The characters Ali Hazelwood creates will ALWAYS appeal to me in every way, shape, and form.

Due to that,, I obviously have to start off with my husband (confirmed) Nolan 🙌🏾. He is literally everything I love in a morally grey character combined with everything I love in a golden retriever character. Man is so brooding with his off-putting reputation, just to enjoy snuggling like AHHHH.

I also love how this novel took a place that lacks gender inclusivity and actually SHOWED it instead of just ignoring it. In a lot of media things like sexism are mentioned or talked about separately with a little “I wanted to ignore the…” like NO. Hazelwood was able to show sexism, family struggles, and just life struggles in general,, and then take them and show a woman being able to progress through and work to solve these issues. Mallory is my QUEEN and she’s so me (no she’s actually me like humor + thoughts like we’re here 🫱🏻‍🫲🏾).

I will say that I can see why some people hate how authors mention current media or famous people,, but honestly I don’t really care,, like do you want them to make a whole new fake app for every book or keep mentioning people from the 1800s like 💀💀.

Anyways stan Oz for keeping it 100% real 100% of the time (I would cry after one conversation with him)

*Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

First of all, I wanna say Nolan deserved better.

I was actually really excited to read this book. Considering I am not much of a spice reader (aka I’m dipping my toes in little by little lol) I thought that I would really enjoy this. I will say it was a fun and interesting read but it fell a little flat for me personally.

I really enjoyed the inside look at the chess world and competing in chess tournaments. Considering I don’t know anything about chess, it was interesting learning about the steps it takes to become involved and pursing it professionally. I thought the chess talk was nice and helped me understand what was happening.

Getting to know Mallory and her role in her family was nice to see, but I found myself becoming really frustrated with Mal and her sisters. I also really disliked Easton. I thought that she was so rude and her coming back was so out of the blue, it just didn’t make sense to me. Coming from an adult in my early twenties, I am well aware of that dynamic with friends. But it seemed like Easton was only interested to talk to her when she found out she was winning all of these tournaments and “dating” this really hot guy. Mal even asked how she was doing and Easton blew right pasted that and wanted to ask all about her time with chess, it was just off-putting for me. I loved Oz actually. At first I didn’t care for him, but he was so real with Mal and set it straight. He did what I wanted to do to her.

I liked Nolan. I really would’ve loved to learn more about him and how he was like. I wanted him to be more fleshed out, but I still liked him nonetheless. I thought his admiration and determination for Mallory was cute and done in a non-creepy way. The banter between them felt natural. I do think the little acts of service were sweet, but he was doing the bare minimum. But for a romance book, I felt like there was hardly any throughout the whole thing. Not only that but I hated the conflict that happened between Mallory and Nolan. It made me enjoy the book less. I was having a good time reading it but with the conflict, the constant pop culture references and anticlimactic ending, that changed. I am also not a pop culture girl and I thought that it was used far too much in this book. It came off cringe-y to me and it took me out of the story quite a bit. The ending was also such a let down, we got told who won rather than seeing at least a round of this match that we were building up to.

Overall, I thought it was a decent read. It was quick and cute, if you don’t mind reading a total Gen Z book and a lot of chess talk.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for a review.

Ali Hazelwood's Check & Mate takes readers on a journey through the intense and competitive world of professional chess, delivering a heart-felt rivals-to-lovers story. If you had reservations after reading The Love Hypothesis, or any of her adult romances, you might be pleasantly surprised by the change of pace and genre in this book. Here, two prodigies collide in a captivating story, while not necessarily subverting typical romance trappings, manages to draw you in fairly quickly.

Focusing on our main character, Mallory Greenleaf, who decides to quit playing chess after it leads to the distruction of her family. Now the sole provider for her younger sisters and ill mother, Mallory's focus is on the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she participates in a charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with the notorious bad boy of chess, Nolan Sawyer.

In this YA romance, Hazelwood successfully crafts a narrative that immerses readers in the world of chess and the high-stakes competition they face. The rivals-to-lovers dynamic between Mallory and Nolan adds a layer of tension and excitement to the story, keeping you engrossed as the characters navigate their complex relationship. Despite the lack of subversion when it comes to typical romance tropes, the chemistry between the protagonists and their individual growth make for a compelling read.

One of the strengths of Check & Mate is its ability to hold your attention, evident from the fact that I read it in a single day. The fast-paced narrative and the characters' journeys keep you invested in their story. While it may not reinvent the wheel in terms of romance storytelling, it certainly delivers a satisfying reading experience that made me rethink my views of Ali Hazelwood's.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, despite never having any interest in anything chess related. I don’t usually choose or enjoy the YA genre, but this one kept my attention. The characters were enjoyable, the romance was believable, and even the chess aspect was interesting! Definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read in quite a while.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood is a YA debut about two rival chess players in this romance. After giving up chess years prior Mallory swore she would never play again. After being forced to play in a charity match she demolishes reigning world champion, Nolan Sawyer. Approached with an offer to play chess professionally Mallory realizes she can't ignore it when the cash will help her family survive. Here starts a game between Mallory and Nolan - the boy she just can't seem to shake.

I LOVED THIS NOVEL. Heh. I fell into the Ali Hazelwood rabbithole earlier this year and have since devoured everything by her! An upper YA romance was right up my wheelhouse and about chess?? The plot of this novel just really piqued my interest!

This book was everything that I ever wanted and I'm definitely going to read it again on release! It's hard to even formulate my words enough to write this review because I just loved everything about it. The drama. The romance. The tension. Miss Hazelwood really outdid herself with this one!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

Hazelwood's YA debut is less steamy than her adult romances, but has a similar vibe with a smart and vulnerable heroine and a perfect-for-her male lead who is instantly into her in a big way if she only knew it. YA/NA romance is sometimes a little too angsty for me, and there were times I wanted to shake Mallory a bit, but she had her growth journey to do and my impatience stems from my own angsty teen years being so far in the rearview mirror and not any actual issues with this book. Mallory has been "playing mom" at home to her two younger sisters and her chronically ill mother, working to pay the mounting bills and giving up her dreams of college. She was an excellent chess player as a child, but gave it up completely for reasons that eventually become clear. Nolan is the biggest name in chess, and when Mallory defeats him at a charity tournament she has grudgingly agreed to participate in as a favor to her BFF, both their worlds are upended as a result. This is a fun YA romance that deals with some serious issues. The world of chess is an intriguing one to set a story, but don't expect The Queen's Gambit level of thrilling play-by-play. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for a digital review copy.

Simply put, Ali Hazelwood does not miss. I really really loved this book and i enjoyed reading something somewhat different than what I usually see from her. I could've done with a few less pop culture references but other than that i have no complaints.

Ali Hazelwood's books are so much fun so it shouldn't be a surprise that I really enjoyed this one too(I think it might be my newest favorite from her!). It had some of the things that I usually love in Ali's books along with some other different elements too!

Mallory Greenleaf has been working hard to take care of her family while working as a mechanic. With two sisters and a mother suffering from chronic illness, Mallory's plate is full and that might mean that she has left behind most of the things that she loved - including chess. But it all changes when she takes part in a charity tournament to help her best friend and ends up defeating the current world champion - Nolan Sawyer. Though Mallory has a complicated relationship with chess, a chess fellowship opportunity that comes her way is too good to pass up - especially if it could help her family stay afloat. And with this, she's slowly pulled back into the sport that she really wanted to stay away from, while making new friends and re-discovering herself!

It was hard not to love Mallory - she's so strong and talented. She's also ready to work hard to catch up on the time that she'd lost. And though she's confident in some aspects(loved the bi rep), she also has some insecurities to work through. And omg I can't get over how cute Nolan was(probably the sweetest Ali hero)! I loved how direct he was at times and how he showed his care for her! Their relationship was my favorite along with a few other things! I don't really know much about chess(except the basics) but I think this one was fun without too much overwhelming info and I loved seeing the gender aspect too!♟️
Personally, I didn't like how she was made to take on all this responsibility and later blamed by her family for her attitude - so I guess her bratty lil sis was probably the only one that I disliked here😂 I might be biased as I really empathized with Mallory but I think she deserved a bigger apology and they should perhaps have had more discussions as a family.

Overall, this was an amazing read and I hope Ali writes more YA books in the future!❣️✨

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers of this book for approving me for the advanced readers copy.

Unfortunately, this read wasn’t the one for me. I had a hard time keeping interest with the main characters or even the plot. Which is makes me a little sad because I really like the authors way of creating a world that feels very realistic and true. But, this just wasn’t it for me and I’ve had to DNF it. I wanted to really enjoy it so much, but even the amount of time it has taking me to try and get through it, just lets me know I need to stop.

Rating : 2/5

4.5 stars rounded down.

STEMinist romcom author Hazelwood successfully ventures into YA territory for this swoony romance set in the cut throat world of championship chess.

Mallory had been a child chess prodigy but had stopped playing after her father left. At 18, she now feels responsible for her sick mother and two younger sisters so has given up on her dreams of college and is working as an auto mechanic. But when her bestie, Easton, persuades her to play in a chess club tournament, Mallory pulls off the stunning coup of beating world champion, Nolan Sawyer. And in case you were wondering, he’s not some dusty old bloke, but is in fact a dreamy, broad-shouldered, smouldering-eyed hottie.

Following this game, Mallory takes up a fellowship with a New York chess club, but swears to herself that it’s just a well-paying job and that she won’t be thinking about chess outside of working hours. Of course that’s not how it works out and Mallory starts entering tournaments and doing exceedingly well. But just how far can she go in this world and what will happen when she next has to play Nolan?

Mallory has a lot to work through. We know that Something Happened with her father and that she blames herself, hence the self-sacrificing. But despite the teen-girl-blaming-herself-for-everything trope (there goes that half a star), she is a strong, thoughtful, and well-developed character. The support cast are similarly vivid, though dreamboast Nolan is maybe just a little too perfect.

This is definitely on the adult end of young adult: bisexual Mallory is unabashedly sex positive. Though the novel doesn’t have the chapter-long steamy sex scenes that the author’s adult romances have, there are delightfully frank and spicy conversations and encounters and Mallory’s sisters are hilariously inappropriate.

I know nothing about chess and the author does a great job of walking the line between getting too inside baseball and being facile. Mallory is believably gifted and the matches are integral to the plot without getting boring. As Mallory was sheltered from competitive chess by her parents, we learn about the way the tournaments and championships work along with her. We also discover, along with Mallory, how appalling sexist that world can be (props to the author for being inspired by a study of stereotype threat in chess)

After Queen’s Gambit mania from a couple of years ago, this works well as a contemporary, smart, witty, and youthful update of Tevis’s novel (with way less drugs, drinking, and smoking) and I can see it going down really well with the high school crowd.

Thanks to Putnam's and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

It took me a little while to get into the story, maybe just because I know nothing about chess, but once I got past that I really enjoyed the story. It was a slow burn and I would have liked a bit more on the romance end, but overall it was a likable, easy read.

Omg, how I love Ali Hazelwood!!! This is her first romp into ya romance, and it stayed true to that, fading to black. I was unsure bc the main characters Mal and Nolan are 18 and 20, respectively. But, even so, this was so romantic. Another just wonderful, makes my heart happy, makes my life complete, romance!

I adored the look into the world of chess. Especially, the insight about gender in this world and how male dominated it can be. I felt like this was a perfect transition for Hazelwood from STEM to chess while keeping it relevant and making some great points.

Mal has been taking care of her family, working in a garage after graduating high school, for the money to pay bills and care for her sick mom and her two adorable sisters. She grew up playing chess with her father, even attending many tournaments until age 14 when her father mysteriously was not part of her narrative anymore. What happened with him is revealed, but it clearly is reflected in her dislike of chess now and her inability to fully trust.

When her friend Easton invites her to a chess tournament, Mal's life is tipped over after she beats the #1 chess champion Nolan Sawyer. (Who is also very cute).

I loved this so much and definitely recommend it!

Out November 7, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood’s young adult debut that follows Mallory Greenleaf, a young woman who has had to leave all her dreams behind to work in an auto body shop so she can provide for her family. While her passion is chess, she has vowed to never play it again because it has become a point of contention in her family. Until her best friend needs her help with a chess tournament. There she plays against the world champion and chess bad boy, Nolan Sawyer. After an impressive performance, the chess world opens up for Mallory and she has to chose between pursuing chess or staying with her family.

This book was so Ali Hazelwood. I truly feel if I was reading this book and didn’t know the author, I would have guessed Ali Hazelwood. This follows chess so it is differently from her STEM books but there is still that trope of a female excelling in a male dominated world. There is the classic giant male love interest who is obsessed with the clueless main character. There is an actual villain character that any reader will loathe. Rounding it out is a fun cast of side characters that each serve a purpose in forwarding the main character’s story.

That being said, I ate this up. I had such a good time with this book. It was so cute and funny and I adored all the characters. Mallory as a main character is bisexual and very sex positive which is nice to see in a Young Adult book. Nolan is the sweetest cinnamon roll who really cares about Mallory. Mallory’s mother also suffers from a chronic illness that results in a lot of pain so that representation was nice to see.

This will seem like a very one to one comparison but if you enjoyed the show “The Queen’s Gambit,” you will enjoy this book. Both a very chess heavy but still very readable even to someone who doesn’t know much about the game. Because there are several chess competitions on this book, it is very well paced. There is a romance but it doesn’t feel like it overshadows the main plot. I will say that some of Mallory’s issues can feel juvenile but I would just remind myself that this is a young adult book meant for a young adult audience so that makes sense.

All in all, I think if you are a fan of this author, you will enjoy this book. Not matter what age you are.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I’m glad Hazelwood took a different route than her regular books this time. She’s dipping her toe in the YA pond and it turned out well. I also appreciated that this was nerdy, but not super science-y like her adult books. This is fairly easy to understand if you don’t know how to play chess (I honestly don’t know if I could correctly name all of the pieces!). The romance is pretty cute, but there’s a lot of talk about people having sex (the main character specifically) which felt new for me while reading YA. That really didn’t bother me, but what did was the trope of the main character having to watch/care for their siblings because the parent can’t for some reason. Thankfully it seems to get figured out in the end but it’s just not for me. I really, really enjoyed the epilogue!

Would recommend!

I am so happy that Ali Hazelwood wrote a YA novel! It has all my favorite components from her adult romance books, demisexual rep and women in spaces dominated by men. There was other lgbtq+ rep in this one too! We need to see more women in chess! Highly recommend this one if you like The Queen's Gambit show or YA romance! This might be my favorite Hazelwood book yet.

What an incredible YA novel from my beloved Ali Hazelwood! I was a little apprehensive about reading Check & Mate, since her fiction novels have been some of my favorite romance books ever! Check & Mate was so cute, the story was just as unique as her adult contemporary romance novels, and the characters were well-rounded with relatable faults.

This was cute although it did not ✨feel✨ like a YA novel.

He has big hands, WE GET IT. The size of his hands were mentioned 366474499337 times.

1 star was deducted because there were too many pop culture references. Timothee Chalomet, Zendaya, AO3, Tumblr, TIKTOKS, Riverdale, the hunger games, Instagram, discord, Billie Eillish, BTS, Harry Styles, and so much more.

The sisters, ANNOYING

Rivals to lovers 🫶🏾
He falls first 🫶🏾🫶🏾😭

Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong, LOVED the chess world and the characters in this novel which kept me engaged and into the story!! One of my favorite authors :)

4.25!!! ✨ Listen here folks 1. Were there way too many pop culture references in this? Yes. 2. Are you going to probably hate this if you’re easily cringed out? Also yes. But I had a marvelous time with this book and didn’t take it too seriously! I am a huge fan of the way Ali writes romances, I find her writing engaging, endearing, and so sweet in the little moments between characters. I definitely agree with other reviewer’s remarks about the lack of romance in this book being a little bit of a bummer, but personally not because of the chess plot line, simply because I loved the connection between Mallory and Nolan and I wanted all I could get!! I got butterflies at some points and really believed in their connection. I LOVED Nolan. Ali has a way of writing men that see right through her female leads and recognize their needs in a way that’s so beautiful and honest and I loved seeing that pop up here again!!

I actually just recently learned chess so I feel like knowing the game at least a little bit and having some level of investment really helped in terms of enjoying in the chess storyline (which imo, is the main storyline). But I was never bored and I thoroughly enjoyed all the dynamics with her co-competitors, her coaches, the media, etc. There were themes of “coming of age” and “family dynamics” woven in here and I enjoyed all of them.

To reiterate my earlier point, in no way would I say this is a book for everyone, but I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it!

4.5 stars!!!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I never thought I’d see the day when I’d actually be interested in playing chess but this book genuinely single-handedly convinced me. Why do I want to become a world class chess champion all of a sudden? 😔 Ali Hazelwood, you’re magical.

All jokes aside, I didn’t know a single thing about chess before this book, but it looks so cool now. Not only was the character development and romance absolutely incredible in this novel, but the “sport” aspect was super engaging! It all felt so high stakes and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.

I also loved the subtle academic rivals to lovers arc, along with the “he fell first AND he fell harder” trope which is arguably the best option. I loved all of Nolan and Mal’s scenes together, they’re so swoony and the tension was too good.

Im convinced Ali Hazelwood studied my brain while coming up with the main character, Mallory, because we are so similar (eldest daughters fr). The pressure she puts on herself when it comes to supporting her family hit all too hard, but I also loved seeing how she interacts with her little sisters and you can tell they all love one another so much. I also liked all the coming of age themes we saw in this novel, especially with feeling left behind or falling apart from friends (too real). Also the bisexual rep!!! Yes!!!

Anyway, THE ROMANCE WAS FREAKING ADORABLE AND I LOVE READING ABOUT SMART PEOPLE SO MUCH.