Thank you NetGalley and Emma Barry for the chance to listen to this ALC!

I enjoyed this short, quick read. The main characters had growth and their story was easy to follow. I’ve never played Chess, so I found the game and how its strategies were used in the characters life interesting. It was a fun, angsty, second chance, romance. I give it 3.75 stars and 🌶️(open door but, not erotic).

Savannah Peachwood and Jeremy York did a great job narrating. They kept me engaged, and their voices fit the characters and their emotions really well.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This was a fun second chance romance about chess.. more accurately about females playing chess and I love that so much and the fact that everything is so wholesome

Lately, I’ve been into stories about second chances, and this one really got to me. The way the characters felt their emotions was so real; you could feel their pain and hope. It was easy to connect with them because their struggles felt genuine.

They had a complicated past that affected how they interacted. Watching them try to move forward was interesting. They didn’t have all the answers, but they kept pushing through, which made everything feel real. They weren’t perfect, but they weren’t giving up either.

The chess world made a nice setting. It added to the story and made their dynamic more intense. The strategy and focus of the game matched the way they had to handle their emotions and choices.

The way they dealt with everything felt natural. They struggled, made mistakes, and kept going. Seeing them figure things out made the story feel real.

Second chance

This was a good listen. I enjoyed the audiobook.

Dual narration - Jeremy York & Savannah Peachwood

Jamie and Scarlett were high school sweethearts. It was fun listening to their story.

Great characters. Scarlett is a strong and independent FMC. When Jamie finally gets himself together I was like omg about time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was deep into many non-fiction books when NetGalley approved me for this book, and it was like a breath of fresh air! This is the type of easy romance that I love. It was a quick listen for me.

The characters in this book were romantically involved in high school, but then due to changes occurring in their family lives, they lost touch.

Scarlett became a pro-chess player (think Queen’s Gambit) and wrote a best selling memoir. Jamie made a popular documentary about how the opioid crisis in their Appalachian town and his dad’s involvement (think Hillbilly Elegy minus Mr. “I’m a never Trump guy.”)

Now Scarlett and Jamie are working together to write a tv script and produce a show based off of Scarlett’s chess-playing memoir (hollywood romance meets second chance romance). They have to confront old wounds and family drama while working together and having their old feelings arise again.

Narrators on the audio did a fabulous job too!

This book is open door 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I love a good second chance romance - even more when there's mutual pining and a strong female main character and Scarlett - a world champion chess master looking for a comeback, was just that!!
When Jamie, her high school ex comes calling asking if he can adapt her memoir for the television, Scarlett is reluctant to agree knowing there's a dark secret she's been keeping from him for years. However, she does agree, wanting to be able to help tell her story her way which has them spending months together in their home town co-writing the script and falling back in love.

While this does have a lot of miscommunication and a third act break up, I still loved it a lot and enjoyed the fresh, unique characters and the insights into the limitations of the chess world when it comes to gender and equality. I'm also always a sucker for a meant to be love story and really enjoyed this opposites attract pairing set in Southern Appalachia. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. This is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood's Check & mate.