Best known for her adult romances, such as The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically, Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood’s first foray into YA literature. Lovers of her previous stories will also enjoy this new novel by Hazelwood as it follows a very similar vibe, albeit this time, she’s venturing outside the realms of STEM and into the world of competitive chess.
Whilst not focused on the sciences, similar to Hazelwood’s other works, Check & Mate still has a very strong focus on a woman battling her way through a male dominated field. Mallory’s first experience with professional chess at a young age sheltered her from the ugliness, her second foray into the professional chess scene opened her eyes to, at times, extreme misogyny. She has to come to terms with this discovery, and figure out her own method of handling it with some unexpected allies along the way.
When it comes to the characters, Mallory, the main character can be on the annoying side. For most of the book she seems to have a bit of a ‘world on her shoulders’ complex, combined with crippling guilt over something that is constantly alluded to, but not fully revealed until towards the end. As a result, she frequently goes around in circles feeling frustrated and angry, followed by guilty and remorseful without any progression until towards the end. Nolan, however, is a great example of a perfect (sadly, fictional) man. At times he comes off as a bit dick-ish, a lot of the times those instances are misconstrued. As the story progresses and Mallory gets to know him and his history and motivations better, you’ll find yourself falling in love with Nolan.
I found Mal’s family to be a bit vexing in a similar way to Mal being vexing, but their quick-witted banter mellowed them out somewhat. Some of the other side characters continued the quick banter that Hazelwood excels at, and are quite endearing, making you wish for more scenes with them.
As for spice in this book, smut lovers will be sadly disappointed as this is the main element missing when comparing it to Hazelwood’s previous books, making it appropriate for younger audiences. There are certainly numerous references to it though, and steamy scenes could easily be inserted in places, however ultimately this is definitely a closed-door romance.
The main pain point I found was the constant pop culture references. With one or two BookTok, Zendaya, or Harry Styles references are fine, this was taken to the next level. It ended up being distracting and will very likely lead to the book being very dated very quickly.
Check & Mate was incredibly easy to read and it’s one of those books that make you forget you’re reading. As predictable as the storyline may be to some, it was very compelling with smooth pacing, constantly making you want to know what happens next through a couple of tricks Hazelwood had up her sleeves to keep it interesting.
Lovers of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, the book of the same name, or simply of the enemies-to-lovers trope will enjoy this new rom-com by the master of the genre, Ali Hazelwood.
Check & Mate is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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…)
