Vibes: A sweet teen romcom of self-discovery, friendships, and the importance of representation in STEM fields. 

Sorry Ali Hazelwood stans, but THIS is my STEMinist romcom! 😤 

Bel has no idea what to do with her life after high school - she’s barely able to apply herself to the present, let alone future colleges. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering, she’s all but forced into joining the robotics club. No one is a fan of this idea (including Bel), except for Mateo Luna. Captain of the club, Mateo recognizes Bel’s brilliance and encourages her to stick with it. Despite some initial butting of heads, these two go through some lovely character growth together (and apart)! 

I adored this book and the two main characters. We have Bel, a whimsical, creative designer who struggles to find the confidence to go after what she wants, and Teo, a control freak who’s brilliant but blind to the privileges he’s grown up with. There’s some fun banter, great side characters, and a sprinkling of Filipino culture that made this especially wonderful for me!

My Mechanical Romance is a peak teen romcom/coming-of-age story. It’s sweet and fluffy, but multi-layered with topics addressing sexism, entitlement, women in STEM, the obstacles they face, and characters learning how to both take up space and yield it. Not only that, but I now want to go watch a bot battle! If you’re looking for a more lighthearted YA read, I highly recommend this one.