable character to me personally and it meant a lot being able to see her grow. in the beginning, you could tell she wasn’t sure what she was doing but throughout the book you see her become more confident in her abilities and it was amazing to see!

teo omg! i swear i just wanted to give him the biggest hug. this man was so kind and generous and always wanted the best for everyone. he always wanted to help and take on others problems before his own. such a selfless character! and he had such a soft spot for bel and it was so sweet!

overall, this book was absolutely adorable and aside from the romance, the message it gave across was amazing! i 100% recommend this book if you are into cute, fluffy romances and robotics! happy reading!💗

What an easy read! Very pleasant.

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

"The world is not very helpful to a smart girl."

Storyline/Plot: I think the storyline is super realistic for a high school girl to have to overcome. I remember when I was in my senior year, and even now just 6 years later, the stress of trying to find out what you were going to major in and what you're future would be like, I mean I still don't know. It has been a long time since I've read a whole book about high schoolers, and it does make me realize it feels like those themes are on the younger side, for me personally, which makes me feel super old. The writing style is very fluent and easy to understand, and it's such a short book, it definitely helped me get through it. Really I just had troubles really connecting to the story with how young it felt, and I did find myself just wanting to get the book completed.

"Because wherever I am, I want her close by."

Romance: I enjoyed the light romance progression in this book. I think that it was easy going, and fairly stress-free even in the heated moments. Of course, it's not the height of the story, and the development of character for Bel and Teo is really where the focus is.

"Take up your own space, Bel. Don't let other people tread over it."

Characters: I enjoyed the character development, especially for Bel. Her finding her own voice and making her future her focus, and not what other people think your future should look like. I also enjoyed watching Teo realize his feelings. But of course, these are high schoolers, so I had an extremely difficult time connecting with them because it felt like children.

World-Building: The world-building is based on a real place, so I don't have too much to say.

"You're dangerous, Bel Canto."

Overall, it was a light, nice, read. But I didn't really feel drawn in. When it truly releases, I don't believe I will reread it. It was worth it for the time being, but I have other things on my TBR I am more focused on rather than a reread of this.

Ah what a cute little read! This YA novel about a girl in ROBOTICS and a Romance with the “hot” nerd it just drips with adorable-ness.

Received an advance copy from NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.

The overall boom was very cute as I said before BUT the pace was a bit slow and I kept putting the book down because I was ready to fall asleep a few times HOWEVER once Bel and Tea finally got together the pace picked up and things really happened all in all super cute little book

OMGGG such a cute romance!! It was everything I wanted it to be and more!! Finally more representation of women in STEM, yesss. Not only that, but women supporting women instead of taking each other down. I couldn’t stop smiling, such an interesting concept!