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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Moja ulubiona książka Ali aktualnie.
NOLAN SAWYER THE MAN YOU ARE
NOLAN SAWYER THE MAN YOU ARE
emotional
hopeful
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
Super cute & fun read! I loved how Nolan was just so into playing a good game of chess. Still not a fan of Ali’s side comments (mentioned fyre fest…a true test of how the book is related to current events) which is why I deducted a Star.
funny
lighthearted
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
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
sad
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
it feels like ali hazelwood writes specifically for me. i get her so bad. i can never stop reading her books.
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
finally done reading all of ali hazelwood's books (excluding novellas)!!! i liked this, but it didn't really resonate with me as much as her other novels. i'm just not particularly interested in chess lol. i thought mallory and nolan were cute tho! i wish we got a bit more of their relationship stage, but the epilogue wrapped things up nicely :)
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Check & Mate is a multi-layered, funny, emotional and complex YA novel following Mallory as she re-enters the world of competitive chess. I am simply at a loss for words. It is clear to me that anyone who speaks down on Ali Hazelwood has not read her work, and has definitely not read Check & Mate.
Never did I think I would read a book based so strongly on chess, let alone that it would make me cry and feel so much. Ali just has such a way with words. I love her humour and the witty banter between characters. More so, I love how she expertly switches to comment on more serious topics such as grief and complicated family dynamics.
While people love to joke/criticise that the MMCs in Ali’s stories tend to be very similar, the same cannot be said for her FMCs. Mallory has to be one of my favourite characters in the Ali Hazelwood universe. Perhaps I am biased because I see myself in her and relate so strongly to aspects of her life. Mallory is so complex yet she is perfectly written for a YA setting. While she has her flaws, her unwavering dedication to her family is admirable. I do not have the words to describe how I felt reading about the burden she had being a sole provider and the bread-winner, and also the sacrifices she made in her personal life because of this.
As a young woman, reading Mallory’s POV as she navigated a male dominated industry and constant scrutiny about whether she belonged or deserved to be there had me feeling every emotion from inspired to furious. Ali’s ability to talk about sexism, gender gaps and misogyny will never cease to captivate me everytime.
On top of older sister guilt, financial and family trauma - what else is there left for a YA chess book to discuss? Well, I could go on forever about the themes of Check & Mate if I had the time. But, another major theme that stood out to me was friendship and growing pains. The depiction of Mallory’s relationship with Easton and how it changed throughout the story was also very dear to me (again, I am a bit biased because I relate very much to this plot). For a YA story, I thought it was a nice touch to illustrate how friends grow apart but can come together again.
The pace and ending of Check & Mate cannot be described as anything other than perfect. The descriptions of each chess game were just enough for you to understand what was going on but never get bored. Also, while I was surprised that the championship match was not included, I thought it was a perfect and open ending so you could imagine what happened. It would have been too cheesy for it to be included. And as always, you can rely on Ali for a HEA!!
Never did I think I would read a book based so strongly on chess, let alone that it would make me cry and feel so much. Ali just has such a way with words. I love her humour and the witty banter between characters. More so, I love how she expertly switches to comment on more serious topics such as grief and complicated family dynamics.
While people love to joke/criticise that the MMCs in Ali’s stories tend to be very similar, the same cannot be said for her FMCs. Mallory has to be one of my favourite characters in the Ali Hazelwood universe. Perhaps I am biased because I see myself in her and relate so strongly to aspects of her life. Mallory is so complex yet she is perfectly written for a YA setting. While she has her flaws, her unwavering dedication to her family is admirable. I do not have the words to describe how I felt reading about the burden she had being a sole provider and the bread-winner, and also the sacrifices she made in her personal life because of this.
As a young woman, reading Mallory’s POV as she navigated a male dominated industry and constant scrutiny about whether she belonged or deserved to be there had me feeling every emotion from inspired to furious. Ali’s ability to talk about sexism, gender gaps and misogyny will never cease to captivate me everytime.
On top of older sister guilt, financial and family trauma - what else is there left for a YA chess book to discuss? Well, I could go on forever about the themes of Check & Mate if I had the time. But, another major theme that stood out to me was friendship and growing pains. The depiction of Mallory’s relationship with Easton and how it changed throughout the story was also very dear to me (again, I am a bit biased because I relate very much to this plot). For a YA story, I thought it was a nice touch to illustrate how friends grow apart but can come together again.
The pace and ending of Check & Mate cannot be described as anything other than perfect. The descriptions of each chess game were just enough for you to understand what was going on but never get bored. Also, while I was surprised that the championship match was not included, I thought it was a perfect and open ending so you could imagine what happened. It would have been too cheesy for it to be included. And as always, you can rely on Ali for a HEA!!
5/5 stars!
i absolutely loved this book!! i could not put it down and just wanted to keep reading!! while i don’t understand chess, i still loved the connection and chemistry we saw unfold between mallory and nolan!!
i absolutely loved this book!! i could not put it down and just wanted to keep reading!! while i don’t understand chess, i still loved the connection and chemistry we saw unfold between mallory and nolan!!