Check & Mate

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary

4.2

(275)

Ali Hazelwood

In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, 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.Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. 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…)

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More Details:

Author

Ali Hazelwood

Pages

368

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2023-11-07

ISBN

0593619919 9780593619919

Community ReviewsSee all

"Super cute, and different from her other books! Definitely swooned a little, love her writing!"

Skye Edelson-Bennett

"I love Ali Hazelwood. She is an auto read author for me and this book was so fun. I had heard some people didn’t love this one because of the fmc but I had so much fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect with a YA book from AH but it felt very similar to her other books just with younger characters and fade to black. The main characters were also 18+ so it really didn’t feel YA but in my opinion. I have so much fun and it was brining me back to when I binged the Queens Gambit on Netflix a few years ago. "

Halie V

"I have never been so interested in Chess! This book showed me a whole new world. It also shined a light on teens taking on family responsibilities which is sometimes unavoidable. Such a fast read! Ali did it again love all her books! Makes me wish I was better at all things STEM! "

Nicole Sinders

"I have read all of Ali Hazelwood’s books and absolutely adore them all. She writes love stories believing her readers are intelligent and I’m here for that. Mallory had a lot of personal growth in this story, which the story focuses on. Nolan is an ultimate book boyfriend. I seriously need more of him in my life. If you enjoy chess, read this book. If you don’t enjoy chess, read this book. "

Katie Harrison

"* spoilers * “ you touched me. Can’t stop now. Touch-take rule “ I am really torn between 3,5 and 4 stars for this book. I think the ending was rushed and we were robbed from the championship. I would have love to know what happened when they finally get to play against each other, especially to have sawyer's reaction to Mallory Beating him. Other than that, the book was really cute. Made me laugh and cry. "

Leticia Cormier

"This book didn’t really hit me like the other ali hazelwood’s books. There was little time for the two to actually build a relationship, and most of it centralized on Mallory. I wished that Ali spent more time actively addressing Mal’s internal conflicts like Elsie in “Love, Theoretically” because it really affected the overall progress of the plot as well as the relationship between Mallory and Nolan. There were a LOT of long-winded monologues that got a bit tiring to read. I love Ali’s aloof and fun writing style, but I feel like that was overdone in this book."

J L

""You touched me. Can’t stop now. Touch- take rule.” Ahhhhhhhh!! Yeah, that pretty much sums it up lol."

Ella🫶

"Absolutely loved! The struggles of both characters- working through flaws and such a fast read! Love this authors writing style "

Cara Grant

"4.5 ⭐️ This was super cute. It gave a Queens Gambit type story but with a more lighthearted vibe. Mallory is working through some family issues while she struggles with following her dreams. Even though I know nothing about chess, I was invested in her journey. I love how MMC, Nolan, is unintimidated by Mallory’s strengths and only encourages her to pursue her dreams, despite what effect they might have on him. "