A review by kiwi_00
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Things I liked about the book
  1.  I thought Bel was a very relatable character as she was unsure about her future. I liked that we learnt a lot about her and the way that she thinks.  She was quirky and creative without being cringy.  Also, I liked the way her outfits were described. I did want to know more about her family situation, since they bring it up at times but it's never really fully discussed, she usually talks about how the situtation is developing and how she feels about it.
  2. WOMEN IN STEM- The book doesn't shy away from the realities of what it's like for girls/women in STEM. The rampant misogyny, disbelief in abilities or passion about said science and condescension for showing any type of emotion that isn't happiness or just generally being 'perky'.
Things I didn't like about the book
  1. Teo- I didn't like him as a love interest at all, Dash and Bel had way more chemistry( another thing, enemies to lovers where??? Bel and Teo spent more time as friends/lovers than they did as 'enemies').
    For someone who supposedly acts as the head of the robotics club, he has terrible leadership skills (but once his father is introduced, it makes sense😑). He's a horrible person and is dismissive of any ideas that aren't his own, at this point the robotics club should be called the 'Teo Luna Club of D*ck Riders' because none of the other members (bar Neelam) dared to disagree with him. I hated the way that he would dismiss or get angry at Bel's ideas and once she was hesitant to share ideas, he would chide her for not being a team player. I loved Bel, I just didn't get what would draw her to someone like Teo when he's got bad manners
    . His character was also super boring, there was nothing interesting about him and
    Teo putting pressure on himself to be perfect because that's want his dad and everyone else wants would've been significantly more interesting
  2. The teacher- Yuck. 
  3. Neelam- I didn't like her at all, but upon introspection her stance towards Bel makes the tiniest bit of sense.
    With how cutthroat, the tryouts are for the robotics club and the fact that all the other members are just Teo Luna D*ck Riders, I can only imagine how isolated and disrespected she felt (especially because of Mac) so seeing Bel just waltz in and spout ideas that aren't completely shot down unlike Neelam's must've hurt, and as much as I didn't like what she said in her final 'speech' ( I think it was misdirected and she should've read Teo for filth), was she wrong?🫢  I don't think so, the only reason Teo listened to Bel as much as he did was because he liked her. Bel and Neelam don't have to be friends, as one of the only girls in a male-dominated space but sometimes the attitude was unnecessary.

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