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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish I liked this one better. I just didn’t.
Let’s start with the one thing that irritated me the most. Pop culture. I personally am not a fan of pop culture heavy content in literature. Sadly, the first quarter of this book just was a pop culture dump that then seeped into the entire story coming up often enough to remind me it was still there.
Look, I like Timothee Chalamet as an actor just as much as the next person, but books with a dump of pop culture just seem to pigeonhole the book into a specific era. I’m not saying this book needs to be a masterpiece of relevant literature for years to come, I’m just saying sometimes less is more.
I also didn’t feel the love for chess. I didn’t care, nor did my indifference transform as the character starts to rediscover her love for chess. Considering it’s the basic plot of the book, it really hindered my enjoyment of this read.
There was room for found family elements to shine through. Whether that was the authors intention or not, it danced around the idea of it. If not found family, very strong friendships at least. However, the friendships were skimmed over and reduced to forgettable side characters, seemingly included only for the sake of diversity and inclusion.
I enjoy this authors writing style, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye in future published works, this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an earc of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Let’s start with the one thing that irritated me the most. Pop culture. I personally am not a fan of pop culture heavy content in literature. Sadly, the first quarter of this book just was a pop culture dump that then seeped into the entire story coming up often enough to remind me it was still there.
Look, I like Timothee Chalamet as an actor just as much as the next person, but books with a dump of pop culture just seem to pigeonhole the book into a specific era. I’m not saying this book needs to be a masterpiece of relevant literature for years to come, I’m just saying sometimes less is more.
I also didn’t feel the love for chess. I didn’t care, nor did my indifference transform as the character starts to rediscover her love for chess. Considering it’s the basic plot of the book, it really hindered my enjoyment of this read.
There was room for found family elements to shine through. Whether that was the authors intention or not, it danced around the idea of it. If not found family, very strong friendships at least. However, the friendships were skimmed over and reduced to forgettable side characters, seemingly included only for the sake of diversity and inclusion.
I enjoy this authors writing style, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye in future published works, this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an earc of this book. All thoughts are my own.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ali Hazelwood is on a generational streak.
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Absoluty brilliant, I loved everything about this read, I laughed out loud so hard I cried and of course I also cried during the final grief healing too and yes im suddenly wanting to learn how to play chess even though I've only ever played a few times in my life and hated it.
My favourite part was Mallorys relationship with her sisters, Darcy & Sabrina are just the best and I loved those teenage drama and sassy back chats. That scene around the dining table with Nolan and the meatloaf, yep a cry laughed all the way through.
Nolan is definatly a catch, I loved how calm and composed he was whilst Mallory was spinning with a million inner thoughts. What id give for a Nolan Pov chapter. I spent the whole book rooting for him.
it's ali Hazelwood.
A sugary sweet romance. A kicking your feet and giggel story.
loved this. intelligent characters, chess, and a great plot line.
A sugary sweet romance. A kicking your feet and giggel story.
loved this. intelligent characters, chess, and a great plot line.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes