The story is told in dual POVs from Viola Reyes (“Vi”), the smart and geeky girl who is tired of not being taken seriously and comes across as a little… bitchy, and Jack Orsino (“Duke Orsino”), the star football player who has it all figured out and who has never had any problems with people not liking him. Except Vi, that is. But when an injury makes his football career uncertain and his girlfriend doesn’t seem to be interested in being his girlfriend anymore, he might not have a clue about life or himself after all.

It took a while for me to root for either of the MCs. Initially, Jack was just too selfish, cocky and immature, and Violet too bitter and mean. But once they started to play the Twelfth Knight game together (what a clever way to make the title part of the story btw!) and unknowingly share their thoughts and doubts with each other, they both found their way to my heart. Seeing Jack’s struggle and how he’s gradually getting feelings for Vi was so sweet and heartwarming. I also really appreciated how he did the right thing with Olivia and didn’t act on his feelings for Vi until that mess was sorted out. The way Vi interacted with others was truly frustrating at times, especially the way she treated her twin brother Bash, but when seeing things from her POV I nevertheless always understood her thoughts and how she wasn’t mean, just frank and afraid of getting hurt.

The miscommunication was a bit annoying at times, but it’s hard to complain about that aspect as it comes with the original Shakespearean story that the retelling is based on. Overall, the Shakespearean references to the original plot were really well carried out and the story was updated to modern times and gaming culture without losing its uniqueness.

All in all, this was a charming and heartwarming retelling, with a strong female lead, great side characters and a cute enemies-to-lovers romance!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Alexene Farol Follmuth

I totally loved this witty, charming, empowering, rivals-to-lovers, banter-making-sparks-fly YA romance about a robot-building High School team! It really took me by surprise how fun and engaging this story was and how much I rooted for the characters! I read it in one sitting, completely hooked.

The story is told in dual POVs from Bel, the smart but quirky girl who has no clue what she wants to do with her life, and Teo, the overachieving captain of both the robotics club and the soccer team who has it all figured out and planned in every detail.

When Bel accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club, and has to learn how to navigate in the competitive STEM world without giving up too much of herself in the process. And it doesn’t exactly help that Teo turns out to be so much more than the arrogant, stereotype rich jock she thought he was…

My heart immediately rooted for Teo with his absent yet extremely demanding dad, and all the pressure he himself and everyone around, put on him to be the best in everything. His character growth was amazing to follow and I just wanted for him to be happy. As for Bel, I loved how unique and complex she was as a character and how she was allowed to be both smart and nerdy, creative and quirky, but at the same time indecisive and with low self-esteem. She was such a fleshed out character and it was so relatable how she reacted to the challenges she faced as a girl in the harsh STEM environment and how girls are subject to hidden prejudice even by team mates and teachers who only mean well. I have to admit though, that at times I couldn’t help feeling a bit annoyed by her lack of direction and for not even trying to find out what she wanted from life, but it never stopped me from taking her to my heart. I really loved the hilarious banter between Bel and Teo, and how their teasing and arguing made sparks fly, yet allowing for their feelings to evolve at a slow pace.

There were also so many other amazing characters and complicated family dynamics that added so much to this story! And huge kudos to the author Alexene Farol Follmuth for managing the ending to be so satisfactory yet avoiding all pitfalls of cheesiness and predictability!

All in all, this adorable slow burn romance was such a pleasant surprise! Addictive, with funny dialogues and amazing chemistry, and with characters that completely stole my heart! And with an empowering message that hopefully will get more girls into engineering. Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this gem in advance! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 adorable stars rounding up to 5

Get your own copy:
My Mechanical Romance will be released on May 31, 2022, by Holiday House.
Pre-order

​Author info:
Alexene Farol Follmuth