A review by janakbe
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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? No

4.75

Ummm…This book was everything I wanted and more! 
I mean:
  • Women in STEM
  • POC representation
  • opposites attract/ academic rivals to lovers
  • Dual POV
  • Cute pet names
  • TAYLOR SWIFT!
  • funny and cute banter
  • big friend group 

I gotta admit, I had high expectations for this book when I saw that it was written by the same Author as The Atlas Six (which is published under her pen name Olivie Blake). I WAS NOT disappointed! Also, I am almost 22 years old and I think this YA romance healed something in me. 

What I liked/loved:
  • Bel‘s struggle to find her passion in life is something I think a lot of teenagers can relate to. It felt really impactful and important to me that this was such a big part of the book. Making decisions and trying to meet everyone‘s expectations is very hard. Bel‘s journey showed that you don’t have to have your whole life figured out when you are 18!  
  • LOVED the women in STEM representation! It really showed all the misogyny young girls who are passionate about male-dominated topics like mechanics/robotics have to face. Why do girls have to work 3 times harder to accomplish what their male classmates get practically served on a silver platter?
  • I actually LOVED Neelam (there is more enemies to friends between her and Bel than between Bel and Teo) and Dash !
  • Teo is such a cutie and I get why all the girlies at school have a crush on him. He is so attentive and always trying his best to help others (and his Team!)
  • All the family dynamics! This felt so realistic to me and all the side characters (Bel‘s siblings, the parents) did not fall flat but were actually fleshed out charcters. 
  • Mrs Voss was EVERYTHING! I which I had a teacher like her when I was in high school…
  • The conflicts were believable and actually added to the story and the characters (especially Bel!)

What I didn‘t like:
  • There is only one thing that I would critique…I expected there to be more rivalry between Bel and Teo in the beginning. Yes, they got off on the wrong foot and there was some animosity at first, but there was never a time when they hated each other. I was really hoping for all the ANGST about falling for the enemy

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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