Check Mate

“I think it’s easier for you to be with people when you feel needed than when you need them. Less risky. Less messy, right?”

What a delightful YA romance! Knowing this was from Ali, one of my favorite romance authors, I just KNEW this would be good, but I did not, however, expect the family drama aspect to hit quite so hard. So many feelings. Big feelings.

Ali manages to bring in her signature flair of geeky facts with slap stick and sharp humor. Her characters are so real, so authentic, so expertly flawed and messy but just doing their best, that you can’t help but be won over.

Mal is a great FMC who is shouldering so very much to keep her struggling family afloat. You feel for her deeply as she sacrifices pieces of herself and her happiness for them again and again. You want to rail on her behalf, but also get caught up knowing it’s a very real situation in life where the eldest sibling has to step up for the family, take on the mantle of a third parent. Add to this Mal’s own trauma and personality which sees her using her family and obligations to purposely isolate herself from others, ruled by her fears of being let down, and it makes for a journey with Mal that is full of bumps but with an ending that feels hard won and deserved. Also big points for the sex positivity throughout AND the queer representation! More than perhaps Ali’s adult FMC, Mal felt very grounded and deep, her family backstory featured prominently throughout, even eclipsing the romance, which was refreshing and unexpected from the author.

Nolan is an unexpected surprise cinnamon roll of sorts. Unabashedly being the one to fall first and this a directness that is so disarming, you can’t help but love him. While this is expected with any Ali book (the author has literally stated she will always use this trope), the way in which Nolan communicates his feelings and intentions helped keep readers, and Mal, on their toes which I enjoyed.

I did find the chess set up overall to be so intriguing. Again, this being an Ali book, I’m not surprised she managed to bring a complex sport to life on the page and also tie in some very necessary and refreshing discourse on sexism. I’m ready to become a chess fan and loved how social media and interviews were also woven in to illustrate how sports like this can and should go viral to garner broader viewership and support.

All the positives above said, there were some things that held this back from a five star read. First, Mal did feel a bit too much like “she doth protest too much”. Not that being a genius means you can’t also be oblivious, but at times this felt stretched too much and I wished she’d had some of that reflection on her own or that her family and friends had called her out on it sooner. Her whiny and self pity parties were tough to get through.

Next, her backstory with her dad, this was handled far too quickly given how it looms in her mind. There’s a total of one page dedicated to this, which just didn’t make sense. This critique extends to Mal’s family situation which I felt needed more emotion and reckoning with her family. Her mother was, in my opinion, a bit too easy on herself and letting Mal shoulder everything. Sabrina, yes I know is a bratty 14 year old, had all of one brief paragraph to explain her monstrous behavior which didn’t actually take any responsibility for how she used Mal.

Overall maybe it’s the idealist in me that wished for a more thorough family reckoning and cry session, where we could really FEEL that her family understood and appreciated and APOLOGIZED to Mal for everything that fell to her, but it just didn’t get there. Maybe that’s the more realistic route- you get over things for family, you don’t get apologies, life just goes on, but to me, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

The romance here was fine, but never quite felt like enough. I wanted to see and know more about Nolan, instead of just being clearly gone for Mal. His character and backstory could have been so much deeper, but was just used to help open the door for Mal, instead of feeling like it actually gave him specifically more color.

While these critiques aren’t minor to me, I did overall still devour this in a day and feel utterly captured by the story and sport. It’s a winner in my book, though not quite up to the level of her most recent adult romance.

I love Ali Hazelwood with my whole chest and I truly consider this book her best work yet!! The vulnerability and rawness of Mallory’s POV hit me so deeply, as someone who played tons of chess with my own dad. And as a woman in a male dominated career field, I ached and raged alongside her with all the sexism she puts up with.

And Nolan is glorious. Chess > sex always.

CW: parental abandonment, family member death (in past), chronic illness, realistic sexism, infrequent strong language

I enjoyed this more than expected. I don't know how to play chess, so I have no idea how accurate any of the chess references were, but I was fascinated! Maybe because I love puzzles and am very competitive? Whatever the reason - it worked for me!

Mal was dealing with a lot in this book and not always in the best way, but it worked for me as a YA/coming-of-age book. I appreciated that Mal had a lot going on outside of chess and her relationship with Nolan. I adored the friends and Mal's family.

I hope that Ali dives back into YA in the future because this is my favorite that I've read by her.

I screamed when I got the ARC of this one! Thank you to the publishers for the early copy in exchange for a review. I love Ali Hazelwood’s adult novels and her YA debut did not disappoint! This book focused heavily on competitive chess. Mallory grew up competing, but took a pause when family drama came up. She returns to competing initially for the cash prizes, but falls back in love with chess. I was truly hooked from beginning to end of this one. I thought it was fresh and new and unlike other books in the YA genre. There was also some good rivals to lovers action with the #1 ranked player Nolan. Overall I loved this book and definitely recommend!

My first thought with this book is that I don't think it falls under the YA description. Between the language and some of the topics discussed, I think it feels more along the lines of a New Adult book. But that's 100% a personal opinion!

I really enjoyed this story! I've only read one other Ali Hazelwood book (The Love Hypothesis), but I really love that she writes strong, female main characters that have some self-discovery and learn something along the way. I think Mallory is such a wonderful character. Of course she has some flaws, but she really does show growth throughout the book.

Nolan Sawyer seems to be modeled after her other MMCs, - tall, dark, and broody. I do wish he might have been a bit different, but I understand the vibe. He also says it like it is, which I appreciate.

There is a "third act breakup" BUT I really enjoyed how it worked out and I LOVED that the ending was just the beginning of their chess match. Thank you for adding that epilogue to let us know how it went. :)

Overall, a cute book and I plan to recommend it!!

Chess just got sexy. Beloved Ali Hazelwood has taken up the sport and delivered a five-star read! 🙌

✨ Five-Star Book Review: CHECK & MATE by Ali Hazelwood ✨

♟️ Book Synopsis:
Mallory has given up chess and taken on the responsibility of caring for her sick mother and two younger sisters after the death of her estranged father. She’s there, but she might just be dying inside. When she has the opportunity to make more money competing in chess tournaments, she reluctantly returns to the game, despite her misgivings and baggage. This new chapter has nothing to do with the dark, brooding eyes and gorgeous physique of top-ranked chess player Nolan Sawyer. Nothing at all!

♟️ My Take:
I absolutely LOVED this book! And I’m not a huge fan of chess. The characters have so much depth and the slow-burn romance was absolutely delicious. This entry to YA has all that I’ve come to love from Ali Hazelwood: delightful character development and chemistry; believable story depth; and a glorious, smart feminist protagonist alongside a brooding misunderstood male lead. The YA label does mean though that this book does not include any open-door sex scenes. There’s still plenty to get readers excited though 😉 Highly recommend CHECK & MATE for both Ali Hazelwood and clean romance fans.

Read CHECK & MATE for
- Enemies to lovers romance
- Delicious slow-burn tension
- Fabulous friend banter
- Coming-of-age storyline

I liked this. Chess is not my wheelhouse but I enjoyed jumping into this world and seeing it through the main character Mallory’s eyes. The romance with Nolan was cute and I liked that the connection and that they really just got each other. Mallory’s journey was interesting and even though there were bumps and hurdles to get there and she was not always likeable I liked where she ended up emotionally and professionally. Overall an enjoyable read. 4 ⭐️.

Easily my second favorite Ali Hazelwood, after The Love Hypothesis! Wow did I love this book. The mc being unable to accept help was really rough to bear witness to for so long in the plot, but she's obviously very intelligent, but in that late-teens-early-twenties way that we all know and have gone through. I didn't follow the chess moves, but being a book about chess and relationships, I just focused more on the latter (and I think Ali did too). Would definitely read again and recommend to anyone.

Hazelwood is an auto-read for me, but even so, I wasn’t initially sold on a YA chess romance. Well, consider me sold. 🥰

♟️Check & Mate♟️
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Do I know anything about chess?
No
Do I know how to play chess?
Also no
Did I find myself wanting to YouTube chess matches and moves while reading this?
Absolutely yes
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My lack of chess knowledge did not keep me from LOVING this book, and as a matter of fact, I think it made me curious about chess. Like, could I play? Is there a computer game for this? I want to badass like Mal. Ha!
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After reading Ali Hazelwood’s author note about gender stereotypes and chess performance, I loved this book even more!
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I sat on this book for so long knowing it doesn’t publish until November 7th, but add this to your TBR! This is a book to be excited about.
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♟️rivals to lovers
♟️opposites attract
♟️forced proximity
♟️breaking stereotypes
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Thank you netgalley and G.P Putnam’s and Sons Books for Young Readers
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5 ⭐️ MUST READ!

Ali Hazelwood has done it again. Her books just have this magic to it that pull me in every single time, and this wasn't an exception AT ALL. I really loved this book. I just was completely sucked into it, and it did not let me go until the very end. I really loved our main character. She just felt so incredibly real. I liked how complex her inner monologue could be, and seeing her slowly and resistantly fall back in love with chess was incredible. I also really liked the love interest, and just the romance in general. I really loved how it was developed throughout the book, and I'm not going to lie it had me giddy with excitement. I also liked how they just build this really strong emotional connection with each other. The family aspect to this book was also incredible, and definitely made me cry. My only complaint for this book was that we didn't really get to see our couple together a lot. I just wish we got to see them be together a bit more as a couple, not just as friends. That's a really small complaint though, and didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book AT ALL though.

I enjoyed this rivals to lovers story set around of all things chess. While I don’t understand chess in the slightest, I was still able to follow the overarching competitive nature. The family dynamic Mallory had was annoyingly realistic- especially her sisters. The relationship built between Mallory and Nolan was funny, sad, cute and humorous. I know this was labeled as YA but I’m not sure if I agree fully - either way this was a new approach for the author and I still enjoyed it. I will continue to read anything by Ali.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, this is a voluntary honest review.

5/5 stars: Hazelwood's YA Romance debut novel is about rival chess players, an 18 years old girl who's given up the game but returns for the money and the reigning 20 year old Bad Boy of chess, who meet and clash over the board. Hazelwood's writing and distinctive character work makes for an addictive fast read. Mallory and Nolan are complex and engaging. And while the sex scenes are closed door, Hazelwood brings the swoon with plenty of banter and sex positivity and the flirting via chess game play is hot as all get out. Some tough topics are tackled, so take care and check CWs.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Ali Hazelwood is a writer for all genres and she's just beginning! This is not like her other books its not STEM or Romance. It's YA and it's about chess. This book feels like it was written with every move in mind just like the game itself. You don’t have to be a chess lover or YA lover to love this book!

Check & Mate is the story of Mallory Greenleaf and Nolan Sawyer. Mallory is an eighteen-year-old former chess prodigy who has grown up to be her family’s breadwinner, which means working in a garage, foregoing college and not thinking about her former passion and how good she was at it. Nolan is the current world champion of chess, known as the “Kingkiller”. He’s known to have anger issues, the most brooding personality and also a face carved by the angels. Who doesn’t love a brooding male? The setting is so critical and careful.

They first meet on what was probably one of my favorite first interaction scenes ever – SPOILER ALERT. not really. i won't ruin it.

I can not wait for the world to enjoy this beauty! Thank you so much for the publisher, and the author for this book!

I was very excited to get an ARC for this book because its Ali Hazelwood. Like I would gladly read her grocery list. Her tropes are always troping, her love interests are always tall, dark, and handsome, and her FMC tend to toe the line between relatable and annoying in their dizzying internal monologues. But I stick it out because her books are fun, light, and make me kick my legs from cuteness/romantic overload.

This book was no exception, but its also a YA book so there were a few differences. For one, its fade to black when it comes to the intimate scenes. Secondly, the amount of Gen Z/pop culture references were a bit intense - I thought we left Riverdale, tumbler, and Paris Hilton in the past. However, like her adult books, we have our FMC (Mallory) and our MMC (Nolan), the FMC thinks the MMC hates her even though he's been head over heels since he laid eyes on her, and some miscommunication happens until they actually talk and then my heart swoons.

The characters were easy to follow, the plot was interesting, and the character journeys were fresh (I might have sobbed a bit, but we can blame my PMS for that).

It was very fun to be introduced to the world of chess through a YA romance. I was a big fan of the Queen's Gambit show, and this took book took on a lighter and romantic reflection of that series. I will say thought, it was not so fun to be injected into the rambling internal monologues of our FMC - which at this point is a staple in Hazelwood's books. Honestly, when it comes down to the bare backbones of this book, it was nothing new from Ali Hazelwood, but I cannot hate on her for that because her books make me giddy and happy :)

So if like me, you cant say no to Ali, you will enjoy this fun and swoony read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC.

Honestly I wanted to like this book so much. I felt it was lacking. It took me a while to finish it and out of all of her books this is by far the weakest in my opinion. I couldn't connect with the characters and the plot just didnt capture my attention.

i honestly enjoyed this way more than i was expecting. given this is (somehow) my first ali hazelwood, its her ya (but really new adult, imo) debut, and i’ve heard a lot about her writing feeling like a fanfiction. i was… well, i was worried. and honestly yeah it kind of read that way but also i do understand why so many people love her stories??

like, it was funny, it was quick and and it was digestible. i know the book is short. but i really do feel like i devoured it anyways. were there a lot of pop culture references… yeah. but i genuinely got so into the romance and the chess storyline that none of it truly bothered me, per se. but also, i’ve always been a fan of chess (i mean, i’m ukranian, it was like a birth right to be taught to play by my grandpa when i was a child) so i’m definitely biased on that front.

of note, i know a lot of people have been and will ask about the spice levels of this story. personally, i wish publishing companies recognized new adult as an age range because this would fit perfectly into it. our characters are 18 (mallory) and 20 (nolan) throughout the majority of the book. they are fully adults. hazelwood mentions a lot of discussions about sex, often in relation to mallory hooking up with people.

(on a huge side note, mallory is bi or pan or poly. they never label her exactly. but she has sexual relationships with multiple genders. and i did not expect that going in and was pleasantly surprised. nolan… well i’m going to headcanon him as demi. i don’t know if she ever mentions their exact labels anywhere. but given the man acts like i do about sexual relationships, i’m going to presume. okay, back on track!)

so, i mentioned that mallory has a lot of very casual discussions about her hook-ups, including using dating apps, etc etc. they talk about how she grew up in a house that wasn’t bothered by sex and chastity. so that, their ages, plus the few fade to black sex scene(s) in the book, i personally think it should be classified as new adult, not ya. but that’s on publishing. but yeah. if anyone was wondering. no, there’s nothing explicit on page. and i firmly believe that it should stay that way because it will be published as a ya book. which usually features minors (i know it’s different in this case, it’s still icky to me, this could be a whole conversation).

anywho. tl;dr, i really enjoyed this story way more than i was expecting. it was one of those books that was a true palette cleanser. a book that reminds you how fun it can feel to swoon over some humans figuring their life out, finding their person, and ultimately learning from their mistakes.

My favorite Ali Hazelwood??

This was a rivals to lovers ya romance about chess and I was super engaged the entire story. I think that YA allows Ali Hazelwood to lean in to her strengths: banter and cutesy romance and gives cover for her flaws: it's not super unreasonable when the FMC is a bit clueless and the miscommunication seems more likely due to their age.
Chess rivals is my kinda sports romance.

Thanks to netgalley and penguin teen for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED LOVED LOVED!!! My high schoolers are going to adore this one. Ordering extra copies now! One is definitely not going to be enough.

This was such a cute read that inadvertently taught me a lot about the game of chess and the various ways in which you can play competitively. Admittedly, it’s not the type of writing/topic that I’ve grown used to when reading Ali Hazelwood novels but I did think it was well executed.