Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Check & Mate

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

168 reviews

flowersandstars24's review against another edition

4.25

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

browsingthebooks's review against another edition

3.0

OK this book is hard to review. I gave it three stars because it was obviously engaging enough for me to finish reading it over the course of two or three days. However, it’s intended to be a YA book. That makes absolutely no sense. This book is not appropriate to be read by teenagers in my opinion. I did appreciate that it fades to black— but that doesn’t make something YA. The things that are being discussed and the things that you know are happening make it not a good book for teens. At the same time, it’s not good for adults. Because the characters were younger, 18 to 20 years old, I as an adult wasn’t able to really connect with the romance as much. That would be fine since it’s supposed to be for teens, except that this book doesn’t actually feel like it’s appropriate for YA. Had it been labeled/marketed as new adult it would have made much more sense.

Content Warnings

laheath's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful 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

A fun, sweet romance about strong female characters involved in a predominantly male world. Similar to the author's adult novels, this YA novel presents some of the stereotypes and harassment faced by women in STEM, this time being competitive chess. Fortunately, most of the men are respectful. This would be challenging to read without at least a basic knowledge of chess terminology and how it is played. Considering this is YA, there are some pretty serious issues in the characters' backstories, so be aware of the trigger warnings.

Content Warnings

emilywemily6's review against another edition

2.75

hopeful lighthearted medium-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

Ugh. I really loved some things about this book but was bothered by so much. I liked the backdrop of chess, though I felt like while chess was a main focus of the book, it was pretty superficial throughout. I loved Nolan- he was the sweetest! But I didn’t see any reason for him to be in love with Mallory. Honestly there was no chemistry. The voice of this book was hilarious and I laughed a ton at some of the phrasing. But I despised Mallory. She carried too much burden, a lot of which was not her burden to bear, and she didn’t communicate her needs to her family. She ran away from any smidgeon of conflict and was really daft when it came to Nolan for most of the book. And the third act conflict was totally because of her misconceptions and her pouting. It was really dull to keep reading about her stupid choices outside of chess matches. Also, this book mentioned sex/spicy stuff and yet was super vague! So I still wasn’t convinced about Mallory and Nolan’s relationship. And the ending totally skipped over the final chess match which was a missed opportunity, though I liked the epilogue. I’m glad I didn’t buy this book, but my time feels a little wasted because this book went a lot of places I didn’t like.

Content Warnings

emma_books8870's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional funny 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

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes: Rivals to Lovers, Bi FMC, He Falls First, Forced Proximity, Sex Positive
3rd Act Breakup?: Yes

The Praise: Honestly, no author can make me laugh like Ali. Her books are hilarious while also being swoony and sweet. Mallory is messy and complex and occasionally unlikeable, but it gives her a sense of realism. Nolan was so sweet. I loved that he fell so hard for Mallory, how badly he wanted to play against her, and how supportive he was of her. I also really liked the bi rep and how Mallory having sex and several past partners was not a shameful thing. Sex positivity in a YA book is so important.

The Critique: That final fight before the third act breakup RUINED ME. I gasped out loud, had to put down the book and walk away for a bit. Mallory went for the throat and I understand that she was upset and defensive and hiding behind the untrue things she said, which is fine! BUT I wish her apology to Nolan had been more substantial. It felt kind of halfhearted to me, even though it wasn’t (but I only know that because I was reading her inner monologue!) This would’ve been a perfect 5 star for me if the apology had been better.

Final Thoughts: I’ve yet to read an Ali book that I don’t love. Her characters are always so funny and relatable and I love that she tends to focus on her FMCs succeeding in male-dominated fields/sports.

Content Warnings

readyuhbook's review against another edition

4.5

funny hopeful inspiring 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: No

My first Ali Hazelwood book and it turned out to be so fun and addictive! There were tons of references to chess ranging from subtle to apparent (a few breaking the fourth if you can catch it). Mallory is such a relatable FMC and it is quite refreshing to read about a woman, who’s bi, and also into nerdy geeky hobbies like Dragonage, Chess, & Cars. I adored Darcy and Sabrina so much as to relate to being the oldest sister. Throughout the book, Ali has skillfully shed light on the prevalent sexism experienced by women and girls in the chess community, granting a much-needed voice to the advocacy for women in chess. Overall, a memorable story, original, and heartwarming.

Content Warnings

lucialockleymorante's review against another edition

3.0

emotional lighthearted reflective 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

I picked this up because I really loved Ali Hazelwood's past books, and whilst this one was enjoyable and I finished it in one day, it does not compare to the others. I did like her tackling of Mallory's inner thoughts and the pressure she puts on herself, whilst also showing her flaws. Hazelwood demonstrated well the world of misogyny that exists in competitive chess which I am sure gives female chess players the representation they want. I do think the character development was a bit iffy and I feel like Mallory's feelings were not properly validated and were sort of glossed over to acknowledge others'. I would recommend this book who want an easy read.

Content Warnings

microbemom's review against another edition

4.0

funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Adorable! Fun!

Content Warnings

featherinthewind's review against another edition

3.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It was fine, nothing amazing like I was led to believe. I had problems with the pacing, problems with the way the characters interact, and problems with what exactly the focus of this book is. I was led to believe that it was romance, but for the first 50%, it was all about chess. Fine, ok, I can readjust, but then the second half is all about the romance! Not bad, but also not great.

Content Warnings

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