THIS WAS PERFECTION! I adored Check & Mate and can not recommend it enough. The characters are perfectly developed and was well-paced. For fans of Carrie Soto is Back, I highly recommend Check & mate.

Sometimes I think I don't care about something and then I read a book about it or involving it and I realize that I still don't care but some authors are really good at tricking me into thinking I do for 300+ pages.

Welcome to Check & Mate, where Cassandra reads about chess (that she knows -3 things about) and romance (which she knows a little more about), and enjoys it all? Who would've thunk it? Not me. Not us.

Mallory and Nolan have one of the most unique cold opens to what's to come - as far as I've read anyways. Nolan is no stranger to the chess board, playing professionally for years, and Mallory happens to join a charity match and defeats him without having played for years. She's quick to escape but the (chess) world is not willing to let go of what just happened yet. Mal is presented with a life-changing opportunity for her and her family and as much as she would love to refuse... she doesn't have much of a choice.

Now part of a fellowship, her chess-less life is now nothing but. She is studying moves and strategies every day and when she faces Nolan again, he's expecting her quick retreat and plans his next move accordingly.

Ali's debut into YA was another successful addition to her work. While I'm used to (and prefer) the adult romance, I find very little I didn't enjoy about this one. Mal annoyed me sometimes but then I reminded myself that I am almost a decade older than her and while people my age cannot throw fits, people her age are still kinda allowed. Plus, she was honestly not that bad and I'd say was forced into adulthood much sooner than she deserved so once you move on from that... she was not that bad.

I was happy to see a shift in our #WomenInSTEM storylines (although I do love them, don't get me wrong). I still felt very underqualified to read this book simply because I have not a CLUE what they were talking about.

Thank you Ali Hazelwood for not disappointing me!!!

I ended up marathoning this book in one night (yes my eyes hurt), but Ali Hazelwood's writing is just so easy to read. You fly through the pages, and before you know it, it's 3AM and you're resigned to future Tiffany hating past Tiffany's choices.

Okay, is it just me...or have y'all always found chess (or the idea of chess) to be really ATTRACTIVE?? If you've watched Queen's Gambit, you know what I'm talking about. Just the tension of a match, the intelligence and decision-making of the players, the competitive environment...maybe it's just my Type A personality showing.

If you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis , you'll likely enjoy this book too as the writing feels very familiar. While this is technically a YA, the main differentiator is that there are no majorly explicit sex scenes from Ali Hazelwood's Adult books. Still, I enjoyed how we have open discussions about sex on the page whereas some YA books may choose to ignore the topic completely.

The story itself was so much. Mallory was an easy main character to root for, and her slightly chaotic yet hardworking personality was very reminiscent of Olive from TLH. For context, I really did not like Bre from Love on the Brain .I loved following her journey as a chess prodigy, and the ROMANCE. J'ADORE.

Nolan Sawyer was a very swoon-worthy YA love interest, and his tension with Mal was *chef's kiss*. The yearning and slow-burn was wonderful, but most of all, I love how the tension and rivalry between our two love interests were built on mutual respect rather than just jealousy or antagonistic feelings.

Mal's younger sister Darcy must be protected at all costs, and I just love the chaotic family energy between Mal, her two sisters, and her mom. When we get to the scenes where Nolan interacts with Mal's family, I was kicking my legs in giddy.

As you get to the second of the book, things do start to get predictable, but I wouldn't necessarily fault that as a bad thing. It's predictable in the way you want a Disney Channel Original Movie to be predictable. On the other hand, I could have done without all the pop culture references, but that's just my personal preference of disliking celebrities and TikTok references in books.

While I'm happen with how things ended, the last 10% could've been better paced. I wish there were more "show" and less "tell" of what happens to the main characters. It didn't leave me feeling completely satisfied, but in conjunction with the rest of the story, I had a fun time reading this book.

Ali Hazelwood is back with her latest stem-inist novel "Check & Mate". Consistently sweet, spicy, and smart, fans of her work will be thrilled with her newest addition.

This was sooo stinkin’ cute and fun! I have LOVED all of Hazelwood’s books so far, they’re always a blast. The eldest daughter in me really jumped out in this one. Nolan was a sweetheart and I liked Mallory a lot, even though she frustrated me most of the time with how stubborn and oblivious she was.

This being Hazelwood’s YA debut, I will say I didn’t notice much of a difference from her adult novels, other than the obviously younger couple and a bit more of a closed door; the tone seemed pretty much the same to me. Didn’t affect my enjoyment tho!

I wavered with my rating at the end because I wish the third act conflict was resolved a little sooner, but how everything came together GOT ME and made me cry so I decided to stick with the 5 star rating. All around a very fun time.

Ali Hazelwood once again brings brainy comfort food to the table. While Mallory isn't as Zooey Deschanel quirky as her previous heroines, she's still charming in her own way. You want to root for this girl as she not only battles on the cheese board, but a world that just may be against her.

Ali Hazelwood's CHECK & MATE is a solid YA debut. This reads on the more mature spectrum of the young adult genre, so I think fans of her adult romcoms will enjoy this one as well. The chess element was so fun and the romance was cute and lovely as expected!). Hazelwood's novels focus on female characters making waves in traditionally male-dominated fields - biology, physics, engineering, and now competitive chess. A great blend of feminism and light romance that makes for a super enjoyable and quick read.

A sincere thanks to Penguin Teen for providing an advanced reader copy of this book!

Overall, I really really liked this book!! It took me a bit to get hooked in the beginning, but once Mallory met Nolan and started playing chess again, I was hooked. I loved their relationship, and the great chemistry and tension shown. Especially for a YA book, I loved how sex positive it was, without bringing the rating to NA. I wasn’t expecting the “experienced girl, inexperienced guy” trope, but I really thought it was well done ! I loved the romance, and thought the chess plot was super fun, (+ easy to follow for non chess players!) and reminded me of a YA rom com version of The Queen’s Gambit. I loved the middle, and thought about rating this a 4.5, however with it taking me a bit to get hooked, and the abrupt make-up in the end, I decided on a 4. I liked how the epilogue was written to let you know what happens, but I do wish there was one more chapter before the epilogue to show more after the resolution. (I always want a bit more in books.) And Mallory did kind of annoy me, but she has really relatable flaws, so that’s that haha. Overall this is a great book, and I definitely recommend!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @penguinteen for an early copy of Check & Mate by @alihazelwood. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Check & Mate tells the story of two chess prodigies, Mallory and Nolan, although Mallory is done with chess after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier. Her main focus is on her family and her job, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. His loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to Nolan. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…).

Hazelwood’s YA debut novel is her best novel to date hands down! I’m not all too familiar with chess, but the author made the sport sound so interesting and exciting in this novel through Mallory’s perspective. The way she describes chess feels like a challenge and an adventure you’d want to embark on. Additionally, I really enjoyed Mallory’s character as she has grown to love herself and chess again. She has given up a lot of things (chess included) for her family and she really deserved something of her own. Her love for the sport just draws you in, you’ll want to play it professionally yourself maybe. 😅

Nolan and Mallory’s relationship seemed platonic initially, but their chemistry was undeniable. I was curious about Nolan as he seems to be the mysterious-type kind of guy, but honestly, he’s too adorable! I loved that he genuinely cares about being able to play with Mallory instead of winning. The supporting characters were likeable as well, and I especially adore Defne and Mallory’s relationship as mentor-mentee.

Rating this novel ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. I wish the book was longer. I want more of Mallory and Nolan! 🥹

Honestly, when I picked up this book Iwas ready for a feel good fun rom com with two chess players and iNSTEAD I WAS HIT BY OLDEST DAUGHTER COMPLEX EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS HOW DARE YOU.

I definitely saw a lot of myself in Mallory, especially as a kid who has a hard time just being an older sister because she feels a responsibility to take care of her family and doesn't know how to not basically act like a mom. Like ouch. Ali why'd you have to attack me like this actually????

Because my expectations for this book were so different than what i received, it definitely took me a minute to get into it because I wanted more cute banter and romance. Instead of more rivarly romance, this book gave me a soft and quiet sort of romance with secret gestures and small moments. I genuinely enjoyed that but just wasn't expecting it.

I loved the chess tournament and family relationship (despite it hitting a bit too close to home whoops) and I liked that even though the second half of the book had more romance, it didn't feel like the central theme of the book! I hope this book is advertised as a more introspective sort of coming of age (idk the right word) rather than just another Ali Hazelwood romance!

Great characters, well paced and snappy dialogue. The best romances are ones where the reader can learn about something new, chess in this case, with enough detail to be completely fascinating without taking anything away from the heart of the story. Ali Hazelwood books are a prime example of that and this YA debut does not disappoint.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Any book that has a thank you to Taylor Swift at the end is a win for me. Ali Hazelwood is remarkable at writing women in STEM and finding relationships through friendship and family on top of a straightforward relationship. I appreciated the intricacies of this character and the way that no one in this book was cookie cutter. Some readers may not enjoy all of the pop culture references but to me it was a fun laugh and not at all distracting from the story. While short and sweet, I found myself surprised when I got to the end, wishing we had a little more of the Mallory Nolan story. Overall, I love Ali Hazelwoods writing style and I am exciting to see what she comes out with next!

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Ali Hazelwood's CHECK & MATE is a solid YA debut. This reads on the more mature spectrum of the young adult genre, so I think fans of her adult romcoms will enjoy this one as well. The chess element was so fun and the romance was cute and lovely (as expected!). Hazelwood's novels focus on female characters making waves in traditionally male-dominated fields - biology, physics, engineering, and now competitive chess. A great blend of feminism and light romance that makes for a super enjoyable and quick read.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for letting me read this early in exchange for review.

This was absolutely fantastic and I think I loved it more than her adult books. Mallory and Nolan were just so much more relatable and I loved the side characters, I laughed out loud pretty much the entire time I read this book. I highly reccomend

Ali Hazelwood with another fantastic novel, CHECK & MATE. I have been following Hazelwood's releases since THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS- so I was so elated to get a chance to read her newest release. This book is her best work yet! So full of the same humor and romance that readers fell in love with during her previous books. I truly could not put this book down until I had reached the final page. I am sure this is going to be a huge hit when it hits the shelves this fall, and I am so excited to see whatever she writes next!

This book put me into a hell of a reading slump. If you were to look at my reading time, I read 64% of this in two days, took a break and then finally read the last bit today… I skimmed the last of it. I was so bored. It made me hate chess.

This isn’t a usual Ali book- there’s really no quirky character, no overt women in stem message, just a bunch of young adults, chess and love. It was cute but Mallory was very “I need to be in charge because my dad is a piece of shit and somehow it’s my fault even though I was a child” and when she gets called out for it, she’s all like “wah wah I’m a baby” ?? Girly you put your life on hold for and for what??? ALSO SHE WAS MAD ABIUT HER DAD AND YET SHE LITERALLY SLEEPS WITH ANYONE WITH A FUCKING PULSE. I’m not slut shaming but girl, it ain’t mathing. Nolan was a sweetie and good for him and his therapy.

I will read this again when it actually comes out, or maybe just skim to the part that I skimmed here but 🤷🏼‍♀️

This was such a cute and endearing book. I wish I knew more about chess though to understand some of the references in the book. Ali Hazelwood, would you write a bonus scene of the first time Nolan lost to Mallory? I really would like to find out what he was feeling throughout the game. It’s been awhile since I read a cute YA contemporary book and this really hit the spot.

CHECK & MATE might just be my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet. Let me preface this review by sharing something both real and true: Before reading CHECK & MATE, I had absolutely zero interest in chess, or anything chess-adjacent. Queen’s Gambit? Didn’t watch it. Can I even play chess? The answer to that is an overwhelming no. Did I ever want to learn how? You guessed it — also no.

And then Hazelwood just had to go and drop her YA debut, which centers on a sensational, swoon-worthy story about two chess prodigies.

Former chess extraordinaire, it’s been years since Mallory Greenleaf used to play. Chess reminds her of her dad, and the guilt she’s taken upon herself for the role it played in breaking up her parents. So Mal ignores a chance at a future in the thing she once loved more than anything, and instead throws herself into trying to provide for her struggling family.

Until she attends a one-off charity competition as a favor for her best friend, where she just so happens to beat the number one chess player in the world: Nolan Sawyer. This sets off a series of cascading dominos that send Mal down a path she never thought she’d get back on — and headfirst into the intense orbit of the last person she ever thought she’d get close to.

It’s simple: Mal and Nolan are everything, and I could NOT get enough of them. After finishing this book in one heart-stopping sitting, I suddenly find myself extremely interested in learning more about chess. A game I often used to scoff at attempting to dig into, mind you. (Although this may also have to do with more of my own familial baggage concerning chess than chess itself.)

That is the fairy dust that Hazelwood sprinkles onto every single one of her books. Whether it’s theoretical physics or chess, she makes her readers so invested in her stories about romance and self-discovery and rising up against societal oppression that we don’t just fall for the characters, we fall for the very things they love, the very things that fuel them.

I also don’t think it’s possible to walk away from a book like CHECK & MATE and not feel inspired, invigorated, incredibly ready to take on the patriarchy. One thing I really appreciated was how much of the story delves into imposter syndrome and self-doubt — even touching on how these self-sabotaging lines of thought are conditioned into women as we grow up, as a way to keep us small and down and easier to muzzle in a ‘man’s world.’ Reading about how Mal dealt with blatant misogyny throughout the plot and in her extremely non-diverse career made me feel visible, seen and understood. (Side note — I couldn’t have read this at a better time. Nothing but solidarity.)

It’s this ability to make complex, seemingly untouchable topics like professional chess so digestible and worthwhile that you want to learn more about it long after you close her book that makes Hazelwood not simply a great writer, but one of the best authors of her generation. And I don’t say that lightly.

Hazelwood’s books are everywhere, and for good reason. That’s only going to continue, as CHECK & MATE is the next big thing in YA — I’m sure of it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood’s first young adult romance following Mallory as she navigates the world of chess after her win against the current world champion, Nolan Sawyer.

This was a cute read, and I enjoyed seeing Nolan and Mallory’s relationship progress! The competitive chess setting was also a lot of fun to read about. I would recommend this book to fans of Kasie West and the Queen’s Gambit!

This book was the perfect mix between a cute, giggle inducing, feet kicking in the air romance and chess. I could not have asked for better and it was exactly what I wanted and needed to read. Some of the twists and turns were predictable but as the story was progressing I was too enticed to watch out and figure out what was to happen next. I wish we could have had at least one chapter of Nolan Sawyer's point of view and a few less 2022 references but other than that absolutely loved it and recommended it to everyone around me!

(posted a review on goodreads but link does not seem to be working)