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lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love the context its not often you get competitive chess as a topic, cool characters, note there is content that may not be suitable for all readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mallory was a child chess prodigy, until her family fell apart. Now 18 and stuck in a dead end job with no prospects, a chance to play at a local tournament comes up, in which she makes one hell of an impression by taking on the world's top player. As things progress, she attacks, defends, takes out pieces and players alike, but might just end up backing herself into a corner. Is she a pawn in a larger scheme, or the Queen of her own destiny?
Summing this book up is relatively easy - it's essentially 'The Queen's Gambit' by Walter Tevis, but without the drugs and alcohol. If you've read that one, this does feel rather tame and cutesy in comparison. That's not to say it's a bad book; it's very easy to read, even if you don't know much about chess, and is generally enjoyable. If you need a quick distraction read, this is a good one to pick up.
I do like the social commentary aspect of this book though; the breaking down of an 'old boys network' and the fact that women will unconaciously underperform in certain circumstances (like when playing chess) when they 'know' they're facing a man. The 'old boys' in this case aren't that old, but have the attitude that the main character is intruding in their man's world and has either been given an unfair advantage to get there, or has slept her way to her spot. So there is definitely a sense of satisfaction when they receive their comeuppance. Otherwise though, there's not a whole lot of depth to the story - it is primarily a beach read romance.
If I suspend my disbelief, I can get on board with the relationship between our two protagonists. I'm not entirely convinced a relationship would develop like this in the real world, but hey, that's why it's fiction! They are very sweet and a well matched pair, and the gentleness with which they fall is lovely. My main frustration however is that the author spends almost the whole book building up the fact that Nolan wants to face Mallory in a professional game with proper stakes... and then draws the book to a conclusion without giving us the payoff to that build! It just needs one more chapter!
I also have to say that I found Mallory's younger sisters REALLY annoying, especially Sabrina. I felt they added very little to the story, and it felt like quite lazy writing when their whole attitude changes on the strength of one conversation. They were just the least believable part of the writing for me.
Overall, it's not quite what I was expecting, but it is about on par with what I was expecting.
Summing this book up is relatively easy - it's essentially 'The Queen's Gambit' by Walter Tevis, but without the drugs and alcohol. If you've read that one, this does feel rather tame and cutesy in comparison. That's not to say it's a bad book; it's very easy to read, even if you don't know much about chess, and is generally enjoyable. If you need a quick distraction read, this is a good one to pick up.
I do like the social commentary aspect of this book though; the breaking down of an 'old boys network' and the fact that women will unconaciously underperform in certain circumstances (like when playing chess) when they 'know' they're facing a man. The 'old boys' in this case aren't that old, but have the attitude that the main character is intruding in their man's world and has either been given an unfair advantage to get there, or has slept her way to her spot. So there is definitely a sense of satisfaction when they receive their comeuppance. Otherwise though, there's not a whole lot of depth to the story - it is primarily a beach read romance.
If I suspend my disbelief, I can get on board with the relationship between our two protagonists. I'm not entirely convinced a relationship would develop like this in the real world, but hey, that's why it's fiction! They are very sweet and a well matched pair, and the gentleness with which they fall is lovely. My main frustration however is that the author spends almost the whole book building up the fact that Nolan wants to face Mallory in a professional game with proper stakes... and then draws the book to a conclusion without giving us the payoff to that build! It just needs one more chapter!
I also have to say that I found Mallory's younger sisters REALLY annoying, especially Sabrina. I felt they added very little to the story, and it felt like quite lazy writing when their whole attitude changes on the strength of one conversation. They were just the least believable part of the writing for me.
Overall, it's not quite what I was expecting, but it is about on par with what I was expecting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Dementia, Car accident
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
SPOILERS!!
I love ali hazelwood she is my absolute favourite author but i’d been putting off reading this for a while because i had a feeling it wouldn’t be my thing. to start i know nothing about chess but the book is written quite well that you don’t need to fully understand chess to enjoy the tournaments and become invested. i love the, premise guy is so good at chess winning becomes an expectation until he meets the girl who changes everything and he starts to fall back in love with chess!! i could have been giggling and kicking my feet. the whole book felt like it was leading to a massive tournament between mal and nolan. he keeps asking her to play even bribing her and she says no until they finally get to the championship and are about to play.
then it just ends!! what’s the point in a chess book if you just cut to 2 years in advance oh yeah by the way she won and is now a world champion???
not enough romance for me when they finally get together and kiss i was very underwhelmed. not enough tension for me.
the family drama was alright i was very invested and cared a lot about mal and her family. loved darcy she was probably one of my favourite characters. I saw a lot of people saying this was more adult in terms of the sexual content i felt like i was missing something because they just mention a few terms like organism and then that’s it . i’ve definitely read ‘spicier’ ya books. i did like that it was nolan who was the virgin i am sick of the female virgin trope so that was really refreshing.
overall i enjoyed the book it wasn’t horrible and i read it fairly quickly i just have come to have such high expectations of ali hazelwood especially after her most recent book bride so this was a little underwhelming
I love ali hazelwood she is my absolute favourite author but i’d been putting off reading this for a while because i had a feeling it wouldn’t be my thing. to start i know nothing about chess but the book is written quite well that you don’t need to fully understand chess to enjoy the tournaments and become invested. i love the, premise guy is so good at chess winning becomes an expectation until he meets the girl who changes everything and he starts to fall back in love with chess!! i could have been giggling and kicking my feet. the whole book felt like it was leading to a massive tournament between mal and nolan. he keeps asking her to play even bribing her and she says no until they finally get to the championship and are about to play.
then it just ends!! what’s the point in a chess book if you just cut to 2 years in advance oh yeah by the way she won and is now a world champion???
not enough romance for me when they finally get together and kiss i was very underwhelmed. not enough tension for me.
the family drama was alright i was very invested and cared a lot about mal and her family. loved darcy she was probably one of my favourite characters. I saw a lot of people saying this was more adult in terms of the sexual content i felt like i was missing something because they just mention a few terms like organism and then that’s it . i’ve definitely read ‘spicier’ ya books. i did like that it was nolan who was the virgin i am sick of the female virgin trope so that was really refreshing.
overall i enjoyed the book it wasn’t horrible and i read it fairly quickly i just have come to have such high expectations of ali hazelwood especially after her most recent book bride so this was a little underwhelming
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Dementia, Car accident
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
The premise and plot of this book is absolutely ridiculous, and yet I loved every second of it. Will it age well with all the pop culture references? Probably not. But I am here reading it in the year of 2024, and it only needs to exist in this time & place for me to enjoy it. Ali Hazelwood gets a lot of hate read reviews but it’s just not that deep - it’s a fun novel, and I’m coming off of 2 550+ fantasy novels so it was the perfect palate cleanser.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
Mallory Mallory Mallory. I really related to her as an eldest daughter. I feel like there are a lot of responsibilities taken on as an eldest daughter that aren’t acknowledged, but taken advantage of. I think the mom could have helped by not putting the burden of the whole household onto her. It was weird how the mom crushed off Mallory’s troubles by her not asking for help when the mom depended on her to make money, buy groceries, and take care of her younger sisters. Like can you take responsibility for not helping or getting help yourself? I feel like the friend did the same thing. She blamed Mallory for not reaching out enough, but you didn’t even respond to her text messages??? Shitty friend. The only one who was kind to Mallory was her chess community. Nolan literally saved her from a shitty situation.
I love how this romance also includes the importance of friendship, family, and having safe sex. Great book for teens to read and relate to.
I love how this romance also includes the importance of friendship, family, and having safe sex. Great book for teens to read and relate to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Gaslighting
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun and cute!
I thought Mallory was an interesting protagonist who was easy to root for. Nolan is a strong and stoic type but absolutely smitten underneath, we love to see it. He could’ve used a bit more characterization perhaps but he’s a real dreamboat nonetheless.
The way the main issue is resolved is a little anticlimactic and is rather blown out of proportion in my opinion and with how long it takes for Mallory to rationalize everything, but to give her grace she is 18 and dealing with a lot, she definitely needs therapy to help sort all this out. But all in all very cute and sweet, I was smiling through almost all of it.
I thought Mallory was an interesting protagonist who was easy to root for. Nolan is a strong and stoic type but absolutely smitten underneath, we love to see it. He could’ve used a bit more characterization perhaps but he’s a real dreamboat nonetheless.
The way the main issue is resolved is a little anticlimactic and is rather blown out of proportion in my opinion and with how long it takes for Mallory to rationalize everything, but to give her grace she is 18 and dealing with a lot, she definitely needs therapy to help sort all this out. But all in all very cute and sweet, I was smiling through almost all of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Sexual content, Dementia, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Sexual content
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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 was fun! i realllly enjoyed the plot and the chess scene kept me on the edge of my seat. the FMC was a little bit annoying because her big character flaw/issue was a bit ridiculous and i just don’t vibe that well with the “i don’t let anyone get close” character type. but the chemistry with the MMC was 🥵 and the atmosphere of chess and intellect made for some gooooood tension.
i had a blast but i will say the YA aspect seemed pointless to me. i don’t NEED smut to enjoy a rom com, especially if it really is YA and the plot is as interesting as this one was. however… the YA label felt unnecessary give they were both adults and they spent like 50% of their dialogue TALKING about sex. like why did we need to talk about it that much with fade-to-black scenes and a big YA label. it just felt like an unnecessary limitation to the story given the overwhelming sex talk
but i would recommend!! i had a good time as i always do with ali hazelwood books! and it was definitely the most original considering her first 3 full length novels were all so similar (but i loved that about them)
i had a blast but i will say the YA aspect seemed pointless to me. i don’t NEED smut to enjoy a rom com, especially if it really is YA and the plot is as interesting as this one was. however… the YA label felt unnecessary give they were both adults and they spent like 50% of their dialogue TALKING about sex. like why did we need to talk about it that much with fade-to-black scenes and a big YA label. it just felt like an unnecessary limitation to the story given the overwhelming sex talk
but i would recommend!! i had a good time as i always do with ali hazelwood books! and it was definitely the most original considering her first 3 full length novels were all so similar (but i loved that about them)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content