thank you for netgalley for the copy in exchange of an honest review! :)

I sped read this book in about a day. I loved the women in STEM concept — and feeling as if you have to carve out your own place in a world where you don’t fit. it was gooooood! highly recommend!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Publisher for this copy!

This was a pretty enjoyable YA romance read and if you were a huge fan of The Love Hypothesis I think you'll enjoy this as well. I was also surprised that there was Filipino representation here, and I really enjoyed that bit too.
It was very easy to get into this book because of the trope academic rivals, and the banter between Bel and Teo was pretty entertaining.

I loved this book because our main character, Bel, is actually half Filipino who was forced to join the robotics team after one of her teachers told her that she had a huge potential for it. Reading about Bel's high school adventures honestly made me feel a bit nostalgic with mine. We see her struggle to compete and feel pressured because with she thinks her classmates have their whole life planned out already.
Aside from that, I love how realistic this book was when in came to the pressure we feel from our parents when it comes to academics. It always made you feel like if you fail, you'll be such a disappointment and they won't love you anymore.

Teo is our genius hero here, and I loved him. He was such a reliable friend to everyone, he was attentive to everyone's needs and he was always there to lend a helping to others. I love his connection with Bel, he definitely inspired Bel to embrace herself and to always be the better version of herself. Which is why their romance is pretty adorable, they were always open and understanding of one another and they were a team when it comes to everything.

Also, this book tackles the sexism oftenly observed in the engineering field. We see the girls here struggling to prove themselves and always working hard for the approval of others.

Overall, such a easy and fun book to read!

AHHH this was so good!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ It melted my heart!! It was definitely one of the best YA romances i’ve read recently. who doesn’t love a good stem romance?!

7.14 on cawpile, so it's a low 4 but a 3 felt too low. I enjoyed the robotics parts and the STEM and the message about girls in science. The romance was kinda eh for me, I didn't really feel it

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

this was a really cute read! i loved both teo's and bel's individual characters and as a former robotics team member and current woman in stem a lot of the effort that was put into including accurate details was not lost on me. i did love teo's and bel's dynamic throughout the book and how their feelings developed for each other was very well written and nothing felt too rushed. that being said, i do think the last 20% wrapped up too fast for me and while the pacing of the rest of the book was great, the conclusion and epilogue didn't leave me feeling satisfied. without spoiling anything, a lot of the issues that bel and teo had in their relationship and individually ended up getting resolved too quickly considering how much buildup there was surrounding these problems. overall this was a cute ya romance and i would recommend it to people looking for a fun, easy-to-read book!

This book was everything I like about YA romcom!!!

Our main character, Bel, is very fun and SOOO relatable. It always makes me a bit emotional to see a character on the page going through the same kind of struggle as I am, and being lost and trying to figure out what to do with your life is definitely something I can relate to (yes, even tho I’m now in my 20s). It was also very heartwarming to see Bel getting support from the people around her, whether it be at school or at home. Teo was also a really nice character. Although his “confidence” (let’s call it that for lack of better word) that he is absolutely needed to make things work around him throughout most of the book was a little annoying, so it was really nice when he realized the world wasn’t gonna fall apart if he couldn’t hold it (Atlas reference haha). His struggles and fears were also very relatable.

The relationship between the two characters was really nice and cute and I absolutely loved seeing their relationships with their friends and classmates.

Finally, what gave uniqueness to this book was of course the robotics/mechanics side of the story. I liked how the book tackled the matter of sexism in science-related fields of study without pretending to be magically solving it. My hope is that this book will show young teens that they CAN pursue science careers if they want, but also that they can do that while being themselves (whether it be girls who like makeup or like to read romance books or whatever!).

Thank you to Netgalley and Alexene Farol Follmuth for providing me with this arc! It is great to see Olivie is a great writer in any genre she chooses!

I loved that this book explores the perception of Girls and STEM studies- and Bel is as bold as they come coupled with the anxiety of youth, the indecision and yearning to be loved and understood by peers and the adults.
This story started slow in that first chapter and after that it picks up and I for one loved Bel's teacher who proposed that she try her wits out in the Robotics class reminding her that she's got a mind like everyone else, what matters is that she uses it.
The cover draws attention and the story keeps it. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This was, without exaggeration, the best YA rom-com I have ever read. Ever. The characters, the voice, the plot, the pacing—everything was perfect. My Mechanical Romance is a pure bundle of joy. Go read it.

(Longer review to come.)

This was such a cute and fun story. I enjoyed every moment of it and the writing is so so beautiful!!! I'm so thankful that more stories involving women in STEM are gaining popularity lately.

I loved Bel so much, I loved her attitude, and her passion for building. And then we have Teo, the golden boy whom everyone loves, but his life isn't as perfect as it seems. I enjoyed their banter so much and I like how their relationship developed. The side characters were such a fun bunch and they're one of the reasons why I enjoyed reading this.

This book also talks about sexism and how women (especially in male dominated areas like STEM) are often looked down on and questioned about their abilities, but Bel and the rest of the girls prove them wrong!!

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute YA. As someone who was into a male dominated sport for years I really enjoyed the premise of a girl being good at boy things. Gender equality is always refreshing in stories. I really resonated with bel and was rooting for her the whole time. It was also really cool to have robotics be the centre of the plot. However at times the physic speak was a little too much and over my head

At first I hated Teo. You probably will as well. But he kinda grew on me ?

The love story itself is cute, but what I loved most is Bel, the main character. I related a lot to her experience as a girl in engineering/STEM, and I think that many will too.

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review.

Isn't the cover cuteee???
Academic rivals to lover in STEM, I wasn't sure about this one at first, but my introduction to Bel just made me fall in love with the book.

I love Bel so much and she's really interesting and relatable, loved that she always stood up for herself. Teo grew on me, an amazing guy! Kind of a perfectionist who always wants to find a solution to every problem.
I loved that he paid so much attention to Bel and was always proud of her. Both of them together?? Awesome! Amazing duo! The connection was so natural, and I loved that they were able to help each other grow.
The side characters and the friendships made were amazing and loveable, which makes me want to join the robotics team! aha aha!!! Dash???!!!! My favorite character, he was so funny, he made me laugh hard!.

This was a really cute read. I was smiling from ear to ear while reading this book.

This is exactly the kind of book I wish I had when I was in high school, but I'm so glad it's going to be out in the world soon!! I related so much to these characters, especially because I was part of my high school robotics team for two years before eventually moving on to pursue engineering in college. I loved how the "power/expectation" imbalance between boys and girls in STEM was handled so well and I think is a conversation that needs to continue being talked about. The female empowerment and uplifting friendships in this book were so heartwarming to see evolve throughout the book and teaches an incredibly important lesson for young girls wanting to pursue STEM that they are valid and deserve a place in this field. And of course, we have the classic academic rivals-to-friends-to-lovers that was executed so beautifully and organically; I want to wrap Bel & Teo in a big, tight hug because they truly deserve the world. The diversity in this book was also the cherry on top (seeing Filipino & Iranian rep really made my heart soar :') ). I cannot recommend this book enough & hopefully this is the start of more STEM books to come!

This book was AMAZING and I’m in love. It follows Bel and Teo, and it’s told from two perspectives. And… it’s academic rivals to lovers perfection.

After doing a project for a class the morning it’s due, Bel’s teacher tells her she has some impressive engineering skills and she should try to join the robotics team. Bel is super hesitant about that, but she ends up doing it – she goes there to fail, but Teo immediately picks her when she does a cool design better than what everyone else is doing. After that, they enter a bit of a rivalry/get annoyed with each other regularly because Bel doesn’t seem to care about the club at first, and the club is the thing Teo cares about most. As the story goes on though, Bel of course finds passion and love for robotics and… for Teo, heheheh.

At the start of the book, I was enjoying it and thought it was a pleasant read, but once I got over 20%, I fell in love. I fell in love with Teo and Bel as individuals, and I related to so many things they were going through. Their romance is absolutely incredible too, and I feel like the development of it was perfectly done – the progression is so natural, and it’s neither too slow nor too rushed. I rooted for them so much, and loved how they really brought out the best in each other. Their individual character development was so good too.

Also, even though I’m by no means a science person, I am certainly a nerd, so I loved that about the characters and all the themes around robotics. It’s not something I’m directly interested in at all, but because of how passionate they were about it, it made me love all those parts of the book as well.

Overall, the story is light-hearted but it does also address the difficulties and discrimination of girls of color in STEM, which I thought was an amazing addition to the story, and it all worked seamlessly together.

So obviously, I highly recommend this for all fans of YA contemporary romance, for all nerds and people who love nerdy characters. If you want a fun book that’ll be really quick to read, will make you smile, and root for wonderful characters, you need to pick this up the second it comes out.

I cannot love Teo and Bel enough. They are so cute in this YA read. Bonded over robotics and dealing with the pressure to compete Teo and Bel pull it off and together. I love this book!

thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange of an honest review !

this was a really cute book that was perfect while reading stories with heavier topics! bel's character was amazing and relatable. her thoughts, her interactions with friends and family, she felt so real, it is perfect for younger girls who face the same problems as she or neelam do. teo's character was definitely my favorite and i loved how his development was made, leading him into understanding his relationships with the other characters and that his vision of what surrounds him definitely isn't the same for everyone. all of this without making any of the characters annoying!

bonus point on how well done the rivals to lovers was made and handle, it was super realistic and the timeline was perfect. the epilogue was really sweet and after finishing it, i wouldn't have said no to at least 50 more pages of their future!

this was my first read by this author and i'm beyond excited to check her other work under olivie blake and what she will keep publishing.

What an amazing book!
The book is super exciting and would love to read more from the author!

Thankyou netgalley for the ARC

"Honestly? Physics is easy. What’s hard is feeling like I want to be invisible all the time."

Alexene Farol Follmuth is a new author to me and her writing style was just as I prefer. This was a really smart, geeky, tech-savvy and at the same time funny and wholesome romance! Isabel Maier was such a relatable heroine. She's awkward, confused but so smart and supportive but what I liked the most about her was her transparency. Because of all those qualities, not only her but all the other characters felt so real and easy to grasp.

"What he and I have together is the best thing we’ve ever built."

Matteo aka Teo Luna was another wonderful main character! Seriously, I adored the guy. He saw Bel for who she was, he was the one who gave her the push she needed that lead her to the right direction. I loved watching them evolve from initially being strangers to confidants to friends and finally to lovers! Overall, this was a totally endearing read with relatable circumstances that all teenagers have to go through at a crucial point in their lives. It is definitely recommend to anyone who is in the mood to pass time with a lighthearted, coming of age, drama free romance (with a little steam), a story of self growth and some pretty diverse characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the eARC

“The world is not very helpful to a smart girl”
“Enemies to academic colleagues to lovers”
This book was really good. It had a perfect combination of fluffy romance and some very educational lesson that I feel like a lot of people should start learning.
The plot itself was more than simply a college romance!!
Bel’s story as well as other girls’ ones showed how undervalued women are especially when it comes to science physics and robotics.
Yes men can build and use the Robo I guess when women can do it and sometimes even better!!!
I loved the feeling of partnership that developed between the team members both with boys and girls!!
But I also loved how Teo was described.
I loved the fact that he was simply a boy on whose shoulders there was the heavy burden of a huge amount of expectations coming from school, coming from family and finally coming from himself.
This book was really good and the dynamics between the characters were relatable and funny to read about.
“Take up your own space, Bell. Don’t let other people tread over it”
“You’re dangerous, bel canto”