Reviews

I love Ali Hazelwood. This made me want to play chess more lol

Closed door romance, taking out the only flaw I see in Ali’s books (which is using the word flaps instead of labia - please Ali use labia instead it’s somehow sexier than flaps)

Also idk if the main character is supposed to be autistic coded but super relatable between special interest, info dumping and the incredible difficulty she had expressing her emotions

jemimahgracee's review against another edition

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4.0

If you are feeling sick of the classic “Ali Hazelwood” formula (which I am not for the record) I think you’ll find this one very refreshing. Nolan and Mallory feel so different from all of her other protagonists, and the setting feels equally as unique from her other books. I was captivated by this book and the story that was unfolding.

My major complaint is really that I think the book could have had an extra 50-100 pages. Check and Mate is Hazelwoods YA debut and so she might have felt pressure to keep it at 350 pages. However I think the book suffered from such a short amount to work with. The ending felt rushed, and often I felt we were skipping over important parts of the plot. I would have love a 500 book that showed all of the chess tournaments and made the romance more of a slow burn.

One small side comment I want to make is that me and her readers often lovingly poke fun and all of Ali Hazelwoods “millennial cringe” references. And in this book there are so many Gen Z references it made me laugh. But also I kind of loved it.

duarshe's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny 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

4.25

I read an Ali Hazelwood book and it's not five stars!! I know. I'm shocked, too. It's four starts instead. OMG how can I? Anyway, this was a cute and light read, it just felt a little bit underwhelming, ESPECIALLY, the end. We were building up towards that World Championship tournament and it is just weirdly summarised in an article in the epilogue. When the epilogue should be just extra scenes of Mallory and Nolan being cute and shit (imo). And, in general, I just felt their relationship kind of rushed. I missed the ANGST, the YEARNING that I always feel when reading Ali's books. Sometimes I just felt as if they just were good friends and work buddies. Finally, I would like to highlight how round of a character Mallory is, she has a really complex perception of herself and a complicated relationship with her past and family, which is always interesting to read.

Now, I will go and rewatch The Queen's Gambit. Thank you very much.

Content Warnings