G. Bianco, 2019
Ali Hazelwood has quickly risen to prominence in the romance world, but now she's taking her first dip into the YA world with her newest romance. Check & Mate, which comes out on November 7th, is the new book you *need* to add to your TBR, whether you’ve read one of Hazelwood’s books or not. 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…) I honestly shouldn’t be too surprised that Ali Hazelwood’s YA debut was a smash hit! Brimming with her usual witty and diverse characters, amazing dialogue, a swoon-worthy romance, and nerdiness galore, this novel not only makes me want to learn more about chess, but also reminds me why I love reading and learning about different hobbies and interests! This story had everything from funny side characters, a relatable sibling dynamic, a bit of struggles for Mallory, and an overcoming of fears and doubts for our main character in order to learn how to live life on her own terms. While I think this novel might be geared towards an upper YA/New Adult audience, this novel perfectly blended the angst of growing up with finding yourself which made the book that much more relatable. Fans of Hazelwood will adore this book just as much as her past adult romances and if you haven’t read any of her prior books, then this book is a great place to start! Overall, I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough! *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.
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