I love the author and auto read anything she puts out. I knew going into this one it was more YA and for me, it was just missing something that her usual books have. (Whether that’s sex or not, I don’t know.) maybe it’s the build up, anticipation, spicy that was missing for me. It was still a fun read but it left me unsatisfied.

When I heard that Ali Hazelwood was releasing a YA novel, I was so excited. Even more, I was thrilled I was chosen to read and review an advanced copy of the book (shoutout to my bestie, NetGalley for the hookup!). Because I just knew that my theory would be proven right at last.

What theory was that? That Ali Hazelwood's writing style and sense of humor would absolutely shine in a YA setting. And, wow, not only was I correct but I am completely overwhelmed by just how much I came to love this story and its characters.

Having read all of Hazelwood's work thus far (including her recent adult release Love, Theoretically) I can confidently say without a doubt that Check & Mate is, in my opinion, her best book yet.

While some people may find her sense of humor and the personalities of her characters to be polarizing or a touch overboard in her adult novels, I found that those traits fit the younger gen-z cast in Check & Mate far better than her usual millennial protagonists. It might just be me, but I can sympathize and relate more to an 18/22 year-old who consistently speaks in self-depreciating quips and obscure tiktok references than I can a middle millennial doing the same but with early tumblr and 2013 twee culture references in the workplace (partially because I'd rather forget just how embarrassing it was to grow up in the midst of those trends circa 2010-2015).

The FMC, Mallory, was a real standout for me compared to other Hazelwood FMCs. I think this is in part due to the fact that unlike in her other works, Hazelwood really spent time building Mallory's personality and life beyond the interactions she has with the MMC, Nolan. She has a whole character arc beyond her rivals-to-lovers situation with Nolan, and I found her conflicts and growth with elements and characters outside that dynamic to be just as interesting and important as the romance. There was a balance where the world-building and character depth wasn't outshined by her thoughts and interactions with Nolan that made this story a lot stronger and compelling compared to her past stories that, while still enjoyable, lacked that depth outside of the all-consuming romance.

Also, this story really made me pay attention to the world of chess. While I have always loved the science and academic elements of Hazelwood's other books, I never quite found the careers and studies she features as intriguing enough to explore outside of just reading the story. But here I was, only a handful of chapters in, and Hazelwood's passionate descriptions and portrayal of chess had me googling down a rabbit hole about What the heck is a FIDE score? Who is the grandmaster? Is there more than one grandmaster? How to play chess? until, like, three in the morning. Needless to say, I have a newfound respect and interest in the sport.

Mallory's obvious love and complex relationships with her family are what ultimately won me over. This book handles grief, guilt, and the complexities that come with having to deal with younger siblings and I think Hazelwood did a fantastic job of realistically portraying those dynamics. It's so messy and complicated, but that's life, and getting to go along with Mallory as she overcomes those struggles was so satisfying, I cried many times by the end of this book.

Speaking of crying, I was bawling like a baby by the last page of this book. I love a good rivals-to-lovers story, and the dynamic between Nolan and Mallory was so well done. *chefs kiss*

Kudos to Ali Hazelwood because these two stole my heart from their first interaction. I'm honestly quite bitter teenage me didn't get to read this love story when she was a young adult because it would have completely rocked her world and probably given her the hope she deserved to have when it came to love.

I'm rambling by now but I really think you should give this book a shot. Especially if you've been on the fence about Ali Hazelwood books in the past. This story is still done in what's become her signature style, but it's different in that it focuses more on the character growth of the FMC and her happiness outside of the MMC. I hope to see more of this set up in her future books, especially in the YA/NA category.

Queen’s Gambit might have made chess alluring, but Ali Hazelwood made it sexy! Check Mate was such a fun read with the chess backdrop and a great female lead in Mallory. I loved the dynamic between her and Nolan, and sped through this in a matter of hours. I found this to be more New Adult than Young Adult in terms of the YA advertising, but the spice factor was low!

Hazelwood's venture into the YA realm was a success! This is cute and the focus on the characters and their love (though buried for some) of chess was really enjoyable to read. I wish I was seeing more promotion of this on social media. I guess everyone is still focused on Love, Theoretically.

Anyways, this is another upper-YA title that I think will hold cross-over appeal for adults as well. Definitely would recommend for an older teen/new adult audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5 stars

Check & Mate is the YA debut from the amazing Ali Hazelwood. The story follows Mallory Greenleaf, a child chess prodigy who quit the game for mysterious reasons. However, she is roped into playing and ends up defeating the notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer. She goes viral after beating the undefeated Nolan and is forced back into the world of chess. Meanwhile, Nolan shows more and more interest in her.

This was such an adorable YA romance. The banter was snappy. The character development was on point. The swoons were swoony. I enjoyed it so much and hope Hazelwood continues to write YA romcoms.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CHESS DAY!!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinbooks @penguinteen for an eARC of @alihazelwood ‘s Check & Mate!

This books is about so much more than just chess. Check & Mate is about overcoming your grief and finding yourself. Mallory is the oldest sister of three and puts it upon herself to shoulder all the familial responsibilities. When an opportunity to help her family arises after a chess game that makes her go pretty much viral, she takes it. This opportunity ends up opening so many doors for Mallory, including new friendships and even romance.

I sobbed three times while reading this and I love when an author writes a character that truly makes me feel seen. This was a wonderful read and, honestly, my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet. Check & Mate releases in November!

like all ali hazelwoods other books, i loved this one too! i loved the romance and the characters

thank you netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC!

Everyone shut up and read this book right now!!!! This is like Queen's Gambit fanfiction on crack. When I say this is my new fav Ali Hazelwood book, I mean it. I will be collecting special editions of this book like Pokemon cards.

FIVE MILLION BILLION STARS.

freaking LOVED Mal and Nolen's dynamic, the chess rivalry, the deep wounds young adults have to carry (this book deals with serious guilt, doubt, blaming yourself) and I loved how Mallory has reconnected to herself through chess after giving up her dreams. It has wonderful bi and demi representation, which effortlessly showcases throughout the novel! The banter between the main characters is chef's kiss, there are so many raw emotians on the surface!
As expected Ali Hazelwood grabs yet another profession that lacks of women representation and where women are treated less than their male competitors.

All in all, if you want to have a good time (it has Ali's signature laugh out loud style) and an interesting look into competitive chess, definitely go and pre-order Check & Mate! I am SWOONING over this story 😍♟️

I’m a big fan of Ali’s adult romances so I figured I’d give her debut YA romance a try. I have to admit that this one didn’t grab me the way her previous books have. Mallory as a character was extremely hard to connect with. Her inner monologue had a saracastic snark every other sentence and it really irked me. Her relationship with her sisters was also a bit too much for me. Mallory walking around as a perpetual liar to everyone was over the top at times. When she got more involved with Nolan and chess, I found myself rooting for her more. Chess is a foreign concept for me but Ali really made the thought processes that go into playing a competitive game really interested. Nolan was similar to Ali’s previous MMC but again, didn’t connect or root for him as much. Overall, I think it’s an enjoyable book but I’ll probably stick to her adult romance genre books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

The only criticism I have for this novel is the YA label. Perhaps a New Adult label would be more appropriate? The main character is a high school graduate and sexually active so this might not be the right book for your pre-teen crowd but it would only take a few more steamy paragraphs to have it earn its place as a New Adult romance. It seems to be skating on the boundary for both and it might make some uncomfortable while leaving others wanting more.

That said, I truly enjoyed the characters--all of them--and I enjoyed returning to the book with every opportunity. I was intrigued by the story and felt it was a breath of fresh air in my reading life.

I am a fan and I will continue to read whatever Ali Hazelwood puts to paper. Cheers!

This is Ali Hazelwood's first YA book. I know nothing about chess. But I loved this book so much!

The book is divided into 3 parts and focuses a lot on chess. However, you honestly do not need to know anything about chess to enjoy this book.

The heroine is 18 year old Mallory. She stopped playing chess a few years before. And now she spends all of her time trying to earn money to take care of her mom and sisters. Honestly Mallory's predicament made me so sad. Especially considering her age.

I loved everything about this book. I was extremely interested in finding out why Mallory stopped playing chess. And I was intrigued by her personality. She is a very different heroine (she keeps everything inside). I was mesmerized by the romance, interested in the chess tournaments and fascinated by all of the supporting characters.

I've enjoyed the author's adult STEM romances. But I think that I actually liked this one even more. What a stunning cover! And what an interesting world! I'm sort of obsessed with chess tournaments, women in chess and this book!

This was a cute story about Mallory, who gave up chess, and her coming to terms to learn to live for herself. She finds herself somehow back in the chess world and in the radar of the world's number one chess player, Nolan.

This is a story about Mallory finding herself and her overcoming issues not only in her life, but in the world of chess, too.

Yep. Ali Hazelwood goes YA is everything I was hoping for and more. Do I know a thing about chess? That’s a no. Was I 100% invested in this story from page one? Absolutely.

In these pages you will find chess (obviously), grief, bearing the weight of your family at a young age, a found family vibe, growth, loveable side characters, a swoon worthy romance, and Ali’s signature humor that I have grown to love. I would not hesitate to pick this one up if you are a Hazelwood fan. For me this definitely fell in the upper YA category so I still felt like I was getting everything I love in her books, but on a little more toned-down level. I devoured it.

Surprisingly, this one felt heavier to me then her previous novels but also SO relatable. As the oldest daughter in my family, I saw so much of myself in Mallory. I loved watching her come into her own and finally embrace the things she loves, but man was it so raw and real that she felt like she needed to put her family first.

Pick this one up if you like:

-Chess
-He falls first
-Upper YA
-Enemies to lovers vibes
-BANTER
-Forced Proximity
-Great representation

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. Ali Hazelwood’s grocery list? Yeah, I’d read it.

This was my first book by the arthur and it did not disappoint I loved it so much and will be purchasing others to read as well thanks so much netgalley for the arc

In Check & Mate, Ali Hazelwood’s YA NA debut, we find ourselves following the story of two chess prodigies in high stakes competition. Mallory finds herself reluctantly back in the chess world to try to help her family who are struggling. Nolan has been at the top of his game for quite a few years, with little to excite him about the game, until…

I think this might be my favorite Hazelwood book to date, although I’d say this fell more into the NA Romance category though and it really felt like it fit well with her writing style.

It was a fast, fun read, I found myself consuming the whole book in a day. I honestly knew nothing about chess, but Hazelwood’s story made it seem interesting, relatable and exciting. I’ve never encountered chess as a ‘sport’ or the premise of a romance read before, so that felt very fresh.

I was intrigued by both our mains and happy to follow their journeys. As our MC, I was especially pleased with Mal’s growth over the book and coming to terms with certain things.

My only wishes would probably be less pop culture references, that’s probably a me thing, but it took me out of the story a bit. I also wished Mal’s siblings were less obnoxious at times, though I’m told that can be pretty standard sibling behavior 😅🤷‍♀️

Overall, a wonderful read and I hope to see more NA romance books from Ali Hazelwood in the future. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.

Premise: 18-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is a former chess player whose sole focus post-high school is providing for her disabled mother and her two younger sisters through her job as a mechanic. She reluctantly joins a charity chess tournament as a favour for a friend, which leads to her defeating current world champion, 20-year-old Nolan Sawyer. Following this, some alluring monetary prizes draw her she back into the world of chess despite her personal history and family issues resulting from the game.

This was a strong YA debut by Ali Hazelwood! I’m a huge fan of her books for how smart and well-researched they are. What struck me with this book was how appropriate the language, character development, and themes were for YA in contrast to her typical adult fiction. The same care and entertaining banter that her adult books feature are definitely still prominent in Check & Mate.

Mallory Greenleaf’s character development is complex and perfect for YA specifically. I feel like she perfectly captured the identity crisis that teenagers face at that age. Two of the most frustrating parts of the story were Mallory’s secretive nature with everything related to chess, and her belief that working at her present job was a better financial option than taking the fellowship. Honestly though, one of the biggest things I’ve learned about working with young adults is how short-sighted they can be, and how monumentous every aspect of their lives can be in general.

Nolan Sawyer was perfect. In many ways, he reminded me Caz Song of This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang – an lonely “idol” who relies heavily on his found family because his biological family is barely in the picture, which is in stark contrast to the FMC’s loving and proud family. His interactions with her sisters were perfect. Hazelwood typically writes her love interests as charming, confident, and self-assured. I think Nolan is heading towards Adam, Levi, and Jack territory, but at the young adult stage he wasn’t quite there yet. Again, he was written perfectly for the age group and the genre.

It was also fun to read about the dynamics of the competitive world of chess. The references to key terms/figures/texts like the Polgár sisters, Modern Chess Openings, and Queen’s Gambit were a given, but there was so much more. I had some reservations for how quickly Mallory advances given her ‘gap’, but in the spirit of being a light-hearted YA romance, this was lovely to read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Ali Hazelwood for this ARC of Check & Mate.

Cute and fun story about Mallory, a young woman with an incredible chess talent, but who has decided to cut it out of her life completely because of the connections the game has to heartache she and her family have suffered.

Things change when she agreed to a one-time chess event and ended up playing and beating Nolan, the world chess champion.

It was a fun read with lots of chess talk which I surprisingly very much enjoyed.

The book is heavy on the cultural references. I normally enjoy that but even I had a little trouble keeping up. Further, I left like 18-year-old Mallory would be too young for some of them. Like a mention of Lindsay Lohan and what she made headlines for in mid-2000s, or the mention of Kinko’s (hasn’t it been years since it became FedEx office or is it still Kinko’s in some places?).

Also, am I really that behind (or old-fashioned) or are 18-year-olds really that experienced, and such frequent users of “dating” apps?

Even with those mildly puzzling aspects, I enjoyed the chess drama, the family tensions, the friendship plot, and I feel like the romance was at the appropriate level.

I adore Ali Hazelwood's writing and this venture into the YA world doesn't disappoint. Nolan and Mal fit so perfectly together from their first meeting it is just a game of yelling "OH COME ON, YOU IDIOT!" at your page/screen. Mal is a typical oldest daughter, taking the world on her shoulders and not seeing where she is actually failing due to constantly blaming herself. The girl needs therapy, but re-finding her love of chess seems to work too. Nolan is a delightful human who has more money than any 20 year old should and spends it to make the world better. He also needs therapy, but is otherwise just lovely. The cast of other characters are fabulous foils to these two leads and Mal's family (2 younger sisters and rheumatoid arthritis suffering mother) are wonderful. [Not a spoiler] When they finally communicate openly and honestly, you know they're going to be better than ever. Absolutely recommend!

I ~loved~ this! CHECK & MATE is the upper-YA chess romance I always needed but didn’t know I needed (because I don’t know how to play chess lol). Mallory is the oldest of three girls; since her dad left and her mom’s illness got worse, she has been the family caretaker for them. After giving up college, she’s given the chance of a lifetime to train in professional chess, even though she swore she’d give it up years ago. From there she meets Nolan, the current World Champion who she finds frustratingly attractive. This book was truly a joy to read—it went by so quickly and had me smiling and swooning the whole time! Mallory deals with a lot, everything from providing for her family to her conflicting feelings about chess, her best friend moving for college, and her complicated feelings for Nolan. Mallory dealt with each of these realistically for her age/responsibility, which I really appreciated. I also looooved Nolan and Mallory together—they had the best progression through their relationship, and he is just AHHH I love him! The chess aspect mainly drove the story and it honestly made me want to learn chess (lol as if; I would fail). Even if you don’t understand anything about it (cough cough me), I promise you’ll enjoy the chess talk anyway! This is such a great YA debut from Ali Hazelwood and I hope she will continue to write for this age group!