In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life's moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.
Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....
As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)
Title : Check & Mate
Author : Ali Hazelwood
Format : eARC / Physical
Page Count : 368
Genre : YA contemporary romance
Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers/Sphere
Release Date : November 7, 2023
Reviewer : Hollis / Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ / ★ ★ ★ ★
Hollis' 4 star review
No one is more surprised about this rating than me. Did I, for once, have an uncomplicated good time with a Hazelwood romance? I mean.. mostly! But also my issues didn't outweigh the good this time. Or maybe I'm just less inclined to complain about them.
Do I know anything about chess? Nope. There was that Netflix show I never got around to watching a few years ago. That's the extent I know about chess. Did this book make me want to get into chess? Also nope. Mostly because I absolutely did not buy into the excitement Hazelwood conveyed in the book as it related to how her characters felt about the game, obsessed about moves, strategized, leaned into instinct.. none of that tickled my fancy or got my pulse racing. But I loved the nerdiness of it all.
Outside of the unbelievability of chess as a sport (I'm really just poking fun and or taking the piss, please don't come for me), what takes centre stage beyond the romance (because you know the romance be romancing) is guilt and responsibility. As in, the guilt and responsibility Mallory, eldest of three and daughter of a mom with chronic illness, feels for her family. For some nebulous choices she made that have had seemingly lasting consequences relating to debt and loss. I found this whole big secret to be a little pfft when it was finally revealed because, like, just say it (out loud) instead of making it Into A Thing but considering the repercussions are also made Into A Thing with how Mallory feels about chess I guess it made sense on paper, even if it was a little annoying. But that's Mallory in a nutshell. Dealing with things and behaving certain ways and being annoying.
Though she wasn't alone. I did find the sisters to be a bit grating and was very happy when we shifted gears and focused more on Mallory's time away from home and, well. Nolan. For once not a giant of a man to her tiny itty bittyness -- though don't think I didn't notice the internal commentary about the size of his feet and hands. Thankfully it wasn't (or at least didn't feel) like it happened too often which is definitely a change of pace. Still oblivious AF though (Mallory, I mean) but they are younger, their brains a little less formed, so I guess it's more believable. Plus, you know, Hazelwood has to stick to being Hazelwood.
Maybe my one serious, not silly, critique would be how the best friend conflict was handled. That felt a little revisionist and inaccurate considering we were in Mallory's POV the whole time but.. is that part of the problem? That she chose not to see the attempts of communication being returned? I don't know. That whole scene felt awkwardly shoehorned in and didn't remotely seem to mesh with the rest.. all to, what, close the loop and end on a good note? I would've rather had the opposite and had a more realistic take on the growing apart issue. But oh well.
That issue aside, and no I'm not just saying this because it meant it was over, the best part about this whole book might have been the epilogue. It was such was a great ending and I can't even be pithy about a single thing -- sorry to disappoint!
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Micky's 4 star review
Headlines:
Hazelwood rocks NA
Women in chess
Teen traumas
This was a swoony, easy read that sits in the NA age range. Hazelwood wrote in that age well, a small hit of steam but minimal description and some fading. As ever, it's the chemistry she writes with her couples that builds her overall book feels.
Central to this story is the female FMC, Mallory. It is fair to say she is 75% of this book and the MMC along with other family characters are the rest and that felt right. Mallory was complicated, hurt and fierce. She'd taken on the role of family provider and chess was her nemesis. Her journey back into chess had me hooked early on and enjoyed the chess play without being very knowledgeable about the game.
This was a book about dynamics...families, couples, friendships and game. There was delicious depth for such a fun and pretty light hearted read. I found it easy to get into and quick to read. The characters were likeable except for one notable chess villian.
I'd love to see some art for this book because at the end I find that despite the cover, I can't quite visualise these two and I want to.
Basically, I will happily read Hazelwood in any genre.
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