Rating - 4.5/5

Wow, I loved this book so much!! Academic rivals to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and this book delivered it perfectly. Bel and Teo have amazing chemistry and complement each other in their characterisations so well. I would have loved to have seen more of thier relationship! Outside of their relationship, each are strong characters with their own distinct narrative style and personalities, with the changes between each of their points of view feeling well placed and easily distinguishable (very helpful for someone who often forgets to read chapter titles!)
The side characters are fun and lovable, my favourite is probably Neelam, although I won't go into much detail about her to avoid spoilers. Jamie and Lora are the friends everyone wishes they could have, and Dash is just an all round fun and personable character. Together the whole cast works really well!!
The themes addressed in this book are explored so well, primarily focusing on the pressure on women in STEM, from Neelam who has known it for most of her life, to Bel's introduction to it, and the effect it has down to even a classroom level. Both characters experience it in similar yet different ways, the difference in their attitudes as a result of this was incredibly well written.
As well as this, the family dynamics between Bel and her family compared to Teo and his was interesting to see, especially how they impacted both of the characters.
One last thing, then I'll stop rambling, the pop culture references. I know they're not for everyone, but I enjoyed them. It fit with the characters and the style of writing, I think they worked well!
So, as its 31st May as I write this, happy US pub day to My Mechanical Romance! Thank you to Cheyney Smith and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc!!

Super cute teen romance as Bel and Teo end up on the same robotics team. Teo is focused, driven and has his life mapped out whereas Bel is bright but aimless. It takes a teacher to point her at robotics but as Bel gets a plan, things get hard and complicated. Teo and Bel are the centre of the book yet the romance takes a back seat as we understand teen group dynamics and what it feels like to be a teen and want so desperately for things to work out.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

A wholesome, Young Adult read about falling in love in a robotics club; ‘My Mechanical Romance’ was not the type of book I expected from this author, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

Despite it being firmly in the YA Romance genre, the highlight of this book, for me at least, was the honest and compelling account of how it is to be a WOC in STEM. I am not in STEM - but I am a WOC.

From topics such as imposter syndrome to the feeling that you need to work twice as hard as your male peers for half the recognition, this was an honest and eye opening exploration into the harsh reality. The relationship between the MC and the only other girl on the team was additionally interesting, a deep dive into internalised misogyny as a consequence of the above.

The love story itself, the premise of the book, fell a little flat for me. I don’t know whether it was because of the genre or just the tropes used but I didn’t find myself getting invested in either character. A lot of the lines felt cliché and nothing new, this element of the book was a letdown - ironic, given it’s meant to be a romance.

An enjoyable read.

Thank you to the team at Macmillan’s for reaching out with an ARC of this book. xo

Words can't explain how much I love this book. This masterpiece of a YA contemporary romance titled My Mechanical Romance.

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 "𝗕𝗲𝗹" 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗲𝗿:
The new transfer kid, has zesty fashion sense (glittery eye shadows, dangling earrings, sparkly Docmart) but has a big potential in engineering (which is a "boy's stuff"), A SWIFTIE, either in super aggressive of super passive mode.

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗼 "𝗧𝗲𝗼" 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗷𝗿:
The golden child, teacher's favorite, rich asf, BIG NERD, the leader, the ever reliable, very busy, too serious person.

Why everyone should read My Mechanical Romance:
- half filipino female MC, half mexican male MC (diverse! The author is half filipino too)
- grumpy FMC x grumpy MMC
- light academia
- hate to tolerate to love each other trope
- CUTE FLUFF ❤❤❤
- don't have vulgar scene, minor friendly
- VERY AMUSING BANTER
- relatable problem for highschoolers
- dual POV
- robotic and mechanical stuffs
- subtle feminism
- hardworking girls in male-dominated fields, girls in STEM
- did I mention banter? Yes it deserved to be mentioned twice because I love it so much
- the best YA romance contemporary I've ever read
- went straight to my "Best Reads of 2022" list!!

That's it. I coudn't put this review into coherent paraghraps because this book is just perfect and I'm obsessed! I NEED THE PHYSICAL COPY AFTER IT COMES OUT BECAUSE I WANT TO HUG THIS BOOK SOO BAD. Bel & Teo are owning my whole heart❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children for granting me an early access of the ARC!