“God bless libraries.”
– Ali Hazelwood, Check & Mate
My Quick Review:
I found “Check & Mate” less captivating than some of Ali Hazelwood’s other novels, but still very enjoyable. The chemistry between the main characters, along with the complexities of the male love interest’s personality and their witty banter, added depth and passion to the story. Despite not connecting with every element, the hilarious commentary and relationships formed really brought my rating up for this book. Overall a solid 4* read for me. (I haven’t disliked a single Ali Hazelwood book yet).
Category: Romance
Age Rating: Young Adult
Pages: 352
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Trigger Warnings: parental death in an accident (in the past), chronic illness (arthritis), sexism in the workplace, mentions of workplace sexual harassment, non-graphic sexual content, cursing and vulgar language.
Synopsis:
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—especially Mallory. 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 hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)
“Why would you keep something that makes you think of me?” I feel him shrug. “Because I think of you anyway, Mallory”
– Ali Hazelwood, Check & Mate.
My review (may contain slight spoilers):
This is Ali Hazelwood’s only YA novel but I would say that it doesn’t read that way, in fact I was somewhat surprised when I found out that it was a Young Adult novel. It follows the story of Mallory Greenleaf who has sworn she will never play Chess ever again (due to a chess related family scandal that made her put the chess pieces down for good), but gets sucked back into the world of professional chess. Here we are introduced to “current world champion and bad boy of chess”, Nolan Sawyer. I’m sure you can guess what happens next!
I will say, Ali Hazelwood’s writing of the humour and banter between friends, and especially rivals, is unparalleled. The commentary is witty, and sharp, which really makes you fall in love with the characters.
That being said, I unfortunately have to admit that I have a similar gripe that I did with ‘The Love Hypothesis’ in that I didn’t hugely love the main character. Mallory Greenleaf seemed to be a fickle character that loved to put all of the world’s problems on her back and not allow help from anyone. I found this to be somewhat tedious at times and just wanted to reach through the pages and shake the poor girl!
I really loved Nolan’s character, especially how his sarcastic wit shone through in the most unexpected moments. His strong character really made up for my initial dislike of Mallory. I also thoroughly enjoyed the friend dynamic between Mallory and her chess companions. Their camaraderie added a wonderful layer of depth and emotional connection to the story, providing much-needed comedic relief through the tense and dramatic scenes.
As always, Ali’s books delve deeply into the systemic issues of sexism within the academic world. The narrative is woven with instances where characters actively dismiss Mal’s accomplishments, attributing her success solely to tokenism within the community. These portrayals shed light on the pervasive challenges faced by women in academia, illustrating the subtle and overt biases that stunt professional growth. By intertwining these themes intricately into the story, Ali’s work prompts readers to reflect on the complexities of gender dynamics within academic settings and the impact they have on individuals.
After all is said and done, I had an enjoyable reading experience reading this witty romance brimming with tension, and I wholeheartedly recommend to fellow readers. 4/5
“I’d rather drink a can of Axe body spray while feral raccoons feast on my exposed bone marrow than sit across from this twat.”
― Ali Hazelwood, check & mate
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