After reading 'Bride' I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I think my brain was conditioned to expect one thing and got the exact opposite.

I loved this story so much. I really like Mallory (although I found her annoying sometimes) - I appreciate her sense of family and the fact that she simply feels like supporting them; and I really like Nolan - he's just a good guy who learned the hard way how to grow up alone surrounded by cameras. They are perfect for each other.

And I loved the ending - everything was exactly as it should be.

P.S.: I love Oz, he is my favorite character.

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nklosty's review against another edition

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funny medium-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

4.25

Content Warnings

melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my third Ali Hazelwood novel and she did her lil thing with this one im ngl 😋 I’m obsessed with Nolan and how smitten he was with Mallory after she outsmarted him and won their chess game. Also the fact that she is bi and has a supportive family is just 🥹🫶 bc we rarely get to see rom-coms where the mc’s in a heterosexual relationship have different sexualities other than being straight, so this was refreshing. I do agree with some people opinions that this should’ve been marketed as a new adult instead of YA bc even if it wasn’t incredibly descriptive, the spicy scene in the book was hardly fade to black either. I will definitely continue to read books by this author bc I enjoy her writing and how each book sheds a positive light on feminism.

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bookameme's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ali Hazelwood is brilliant, witty, and emotionally compelling.

Thoughts:💡

I loved this book! Ali Hazelwood is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She’s brilliant, witty, and emotionally compelling.

This story got me in all my feels, yes there were funny and steamy moments but there was so much more to it. The family relationships broke my heart as much as they made me laugh. Then there’s the friendships, the new ones, the old ones, and the ones that mentored, they made the story spectacular.

The plot addressed some pretty deep topics between the sexism in sports, chess specifically, and the way a parent's bad behavior can have long reaching effects into the lives of their children. Between everything happening in the story it almost feels sacrilege to call this book a romcom because as steamy and titillating as it was, it feels like the romance was only a fraction of what this story was about.

The audio was well edited with a steady volume and pace for really easy listening, but the narrator was fantastic! She delivered the best kind of performance with all the right inflections and enthusiasm. I enjoyed her work almost as much as I loved this story.

Oh, and let’s not forget the representation in this book. As someone that’s ace but loves romance novels, I found it exciting to see an ace character represented amongst everyone else.

Fun Bits:

⚜️ Emotionally Impactful Siloques

⚜️ Chess Talk! Talk nerdy to me baby!

⚜️ Meaningful Family and Friendships

⚜️ Girl Crushing on Mallory, ngl

⚜️ Nolan Was Hot!

⚜️ Extremely Talented Narrator

⚜️ Positive Diverse Representation

✨Note✨This is a standalone

Full Content Warning:⚠️

Mentions of death and cheating, not the MCs, tackles misogyny and there is some sexual harassment from some asshats

Stats:📊

YA, but we get a fair amount of steam

Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙

Audio: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Narrator: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

YA Rom Com: Competitive Chess (sports romance), Coming of Age, Grief and Forgiveness, Older Siblings as a Parent, Rivals to Lovers📕

First Person, Present Tense, Single POV

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breedawnwriter's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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.

Content Warnings

yanagi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

mar038__'s review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn’t like the main character personally but the plot was okay

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