The Mechanics of Romance

Nerds are as sexy as they come. Especially nerds who build robots.

Bel prefers not to think about the future. Applications for college scholarships? Maybe, why not… Extracurricular activities? No way… Joining a robotics club full of boys who ignore her and who—even worse—spend their lives asking her if she needs help? Seriously, anything but that… But Bel is left with no choice when she accidentally reveals a special talent for engineering in class. And that’s when Mateo Luna, the captain of the robotics club, enters the picture…

Teo immediately recognizes Bel’s talent and wants her on his team. And not just because he can’t stop thinking about the freckles around her eyes, or how she introduced him to Taylor Swift… it’s simply because Bel sees him in a way no one else does. No one challenges him like she does. And with the National Championship just around the corner, it’s important to surround yourself with people who help you become better.

But as the two begin to clash head-on, taking tender, hesitant first steps together, Bel finds herself wondering: is there really room for a girl like her in STEM?

In this YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth—author of The Atlas Six, writing under the pseudonym Olivie Blake—explores the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unerring wit and honesty.