C H E C K & M A T E
♟️♟️♟️♟️♟️♟️♟️♟️
by @alihazelwood

💖💖💖💖.5/5
🔥/5

PLOT
mallory greenleaf thought she was done with chess, but when finances get tough and her best friend begs her, she is suddenly thrust back into the world she thought she had left behind. she plays at a charity event working her way up the competition until she finds herself playing the current world champion, nolan sawyer. and she doesn't just play against him ... she beats him!!

what follows is a slow burn, rivals to lovers story where he falls first and orchestrates a chain of events that leads to the beginning of their love story.

MY TAKE
this was a beautifully written story, so don't be put off by the fact that it is YA. ali hazelwood constantly amazes me and i love that she shines light on steminist stories. i would definitely recommend you read this book! i'll be dusting off my old chess set once i've submitted this post!!

TROPES
❤️‍🔥HE FALLS FIRST
❤️‍🔥FORCED PROXIMITY
❤️‍🔥RIVALS TO LOVERS
❤️‍🔥SLOW BURN

QUOTE OF NOTE
"In the name of good sportsmanship, could you both say what you admire the most about your opponent’s play?”
NOLAN: “Every last thing.” 🥺🫶🏼

Es ist ein großer Segen und eine unbeschreibliche Bereicherung, dass Ali Hazelwood in den Bücherrregalen aufgetaucht ist. Keine andere Autorin ist derzeit dazu fähig solch wundervolle LIebesgeschichten mit intelligentem Hintergrund zu erschaffen wie sie.
Dieses Mal finden wir uns nicht in der Wissenschaft, sondern in der Welt des Schach wieder. Detailgetreu beschreibt Hazelwood das Leben von Schachgroßmeistern und öffnet damit für viele Leser die Tür in diese Welt. Auch für mich war Schach bisher einfach nicht zu greifen, aber ich bilde mir ein, dass ich nach dem Lesen des Buchs wenigstens ein bisschen mein Verständnis dafür schärfen konnte. Und dann noch diese absolute herzerwärmende und dabei nicht kitschige Liebesgeschichte. Wunderschön! Klare Empfehlung.

Although I loooove Ali's books, this one fell a bit flat for me. However, I do know it's a more YA audience and that isn't for me. There were really cute bits and I did enjoy the characters, but when I put the book down, I didn't find myself desperate to get back to it.

Move over ‘The love hypothesis’ we have a new champion.
Firstly I must confess I wasn’t looking forward to this read. I know a bag fat zero about chess but I do know that Ali Hazelwood is one hell of an amazing author so I had faith and let her lead me into the world of professional chess and miss Malorey Greenleaf.

Easy to read, completely captivating romance, witty banter and an original plot full of twists and turns. Our author did not disappoint.

To be honest the moment I found out the mother has rheumatoid arthritis my attention was peaked but I truly just lost all track of time with this book.

Isn’t a spicy as some of her prior books, but after reading one hell of a spice recently, it was so nice just to be reading something so cute, warm and snuggly. This book is the ultimate cure for any book hangovers. It is hot chocolate on a cold winters day with marshmallows on top.

Mallory Greenleaf’s life changes instantly when she crosses path with chess world number one, Nolan Sawyer, in a local tournament. Daughter of a former chess professional, she has already put her ambitions of college and chess aside to look after her single mum and two younger sisters. After sudden interest in her game, Mallory must challenge her impostor syndrome and duty to her family to realise her own talent.

I found this book easy to get into. I liked how Ali Hazelwood described the games and used terminology to build on the story. At times, I found some of the ideas far-fetched and characters annoying, particularly Mallory. Letting that go, it brings the reader in, and is definitely a great read for people who like the romance genre and/or want a light read.

4.5 - This is probably my favorite Ali Hazelwood book so far, I could have finished it in one sitting if only I had the chance. However I’m not giving it a 5 star because as much as I love her books I find her writing irritating. The dialogues especially never get to the point and the main characters are always frustratingly dumb.

Ctrl C + Ctrl V of The Queen's Gambit ??? Very confused about the purpose of this book. I mean, it is essentially the TikTok-ification of the Queen's Gambit.

Fun, easy to read and quite informative. I really enjoyed this title although I would say this is definitely older teen and above.

Although not my favourite by Ali Hazelwood, I still found it super cute! I didn't think I would like it as I know nothing about chess but it was easy to follow along with and different to the STEM relationships she usually writes about. I would recommend to any Ali Hazelwood fan!

A true masterpiece. I love every Ali Hazelwood books and this one is awesome. Very loveable characters, such witty banters, and an amazing story plot and romance. Loved it.

As a fan of Ali Hazelwood's last few books, I thought I would adore this. Despite not knowing anything about chess I was eager to be enveloped in the language and world of competitive chess.
Thankfully there wasn't too much in-depth vocabulary and you were able to follow the games without having to know much about competitive chess.
The plot was interesting and I loved Mallory's relationship with her sisters. However, Mallory, herself, was just not for me.
Maybe I am old-fashioned but I couldn't really see the advantage of our heroine going on Hinge (or whatever the app was) to have random hookups in car parks.
I'm all for being sex-positive and allowing girls the freedom to express themselves sexually but she was obviously using sex as a coping mechanism for her fear of abandonment and it was a really unhealthy one which wasn't really addressed.
I also kept having to remind myself that she was only 18/19 as many of the decisions she made had me rolling my eyes in annoyance at her immaturity.
That said I really liked Nolan and what he put himself through to help her.
Great story but definitely not my favourite of Ms Hazelwood.

Ok so this is Ali Hazelwood’s first closed-door romance. And you know what? I enjoyed it. A lot more than I thought I would. It is not as hilarious and charmingly ridiculous like her adult romance books, but the fact it is about chess players is refreshing and I really appreciate Hazelwood bringing our attention to the world of STEM (is chess stem? I dont know actually! But oh well) that many women and girls don’t know much about. The charcaters are likeable and the chemistry and dynamic of their relationship pulled me in. I am not sure if this is really YA? Maybe upper YA audience like 16 and up, but I hope 13-14 won’t pick it up because there is some talk not approproate perhaps. I really wish publishing industry comes with some kind of rating for YA romance. Apart from the issue, I am all in for Ali Hazelwood as a YA romance writer!

This is a fantastic YA debut by Ali Hazelwood, who manages to translate her fantastic romance writing into the YA space. My only mild criticism is this felt like it really stretched the boundaries of YA and for a reasonable chunk of the book I forgot they were supposed to be teenagers. Honestly, I think this is closer to New Adult in age and tone. That said, it was a great read and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for the advanced copy.

I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan; I have devoured everything she has written...more than once! When I saw the announcement that she was writing a YA book I was beyond excited. Finally, an Ali Hazelwood book I'll be able to stock in the library for my students! But, I'll admit, I was also a little wary. Would this book live up the love I have for her previous books? Can you make chess romantic and swoony? Will a YA book have that same spark and excitement?

Of course it did!

As per usual, her main characters (as well as the side character friends and family we meet along the way) are adorable, occasionally little messes, that you just fall in love with. Mallory was completely relatable and while she did frustrate me with her inability to communicate with those she loves and massive tendency to be a martyr at times, as an eldest daughter, I could totally relate.
And Nolan! Yet another Ali Hazelwood main character that you just swoon for. He's adorable in a moody and withdrawn sort of way. I'm a sucker for the grumpy-ish character that comes alive around the girl who's oblivious that he's absolutely head over heels for her.

If you're a fan of Hazelwood's previous books, or even if you've never read one before, please pick up this book! It'll make you smile, kick your silly little feet in the air, and have you swooning before you're even halfway through. A great read and proof that Hazelwood can do no wrong (in my eyes at least!)

this was so cute. so sweet. so swoon-worthy. i devoured this book in one sitting.

i will read anything ali hazelwood writes, her books always get me out of a reading slump. idc if they’re predictable!

the one thing that annoyed me was the ‘pop culture’ references 😭 it was giving millennial who put together a list of what gen z are into these days. it got better toward the end, though!

4.25⭐️
thank you netgalley and little brown book group for a review copy!
I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. Going into this I knew nothing about chess (i still no nothing) but the matches were told in a really engaging way, and you didnt need to know anything about chess! I really loved the characters and how they developed through the book. I thought Mallory was an amazing protagonist and I really enjoyed the ending. I do think it should be aimed at an older age group as it did focus on grief (check tw!). Overall this was an amazing and really sweet romance book that I would definitely recommend!!

I have enjoyed all of Ali Hazelwoods previous books so I was so excited to read her latest release and first YA book. I am so happy to say that it didn’t disappoint and I loved it. I honestly know nothing about chess and yet I found myself so immersed in the game in this book. Despite not understanding the rules I still felt there was enough background, description and tension build up to really feel as if I was there and following along with the games. The characters were great and I really enjoyed their development throughout the book.
Overall a really fantastic YA and once again I look forward to reading whatever come next from Ali Hazelwood.

Whenever a nee Ali Hazelwood book arrives it’s safe to say everything else gets dropped! Her first steps outside of the world of STEM doesn’t disappoint and almost made me want to learn how to play chess.

A little younger in age than her previous title, this is a little more sweet and a little less spicy, but that doesn’t take away from the wonderful story. If you enjoyed watch Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and wished there had been a little more HEA, then this is the book for you!

3.5⭐️

This book was really cute, but not my favourite romance book ever.

Nolan is absolutely amazing, but Mallory annoyed me a little too much.

This book is marketed as Ali Hazelwood's Young Adult debut, but to me it didn't feel like a Young Adult book. That could also just be me.

I don't know anything about chess, but I wasn't confused reading this. It is very chess focused and doesn't get into the romance until like the 50% mark (at least, that's how it felt)

I just love Ali Hazelwoods writing so there was no question whether I'd enjoy this book or not. Defenitly reccomend.

2,75 ⭐

I usually love Hazelwood's stories, but this one wasn't as great as the others in my opinion. I loved how chess was so important in this book (loved how it all was based on the problems of the stereotypes), but I felt like it wasn't enough alone to carry the book.

The main character was too naive, even for her age and past and I feel like the "family problem" could have been managed better. Nolan, on the other hand, was an interesting character, but I wish we could see more.

I feel like we were given half of a book, because that ending wasn't really satisfying.