I do love Ali Hazelwood’s writing! This story was sweet and just the lighthearted read I was looking for. The main character Mallory has the weight of her family on her shoulders. Caring for her mom and younger sisters. When an opportunity arises to make money playing chess, which she has refused to play for a number of years, she gives in.
I know nothing about chess, but I found the chess matches to be interesting and fun. The rivalry between Mal and Sawyer was fantastic leading to lots of tension.
I don’t read a lot of YA but this was a fun rom-com.

Ali has done it again!!! I loved this book so much I picked it up this morning and have not put it down. I really like how the focus was always Mal and how she felt. I am in love with Darcy she reminds me of my younger sister. FIVE STARS!!!!

I think I'm just a little too old to be the target audience for this book. I know it's a YA novel, but it's just a little too gen z in the references for me

Tha k you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ali Hazelwood is an auto buy author for me. This is her first YA novel and boy was it CUTE. Loved every minute of it.

Check & Mate presents Mallory (Mal), a girl who used to play and love chess and she was amazing at it. Until she turned 14, her life became a mess and she decided to stop playing chess for good, for her family's wellbeing. Four years later, her best friend convinces her to play in a charity game, where, for some strange reason, the world's #1 chess player is also participating. She plays against him. AND SHE WINS. So now, there is a whole new world of chess opening to Mal, and she will have to face her conflicting emotions toward chess, the decisions she must make, and her growing feeling for someone she kind of hated at first.

This book is very different from her previous work. It's YA, so obviously not extra spicy scenes (which is perfect for me! just letting y'all know!). But the main difference is that this book is heavily focused on Mal's personal development and grow. We get to see how she faces her fears, how she gets to decide a better life for her, even when the path of choosing herself over her family/friends is so hard. We accompany her in every step of this journey and Ali Hazelwood has a way of making this coming-of-age story such a beautiful story to immerse yourself into.

You'll also find that this is a story with a heavy family component. Mallory faces a lot of difficulties related to what happened years ago with her family, and she blames herself for it, so she tries to do everything that she can to avoid them having a hard time in life. This book might have an even bigger impact to those older siblings who carry a lot of family responsibilities (but even me, the youngest sibling, felt related a lot to Mal in many moments!), but also, it has another family reality in the book that is very different to what Mal is facing. So, what I'm trying to say is that this book is focused heavily on family relationships and dynamics.

You might be wondering, ok but, what about the romance? THE ROMANCE IS SO CUTE! I cannot stress this enough! Nolan is an interesting character to read, but I have so many quotes highlighted of what he said that I just !!!! Love them so much!!!!! But also, it's very VERY slowburn, so keep that in mind!

Friendships are always present in Ali's books and this one is the one that hit closer to home. If you've had a friend that was always there and suddenly (because of distance, different life paths, etc) you get separated and stop talking as much, this book will hit a mark (I cried a little about this too).

Ali Hazelwood's writing doesn't disappoint! It has its funny moments, sad moments, heartfelt moments, and all of this because the author knows how to create an environment that will make you go deep into this world! Sure, there is a lot of chess in the story, and sometimes (if you're not into professional chess, like me) you will be a little confused, but she makes it easy for you to understand what's going on and keep the pace of the competitions and creates perfectly the whole tension of watching a game (it had me biting my nails!!!).

If you are a fan of her books and of stories about a girl who just want to find the best way to be happy, you will completely love Check & Mate!

PS: Mal is openly bisexual!!! HAPPY PRIDE!

I loved THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS! Even binged the whole book in one weekend. But for some reason, I’ve been hesitant in reading any other books by this author. Maybe it’s a fear that no other book by her will be as good as Adam and Olive. Maybe I just haven’t been in the mood for “STEM Romance”. Either way, when I received an advanced copy of CHECK & MATE, this author’s first “young adult” novel, it immediately went to the top of my TBR pile. And OMG it did not disappoint.

I could not put this book down and literally stayed up all night on a work night reading it. I got ZERO minutes of sleep!

This book is filled with chess moves, slow burn sexual tension, and family drama. I loved everything about it.

A few things of note:

I did not see the “betrayal” coming, and honestly I wasn’t even looking for it. So that took me completely by surprise.

I know many people get annoyed with pop culture references, but these are teenagers…and teenagers live for this stuff.

Mallory does get a little selfish in her selflessness, but she shows a lot of growth by the end.

Bonus points for “he falls first”.

It’s probably best if you go in having at least a small understanding of chess.

Reminder: this is definitely an upper YA book. The MC’s are college age.

Ali Hazelwood is a bit of a polarizing author, and I happen to be among those who have loved her work. As this was a YA book, it was a lot more innocent than her previous stories, but it was no less delightful. I loved the banter between the characters and the interesting focus on chess, a most underrated pastime. This was a truly enjoyable book and I can appreciate Ms Hazelwood’s efforts in trying something a little different and, to me, completely unique!

Such a fun read! Once I started I couldn’t put it down.

Mallory has put chess behind her.
Nolan is the best player in the world.
When Mallory beats Nolan at a charity game she’s thrown back into a world she thought she left behind

I think this would be great for fans of The Queen’s gambit. Only thing is, I thought this read more new adult than YA.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 rounded up

I have devoured everything Ali Hazelwood has written and this book was no exception. Check & Mate follows Mallory Greenleaf, and 18 year old former chess prodigy who had stepped away from chess due to an incident a few years prior. Her best friend convinces her to fill a spot in a charity tournament, where she obliterates 20 year old Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion, with ease. Cue confusion amongst the chess community, and significant intrigue from Nolan, who is desperate to play against her again.

I really loved the characters, and found myself struggling to put the book down. The chess jargon was fairly heavy at certain points, which sometimes had my eyes glazing over (I have never played chess so I was pretty lost when the characters got into the weeds of it all), but it didn't take away from the plot. I loved the growth Mallory, her family, and Nolan went through in this book. A great YA debut!

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I have to say, the only thing that disappointed me about this book was that it was a YA novel. I loved the chess storyline, as well as the main characters. There is something so special about the way Ali writes. she’s one of the few authors I’ve read that can really suck you into a story

Okay, Ali. You had no business breaking out into YA and leaving no crumbs? This was so good. As a huge fan of the show, The Queen Gambit, I was so entranced by the story and swooning from the rooftops I ended up finishing it all in a day. If you've ever read an Ali Hazelwood, you know STEM concepts play a huge part in her novel and typically I gloss over it.. but I'm not sure if it's due to the novel being YA - the chess concepts were easier to digest? Note: This is also coming from a woman who has never played a game of chess in her life or knows anything about it..

Not only was this a refreshing romance between our FMC Mallory and our MMC Nolan. There are much deeper topics and internal struggle that are discussed outside the chess realm. Topics of grief, loss, regret, and having to grow up too early that were well executed. Not only did I love the romance between the two characters - the supporting friendships/relationships were a cherry on top. They provided the right amount of humor to balance the heartache which in my opinion provided the perfect pacing to make this one a page turner.

I think one of the main gripes readers may have (yes the MMC is large and tall - I mean it's Ali what do you expect at this point?!) but there were a bunch of Gen Z references like Riverdale, Zendaya, Tiktok... which surprisingly didn't bother me because I was just ~vibin'~ but if we were to scale back much of those references I think it would be less distracting/more palatable.

A little shout out to our MMC Nolan... was absolutely everything. I was SWOONING. He is the blue print boyfriend. All the little quiet little love gestures he makes. (my favorite in any romance!!!) The one liners!!!!!!!!! The snickers and chicken soup. His advice. His attention to detail. "Every last thing." THAT TOOK LINE TOOK ME OUT. Those were just a handful of them, but I loved his supportive nature first and foremost. He really believed in our gal, Mallory.

You best believe I am counting down the days until my preorder arrives in November. A stunning YA (that I think leans a bit more NA) but nonetheless I highly recommend!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

I like this book a lot. I must confess that I was very surprised by this story because it is very different from what I had read from the author. Check & Mate is a Teen/Young Adult story very pleasant to read because it is kept very light and I think it can be read very well from ages 13 and up.
The book is about chess and competitions (hence the title) but also about two characters who although they love the sport also suffered from it.
Mallory has struck me as a girl with too much on her back, and the sisters are not that helpful, on the contrary they are a constant headache, especially Sabrina because I liked Darcy when she made Mal think things and see them through.
Nolan is or seems to be the typical cold competitive guy who never likes to lose, but as the story progresses we will realize that there is much more behind that face he shows to the world.
Mallory and Nolan are chess prodigies, the ability to strategize and get out of it with their opponents is something that I imagine is partly the reason for their personalities.
I confess that I am an ignorant of chess, I have never played it and possibly that is why there are times when I was lost with some mention of players or strategies. I imagine that anyone who knows the sport will like it or hate it if there are things that don't fit. I enjoyed the story overall and I’m left with a nice feeling and looking forward to reading the author with more stories of this type.
If you are looking for Spicy in this story like the author has in her other novels I am already telling you that you will not find it, not a single one, which is not necessary, the story does not need it, there is very clean romance.
Thank you so much to The author, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC, I’m freely given my honest opinion on this story.
Until de next one.

This is it. This is my favorite Ali Hazelwood novel. I can’t believe it either, but trust me. There’s something about this main character, and honestly it might be because I can relate to her the most? Or maybe it’s because the MMC is obviously pining for her, he’s less simpy than her other MMC? Or maybe it’s because it’s chess and not science and while I love science I’m also like “let’s branch out, maybe.”

So anyway, her debut YA novel is a smash and you’re going to love it, I promise.

Thanks NetGalley and PenguinRandomHouse for the arc!

Ali Hazelwood does it again with writing absolutely perfect book boyfriends, especially ones who fall first. I thought that this book might be kinda boring at first, knowing nothing about chess, but I was definitely wrong. Hazelwood did an amazing job explaining chess terms while making it interesting and fun to read. Nolan is definitely one of my new favorite book boyfriends! Also, this book touched on such an important topic, gender stereotypes and women in sports, and I really enjoyed the message it sent out especially with this being a YA novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Tee for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a loved one (past), cheating (past non-MCs), parent with chronic condition, family member with a generative disease that affected their mental faculties and due to this physically attacked the MMC, sexism, misogyny

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f new adult romance
-rivals to friends to lovers
-he imprints on her
-okay fine he falls first and hard
-hard and soft one
-sick comfort
-opposites attract
-competency kink

This book, gosh this book. Can one game of chess change your life? It did for Mallory and Nolan. Listen, I know nothing about chess and I was riveted with the tension of the matches, stressed, and just sucked in. There was just enough info it wasn't overwhelming and it made me honestly want to go enter a chess match and go find my match. What Ali does so well in every book is describe being a woman in male dominated spaces, how you're treated, what it's like and Mallory walking the halls of the male dominated chess world was no different.

Gosh, Mallory. Soft on the outside, but hard on the inside, the weight of the world and her family on her shoulders. Self sacrificing to the point it's hurting her, she falls into playing chess again. And the joy it brings her, the friendships, opening her world back up, and finding herself in a different place (I adored her sisters and those relationships).

But gosh Nolan. Stoic, quiet, hard on the outside and just the softest cinnamon roll, simp of a man for Mallory. He played that game and just fell for her. Hottest of all he fell for her skill, he wanted her to succeed. Where these two could and in a lot of other books would have been rivals, they were just so into each other's skill and i loved how soft that was. The sexual tension of these two playing chess, the banter, How he showed up in places to see her, support her, he was just so gone even though she couldn't see it right away. I adored their dynamic. Two people with trauma just finding their soft safe person and finding love. Excitement, drama, but just the softest love story and I want to wrap these two up in a hug.

Steam: 1.5

This was a really unique YA story. It is written in Ali’s usually style. If you’re not familiar with Ali’s books I’d describe them as quirky, fun, sex positive, and they have a flare for the dramatics. Mallory the MC is stubborn, guarded and has that acquired taste vibe. She’s 17 and has a difficult family situation but finds herself back in the world of chess after giving it up after her father passed away. The story felt less of a straight romance and more of a coming of age story. Mallory has to figure out what she wants to do with her life all while trying to singlehandedly keep her entire family afloat.

The plot focused on chess and coming to terms with growing up rather than just romance. Mallory had to work through family, friendship, socioeconomic and romantic relationship issues all while navigating being thrust into the public eye. She’s angry, confused, and not always very honest. I think the author did a great job of writing relatable characters. As a YA story I think her references to current topics would appeal to younger readers. The romance was okay but I think personally it felt a bit distant at times. Mallory and Nolan both had big walls around themselves. I felt like I never got a real deep spark between them that made me really want to root for them.

The ending was good and I appreciated the epilogue. Overall, I think this is a solid YA novel. It definitely felt on the older side of YA and I think adults would enjoy this too.

I’m SO mad.

Ok - not actually mad, but this was <i>so good</i> that it retroactively makes me madder about her adult novels all being loose copies of each other because if this is what happens when [a:Ali Hazelwood|21098177] lets go of her security tropes, we’re in for a much more interesting career.

[b:Check & Mate|60683957] is technically classified as YA but I think it fits more accurately under new adult – Mallory is 18 and Nolan is 20.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Ali Hazelwood if Mallory wasn’t a genius (chess, not science), struggling to make ends meet and Nolan a wunderkind chess world champion and “Gen Z sex symbol” (and also a giant). Mal is stuck at home, caring for her two tween sisters and paying most of the bills while her mom is often unable, thanks to a debilitating chronic illness and an absentee (and now dead) father. Her best friend talks her into joining a charity chess tournament – even though she gave up playing chess four for good years ago – and ends up stunning the world when she crushes Nolan Sawyer in a match and is drawn back into a world she wants nothing to do with.

I loved Mal and Nolan so much. He is adorably, awkwardly and obviously into Mal from the moment they meet across a chess board, and while he probably finds her physically attractive, we mostly can see how he is very into her giant… talent. Mal has a harder time with her feelings, preferring to keep her relationships physical (so she never has to trust or rely on anyone else) and feels like she has to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. I appreciate that her self-sacrificing (necessary but also a bit martyring) and secrecy and lies (to protect others) are rightfully called out. Nolan – in a very trademark Ali Hazelwood move – has power and privilege, and uses it, mostly with good intentions, if he doesn’t always go about it in the best way.

So, ok yes – this has a lot of the Hallmarks of Hazelwood’s STEMinist books, but the plot, setting and lead characters have changed enough to feel fresh. SEE ALI YOU CAN DO IT. And damn if it doesn’t pay off.

[b:Check & Mate|60683957] by [a:Ali Hazelwood|21098177]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫 4.5 stars rounded up
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ The door is closed but the sex is present (hence, not really being YA)
♟️I have no idea if the chess talk holds up to reality, but it was very readable for someone who knows little to nothing about chess
🐋 It’s a shame Tanu and Emil have worked things out because I’d love to spend a book with them
🥪🚗 NGL Oz ended up being a fave

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers and GP Putnams Sons for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Squeeeee! I love Ali Hazelwood so so much! Check & Mate is another one that I blazed through like it was nothing, because it was just so darn good. The characters are so well done, and the chess aspect was a totally unique and nerdy subject for me. I seriously adored this, although I'm not sure I really felt it fit with YA? It seemed much more NA to me - which worked just fine for me but depending on placement may feel misleading for readers. All in all, Ali Hazelwood is an auto read author for me, and this is no exception!

Check & Mate is an EXCEPTIONAL example of a modern young adult book! I absolutely adored that Ali Hazelwood's usual voice of strong, independent, women dominating a predominately male industry has continued over into her debut YA novel! I also LOVED that the plot of Check & Mate was not just the romance, which was a large part of the story, but to me, compared to most other romance books, this had romance closer to a subplot, and I was happy about that!!! I loved getting to see Mal continue her chess journey and deal with guilt and grief and a lot of other emotions! Of course, I also really loved the romance aspect, we all know that a Hazelwood book never lacks being able to bring the giggly, kicking your feet, smiling at your book kind of feelings!

I think this will be an amazing book for all readers, especially young adults and I cannot wait to see all of the hype and excitement on November 7th when this book comes out! I cannot wait to see what else Ali Hazelwood comes up with and I hope she continues to delve into the world of YA fiction!💖

Excellent and entertaining read. I enjoyed getting to know the swoon-worthy main characters, and the side characters added fun and flavor (those sisters tho!! smh). Add in a healthy dose of some childhood trauma to deal with, a bunch of millennial/Gen Z references (a few of which went over my head), and a sheen of grandmaster level chess, and you have a winner. I don't play chess and I was relieved to find this wasn't really a book about chess. If you're into chess, maybe those scenes will have more meaning for you, but it didn't add to or detract from my enjoyment of the book. I'm sure everyone will compare this to Queen's Gambit but I found this much more engaging and enjoyable (more banter, less angst and drugs). I wish the ending had been a slightly more drawn out, including the epilogue, but that doesn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I've read several other books by this author but this has been my favorite so far.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.