I don’t read much romance but I do enjoy nerdy romance stuff and this really fit the bill. It was fun and I liked the characters.

This book was such a cute short read and I flew through. I loved the whole premise of this book as I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really cool seeing robotics as a theme and learning a little about it. The romance was really cute and simple and there were many cute friendships too. Definitely recommend.

This was a cute read and I loved the representation of young women in STEM. For me personally, it did read a little young in places but that's to be expected for a YA. It was all a bit too hard on the instalove as well but we'll put that down to me getting old and being far more interested in the robots than romance.
It's by no means a perfect book but I enjoyed it enough and thought it was very cute!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This was my first book of the year and was a perfect YA fluffy romance featuring girls in STEM. I absolutely fell in love with the romance story and the female friendships were fab!

I loved this! I didn't realise at first that this is by the same author who writes the Atlas six series, I can now say I'm a big fan of her work in ya and adult books. This book was so cute and I loved the school club side of it, amazing.

A STEM YA romance by the brilliant Olivie Blake. Readable, fun and one I'll be recommending to any STEM-interested girls.

Cool. short, nice topic: nerds finally have their own stories and can be protagonists :D
Also I love the cover! The colours, The drawings!

Did I read this purely because of the name? Yes
Did I end up enjoying it? Also yes
Could it be because it's a book about STEM and it's littered with Taylor Swift references? Absolutely.

I tend to avoid these types of books for one main reason - romance.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against people falling in love. I just prefer when it's a little more gradual and not in the title. Like unexpected romance. So with this one being right there in the title, I'd normally never touch it. HOWEVER, something drew me to it and decided to stop being a judgy prick and give it a shot.

Here's what you're in for:

✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ ROBOT WARS
✨ 19 year - old with no clue what to do with her life

Bel has no idea what to do with her life. Not only is she the transfer girl, but she's awkward as hell with a dress sense that's frowned upon by the normies. Before long, she's being directed to the college engineering club where she meets the main lad, Teo.

In a full night and day switch, Teo is the cool guy on campus. Everyone swoons in his presence, bends over backwards to whatever shite falls out his mouth and flat-out refuses to believe he could possibly be wrong about something.

Tensions arise, rivals are formed and the rest of it is in the book.

It's a binge-worthy book that I read in a couple of days and (as much as I'm reluctant to admit this), it pulled at my heart a little more than I would have expected.

Perhaps I should give more of these books a shot...

Headlines:
Cute
Nerds unite

My Mechanical Romance was cute but very familiar in that I felt like I'd read a version of this story a number of times before. There was some uniqueness related to the robot science-y fight club and I appreciated the swipes at misogyny the female MC faced, although that didn't go as far as I'd have liked to have seen. Add in parent troubles, different side of the tracks and it made for a sweet and predictable read.

If you enjoy a nerd-centric high school (18 year old protagonists) setting with intelligent characters, then this book will work for you. I don't think it's ultimately memorable but it was a quick and mostly satisfying read. I enjoyed the epilogue and time jump.

Thank you to the publisher through netgalley for the eARC.

This was such a good book but I don't know why I'm surprised as it's written by Olivie Blake (the author of The Atlas Six).

Not only do I love that if focuses on young women looking to work in STEM but it was also basically Robot Wars (a show I used to love watching). This book was so detailed in terms of the engineering that it had me hooked.

Originally I was going to give this a 4.5 but writing this just made me realise how much I actually really loved it. Whilst it was a YA romance it didn't once feel too young for me (an issue I'm having with a lot of YA at the moment).

I really do recommend picking this one up!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

what a read!
Who would have thought building robots could evolve into opposites attract!
i loved this teen high school read It was light, funny and romantic.
i really hope there will be more from these love birds.

This was a cute YA romance set against a STEM background. Teo is the captain of the robotics team, and Bel finds herself the newest member of the team even though she had every intention to fail tryouts. Initially, the two of them are at odds, but as the year progresses, Bel finds herself warming both to Teo and to the challenges of improving the design of their robots.I found Bel particularly relatable and quirky as a character, and enjoyed how the book addressed the prejudices girls face in engineering.

I was hoping to really like this and actually picked up a physical copy. But unfortunately, I found the language to be very young and teen orientated, and the main character was like a thousand cringey tropes in one. I ended up DNFing at around 40% as I couldn't take it anymore!

WOW!!!! Hands down my new favourite YA romance. I could rant about this book for days, but I’ll keep this short.
The chemistry and tension between Bel and Mateo was something readers like me SEARCH for in novels. They both felt so real in that their flaws only made them stronger as characters. I was giggling and grinning by myself while reading this and if that doesn’t tell you how much I enjoyed ‘My Mechanical Romance’, I don’t know what will.
If you want an adorable, quick paced, feminist YA romance, this is the one for you!
Side note; I don’t know if I’m more in love with Mateo or Bel.
The one thing i didn’t like about this book is that it was too short.
Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Not for me unfortunately. I didn't get very far with it before stopping so no review unfortunately this time

This was such a good YA romance; full of tropes and fun moments. The gifted Bel is encouraged to join a supplementary school group to build fighting robots; while she might not believe in her own capabilities, the designs she creates speak for themselves. It's here that she meets Mateo - who might be a slight control freak over the robots, with valid reasons - and the two manage to cross each other's wires enough that dislike becomes closer to like. While trials and tribulations get in their way, together they navigate the struggles of high school, relationships and their future at college, all while trying to win the competition of the year.

While Bel is a little cringe worthy at times in the way that all teenagers are, the balance of talking about women in STEM, misogyny and female power in a male environment makes this worth it. It's a message I wish I had been able to read about when I was younger so I think this is a powerful and very much needed addition to this genre. I also have a huge appreciation for the way in which the central male characters were written - they have complex feelings that impact their relationships and are explored in a way that fleshes them out rather than the a-typical 2D male protagonist. Male friendship is also important to this story and I cannot think of a recent story that does this as well as this novel.

Mostly, the competition elements at the end of the story were my favourite. The narrative trajectory led to this moment and Bel's actions wrapped up all of the storylines perfectly, solidifying both friendships, relationships and her future. Being able to grow into herself as a character was a wonderful journey to read along with and made was a great reading experience.

Thoroughly enjoyed this! It wasn't on the same level as Olivie Blake books, but it was an easy read that was very enjoyable. It's nice to see women in STEM reaching YA too!

Robots, egos and hearts collide in this cute STEM-themed romance perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon.

When Bel is forced to join the school robotics club, she never expects to enjoy it - or like working with the ultra-controlling club leader, Teo. Bel is far from having her life figured out, but she's finally found something (and maybe someone) she loves. With the end of school fast approaching, has she left it too late to follow her dreams?

My Mechanical Romance one of my favourite contemporary YAs of the year. Bel was a brilliant protagonist who showed that you don't have to have your entire life plan figured out by the end of school, and that it's not too late to decide the direction you'd like your life to take (but also that there are no easy fixes once you do!) I also loved the romance between Bel and Teo, as well as the tricky dynamics within the club.

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

“I wish I could say it doesn’t bother me to hear Richardson mock us for being girls, but it’s totally frustrating. Not because it’s wrong- which it is- but because it’s exactly the sort of thing that prevents most girls from trying.”

Bel finds herself being forced into joining the robotics club after forgetting about a piece of homework, and in the club she is faced with reality that women aren’t taken seriously in robotics (and STEM). The boys don’t listen to her opinions, Neelam (the only other girl in the team) constantly gives her a hard time and Mateo (the captain) who was the only person who championed Bel, starts to withdraw when Bel challenges his ideas with her better ones.

As soon as I saw a YA book that champions women in STEM I knew I had to read it! It is one of those books that I hope young girls can read to see that they belong in any industry, and if young boys read this book I hope they can understand the damaging environments created that can prevent girls from wanting to enter STEM.

Bel was a great main character who has her challenges at school and at home, with her parents divorcing and her annoying brothers being home from college. She also has absolutely no idea what to do about college applications, and everyone keeps nagging at her to decide. There were some fantastic scenes that summed up this anxiety young people may experience when thinking about their future as the world seems to messed up and it almost feels pointless trying to make your grand plans.

Mateo was a great character and is almost the polar opposite of Bel, and we learn that he has his own difficulties too. I loved seeing the two of them get closer and begin to compliment each other!

A fantastic read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚠️CW// misogyny

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this - after some heavier reading material recently it was a breath of fresh air. Addressing the important issue of inclusion and diversity in STEM, particularly for women and girls, it also was a great romp and a fun love story. I also liked that Bel was able to recognise her weaknesses and forge her own path, even after falling for Teo. A solid YA read.