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abby_can_read's review
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
4.0
📖
I have to admit it: Ali Hazelwood has me in a chokehold. I enjoyed this. I liked Mallory and Nolan. They were cute together.
I have to admit it: Ali Hazelwood has me in a chokehold. I enjoyed this. I liked Mallory and Nolan. They were cute together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, and Misogyny
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident, Alcoholism, and Dementia
dkamada's review
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
madspaint's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
julells's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Ein wirklich gutes Buch, wenn man sich auch für Sideplots begeistern kann und gerne Schach spielt. Sollte man den Sport allerdings nicht mögen oder auf der Suche nach einer ausschließlichen Liebesgeschichte sein, sollte man von diesem Buch vielleicht lieber die Finger lassen.
Ich glaube alles in allem gefallen mir die Erwachsenen- Romane von Ali Hazelwood (die ich bisher gelesen habe) ein bisschen besser. Trotzdem werde ich bald mal wieder mein eigenes Schachbrett rausholen.
Ich glaube alles in allem gefallen mir die Erwachsenen- Romane von Ali Hazelwood (die ich bisher gelesen habe) ein bisschen besser. Trotzdem werde ich bald mal wieder mein eigenes Schachbrett rausholen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
sinoclock's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was a fun read. The characters were consistent and I could appreciate that, even if I didn't totally relate to some of their decisions. I think Hazelwood gets some flack for having common themes in her writing but this one definitely stands apart to me (and not just for the lack of explicit scenes). Overall really enjoyed it even tho she admits she kinda made some stuff up chess-wise lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Dementia
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Dementia, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Sexual content
sundayfever's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Classism, Chronic illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, and Alcoholism
withlivjones's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I LOVED the chess storyline, it was so exciting and definitely my favourite part of the book. The romance was cute but rather sappy and cringe at times. Definitely an enjoyable and easy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident
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
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