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funny
lighthearted
I had fun with this “YA” romantic comedy from Ali Hazelwood. I’ve enjoyed several of her adult novels but heard from several people with the same level of on-page romance preferences as I have say this had become their favorite. I wish I could say the same. On the positive end the book still made me laugh, was full of pop-culture references, and still had Hazelwood’s signature nerdy feminist storyline. The focus on the gender gap in competitive and professional chess was really interesting, even if the author does admit to quite a bit of poetic license. I also really liked the family dynamics in this one with Mallory’s (FMC) interactions with her sisters, Darcy and Sabrina and with her mom.
On the negative side, I have begun to find all of Hazelwood’s male characters to be very similar, tall, brooding, appearing as a grumpy rival or enemy at first and then becoming something else. Nolan took on this same persona. His attraction and interest in Mallory was also a little instantaneous for me even if it took many chapters for it to be expressed. It’s clear that Mallory works hard and also has an aptitude for chess, but there was a slight “instant expert” trope here that I didn’t love. Mallory was also very casual about her sex life, and the level of innuendo and discussion surrounding it would make me personally recommend this for an 18+ audience. Finally, the resolutions/conversations Mallory needed with her family and her best friend came far later in the book than I would have liked, making the ending feel a little anticlimactic to me.
The bottom line: This was cute and kind of a whirlwind. I enjoyed it, but I am perhaps just outside of the stage of life to fully appreciate it. It felt very “young” (as YA would) but had content that felt mismatched to me.
— NOTES —
Genres: YA romantic comedy, but I’d rate this 18+
POV: first-person, singular
Content: character with chronic illness, infidelity, past loss of loved ones
Romance: innuendo, casual mentions of past “hook-ups,” one fade-to-black scene (chapter 21)
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
On the negative side, I have begun to find all of Hazelwood’s male characters to be very similar, tall, brooding, appearing as a grumpy rival or enemy at first and then becoming something else. Nolan took on this same persona. His attraction and interest in Mallory was also a little instantaneous for me even if it took many chapters for it to be expressed. It’s clear that Mallory works hard and also has an aptitude for chess, but there was a slight “instant expert” trope here that I didn’t love. Mallory was also very casual about her sex life, and the level of innuendo and discussion surrounding it would make me personally recommend this for an 18+ audience. Finally, the resolutions/conversations Mallory needed with her family and her best friend came far later in the book than I would have liked, making the ending feel a little anticlimactic to me.
The bottom line: This was cute and kind of a whirlwind. I enjoyed it, but I am perhaps just outside of the stage of life to fully appreciate it. It felt very “young” (as YA would) but had content that felt mismatched to me.
— NOTES —
Genres: YA romantic comedy, but I’d rate this 18+
POV: first-person, singular
Content: character with chronic illness, infidelity, past loss of loved ones
Romance: innuendo, casual mentions of past “hook-ups,” one fade-to-black scene (chapter 21)
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Grief
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Idk what Ali put in this book, but it was ADDICTIVE. I want more. I need a follow up story. I need the bonus chapters and deleted scenes.
I’m in love with this book, and it 100% deserves the hype.
I’m in love with this book, and it 100% deserves the hype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
The protagonist is bisexual/pansexual, her best friend dates a girl; sex/sexual content is discussed frequently by the characters; and there are two sexual scenes (one is fade to black and the other is interrupted).
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
This is a sweet YA story of love, where a shared passion for chess brings two very different people together through various hesitations and obstacles. Hazelwood writes the emotions into her story well, and the reader can't help but live through them with the characters.
The main take seems to be similar as in Hazelwood's adult romance books: one must come to terms with themselves before they can effectively communicate with others, and good communication is key for all sorts of healthy and loving relationships. This is a great message to convey in a YA book, since the target audience is in a life stage when they are generally figuring out who they are or who they want to be. As secondary themes to the plot, Hazelwood brings up important themes of sexism and gendered bias or inequality as something to rectify, and also shows how publicity can be both cruel and aspire to bring out a change for the better.
Same in Finnish / sama suomeksi:
Tässä suloisessa YA-rakkaustarinassa jaettu intohimo shakkia kohtaan tuo yhteen kaksi hyvin erilaista ihmistä epäröinnin ja vaikeuksien kautta. Hazelwood kirjoittaa tarinaansa taitavasti tunteita, eikä lukija voi välttyä kokemasta niitä kirjan henkilöiden kanssa.
Pääsanoma vaikuttaa samankaltaiselta kuin Hazelwoodin aikuisille suunnatuissa rakkauskirjoissa: täytyy olla sinut itsensä kanssa ennen kuin voi kommunikoida muiden kanssa tehokkaasti, ja hyvä kommunikaatio on avainasemassa kaikenlaisissa terveissä ja rakastavissa ihmissuhteissa. Tämä on erinomainen sanoma YA-kirjan välitettäväksi, sillä kohdeyleisö on elämäntilanteessa, jossa selvitetään, keitä ollaan tai keitä halutaan olla. Juonessa esiintyyviä toissijaisia, mutta tärkeitä teemoja ovat seksismi sekä sukupuolittunut vääristymä tai epätasa-arvo epäkohtina. Hazelwood osoittaa myös, kuinka julkisuus voi olla sekä julmaa että pyrkiä saamaan aikaan muutosta parempaan.
Review written 18.3.2024 (I listened to the audiobook as a Finnish translation).
The main take seems to be similar as in Hazelwood's adult romance books: one must come to terms with themselves before they can effectively communicate with others, and good communication is key for all sorts of healthy and loving relationships. This is a great message to convey in a YA book, since the target audience is in a life stage when they are generally figuring out who they are or who they want to be. As secondary themes to the plot, Hazelwood brings up important themes of sexism and gendered bias or inequality as something to rectify, and also shows how publicity can be both cruel and aspire to bring out a change for the better.
Same in Finnish / sama suomeksi:
Tässä suloisessa YA-rakkaustarinassa jaettu intohimo shakkia kohtaan tuo yhteen kaksi hyvin erilaista ihmistä epäröinnin ja vaikeuksien kautta. Hazelwood kirjoittaa tarinaansa taitavasti tunteita, eikä lukija voi välttyä kokemasta niitä kirjan henkilöiden kanssa.
Pääsanoma vaikuttaa samankaltaiselta kuin Hazelwoodin aikuisille suunnatuissa rakkauskirjoissa: täytyy olla sinut itsensä kanssa ennen kuin voi kommunikoida muiden kanssa tehokkaasti, ja hyvä kommunikaatio on avainasemassa kaikenlaisissa terveissä ja rakastavissa ihmissuhteissa. Tämä on erinomainen sanoma YA-kirjan välitettäväksi, sillä kohdeyleisö on elämäntilanteessa, jossa selvitetään, keitä ollaan tai keitä halutaan olla. Juonessa esiintyyviä toissijaisia, mutta tärkeitä teemoja ovat seksismi sekä sukupuolittunut vääristymä tai epätasa-arvo epäkohtina. Hazelwood osoittaa myös, kuinka julkisuus voi olla sekä julmaa että pyrkiä saamaan aikaan muutosta parempaan.
Review written 18.3.2024 (I listened to the audiobook as a Finnish translation).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this. What flaws I’d edit are minor. I will re read this at least twice more. I’ll want to take my real pencil to highlight the LOL lines I enjoyed
I wish we had Nolan’s POV.
I liked the blend of closed door romance and sex positive dialogue and narrative.
Oz challenges were a favourite.
Nolan’s sweet jibes to media and others
Tanil. I want their story.
I want more of this couple in chess world.
Darcy and Sabrina too.
I wish we had Nolan’s POV.
I liked the blend of closed door romance and sex positive dialogue and narrative.
Oz challenges were a favourite.
Nolan’s sweet jibes to media and others
Tanil. I want their story.
I want more of this couple in chess world.
Darcy and Sabrina too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A delightful YA romance! I never thought I’d care this much about chess, but by the end I was as engrossed in the outcome of the chess tournament as I was the romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Car accident
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the representation of the world of chess and the challenges women face in a male-dominated sphere. But the story here did not draw me in. The female protagonist assumes she has to be the main provider of her family, assumes her best friend doesn’t care about her, assumes the male interest (the most female-written puppy dog love interest I have experienced yet) hates her guts, and overall is delusional and lashes out at the smallest slights.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Dementia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one! I don’t typically like reading about teenagers (or even college kids), but once I got over that, this was pretty great. Nolan is a hot, mysterious, caring but cold, super smart nerd. Mallory is a cool character. Really smart but doesn’t think she is. Her sisters and mom leaving her to take care of the whole family is rude and kind of annoying but the sister is a teenager so she gets a pass and the mom explained herself in the end, but I still think she’s got some major problems as a mother.
I also really liked the chess nerdiness. It seemed like Ali Hazelwood tried to do her research (very Queen’s Gambit, honestly super similar chess context). So that was fun. A good one :) Not too spicy, but enough. Probably too much for what I would’ve defined as YA, but not as graphic as Ali Hazelwood’s other books. Well-rounded romcom.
I also really liked the chess nerdiness. It seemed like Ali Hazelwood tried to do her research (very Queen’s Gambit, honestly super similar chess context). So that was fun. A good one :) Not too spicy, but enough. Probably too much for what I would’ve defined as YA, but not as graphic as Ali Hazelwood’s other books. Well-rounded romcom.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ali Hazelwood doesn’t know how to write a bad book. I love that her main characters are such strong and intelligent women who fight back at gender stereotypes. This romance is swoon worthy and I love a story where he falls first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent