I loved how the author discussed the discrimination that women face in a male-dominated engineering field.
As a teenage girl myself, I found the main character Bel very relatable, because I am also interested in STEM but hate to think about my future or anything college related (and love Taylor Swift!).
Teo was a very well-written character because under all the confidence he had his own insecurities and doubts. The relationship of these two characters was super adorable, yet realistic.
You will enjoy this book if you love the academic rivals to lovers trope, women of color in STEM!
Trigger warnings: sexism/misogyny, classism, infidelity, vomit.

This was cute! I did like the main relationship and I did appreciate the STEM field. Seeing the way women were treated definitely hit home for me.

My frustration with this came from the later portion. I also felt like some storylines were never fully resolved. I’m not sure I liked the dialogue choices in some parts.

This was a cute read. I appreciated the ending. I liked a lot of this… but this comes in at a 3.5 due to other reasons.

"Bel Canto"

Teo Luna could make just about any girl swoon, which is one of the reasons he is my favorite character in the story. While this book was not exactly a five star read, it did have characteristics that I throughly enjoyed. Overall the concept of the story was sweet and cute but also aware of today's societal trends. Firstly, the diversity throughout this story was pleasurable, something that is not too rare within today's books but also not as common. I enjoyed the raw and transparency problems these characters are go though, it makes them relatable and real. What prevented this book from receiving a five-star rating from me was the writing style in which the novel was written in. While the writing style may be a personal preference, there were things that I found frustrating when reading. For example, Bel would explain to the reader certain robotic terms that were being used while she was building the robots as though she new we were in her head, thus taking away from the realism this story was to provide. Instead I was left feeling as though I was reading a science paper, and the student was trying to explain to the reader what everything was. It left me feeling as though I was reading a science paper instead of a novel. While I get this was mainly used to explain to the reader what was happening so they would not be left behind, I feel it took away from the story and was somewhat focused on too much.

Overall I liked the book and I'm interested to see what else this author writes next. Thank you Peachtree Teen for providing and allowing me to read this ARC.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers in STEM. Exciting plot with Bel who is forced to join the robotics team and Teo having to work with her to win nationals.

Cute romance novel. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I liked this book a lot. It has a diverse cast of characters and is able to display cultures fairly well. The characters are very lovable, I wish we got to know more about them. I, however, can only give this 4 stars because I feel as though the romance between the 2 main characters were a little rushed and I really wanted them to delve into Teo's character flaw a little more than they did. The focus on Bel's struggles in STEM was very endearing and is honestly so relatable the #girlpower sentiment was great. I loved Neelam as a character (honestly I loved all the side characters, so often in romances the leads will just be by themselves with no friends and all they have is each other like you don't lose yourself and your friends just because you have a bf, come on) she really embodies a girl that's just over the misogyny. Like, there was a reason for her bitchy-ness you know? Filipino representation as well is a plus for me. There definitely are some cute moments in this book like the first kiss and Teo and Bel pining after the other. All in all, this is definitely worth a read. It's cute, it's got struggles of being a woman in STEM and not knowing what you want to do with your life, Robots, and super good side characters. 4.25/5

Reading this book wasn’t enough. I need it to be injected into my bloodstream. I was definitely judging this book by it’s cover and it lived up to my expectations.

Bel. Isabel. Bella. If I had to describe her character in short then she’s like unexplored mine. She has quickly became one of my favourites, mostly because I found her character to be so freaking relatable. Hates thinking about the future? Check. Hates anything related to college? Check. Loves Taylor Swift? Check. Is unapologetically awkward? Double check. She’s just like me. And I adore her. I loved how she’s figuring out herself. It shows the journey. This is book depicts the ‘coming of age’ factor so accurately.

Teo. Mateo. Mateo the second. He’s the super focused guy. I mean that guy is the captain of the soccer squad AND the robotics team he knows what he’s doing (on the outside that is). But Teo is also like every other teen. He’s indecisive, has doubts and is uncertain. So, I loved how this character is balanced in the book. And he’s definitely one of the most realistic fictional guy I’ve ever read.

I loved Bel and Teo’s meet cute. It was adorable to the T. I loved how their dynamics developed through the book. It’s Rivals to Lovers and as a plus, both of them are grumpy. I adored the sub characters as well. Each member of the Robotics team. Neelam, Lora, Jamie and Dash have a special place in my heart.

I loved how this book is basically breaking the stereotypes. It was exhilarating to see Bel fight for what’s right. Diversity in STEM with a side of Feminism is what makes this book unique.

I loved how the book put forward the message that it’s okay to be uncertain about the future, to not have everything planned out. Things would work out the way that they have to, just never stop trying and that’s such a powerful subject matter for a YA book.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the arc!

Wow, just, wow! A high school romance story with characters that actually act like real high school students? I’m kidding, kind of. This one is for the nerds who constantly worry about the letter “A”.

As a person who struggles with academic validation all my life, I can relate with the characters so much. Although the romance story is very cute (trust me it’s very very heartwarming), I can’t help to compare my own experience searching for the right direction on what to do next in my academic life. Bel, a transfer student from a mediocre school, finds herself struggling to find her passion in her new-full-of-high-achieving-kids high school. It is kind of unfair to be an 18 year old and people expect us to pick a major that going to define our life. It is such a huge responsibility to shoulder on a barely-even-an-adult.

It is a story about failure, learning, passion, and this one also tackles on how to deal with privileges as a student. Teo has been a rich and smart kid all his life and not to mention a bunch of his achievements. Basically he’s your dream kid if you are a parent. But as all humans, he has his flaws. For Teo, this story is about making peace with his flaws and accept your life is not entirely yours to control.

All in all, this book is worth the time and I really really looking forward to seeing it in the bookstores! 🥳

Thank you holiday house pub & netgalley for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The synopsis is from Goodreads.

The academic rivals to lovers trope fun to read but what I love the most about this book is how it discussed the sexism/gender discrimination in certain fields like STEM jobs that are predominantly male. I love how the author tackled such heavy topic while keeping the story simple, engaging, and light.
I also liked that the characters have personalities and not just one-dimensional. I truly enjoyed reading the character development of the 2 main characters. Even the side characters are well written, especially Neelam!
The high school romance is cute, and the STEM/robotics element is engaging, the the issues discussed can also be still be relatable even to older readers.
A totally fun light read! Highly recommend to those into academia romance and books with awesome female lead!

This was adorable. A genuine joy to read. The author, one of my favourites, truly has a stunning way with words.

“I’ve always believed that there’s a possibility for everything in the world to collide for a single perfect moment, and that sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get to have one for yourself. This one is ours.”

I finished this book in less than a day, consumed in one sitting. It is well written and funny, and the characters are likeable and relatable. I spent a good portion with a grin on my face.

“We’re not friends, we’re academic colleagues.” “Enemies to academic colleagues to lovers.”
“Stop saying that!”


All in all, this book was throughly enjoyable. The character development is terrific. It handles difficult concepts (females in a male dominated STEM world) without making light of them. The teenagers, while obviously being very bright and knowledgeable, still clearly act like teenagers. Highly recommend.


eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was undeniable cute. It gave me so much serotonin, I am in love.

Everything is perfect, the relationship between the characters are just *chef’s kiss*. A romance between academical rivals is AMAZING, I loved it so much. As someone who is going through university now, and dealing with academic life, it is really amazing and fun to read a book that is about characters that are going through similar things.

Also, I was shocked to discover that the author is actually Olivie Blake.

Yup yup yup!!!! I really liked this book!! Very wholesome academic rivals to lovers, plus representation and STEM! It is a YA contemporary romance. Also, same author as Olivia Blake (pen name) so if you like her writing style, you'll probably also like this!

I IMMEDIATELY downloaded this book when I saw it pop up. Atlas Six (same author under different names) was an instant favorite, and I was so excited to read more from this author. While I can definitely see similarities in the writing style, this work did not carry the same weight in it's prose or plot that Atlas did, nor did it wreak the same emotional damage as Alone with You in the Ether. I think a lot of that had to do with subject matter and target audience, both of which are a good deal younger than me. This high school romance was sweet and smart, and I loved the messages for Women in STEM, but that's just about the max depth of the book. I'd frankly still read this author's grocery lists, she's that good, but I look forward to reading more of her adult works soon.

4/5 stars

EVERYTHING I NEEDED AND MORE OUT OF A STEM YA RIVALS-TO-LOVERS ROMANCE....

Bel very much has no clue what she's doing in life (same girl). But when she transfers to a new school at the beginning of her senior year, her advisor makes it very clear things are going to have to change if she wants to be on her teacher's good side (and you know, graduate). Enter Teo, Mr. Hot and-he-knows-it who happens to be the son of a huge tech mogul and is super smart too. When the two of them have to work together on the robotics club, it's a recipe for disaster. Bel is certain she and Teo will never be friends. But turns out sparks fly both on and off the circuit board, let's just hope the

I. Loved. This. I really did. I knew just from the title and the cover (DID YOU SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT COVER ART IS???) that I was going to be obsessed with this book. The characters are so lovable, Bel is honestly my spirit animal and I desperately want those bird jeans. Teo is the cute, smart, techy boy my performing arts high school was missing. There's none of that miscommunication trope thank goodness and the conflict was handled super well. I was literally giggling and kicking my legs like a maniac while reading this it was so gosh darn cute.

WE LOVE WOMEN IN STEM. WE LOVE WOMEN CALLING EACH OTHER OUT WHILE STILL SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER. WE LOVE MEN BECOMING AWARE OF THEIR OWN PREJUDICES.

Thank you Alexene Farol Follmuth for writing what I think is going to become my 2022 YA comfort book. I will most definitely be reading this again very, very soon. Everyone please stop what you're doing and go read this. I beg you.



Thank you Netgalley and Junior Library Guild for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The book was adorable, in terms of the enemies to lovers trope, and the way the relationship progressed. I often caught myself fangirling, and it was really nice.

Even though this books seems like a light read there are lots of moments when you are shown what is it like to be a girl in a field where mostly men work. How often you are thought of less just because it's not a place with lot of women and you have to prove your worth.

I related to the main character in a lot of ways, which made me feel quite nostalgic, so I just flew through the pages and read most of the book during one evening.

I definitely recommend this book, if you are looking for a fun and thought provoking book at the same time.

I liked it so much. I was so excited for this book, that when I heard there were arcs avalaible, I took my chance

It is a very light-read book, it took me a day or so, it's cute, sweet and very fast-paced. The whole robotic topic, I LOVED IT! It made me want to dig deep on the topic. It made me think a lot about how I should have my future planned and all that, like Theo, so I felt seen with Bel and her whole dilemma with the future.

I would recomend it so much for someone that wants to see a perspective of the future, and how you can get to that future. I really liked it, so I gave it 3/5

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.