My Mechanical Romance

Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of The Atlas Six.

"It's rom-com perfection."--Adiba Jaigirdar

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You're funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she's basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel--and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn't seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset--until they start butting heads. Bel doesn't care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they've made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they've made each other and the team better. Because girls do belong in STEM.

In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth, author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake), explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its center and lines that beg to be read aloud, My Mechanical Romance is swoonworthy perfection.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominee
A Massachusetts Teen Choice Book Award Nominee


Author: Alexene Farol Follmuth
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 05/23/2023
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.60w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780823454532

About the Author
Alexene Farol Follmuth is a first-generation American, a romance enthusiast, and a lover and writer of stories. Alexene has penned a number of adult SFF projects under the name Olivie Blake, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil and the New York Times best seller and BookTok-viral The Atlas Six. My Mechanical Romance is her YA debut. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, new baby, and rescue pit bull. Find her at alexenefarolfollmuth.com.