This was a really fun adventure into YA for Ali Hazelwood. I have read and really enjoyed a few of her other books.
This book revolves around chess and romance. I know how to play chess, but I literally just know how the pieces move and wing it. After reading The Queen's Gambit, I learned how much really goes into professional chess games. I didn't understand any of it, but to read this book, you don't have to. Everything necessary was explained enough for us chess peasants to understand and anything I didn't really understand, it wasn't necessary to the plot or anything to understand it.
While overall I did like the characters, I didn't like them all the time. Especially Mallory the main character. She has blamed herself for every single thing that has gone wrong in her whole family's lives and truly believes that she deserves nothing in life. It was a little bit not believable that someone would think that, and kind of annoying. I feel like she didn't allow anyone in her family to communicate with her and her mother and sisters would have rather just let everything be how it was rather than telling Mallory what they do and do not want her to do. I did enjoy Nolan all of the time. He was very passionate and calm.
I was intrigued throughout the book. This was an easy book to read. The story flowed well, everything that happened made sense and one thing lead to another seamlessly. There was one part where one character had a speech and I was living for it. I absolutely loved it.
Overall, this was a really fun romance with (mostly) loveable characters and a really fun chess plot.

Thank you Netgalley for my early copy of Check & Mate, I absolutely adored it and think it’s my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet!! This is considered Ali’s “debut” young adult novel I believe, but I think it’s definitely a more mature take so I’d consider it “New Adult.”

I love the topic of the book and find any content about the game of chess interesting, even though I have no idea how it’s played and I don’t think I’d do well in strategy games. But nonetheless, I enjoy books with banter and characters that challenge each other and this book definitely had that!!

I adore Nolan and Mallory and I think they become better at owning up to their mistakes and being honest with themselves and each other (and their families) throughout the novel.

They had just enough banter and “spice” without actually ever having sex on the page and yet it was still so good. Nolan and Mal were just so good together.

I love how Mallory played the role of protective older sister and gradually learned that her mother had healed well enough to take care of her and her two younger sisters and with proper communication in the last quarter or so of the book, their sisterly bonding really grew into something healthy. I’m also glad that she and her best friend Easton worked out their lack of communication and that we were able to see Easton come support her at the championship game.

I just really adored this story and the cast of characters and hope to see Ali write more like this in the future.

don’t know much about chess, so I was a little concerned I wouldn’t understand the bulk of this story. But it actually was a non-issue; I think the author did an excellent job at making this specific topic accessible to a larger audience.

ALSO - who doesn’t love the ‘he falls first’ trope? Nolan was so sweet and patient and nerdy; Mallory’s tough exterior didn’t stand a chance at not falling for him.

The beginning was a bit of a slow start, but once it picked up, I couldn’t stop - I read it in one sitting while on a plane. And while it does touch on some heavier topics (death of a loved one, grief, infidelity), this YA romance has the perfect balance of sweetness & angst.

I would recommend to fans of...
-rivals to lovers
-he falls first
-sibling relationships
-found family elements
-cute & nerdy boys
-succeeding as a girl in a male-dominated field
-learning to chase your dreams

A broody chess player and a girl who is fighting her passion come together to make some sparks in the chess community. Mallory is trying to live, making it day by day, being the families breadwinner at 18. She quit chess when she was younger, determined not to go back down that rabbithole. When her best friend asks her to be in a charity tournament, she can't turn her down.
Nolan is the number 1 chess player in the world. She's been following his career for years and knows his reputation, so when he sits down in the chair across from her, she is visibly shaken; but when she wins, she knows it's time to leave. Nolan is never beat, and not by an unnumbered player, so when he gets taken down by Mallory, he needs to know more about her.
Mallory is offered a fellowship for a year to play in chess tournaments and make money doing so. After losing her job, she decides she has to take it, she can always quit after the year. As she begins breaking into the world of chess again, she realizes that she is really "that good" and Nolan is right there with her every step of the way. Being infuriating.
When I tell you that I loved Nolan and could see right through his prickly exterior, I can't stress this enough. I loved the challenges that they go through, especially with family and it felt very relatable to how I would have handled things at that age. I thought this older YA novel was done so well and I can't wait to read more!
Thanks to Penguin, Netgalley and Ali Hazelwood for an early copy.

Ali Hazelwood continues to wow me and make me fall in love with her writing more and more with every books she comes out with. Check & Mate is interesting, hooking and romantic YA novel that will leave you wanting more. I’m so glad Ali decided to dip in the Young Adult pool because I truly loved this book from start to finish! Thanks for the ARC!!

Ali Hazelwood is back with another banger and this time it's featuring a chess romance (new meta if you know what I mean) 😉

This is a YA romance featuring two chess prodigy - one who grew up within the community and is currently ranked as the world champion and one who stepped out of the centerstage because of family-related concern - and how the game of pawns brought them together.

And yes, I'm going to say this even though this is only my second time reading an Ali Hazelwood book but ALI REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE SWOONWORTHY BOOKS!!

This book is filled with a handful of chess games and jargons, sequences of hate-to-love interactions, and a commentary about how misogyny is rampant even in this niche where highly-intelligent grandmasters rule.

What I liked most about this book is that the story and the games are easy to understand and follow even if I only have basic knowledge about chess. It even made me interested about the game again that I downloaded a chess app to see if I still know to play.

Overall, a highly engaging YA romance novel that I'm sure will be talked about next month.

RATING: 5stars

Format - E ARC (netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice-💋

Series- N/A

Troupes- enemies to friends to lovers, rivals, he falls first so hard.

Representation- Demisexual, PTSD

CW- off page death of a loved one, infidelity, and on page harassment and misogyny.


I am beyond excited to write an early review for this, and be able to say with confidence that Ali Hazelwood has now successfully concurred the YA romance genre with an adorable and still angsty queens gambit meets ReyLo story about a young woman who doesn’t want to love chess again after it blow up her life. And a boy who has never felt anything like he does when he plays with her.

Now I know Ali gets a lot of flack for “writing the same thing over and over” but you know what even if that’s how it reads to you, that doesn’t change the time and research and effort she puts into her storytelling. All her books are so well researched I only get about half of all the technical stuff and this one was just as well done. The intricacies of chess are vast and wide reaching and she just throws that knowledge around like it’s something she’s trained in all her life, and it’s these details among other factors (i.e mutual pinning and him falling first) that make her work to engaging.

Ok off the soap box. This book has everything we love in Ali’s writing just younger and without the explicit spicy times ☹️. And while I missed the Ali spice it did go with the flow of the story. I love a demi MC and Nolan is a sweet summer child in comparison to Mallory and that made me happy. I love the way chess was detailed and written as its own character. I loved to hate the misogynistic assholes of the sport. And I loved the family and found family dynamics that always run though Ali’s books.

This is a great addition to the YA romance genre I can’t wait to give this one to my nieces!

Thank you Ali Hazelwood and Penguin Group for this advanced copy all opinions are my own.

This is a cute YA romance, CHECKMATE!

Mallory is parenting her family as her mother copes with an extended illness. Her life is exhausting as she juggles the everyday until an opportunity to play on the chess world stage presents itself. She was once was a prodigy until caring for her mom and sister took precedent.

Nolan Sawyer, world chess champion, becomes invested in her Mallory's chess comeback after witnessing her play. Their relationship starts as rivals then moves to friends then romantically invested. The bond they form goes beyond the board as both are flawed yet protective of those they love.

Hazelwood writes with such depth as the reader ingrains themselves in the world of chess and this young couple. You feel the emotions of both characters as they check & mate their lives. This story is a hilarious, genuine romance.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the complimentary copy.

I was so excited to receive this ebook! Thank you so much penguinteen for this amazing read! I also pre-ordered it so I also can’t wait to get my physical copy when it comes out on November 7th.

Mallory Greenleaf left chess when she was 14 and never looked back. Too much baggage and heartache came with it and she had to help her mom take care of her two younger sisters. When her best friend begs her to do a chess tournament for charity because she needs one more person, Mallory agrees to help. What she doesn’t expect is that the first person she is up against is Nolan Sawyer, number one chess player in the world. She also doesn’t expect to win.

This win puts her on the radar and she accepts a job where her whole life will revolve around chess. Even though she tries to keep work and home life separate, there is only so much she can do with a sport that takes over her whole mind. But chess isn’t the only thing on her mind, Nolan seems to be making his way in too.

Review
I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was such a fun and easy read. It was a page turner for sure. I loved the friendship that bloomed between Mallory and Nolan, and others that chess brought into her life. Nolan was so witty and had the best personality. The small acts of kindness or little ways he showed he cared had me swooning over him until the very end.


This is a 4.5 for me ONLY because I really think this should be NA instead of YA. I still really loved it and highly recommend it if you loved any of Ali’s other books.

I will post to IG on November 1st!

Check & Mate is a fun YA debut. While Ali Hazelwood has multiple adult romance novels, such as, The Love Hypothesis, this is her first young adult one. This story follows 18-year-old Mallory Greenleaf who used to be a master chef player until she quit at the age of 14. She supports her mom and sisters, Sabrina, and Darcy, through working as a mechanic until events lead to her winning a worldwide chess tournament against the top chess player in the world, Nolan Sawyer, including some nice earnings. She is also offered a paid internship at a chess club that is difficult to refuse. She also left an impression on Nolan who is determined to know more about the girl who beat him.

While this is a work of fiction, I still like a little realism in my contemporary stories. In this story, Mallory takes an extended break from chess and immediately wins a tournament against the best in the world. She then never loses, which is extremely implausible. For me, it seems to be a missed opportunity to throw in maybe one loss in the mixed as this does happen in real life and would add a new layer of realism to the story. Mallory herself was interesting as she worries a lot about her family and is a chronic overthinker. In those instances, she is relatable. She doesn’t have it all together, but she is trying to figure it out. I enjoyed her interactions with Nolan, although I did not quite buy a romance between them. I think they needed more chemistry built into the writing as I did not quite buy it. Overall, this was a fun story, and I cannot wait to read more from Hazelwood in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Mallory hasn’t played chess in years, since it seemingly caused the implosion of her family. Now she’s a high school graduate working to support her disabled mother and two younger sisters. Her best friend convinces her to join a charity chess tournament and she somehow wins against Nolan, the reigning world champion and top-ranked chess player. Mallory is understandably completely overwhelmed and bolts. Soon after that, Mallory is offered a well-paying fellowship to study and play chess with the hopes of entering upcoming chess competitions. While she tries to maintain some emotional distance from the sport, it all comes back to her even though she’s hiding her chess involvement from her family. Once we start heading out in the world of chess tournaments, we get more awkward meetings with Nolan and meet some of his friends. While a lot of the actual chess went over my head, the banter between Mallory and Nolan is so entertaining, as well as Nolan’s interactions with Mallory’s younger sisters. He’s clearly impressed and intrigued by her, even though she totally denies it. The romance aspect is sweet and fun to read (and the sex is closed door). We get to see these two open up to each other about the family secrets and traumatic histories, and ultimately find a way to have fun even in spite of the competition. Another super entertaining read from Ali Hazelwood.

This was a solid YA debut by Ali Hazelwood. It was a very sweet love story, and I didn't feel like I was missing much despite the fact that I don't know anything about chess. I do prefer Hazelwood's other novels more, but this was an entertaining read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Disclaimer: spoilers. Screaming crying throwing up. I didn’t think I was gonna make it, but I made it. Got the ARC from the love of my life (Ali hazelwood)!!!! Thank you NetGalley penguin random house.
I was kind of surprised seeing a book about chess, which I have no idea about, and so far it was completely out of Ali’s usual STEMinist zone, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she slayed that👏🏽. And now I think guys playing chess are hot. She made a whole universe of chess, and now I can fundamentally understand all the thoughts and complexities that come with playing the sport. Tropes: fake dating, rivals to lovers, hate to love, broody guy (sorry I’m still not over the love hypothesis)Full review coming after the release date.


Mallory is literally me. I’m the second mom. The sibling banter has me wheezing, the whole book had me crying laughing. The trash-talking was so good and petty and mwah. I identify as Oz Her vivid intrusive thoughts had me dead. Actually everyone’s violent thoughts made me laugh I’ve never related this hard with a main character (I have three sisters, one in high school middle school and elementary school) so Mallory’s sisters were like a diluted version of the chaos in my family. And the part where she was slowly getting apart from her best friend had me hurt. As we all have had to go through something like this B l the way this man flirts had me blushing

I haven't read a YA novel in so long but I can say Ali Hazelwood's "Check & Mate" is a refreshing, fun read! I've hardly ever played chess before but I felt the book really helped me understand the game. The romance between Mallory & Nolan was cute with lots of banter back and forth. Still, Check & Mate wasn't a perfect five star read for me. I feel that books that have a lot of pop culture references can eventually become dated because of how much pop culture changes all the time. Also, axe the sisters, please.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and Ali Hazelwood for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

It's Ali Hazelwood so I'm going to read it and I'm going to love it. That's really all there is to it. Check & Mate was all that and more.

I love that this is a book about chess. I love the cover. I love that this is Ali's YA debut.

The plot, characters, and writing were clever if at times a little too "with it" to be tolerable for anyone older than 2o. I was also uncomfortable with all of the times her thinking about hooking up with someone comes up in a YA book. Is that just me? Am I old?

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Ali Hazelwood can do absolutely no wrong. I love everything she writes and this one was no exception. I loved the characters and the dynamics. I loved how she wrote the tournaments. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up! I want to say first that I enjoyed this greatly, and couldn’t put it down. A rivals to lovers, he falls first, chess romance? Yes please.♟️

I have never really had an interest in chess at all but I ate this novel up. Initial thoughts being that there were some small things, where I was like “yeah okay we get it.” (Such as her being so tiny and him being so big—we get it.) But overall those things were minute to me, and I thought this novel was a really fun read. I’m a fan of Ali Hazelwood anyway, and this was one of my favorite romances this year. I laughed, I smiled, I giggled and burned through pages.

ALSO, if you are used to Hazelwood’s adult novels —this is not those, it’s YA so it’s closed door.

If you’re a fan of Ali Hazelwood, you’ll like this, if you’re a fan of The Queen’s Gambit, you’ll likely like this. I completely recommend it!

Tremendous thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title pre-release, it was a joy!

I really enjoyed this YA novel. I have enjoyed reading all of Ali Hazelwoods books. She is a great storyteller. I enjoyed the characters in this novel. I liked the main character Mallory. I liked how she grew over the course of the book.

Mallory Greenleaf was a child chess prodigy until 4 years ago when she swore off chess forever. Now, she spends her time taking care of her mother and 2 sisters - just trying to make ends meet. That is, until her best friend ropes her into attending one last charity tournament - where she inadvertently beats the #1 ranked chess player in the world, Nolan Sawyer.

Nolan Sawyer grew up in the spotlight, and his reputation is precedes him. He may be #1 in the world, but quite frankly, he’s bored. That is until Mallory beats him, and he’ll do anything for a rematch.

This win opens the door for Mallory to begin a fellowship that pays well and enter tournaments that pay better, taking care of her family in a way she never could before. But it’s just temporary - she doesn’t want to love chess or need it, and she’ll move on once her fellowship is over in a year.. or will she?

I actually enjoyed this book more than the author’s other books so far. While Mallory could be unlikeable at points, I think that made her even more relatable. I really enjoyed the family dynamics - the siblings relationship was so realistic to me. And of course, I really liked Nolan.

Five easy stars from me.

This was a wonderful romance for teens that still emphasizes women in STEM. I think her complexity as a character and their very relatable teen issues will make a great impact on the teens in our community. I can't wait to add this to our collection.