Check & Mate

I didn???t like Mallory. Nolan was great but not much more than a side character.

Also, I may be old fashioned but I found Mallory???s use of hookup apps and casual sex (no need to remember their names) to be out of place in a ya romance.

The book was closed door, so there wasn???t really much difference when she slept with Nolan than the guys in earlier chapters.

Feel like this would???ve been better as NA including some steamy scenes with the main love interest. As it was, they didn???t have much chemistry and I had no idea why he liked her.

The chess plot was okay, but all very unrealistic. I struggled to believe someone who hadn???t played chess for a long time would so easily beat the best in the world.

first read of 2024!!!

i really loved this and this honestly makes me want to try playing chess haha (i already know i'd be awful at it tho). however i really didn't like the third act conflict as it's literally one of my LEAST fav tropes. (lying / miscommunication). if it wasn't for that and the in my opinion underwhelming ending it would've been a 5 star read too.

Started with very cringy very clearly YA targeted writing, but as the book went on I fell more and more in love with all of the characters. Chess was a great background to set this story against as it kinda felt like what I imagine a sports romance would feel like (as of yet I have not read any). I really enjoyed this book overall, though the ending left a bit more to be desired. I wanted more in the last chapter before the epilogue!

I never thought I'd read an Ali Hazelwood novel (being prejudiced against Reylo and having the eyes to see the cover of Love Hypothesis, as well as not finding any particular appeal to Adam Driver), but this really surprised me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It might be the chess, since I don't really have an interest in the STEM subjects of her other works, but either way I loved it. I think maybe the really casual and blatant approach to sex would make me hope there's no younger teenagers reading this, but for my own age range there was nothing explicit. This novel isn't a masterpiece of modern literature by any means, but I really liked it and would definitely read it again. It's also managed to make me feel like getting even more into improving myself in chess, so thanks to this book, my next literary purchase will probably be chess related.

Y'all I am giddy over this book! I loved it so so much! We've had a busy few days and I wanted an easy audio while I ran around with the kids and did things around the house. It did not disappoint! Check & Mate follows Mallory and Nolan. Mallory's life used to be chess until she started taking responsibility for her family's care and finances. Nolan is a professional chess player whose life revolves around chess. Their meet-cute is so cute and sweet. This is a young adult book, but it didn't feel “too young” to me so I'd say definitely upper YA. I found Nolan so precious and sweet. The way Ali Hazelwood writes is so fun and witty. I loved the representation in the book, it felt very inclusive. This was just such a breath of fresh air. Check & Mate is an upper young adult romance, 16+ for themes, language, sexual content.

The author is not very good at writing. Sentence structures are repeated frequently, emphasis is shown in only a single way, and the conversations are... Stilted. Awkward. Unrealistic.

The main character, Mallory, is stupid - which is forgivable - and annoying - which is not. The love interest, Nolan, is so cookie-cutter and flat that it physically pains me. The middle sister, Sabrina, is like a parody of how teenagers are represented in media - except it's not a parody.

The romance occurs suddenly and with shallow buildup. The chess metaphors are inserted in a way that could not have been more hamfisted. Speaking of chess, this book commits countless crimes against chess. The author apologises for that, at least.

This one met my expectations. Mostly.

Which is a kind way of saying, not bad but it could have been so much better.

Usually I like Ali Hazelwood's books, but as this was her first foray into ya, I was prepared to give it a little grace. It needed that grace and then some. There were times when I struggled to pay attention. It was never difficult to set the book down, except maybe the last 20 pages. Pretty sure that was more about me counting pages and continually reminding myself that the light at the end of the tunnel was glaringly bright.

Mallory is a fairly well written mc. She's got her good points and her flaws. I didn't necassrily like her - her childish bs and self appointed matyrdom grated on my nerves -but character wise she was fleshed out. I liked most of the chess related secondary characters, especially Oz. Who didn't I like? Nolan. The character equivalent of a wet paper towel. There was no depth to him. Chess. His grandfather. (who also played chess). And....he's a 20someyear old guy with no relationship experience who has no idea how to take care of himself when he's sick. That's it. We didn't learn anything about him that was comforting or revolutionary or even suggest that his favorite color was something other than beige. He chemistry with Mallory was miniscule at best. To the point where I didn't feel like there was really a romance at all.

My other issues would have been minor if the main story had held my attention better. But since it didn't...Mallory's mom? She was sick? I think? But no idea how she was sick. At first I thought it was depression. Then maybe recovering from cancer. But maybe it was some other kind of chronic illness? Lupus? Chronic fatigue? Arthritis? Fibromyalgia? No idea. Something was needed to explain why Mallory was playing parent even though her mom was in the other room. Mallory's sisters. Good grief. How does Mallory's 12 year old sister know that much about her sex life? Plus both girls were walking, talking Gen Z encyclopedias, practially just spewing lists of jokes and references to try to make the author appear like she knows what she writes about (Riverdale was not that good, but at least she didn't include the horrible, inexplicable Nancy Drew farce). It was all superficial.

One other point of contention: I think this book is mis-genre'd (is that a word?). Based on the ages of the main characters, where they are in life and the amount of sex talk, this should be New Adult, not YA. I wish publishers would stop trying to say something is YA, even when it's obviously not in an attempt to get those who read YA to look their direction.

Overall, 2.5 stars. I'm not feeling generous enough to round it up to 3

Excuse me, sir? I need to sign up for chess lessons NOW. The way this had me so invested in chess that I was biting my nails OFF for Mallory and Nolan. Nolan just cared so much for Mallory that he had me on my KNESS. I don't want I NEED a tall, smart brunette who's good at chess in my life. What? is not that hard. Don't think because this is Ali Hazelwood's first young adult romance novel is going to be less than her other books. NOT AT ALL. This is just as good (I could even say way better!)

For my first Ali Hazelwood book, this did not disappoint. Was thinking about this book nonstop when it was not in my hands.

The characters were very methodically thought out and consistently were apart of it all. Even tied up loose ends from the beginning which was nice to see. Loved Nolan and Mallory’s relationship at every point in the book, would root for them any day.

Mallory’s sisters were lowkey the best part - they were absolute menaces.

4⭐️

I just finished Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood and here are my thoughts.

Mallory Greenlead doesn't play chess anymore. Not in years but her friend begs her to play a charity tournament. She isn't expecting much but when she unexpectedly wipes the floor with the current world champion, she flees and doesn't look back.

That is until the organizer shows up on her doorstep. Offering her a fellowship, paid for, for one year. The money would be a huge bonus in taking care of her family bills. Not expecting it to go anyway, she still has a gift for the game and the cash prizes are going a long way but can she keep her curiosity for Nolan out of her head and in the game she needs to win? The game that ripped her family apart in the first place?

I will start by saying, I was quite thrilled to see that the author included an autoimmune disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, as the reason Mallory was taking care of her family. I've never seen something I live with daily, in a book before. It's a severe and debilitating autoimmune disease that really is quite horrific. Cancer drugs and steroids are what is given to try and stop your body attacking itself and often, it barely does much so I am really pleased this was highlighted.

I am not a fan of chess, I know very little about the game, but it really didn't matter. The book was very well written and so cute! I felt like I learned something from reading it.

I thought Mallory was a great MC. She understood she had ti step up for her family and when she was given a chance to bring in more money, she did it, even when she didn't want to. I love Nolan. He was dead inside until she beat him in that game and she awoke something in him.

It was great book and I am so glad I got a copy from my library.

4.5 stars, I am totally biased though because I do love Ali hazelwoods books.

I can see why this is Ali Azelwood's favorite child. Check & Mate is a wonderful YA and I was enthralled by the story from the beginning.

While the story is not one bit believable, it was a fun read and I can see a lot of young adults and people from generation Z relating with the characters.

Mallory is a great female lead: she is strong willed, caring, smart and funny. Her insecurities are understandable and make the final conflict believable. I loved to see her grow and was quite surprised by seeing her admit to her flaws and apologize.

Nolan is the sweetest character and I only wish we could have seen more of him and their romance. He is tall and broody, falls first, but reads Mallory better than a book. He is caring, protective, vulnerable and mature. In one word: Wonderful

Ali knows her readers well, and I'm sure most will appreciate all the pop culture references. This is, however, one of my pet peeves and I wish someone would advise Ali against it. It just dates the books, and not only might presently alienate some readers, it will certainly alienate future readers, while adding absolutely no value to the story. This is a pity because this book actually shows character growth, as opposed to most of YA I've read lately. I would be quite willing to show this to my daughter, but as most of the problems teenagers face cross generations, their “interests” vary. Honestly: TikTok, AO3, Percy Jackson, Riverdale, Timothy Chalame, Goodreads (and I bet some Taylor swift codes which I blessedly won't be able to find) probably won't even be cool next year.

Ironically, this is the book that treats sex in a healthier and positive way.

Gorgeous cover, good romance, great character development. You did great job Aly

Me ha encantado, ha sido super adictivo y entretenido. Me han entrado ganas de aprender a jugar al ajedrez de manera un poco más profesional (porque yo solo sé como se mueven las piezas y poco más).

Me he leído todas las novelas de Ali Hazelwood que ha sacado por ahora, y creo que está es mi favorita por lo menos hasta que saque Bride y Not In Love, que ya veremos si la superan.

Ranking de libros de Ali:
1. Jaque mate al amor
2. La teoría del amor
3. La hipótesis del amor
4. La química del amor