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atamano's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, Violence, Cursing, Infertility, and Alcohol
boba_n_books's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.25
Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5
Even though I don't know much about chess, I still had so much fun reading Check & Mate.
At just 18 years old, Mallory feels the burden of providing for her mother, who has rheumatoid arthritis, and her two younger sisters. She's been able to until recently, when she got fired from her job as an auto mechanic. But after playing in a charity chess tournament for the first time in years, Mallory receives an offer for a chess fellowship. Even though Mallory swore off chess after her father suddenly passed away, she can't pass up the great salary. Surely she can keep chess at work and not become obsessed with again... right? Mallory has been keeping her chess fellowship secret to protect her family from the unpleasant memories they associate with chess, but after she starts to win tournaments and becomes internet famous, she might not be able to keep the ruse up much longer. And once she gets to know chess champion Nolan Sawyer, Mallory isn't sure she wants to keep her two lives separate anymore. She finally feels seen, and nothing is more terrifying to Mallory than that.
I thought this was such a cute novel! I loved learning more about chess and seeing the gender gap within the chess world. This is such a sweet romance with plenty of emotional backstory.
Even though I don't know much about chess, I still had so much fun reading Check & Mate.
At just 18 years old, Mallory feels the burden of providing for her mother, who has rheumatoid arthritis, and her two younger sisters. She's been able to until recently, when she got fired from her job as an auto mechanic. But after playing in a charity chess tournament for the first time in years, Mallory receives an offer for a chess fellowship. Even though Mallory swore off chess after her father suddenly passed away, she can't pass up the great salary. Surely she can keep chess at work and not become obsessed with again... right? Mallory has been keeping her chess fellowship secret to protect her family from the unpleasant memories they associate with chess, but after she starts to win tournaments and becomes internet famous, she might not be able to keep the ruse up much longer. And once she gets to know chess champion Nolan Sawyer, Mallory isn't sure she wants to keep her two lives separate anymore. She finally feels seen, and nothing is more terrifying to Mallory than that.
I thought this was such a cute novel! I loved learning more about chess and seeing the gender gap within the chess world. This is such a sweet romance with plenty of emotional backstory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Infidelity
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
dkamada's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Queens gambit energy + no one writes sex scenes as well as Ali!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Grief, Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Sexual content
xvicesx's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Supremely enjoyed the setting. I had another encounter with a beautiful chess book (First Move, by Jenny Ireland) at some point last year, and even at the time Check & Mate was being recommended. However, I was firmly entrenched in my unwillingness to give very popular authors a go having been burnt several times. I guess I will be again, but it is a pity that so much time passed before I got to enjoy this beautiful piece by Ali Hazelwood.
The characters are magnificent. They stand out on their own, with full lives that continue outside of the scenes they're involved in, which makes the entire novel such a pleasant reading experience. You're invested in the hardship of Mallory's situation, you want to smack Bob, you want her relationship with Nolan to work. You want it all, and that's not so easy to pull off.
So go and read this. It's gorgeous.
The characters are magnificent. They stand out on their own, with full lives that continue outside of the scenes they're involved in, which makes the entire novel such a pleasant reading experience. You're invested in the hardship of Mallory's situation, you want to smack Bob, you want her relationship with Nolan to work. You want it all, and that's not so easy to pull off.
So go and read this. It's gorgeous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
emilyferrise's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I liked this one more than her more adult STEM books. A good bit of pining, which I historically haven’t loved, but am coming to appreciate more. Romcom meets Queen’s Gambit (Netflix).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Dementia, and Infidelity
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
funny
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? No
5.0
This book was SO fun and so cute. I absolutely loved Mallory and Nolan and their relationship! This one had so many good moments and the banter was gold.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Alcohol, Mental illness, Grief, Infidelity, Dementia, Sexual content, and Sexism
bookameme's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Cursing
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
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.
I’m in love with this book, and it 100% deserves the hype.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Alcohol, and Death of parent
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).ghostmomxoxo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Sexism, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism
randirush's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Car accident