This was a charming book that doesn’t really need yet another positive review, but here goes.

First of all, Ali Hazelwood’s universe is appealing to me from the start. Her heroines are smart and endearing, but usually seriously flawed. They tend to do certain things very, very well (resesrch, engineering, and now chess) while also being a bit of a mess in their personal lives. They deal with misogyny and self-doubt. They wear armor, but eventually confront their vulnerabilities. This sometimes has people complaining of Hazelwood’s formulaic stories, but having read my share of damsels landing dukes during regency balls or new hires winding up with the billionaire boss, I think romance readers are okay with common tropes and themes. We really suspend our disbelief when it comes to the number of dukes and billionaires in the world. Why not revel in some smart women kicking butt in academic or intellectual circles, too?

Back to Check Mate. It’s written with Ali’s usually engaging style that makes it hard to out down. I never cared about chess, but there’s enough here to let a novice follow along and feel invested. The secondary characters could have their own stories, as they are fiercely loyal to our main characters and charming/funny in their own right.

Ali Hazelwood is a must read, regardless of the genre for which she’s writing.

Girl loves chess, just like her dad. Dad leaves. Girl gives up chess. Opportunity arises and girl finds chess again. Simple? No. A good story is not in a straight line and this one is not either. This story gives many a glimpse into the world of professional chess, the ins and out of the high-pressure sport, and some of the sexism that lives there. And, a swoon-worthy romance stalks the pages of the book.

I enjoyed the story and took the escapism for what it was. Did I get annoyed with Mallory several times? Yes, I did. But, one of the reasons that I got the book was because of its YA rating, and my high school students and I often read a book where the girl seems to get upset too often. I also did not like the characterization of the mother and sisters. Either they were super dumb or super unaware, but even Mallory talks about how smart her mother is. The other reason that I lowered the rating was that while Mallory is 18 years old, she seems way too knowledgeable about hookups on Tinder. She just graduated high school within the past two months but has this down to an art.

The Tinder hookups and the follow-up discussions about that kind of sex seemed a little much for my high school library. I would never prevent a student from reading it and may, in fact, recommend it to some students, but they'll have to go to the public library down the street.

I rate this for older YA. I also really appreciate a book that takes in stride gay and bisexual characters without missing a beat.

I received this book from NetGalley with no expectations other than a review.

In Ali Hazelwood, we trust. I was skeptical about reading a YA novel of hers, considering how her other books are but I really enjoyed it! Her male protagonists may come from the same template, but they have so many different details that make them unique.

I could’ve done without the references to pop culture. It’s my biggest ick in any book and the amount of “Gen Z” references there are is the sole reason I give this book less than a 5 star rating.

Besides this criticism, I swooned! Chess is a massive topic in this book. I never thought I would read about something like this but Ali made it so fun and interesting. I wish the ending was longer and carried out just a bit more so we could see how exactly their romantic relationship is doing and how their professional relationship copes, seeing as they’re literally competitors.

Mallory was adorable and a very intricate character. Her family situation is difficult and you can tell she has so much love for them. She has some intimate details of her life that readers aren’t allowed access to, which made the appeal of her even better. Who is this girl? Why is chess so important yet so traumatic for her? Nolan though… *chef’s kiss* This man wanted her the moment he saw her. The slow burn was perfect and the tiny romantic moments we got left readers grabbing on.

I couldn’t stop reading. It sucked me in just like every other book of hers. Reading about the chess matches and the tension between the players was so fascinating. There were plot twists and some predictability but this was a great book and I enjoyed it immensely.

So cute! I loved Mal and Nolan and I really enjoyed their story. I know absolutely nothing about chess but this book was written in a way that I was still able to follow along. Overall I thought this was a super fun read!

4.5!! This was such a CUTE read! I absolutely adored everything about it! The side characters, the love story, the character development, THE PINING!! I also truly love how Ali Hazelwood writes her MMC's! They are always SO GOOD!

Mallory is done with chess, because it reminds her too much of what happened with her father - a former successful chess player. When she gets the chance to play again and meets chess bad boy and world champion Nolan Sawyer, her world is turned upside down and she is forced to rethink what she believed to be true.

I loved this book. It’s a cute coming-of-age story set in the world of chess. Although it is marketed as YA and I am far from YA, I enjoyed it tremendously. The loveable characters, the pining, the nerdiness, Ali Hazelwood’s novels have it all - and this one is no exception!

Miss Hazelwood has finally stepped out of her comfort zone, and boy did it pay off!
This was a super refreshing and fun YA read, I loved the characters and plot, chess is not something I ever saw myself reading about but I absolutely loved it in this book. The only thing holding me back from a five-star rating is that dual POV would have made this book substantially better and the ending was quite rushed, I would have loved to see the chess competition come to fruition, but alas, the book wrapped up with romance on the forefront instead of chess.

This book was fantastic. Two chess prodigies with checkered pasts (lol I’m punny). But seriously, I love Ali Hazelwood and she can do no wrong.

Nolan Sawyer is a perfect book bf and I appreciate the fact that the girl isn’t the virgin in this story, it’s the man. And I’m soaking it up with him and his nerd charm. I love nerds and love his polite arrogance.

Mallory is a great main character. A normal 18 year old female who has taken responsibility of her ill mother and her two younger sisters. Also bi-sexual, which is always great to see some representation.

Tropes: guy falls first, slow burn.

YA, so expect little to no spice here. Still a great romance with an excellent plot involving women empowerment, friendship despite distance, and family recovering after hardship.

Slow read at first, but picks up nicely about 25% through.

Thanks to Penguin Books for the ARC. Enjoyed every minute of this read.

Ali Hazelwood puts something in her books that makes them literally impossible to put down-and Check & Mate was absolutely no exception. I didn’t think there was any way that I was going to be so enthralled in a book about chess, but boy, was I ever wrong.

I was just as invested in the reason Mallory had stopped playing chess at the age of fourteen as I was why Nolan had such a terrible reputation amongst the chess community.

The stories of really tough family dynamics and how some families are able to overcome the struggles was something that I really needed in a book right now. I cannot recommend it enough.

As I am playing catch-up on Ali Hazelwood other words, i have 3 to read, I have a feeling this one will be my favorite. This one obviously takes place in the chess world. I love Ali’s books becuase they are usually about stronge women who go against the norms and are competing or working in fields/games that men dominate in. While her other book take place in the STEM world, this one takes place in another male dominated area..chess.
It is interesting to read this book when I did becuase not only did I recently see a TikTok about a top chess player, who happens to be female, but how when women succeeds or dominate in a field or a sport that the public always puts “female” in front of it.

In this book we have our 18 year old FMC, Mallory, who’s grandmaster father taught her how to play. She not only played but she was really good at a young age. After her fathers death she stops playing. One day her best friend talks her into playing for a charity tournament… where she goes against the #1 ranked world champion. Not only does she play him. In that one game she beats him.

I will say I love reading. It brings me great joy. It has been a while since a book has made me smile and get a little teary eyes that is more in the ROMCOM genre..and this one did. I will now be going back and binging the rest of her books that I have on my shelves that were lower on my list becuase I can’t get enough of Ali Hazelwood right now!

This was so cute!! This book reminded me so much of the Queen's Gambit, a show that I loved.

Mallory was a chess prodigy as a child, but due to something that happened with her Dad quit and vowed to never play again. Now at eighteen, she finds herself unexpectedly thrown back into the world of chess and catching the attention of the #1 ranked chess player, Nolan (who is, ofc, also extremely hot).

I fell in love with the characters immediately and I liked that although there was a cute romance storyline, the focus was on Mallory, her journey with chess, the complex relationships with her family and her own internal struggles. I honestly couldn't put it down, it managed to be such a fun read while also tackling more serious topics around representation of women in a male-dominated field.

Loved this first YA novel from Ali Hazelwood!

First and foremost, thank you to penguin teen and netgalley for making my dreams come true with this ARC!

THIS BOOK WAS FUN! And heartfelt and swoony! Check & Mate sucked me in from the first page - Mallory is a classic eldest daughter taking on more than her share of caring for her sisters and chronically ill mom, she gets roped into a local chess tournament by her bestie when she beats the pants off the world’s reigning number 1 chess player, Nolan and leaves a lasting impression on him 😏 You guys - Mal is so funny and endearing and deserves to be protected at all costs - her personal journey wrapped it’s lil’ hands around my heart and squished it. And Nolan? Oh my GAWD, Nolan. Like, is he my dream guy? Am I in love with a fictional 20 year old? I MIGHT BE. This book had all the humor and tension we’ve come to expect from Ali, but with SO MUCH HEART! Lord I pray she blesses us with more YA books, cause damn this was a special one 🩷

Fat-friendly rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️, neutral - no representation or celebration of bigger bodies, but no triggers either.

Spice rating: 🌶️, fade to black with direct references to sexual intimacy. The sexual tension between Mal and Nolan, though? 😮‍💨

Recommend?: YES WITH A CAPITAL Y! Put this book on your pre-order list because you’re gonna want it when it comes out Nov 7, 2023!

Check & Mate
by Ali Hazelwood
Review Score: 4 Stars

Five Key Feels
-This is a different type of book written by Hazelwood, but I still really enjoyed it.

-It was interesting to read about Mallory’s dynamic with her family.

-I do not know anything about chess, but I still found this book easy to follow and enjoy.

-I love all of the characters Hazelwood shares (obviously Mallory and Nolan most of all).

-The ending is very sweet.

————
Check & Mate was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Penguin Group Young Readers Group. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 11/7/23

I was so excited to get an ARC of a book written by Ali Hazelwood! I have loved pretty much everything I have read by her.

I am happy to report that this book did not disappoint. I liked the storyline, the characters, the topic (even though I know little about chess)…Hazelwood brings it all together in a really great book.

This book is focused more on Younger Readers (meaning High School Students), but I did not find it to be childish at all. I still enjoyed the story, and would recommend it, regardless of your age!

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #fiction #arcreview #netgalley #penguingroupyoungreaders #checkandmate #alihazelwood

This may just eclipse The Love Hypothesis as my favorite Ali Hazelwood book. I was a little skeptical after Love on the Brain (which was good, just not as good as TLH), but this book was fan-freaking-tastic. Every single character was pure gold, but especially Mallory and Nolan.

Mallory is both hard and soft and so relatable. As she continually sacrifices things in life that she wants, just to make sure her family is taken care of, you both understand and want to shake her and tell her to stop at the same time. I loved Nolan from the very first mention. He’s a Bad Boy, sweetheart, and too hot to handle all at once. And…he fell first!

Even the other characters are delightful: Emil and Tanu (friends) and Darcy and Sabrina (sisters) really have their own personalities and dynamics that 100 percent add to the story. And you really, really, really hate Koch right along with the rest of them. I mean, really hate him.

I think the thing that might (gasp) make this book rank higher than TLH for me is that while there is the “chess story” going on, there are other back stories and side stories that really add a multi-dimensional depth that we didn’t have before. And, I actually really enjoyed the little plot twist.

While this book is marketed as YA (the MCs are 18 and 20), it definitely read more like NA or contemporary romance to me. My only, teeny tiny, criticism is that the author definitely used too many 2023 references (TikTok, AO3, etc.) that may not withstand the test of time.

I was so excited to get this ARC. The writing is amazing and every interaction between Mallory and Nolan is perfection. The book releases November 7th.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group for the chance to read it!

⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc.

Ehh I’m just not a fan, this was trying was too hard to be relatable to gen Z and it put me into a slump😩

The characters are sweet but something about the writing just put me off.

Mallory is a brilliant 18 year old who feels like she carries the world on her shoulders. She gave up scholarships to stay close to home and work to provide for her sick single mother and two younger sisters. She gave up her love of chess years before because of the negative feelings it stirred up in her about her dad, but one day she lets her best friend talk her into entering a charity tournament where she accidentally beats the current chess world champion. From there she is sucked back into the chess world, and into Nolan Sawyer’s world.

4.25 ⭐️
I love Ali Hazelwood’s books! They are definitely cozy reads that make you feel good. Yes, there’s always some angst but her books are generally like good hugs. This is a great fade to black YA romance and even though the main love story is a heteronormative couple, there is LGBTQ representation (mc is bi and her bestie is a lesbian). I also love how the author points out how hard women need to work to be seen and taken seriously in many fields. It definitely drew me in and I read it in two days.

4.25 STARS

I love Ali Hazelwood and I loved this book
You know, I was surprised that a YA book could make me feel so much but then a friend said most YA books do make you feel this way and they're right. This one made me think and feel so much.

It was amazing learning about the chess world and the problems that people, especially women face. This world was not familiar to me and it really made me wish I was a chess player too so that I could connect. I loved both Nolan and Mallory though I do have a few choice words for her sister.

I can't think of anything else. Overall, A fun and quick read

The love story feels I needed for The Queens Gambit!!!! LOL in all seriousness Ali Hazelwood writes so beautifully, captivating you with plot and beautifully executed characters!! I didn't know if I would be into it so much because of chess but omg I couldn't put it down!!

Ali Hazelwood never disappoints and this book is no different! It was everything I wanted it to be and I fell in love with the characters and was rooting for them the entire time! I loved the plot and the atmosphere! 10/10!

Mallory is a young adult with a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She's given up a lot to make sure that her mom and two sisters are taken care of... including a love of chess, relationships, and college. What will she do to make sure they are okay?

Nolan is the number one chess player in the world. He is rarely beaten and is completely intrigued by Mallory and her chess abilities. Can he get her to break down her defenses and get back in the game?


I loved this book! I loved the characters, the story, everything. This is the first Ali Hazelwood book that I have read and it definitely won't be my last!!