I also wasn’t entirely convinced about the early “academic rivals” part of their relationship because it felt a bit forced. a majority of the quotes were such long paragraphs that went on and on which got annoying and boring bc it seemed to get lost in the writing. I am so glad that I loved this book with my whole heart because at the beginning I was really skeptical of the story but Alexene Farol Follmuth aka Olivie Blake definitely did not disappoint.

I really liked both Bel and Mateo but sometimes I felt like the relationship between them wasn’t as developed as I wanted it to be. And while it can sometimes be … problematic … to portray women as being in conflict with each other (especially since the ‘evil other woman’ trope still looms over us a bit) I actually think it’s also important to allow women characters to be specific individuals who experience unique interpersonal dynamics with other people (including other women). 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 she surprises me, because she makes me laugh, and because this, whatever it is with her, is the only thing I ever do that’s easy. I wish I could say more, but I don't even remember anything he did, which is saying something about the impact he had on me.Again, this might just be me and my oldness speaking, but I like the way that she is allowed to have natural ability, but that her natural abilities are never allowed to substitute for actual work. I taped it where it supposed te be, but I still think this is bad, because this was a pricier book since it just came out.

One of the tourists is Evan, taking an enforced holiday from his family and work in Belfast after breaking down after the death of his daughter in infancy. but it also seemed as though they “hated” each other way too easily and it did feel a bit natural on bel’s part but it never held up. she also seemed like a pessimist who thought the worst of things from her outbursts to her assumptions.I don't mean to get carried away but I am sure my experience along with Bel's will hit close to home for some of us who suffered the judgement of our teachers that are supposed to guide us and not diminish our potential. i also think this book can be a good encouragement for young girls, who maybe want to get into STEM but were always made to feel like it "isn't for them".

Furthermore, the romance aspect goes from not exactly nemesis, but certainly frosty, to something more. I also liked Dash who is Teo's friend, he added much humor to the story and shipped Teo and Bel together. The pacing was a bit slow which just made this book a bit boring and there was too much robot-building talking and mechanical engineering. As I was a senior while reading this, it felt rewarding watching the characters leave high school and prep for their college years, for example like I said before with AP tests and finals.

I’ve always believed that there’s a possibility for everything in the world to collide for a single perfect moment, and that sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get to have one for yourself. it was so fun and it genuinely made me laugh whether it was because of the banter or just a funny moment between the characters. He does also tell Bel that before he met her he felt like he was drowning, and couldn’t be himself, but … I don’t know.

I though that this was going to be academic rivals and enemies to friends to lovers but it was more like i dislike you for a stupid reason to im annoyed that you are smarter then me to sorta friends to ohhh i like him to lovers.You might think “oh Naleem is a bitch” but when you read her story and see how Mateo and the other guys treat her, you see why she had to grow a thicker skin. I am not one to normally read YA, being in my 20s I like to read my lets say um adult content😉, but occasionally every once in a while I like to dabble in the genre to read about the simpler times like being concerned about teenage angst or puppy love. it felt nice to see that I'm not alone with this fear and it gave me hope for my own future to see her figure hers out. Moreover, I just really liked her in general, her love for "weird" clothes was such a fun detail about her. There’s no direct reckoning with any of this but by the end of the book he admits to Bel that he’s learned a lot from her and we can hope he’s a more self-aware (and consequently better) teacher in the future.