3 stars.

"Check & Mate" by Ali Hazelwood is an average rivals-to-lovers YA chess-centered romance with good laughs and good banter. I liked that the main characters, Nolan and Mallory, are more complex than many other one-dimensional romance characters. On her own, though, Mallory is one of those self-destructive, insecure, poor girls with a lot of baggage who is wickedly talented but second-guesses herself to a fault because she's running from something. She's the kind of character who needs a swift kick in the keester, and STAT! For a *~chess genius,~* she sure is a dummy. Luckily, Mal has Nolan, a rich, handsome, grump of a chess god nepo-baby, pining after her. Just like real life! I found the romance aspect well done. I enjoyed watching Mal and Nolan slowly fall in love with each other, and I enjoyed hearing their banter with one another. Unfortunately, these characters feel eerily familiar to those from Hazelwood's other books. I wish she'd do something wildly different (hopefully "Bride" will be it)! Unlike a lot of readers, I don't mind all of the pop culture references (AO3, Meghan Markle, TikTok, Timothee Chalamet, Taylor Swift, Riverdale, Ari Aster, Harry Styles, Adam Driver, etc). Sure, there are *a lot* of them, but I'm not sure why people care? These things are pervasive in our culture... of course they would permeate into fiction. It's not a reason to DNF a book. The plot is predictable, right down to the third act misunderstanding and break-up. All in all, I found this to be a decent book, but I likely won't think about it ever again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ali Hazelwood, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Ali Hazelwood is an autobuy author for me for good reason. Her characters come to life on the page and she writes strong female characters. I didn't *love* this book because of the chess element (I don't play or have much interest), but she does bring the chess world into the mainstream in this book. Recommended! 3.5 stars

Gifted copy via Netgalley and Publisher.

Ali Hazelwood never ceases to amaze me. Science, math, and now chess! Subjects I usually go out of my way to avoid, but she is able to masterfully make them sound captivating (sorry to my science, math, chess people — you’re looking at a humanities girlie).

I was so excited for Hazelwood’s first YA! After reading, let me first say that this is not a YA and probably shouldn’t be in a classroom library. This is New Adult — college aged kids where sex comes up often. No shame in that, but it should be shelved accordingly.

But back to the story. Nolan and Mal — *squel*

What cuties. I literally couldn’t put this back down. This was the perfect refresher after trudging through Iron Flame. There was enough substance and hard topics to add depth, but plenty of banter and sweet moments to keep you gooey.

So, do I watch The Queen’s Gambit now?

5⭐️

I don't typically read YA books, but I really enjoy Ali Hazelwood's writing style!

Mallory is the daughter of a professional chess player who passed away some time ago. He was coaching her, but she stopped playing when she was young. Her family is struggling to make ends meet and she is given the opportunity to train with one of the best coaches and potentially make some serious money for her family. Her mother does not want her to play, so she doesn't tell her what job she has gotten. She starts playing and does an AMAZING job, finally going again the king of the game, then sparks start to fly!

Most of the book takes place in the chess world, either training or tournaments, and I felt like I learned a lot about the game. Hazelwood did an amazing job explaining the game and etiquette so you didn't feel completely lost.

Great read, sweet romance!

Ali really did that. Dipping her toe in YA was the right move in my eyes and I can’t wait to see what other worlds she creates. I love it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin, and Ali Hazelwood for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

To be completely honest I was worried about reading this book. Ali Hazelwood has been very hit or miss for me over the years. And I was worried that my YA romance days were behind me. But this book was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed it and I hope that this isn’t the last YA we see from Ali.

This book is a great combination of laugh out loud moments and witty banter. But also diving into women and how they are viewed in male dominated fields.

This was so sweet! I also loved the chess concept. Per Ali she stretched some chess facts, but honestly I would have never known as I know nothing about chess. I loved the journey, but I do wish we got to know a little more on the background of the MMC.

When I saw this was YA, I will admit that I was nervous. However, this has been one of my favourite Ali Hazelwood books to date. I definitely would consider it on the very upper end of YA merging into New Adult.

The characters, the romance, the competitiveness, and the family element; it all just worked for me and I flew through this book. I really hope this is isn't the last book from the author in this vein! I want MORE!

**Read an ARC from Netgalley Rating : 4 Stars

i was so excited/nervous for this one because I love Ali Hazelwood but am not the biggest YA reader, but i am happy to report I loved this one! This was such a sweet read with swoon worthy moments I was living for. One thing I love about Ali is that she’s going to write a kickass smartass FMC and Mallory absolutely served in this one. My only real critique is just about the YA-ness of the characters and book, which isn’t super fair bc it’s a YA book lmao. But would definitely recommend who knew I would love a book about chess.

The Facts: chess babes, trauma, delicious rivals, he falls first (as he should), slow burn

As usual with Ali’s books, I fell head over heels for this one. Like seriously, her books just keep getting better and better.

At first, I was like chess???? And then I was like CHESSSSSSS!!!!!!!?!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥 true story

The amount of emotional depth this story had was unreal. Mallory finds her backed into a corner to join the chess world once more where Nolan, the reigning (and sexy) chess champion, is and obvi there are sparks and sexual tension and all the angst in the world. Every second of this book I just didn’t want to to end. Ali is great at including such realistic FMCs and magnetic MMCs that I am always obsessed with no matter what.

Also throughout this entire book, I just kept saying “women” (specifically the quote from Little Women when Jo was talking about how women have minds and hearts and stuff) bc dang the women in this are amazing and fierce.

Ali, I’m so effing excited for Bride and Not in Love and seriously any other book that you’re going to put out in the future.

For anyone wondering if this will still feel like a Ali Hazelwood book despite the YA classification, don’t worry. This feels just like her other books, with the exception of all the sex being kept behind closed doors. I think that Mallory might be my favorite of all of her main characters. She’s definitely the one that I connect with the most.

If you’re wondering whether or not you can find a book about chess interests, I assure you that you definitely can.

The Queens Gambit meets a YA romance.

I LOVED this book. Devoured it in two days. Mallory Greenleaf stopped playing chess years ago when it led to a family tragedy and has been saddled with caring for her sick Mom and two tween sisters. Her best friend Easton finds a tournament for her to enter and she very reluctantly enters for the prize money ONLY. Except, she winds up beating the #1 player in the world, Nolan Sawyer, and he’s not going down without a fight.

At times this was a bit chess-heavy, and I found myself skimming those parts. They didn't make sense to me, a non-genius level chess player. I don't think those parts will make sense to anyone who doesn't play chess competitively or academically. The love story and the story of growing up quicker than normal was solid, though. This is my first Ali Hazelwood.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Mallory hasn't played chess in years. There's no point, in her mind. So, she is as surprised as anyone when she wins a tournament and is thrust into the chess world all over again. Mallory is a wonderful main character. She has many layers, from her ability to play chess, to how much she cares about her family, to the guilt she feels. She is nuanced and relatable, and you can see how her past has affected her present. Watching her transformation throughout this novel was wonderful, and the banter she had with Nolan (her nemesis/love interest), her friends, and her family was great. I feel like this wasn't just a romance in the falling for another person sense, but we also got to see Mallory fall in love with chess all over again, and find ways to love herself. This just solidified why Hazelwood is one of my go-to authors!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I really loved this book. I loved seeing a bit of a older ya book but def one that kept me on my toes. I normally don't love book with the hate to more romance type but this one really worked for me. I also loved the setting of this read and loved all the side character and it def was a really unique port to choose!

The way Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong! I absolutely loved this story from her. Check & Mate is the YA debut from Ali Hazelwood and it DOESN'T miss. If you are a fan of rivals-to-lovers or tales were he falls first, this is for you! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

3.5 stars rounded up. I thought this was an adorable YA romance. I thought the chess premise was great but almost TOO focused on chess that it took away from their romance a bit. Would recommend just not if you are looking for your best read of the year.

I will 100% read anything by Ali Hazelwood and getting a YA book was a super fun twist I wasn't expecting. Hazelwood makes a very big point to write about strong, smart female characters and Check & Mate was no different. Mallory would have been just as much, if not more, of a chess prodigy than her competitors had it not been for a really shitty father doing a really shitty thing to her family. Instead she shouldered the load of finances when her father was no longer around and when her mothers chronic illness became too much. I loved seeing her reunite with a passion that brought her joy and conquering a male dominated field with talent and humor.

All that being said, I would probably argue that this book edges a bit more toward New Adult than Young Adult. The main character is 18 at opening and has already graduated high school. Most of her interactions are far outside of a young adult setting and many of the themes do gravitate to a more mature readership. I think younger readers could enjoy this, but ultimately, it's more for your older teen/ younger 20's audience.

Ali Hazelwood never ceases to AMAZE ME!

This was the cutest read ever! I had all the feelings.. I laughed out loud, blushed, and even shed a few tears. I don’t usually read YA romance but I am so glad I picked up this book. Mallory & Nolan are everything and I couldn’t get enough. Seeing both characters overcome tough situations was so sweet. The plot was so good and pacing was just perfect.

Thank you Ali for another amazing and comforting read. You had me smiling the whole time. Big shoutout to penguin teen & netgalley for my gifted copy.

This was my very first book from Ali Hazelwood and it was brilliant. I’ll admit I was a bit worried because the first few chapters were a bit slow but after those things really picked up and I was so invested in the story. On top of that, I adored all of the characters, especially Nolan and Mallory, and the humor was just spot on for me. Plus the romance was just slow burn perfection and well developed. Mallory and Nolan just had such intense chemistry. The only complaint that I have is I found myself wanting more of them. I would be so happy if they got another book or just even a little short story about them. Finally, I’d just like to say that I have a newfound appreciation for chess because of this book! And I’d love to learn how to play. Also I’m for sure going to be going back and reading all of Ali Hazelwood’s other books!