A review by izzymannellasbookshelf
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You know those books that just leave you feeling strong after you read them? Like, you're motivated to get your life together, to make something of yourself, to BE yourself? That's this book for you. But it's so much more.

It's a PURE, innocent, adorable first-love romance story, and yet... there are tears in my eyes. Like, actual tears. Not of sadness (although there were moments of that as well), but of an abundance of emotion.

Get ready for a long review. Sorry, but I loved it.

I ADORED the protagonist. She was quirky and weird, but in a good way, I swear. She reminded me of myself (and not just in the name). It unlocked memories of my junior/senior years of of high school, where I embraced the engineering side of me. I was never the strictly academic type, like her. I was concerned about the here and now, having fun. I didn't want to think about college apps or the future.

Teo. Teo frickin' Luna. I... (I have nothing more to say. I am in love.) He was so well developed as a character. The juxtaposition between Teo's ambition and certainty of what he wants and Bel's desire to hide in the background and do what she wants was done very well. Bel is constantly surrounded by people who all seem to have it figured out while she has no clue what she wants to do. I felt that. Hard.

Did I mention it's dual pov?

There was a huge cast of characters, all super diverse and well-rounded. They all served a purpose in the story & had their own personal goals and arcs. The book focused on stressing the theme of girls in STEM. Girls in science and math career paths. We have it hard sometimes, and this book did an amazing job showing that without making it annoying or cliché.

The story itself centered around Isabel Maier--Bel. "Bel as in bel canto, not as in Belle the princess". And if you're thinking Teo Luna won't make a habit of calling her Bel Canto, you would be wrong. Bel is a high-level procrastinator. It's her senior year, and she hasn't touched her college apps. But don't mention it. She'll shut you down.

Luckily, the brilliant and compassionate science teacher Ms. Voss sees something special in Bel. She sees a talent for building and designing in the catapult she built for class. She switches Bel to the AP Physics class and urges her to try out for the robotics team. It's through the robotics team that Teo also sees her potential. (It's too bad the physics teacher doesn't see Bel's value in quite the same way.)

Bel, of course, needs to learn how to work as a team, because that's what robotics is about. That's what engineering is about. And Bel doesn't quite get it. That, and their conflicting "plans" for the future, cause Teo and Bel to butt heads quite a bit.

But through their long study sessions and late afternoons building their robot together, they begin to see each other in a new light. Watching these characters, through both POVs, slowly fall in love with each other was addicting. Seriously. By the time I was barely half way through the book, I was so invested in these fictional people that I could not put the book down.

If you are a girl and you even KINDA like science and math, if you've ever felt wrong because of that interest, read this book. If you like fictional boys who make note of your weirdness and then slowly begin to realize he can't live without it, read this book. If you like academic rivals-to-lovers, the found family trope, witty humor and pop-culture references, and characters you can laugh with and cry over, READ. THIS. BOOK!!

Seriously.

I'm wary to give any book 5 stars because, well--5 stars?? that's quite the statement, but honestly, I don't think I can give this book any less. For what it was, a cutesy YA romance novel, it won me over. It destroyed me, emotionally. It is a 5 star book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Holiday House for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.