Ali Hazelwood continues to wow me and make me fall in love with her writing more and more with every books she comes out with. Check & Mate is interesting, hooking and romantic YA novel that will leave you wanting more. I’m so glad Ali decided to dip in the Young Adult pool because I truly loved this book from start to finish! Thanks for the ARC!!

Ali Hazelwood is back with another banger and this time it's featuring a chess romance (new meta if you know what I mean) 😉

This is a YA romance featuring two chess prodigy - one who grew up within the community and is currently ranked as the world champion and one who stepped out of the centerstage because of family-related concern - and how the game of pawns brought them together.

And yes, I'm going to say this even though this is only my second time reading an Ali Hazelwood book but ALI REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE SWOONWORTHY BOOKS!!

This book is filled with a handful of chess games and jargons, sequences of hate-to-love interactions, and a commentary about how misogyny is rampant even in this niche where highly-intelligent grandmasters rule.

What I liked most about this book is that the story and the games are easy to understand and follow even if I only have basic knowledge about chess. It even made me interested about the game again that I downloaded a chess app to see if I still know to play.

Overall, a highly engaging YA romance novel that I'm sure will be talked about next month.

RATING: 5stars

Format - E ARC (netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice-💋

Series- N/A

Troupes- enemies to friends to lovers, rivals, he falls first so hard.

Representation- Demisexual, PTSD

CW- off page death of a loved one, infidelity, and on page harassment and misogyny.


I am beyond excited to write an early review for this, and be able to say with confidence that Ali Hazelwood has now successfully concurred the YA romance genre with an adorable and still angsty queens gambit meets ReyLo story about a young woman who doesn’t want to love chess again after it blow up her life. And a boy who has never felt anything like he does when he plays with her.

Now I know Ali gets a lot of flack for “writing the same thing over and over” but you know what even if that’s how it reads to you, that doesn’t change the time and research and effort she puts into her storytelling. All her books are so well researched I only get about half of all the technical stuff and this one was just as well done. The intricacies of chess are vast and wide reaching and she just throws that knowledge around like it’s something she’s trained in all her life, and it’s these details among other factors (i.e mutual pinning and him falling first) that make her work to engaging.

Ok off the soap box. This book has everything we love in Ali’s writing just younger and without the explicit spicy times ☹️. And while I missed the Ali spice it did go with the flow of the story. I love a demi MC and Nolan is a sweet summer child in comparison to Mallory and that made me happy. I love the way chess was detailed and written as its own character. I loved to hate the misogynistic assholes of the sport. And I loved the family and found family dynamics that always run though Ali’s books.

This is a great addition to the YA romance genre I can’t wait to give this one to my nieces!

Thank you Ali Hazelwood and Penguin Group for this advanced copy all opinions are my own.

This is a cute YA romance, CHECKMATE!

Mallory is parenting her family as her mother copes with an extended illness. Her life is exhausting as she juggles the everyday until an opportunity to play on the chess world stage presents itself. She was once was a prodigy until caring for her mom and sister took precedent.

Nolan Sawyer, world chess champion, becomes invested in her Mallory's chess comeback after witnessing her play. Their relationship starts as rivals then moves to friends then romantically invested. The bond they form goes beyond the board as both are flawed yet protective of those they love.

Hazelwood writes with such depth as the reader ingrains themselves in the world of chess and this young couple. You feel the emotions of both characters as they check & mate their lives. This story is a hilarious, genuine romance.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the complimentary copy.

I was so excited to receive this ebook! Thank you so much penguinteen for this amazing read! I also pre-ordered it so I also can’t wait to get my physical copy when it comes out on November 7th.

Mallory Greenleaf left chess when she was 14 and never looked back. Too much baggage and heartache came with it and she had to help her mom take care of her two younger sisters. When her best friend begs her to do a chess tournament for charity because she needs one more person, Mallory agrees to help. What she doesn’t expect is that the first person she is up against is Nolan Sawyer, number one chess player in the world. She also doesn’t expect to win.

This win puts her on the radar and she accepts a job where her whole life will revolve around chess. Even though she tries to keep work and home life separate, there is only so much she can do with a sport that takes over her whole mind. But chess isn’t the only thing on her mind, Nolan seems to be making his way in too.

Review
I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was such a fun and easy read. It was a page turner for sure. I loved the friendship that bloomed between Mallory and Nolan, and others that chess brought into her life. Nolan was so witty and had the best personality. The small acts of kindness or little ways he showed he cared had me swooning over him until the very end.


This is a 4.5 for me ONLY because I really think this should be NA instead of YA. I still really loved it and highly recommend it if you loved any of Ali’s other books.

I will post to IG on November 1st!

This book is the reason I love romance genre! Mallory is 18 and feels the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. When she gets the lucky break of playing chess, the game she loved and thought she had to give up. Her whole world changes! It takes her a minute to get used the new world.

Check & Mate is a fun YA debut. While Ali Hazelwood has multiple adult romance novels, such as, The Love Hypothesis, this is her first young adult one. This story follows 18-year-old Mallory Greenleaf who used to be a master chef player until she quit at the age of 14. She supports her mom and sisters, Sabrina, and Darcy, through working as a mechanic until events lead to her winning a worldwide chess tournament against the top chess player in the world, Nolan Sawyer, including some nice earnings. She is also offered a paid internship at a chess club that is difficult to refuse. She also left an impression on Nolan who is determined to know more about the girl who beat him.

While this is a work of fiction, I still like a little realism in my contemporary stories. In this story, Mallory takes an extended break from chess and immediately wins a tournament against the best in the world. She then never loses, which is extremely implausible. For me, it seems to be a missed opportunity to throw in maybe one loss in the mixed as this does happen in real life and would add a new layer of realism to the story. Mallory herself was interesting as she worries a lot about her family and is a chronic overthinker. In those instances, she is relatable. She doesn’t have it all together, but she is trying to figure it out. I enjoyed her interactions with Nolan, although I did not quite buy a romance between them. I think they needed more chemistry built into the writing as I did not quite buy it. Overall, this was a fun story, and I cannot wait to read more from Hazelwood in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Mallory hasn’t played chess in years, since it seemingly caused the implosion of her family. Now she’s a high school graduate working to support her disabled mother and two younger sisters. Her best friend convinces her to join a charity chess tournament and she somehow wins against Nolan, the reigning world champion and top-ranked chess player. Mallory is understandably completely overwhelmed and bolts. Soon after that, Mallory is offered a well-paying fellowship to study and play chess with the hopes of entering upcoming chess competitions. While she tries to maintain some emotional distance from the sport, it all comes back to her even though she’s hiding her chess involvement from her family. Once we start heading out in the world of chess tournaments, we get more awkward meetings with Nolan and meet some of his friends. While a lot of the actual chess went over my head, the banter between Mallory and Nolan is so entertaining, as well as Nolan’s interactions with Mallory’s younger sisters. He’s clearly impressed and intrigued by her, even though she totally denies it. The romance aspect is sweet and fun to read (and the sex is closed door). We get to see these two open up to each other about the family secrets and traumatic histories, and ultimately find a way to have fun even in spite of the competition. Another super entertaining read from Ali Hazelwood.

This was a solid YA debut by Ali Hazelwood. It was a very sweet love story, and I didn't feel like I was missing much despite the fact that I don't know anything about chess. I do prefer Hazelwood's other novels more, but this was an entertaining read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Disclaimer: spoilers. Screaming crying throwing up. I didn’t think I was gonna make it, but I made it. Got the ARC from the love of my life (Ali hazelwood)!!!! Thank you NetGalley penguin random house.
I was kind of surprised seeing a book about chess, which I have no idea about, and so far it was completely out of Ali’s usual STEMinist zone, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she slayed that👏🏽. And now I think guys playing chess are hot. She made a whole universe of chess, and now I can fundamentally understand all the thoughts and complexities that come with playing the sport. Tropes: fake dating, rivals to lovers, hate to love, broody guy (sorry I’m still not over the love hypothesis)Full review coming after the release date.


Mallory is literally me. I’m the second mom. The sibling banter has me wheezing, the whole book had me crying laughing. The trash-talking was so good and petty and mwah. I identify as Oz Her vivid intrusive thoughts had me dead. Actually everyone’s violent thoughts made me laugh I’ve never related this hard with a main character (I have three sisters, one in high school middle school and elementary school) so Mallory’s sisters were like a diluted version of the chaos in my family. And the part where she was slowly getting apart from her best friend had me hurt. As we all have had to go through something like this B l the way this man flirts had me blushing

I haven't read a YA novel in so long but I can say Ali Hazelwood's "Check & Mate" is a refreshing, fun read! I've hardly ever played chess before but I felt the book really helped me understand the game. The romance between Mallory & Nolan was cute with lots of banter back and forth. Still, Check & Mate wasn't a perfect five star read for me. I feel that books that have a lot of pop culture references can eventually become dated because of how much pop culture changes all the time. Also, axe the sisters, please.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and Ali Hazelwood for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

It's Ali Hazelwood so I'm going to read it and I'm going to love it. That's really all there is to it. Check & Mate was all that and more.

I love that this is a book about chess. I love the cover. I love that this is Ali's YA debut.

The plot, characters, and writing were clever if at times a little too "with it" to be tolerable for anyone older than 2o. I was also uncomfortable with all of the times her thinking about hooking up with someone comes up in a YA book. Is that just me? Am I old?

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Ali Hazelwood can do absolutely no wrong. I love everything she writes and this one was no exception. I loved the characters and the dynamics. I loved how she wrote the tournaments. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up! I want to say first that I enjoyed this greatly, and couldn’t put it down. A rivals to lovers, he falls first, chess romance? Yes please.♟️

I have never really had an interest in chess at all but I ate this novel up. Initial thoughts being that there were some small things, where I was like “yeah okay we get it.” (Such as her being so tiny and him being so big—we get it.) But overall those things were minute to me, and I thought this novel was a really fun read. I’m a fan of Ali Hazelwood anyway, and this was one of my favorite romances this year. I laughed, I smiled, I giggled and burned through pages.

ALSO, if you are used to Hazelwood’s adult novels —this is not those, it’s YA so it’s closed door.

If you’re a fan of Ali Hazelwood, you’ll like this, if you’re a fan of The Queen’s Gambit, you’ll likely like this. I completely recommend it!

Tremendous thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title pre-release, it was a joy!

I really enjoyed this YA novel. I have enjoyed reading all of Ali Hazelwoods books. She is a great storyteller. I enjoyed the characters in this novel. I liked the main character Mallory. I liked how she grew over the course of the book.

Mallory Greenleaf was a child chess prodigy until 4 years ago when she swore off chess forever. Now, she spends her time taking care of her mother and 2 sisters - just trying to make ends meet. That is, until her best friend ropes her into attending one last charity tournament - where she inadvertently beats the #1 ranked chess player in the world, Nolan Sawyer.

Nolan Sawyer grew up in the spotlight, and his reputation is precedes him. He may be #1 in the world, but quite frankly, he’s bored. That is until Mallory beats him, and he’ll do anything for a rematch.

This win opens the door for Mallory to begin a fellowship that pays well and enter tournaments that pay better, taking care of her family in a way she never could before. But it’s just temporary - she doesn’t want to love chess or need it, and she’ll move on once her fellowship is over in a year.. or will she?

I actually enjoyed this book more than the author’s other books so far. While Mallory could be unlikeable at points, I think that made her even more relatable. I really enjoyed the family dynamics - the siblings relationship was so realistic to me. And of course, I really liked Nolan.

Five easy stars from me.

This was a wonderful romance for teens that still emphasizes women in STEM. I think her complexity as a character and their very relatable teen issues will make a great impact on the teens in our community. I can't wait to add this to our collection.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and PRH Audio for the gifted ARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

This is my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book! I’ve read all her other books, and The Love Hypothesis was my favorite until I read this amazing book.

It had everything I loved about her other books but in a totally new setting (outside the STEM world).
While I don’t really care about chess all that much, I found myself very interested in it within this book. The chess competitions were fascinating to me, and I never knew how much studying and training went into being a professional chess player.

The romance was so good in this story! Nolan is such a unique love interest, and I loved how confident he was and that he didn’t care about other people’s opinions.

Mallory was a good protagonist because she was interesting, selfless, and just an overall cool person.
Since I’m not a huge fan of spice, I liked that this book was geared more to young adults (although the characters are 18 and 20).

Mallory’s sisters were such a fun aspect of the story, and I loved all their text messages and banter. They really added a lot to the book.

I loved this book so much that I was alternating between the audio and physical copy depending on where I was because I just didn’t want to put it down.

I enjoyed reading both formats. If you’re interested in the audiobook, I definitely recommend it. Karissa Vacker was an excellent narrator and was able to differentiate the characters’ voices really well.

Overall, I would highly recommend it! If you’re someone who’s avoided her books in the past due to spice level, then this is definitely a good option for you.

It’s like there was a minute-to-win-it cash grab of ALL the TikTok trends possible, in hopes this would again be a TT trendy book. This is totally unnecessary because the Chess plot line was actually my favorite part and has merit on its own, whether TTers love this book or not.

The opening scenes with her younger sisters- wow their immaturity level was too much and I was LITERALLY about to stop reading. I said, if I hear one more butt nickname joke, I’m out. I mean they were 11 and 13 or so… I HAVE KIDS THE SAME AGE. They do NOT have butt nicknames for each other. So cringy.

Anywho, I heard this was based off two top level chess players- Mangus Carlsen and Anna Cramling. I love that she finds these obscure women that should be more well known and builds a story around them.

I am SO thankful of the following:
The chess storyline. I loved Hazelwood’s first women in stem novel… but then the same storyline got old in the past few books.
The banter and tension between the FMC and MMC was great. I think Hazelwood does this really well.

Unfortunately, we still got the super tall, dark, handsome guy and the tiny little female character thing going on from all the other novels. It must be her thing. 🤷‍♀️

This is Hazelwood’s YA foray with Putnam, so if you like her for the spice (I actually don’t- I prefer the plot) then you won’t find it here.

Quote: The thing between us is layered, complicated, fractured unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It lacks the coziness of a friendship, the ease of a hookup, the distance of everything else.

Thank you, PenguinTeen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 4.5 stars

Dangggggg, I forgot how delish Ali’s writing can be. I could not stop inhaling the book from start to finish with a race to the finish line to a point that I could not stop reading it so I could sleep!

I do feel that this book is closer to New Adult (NA) than Young Adult (YA). To start off, we have Mallory, our female lead who is struggling to provide for her family. Unexpected circumstances puts her in a position to play in a charity chess tournament which is the first time she has ever played ever since giving it up some years ago. During the tournament, she was paired with the No.1 Chess Champion, Nolan and unexpectedly beat him in a match. Thus, begins her slow foray back in the world of chess.

While this has the trademark romance to it, it isn’t fully romance but more of a finding yourself and coming of age story with a huge focus on chess. Honestly, with Ali’s flair of writing, the addition of chess was such a fun read. The book also covers serious topics like the inequality of genders and its stereotypes, friendships and its survival of time, romance + its conflict when you are falling for your arch-competitor and family drama.

My only small criticism is the romance felt somewhat insta and lacked some depth to it. Both Mallory and Nolan are very strong characters and the emotional depth or it was missing that spark.

All in all, this is a classic Ali book and full of delicious banter, slow-burn chemistry and hilarious moments