This is a super sweet high school romance, but it also takes a look at the treatment of girls in STEM and the barriers that start in high school (and earlier) that make it difficult for women to find a place in these fields, especially women of color.

One of my favorite things about this book is that while the characters are pretty much all united by their friendships through the robotics club and their AP classes, they are all from different cultural backgrounds.

Bel is dealing with a lot, and keeps most of it to herself, even after she develops a close friend group. Teo keeps a lot to himself too, but some of it I think he keeps from himself. He feels like he needs to be the leader and that if he isn’t on top of everything, it will all fall apart. It doesn’t help that his Physics teacher, coach, friends and team seem to reinforce that impression.

Teo is initially impressed by Bel, but when she doesn’t immediately agree with him, a sort of animosity develops between them. He has a hard time seeing the barriers Bel and Neema, the 2 females on the team, face that are removed from all of the males on the team. Eventually he does come to recognize this, and his part in it as well.

The other characters in their group are fun and quirky, especially the ever hungry Dash, Teo’s best friend. And even when insecurities and misunderstandings pull Teo and Bel apart, their friends remain intact for them.

As a couple, Bel and Teo are completely believable. They balance each other out and bring out the best in each other, even though they are both carrying extra weight on their shoulders.

I absolutely loved the Epilogue and felt like the ending of this book was perfect.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.