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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
filipa_maia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-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
5.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexism, Death, Dementia, Medical content, Grief, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, and Bullying
Minor: Car accident and Sexual harassment
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
reedandright's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexism, Grief, Car accident, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Minor: Bullying
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
chemeducator's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Grief
tah_014's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Chronic illness, Sexism, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism
cassiealexandra's review
funny
lighthearted
4.25
I had fun with this “YA” romantic comedy from Ali Hazelwood. I’ve enjoyed several of her adult novels but heard from several people with the same level of on-page romance preferences as I have say this had become their favorite. I wish I could say the same. On the positive end the book still made me laugh, was full of pop-culture references, and still had Hazelwood’s signature nerdy feminist storyline. The focus on the gender gap in competitive and professional chess was really interesting, even if the author does admit to quite a bit of poetic license. I also really liked the family dynamics in this one with Mallory’s (FMC) interactions with her sisters, Darcy and Sabrina and with her mom.
On the negative side, I have begun to find all of Hazelwood’s male characters to be very similar, tall, brooding, appearing as a grumpy rival or enemy at first and then becoming something else. Nolan took on this same persona. His attraction and interest in Mallory was also a little instantaneous for me even if it took many chapters for it to be expressed. It’s clear that Mallory works hard and also has an aptitude for chess, but there was a slight “instant expert” trope here that I didn’t love. Mallory was also very casual about her sex life, and the level of innuendo and discussion surrounding it would make me personally recommend this for an 18+ audience. Finally, the resolutions/conversations Mallory needed with her family and her best friend came far later in the book than I would have liked, making the ending feel a little anticlimactic to me.
The bottom line: This was cute and kind of a whirlwind. I enjoyed it, but I am perhaps just outside of the stage of life to fully appreciate it. It felt very “young” (as YA would) but had content that felt mismatched to me.
— NOTES —
Genres: YA romantic comedy, but I’d rate this 18+
POV: first-person, singular
Content: character with chronic illness, infidelity, past loss of loved ones
Romance: innuendo, casual mentions of past “hook-ups,” one fade-to-black scene (chapter 21)
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
On the negative side, I have begun to find all of Hazelwood’s male characters to be very similar, tall, brooding, appearing as a grumpy rival or enemy at first and then becoming something else. Nolan took on this same persona. His attraction and interest in Mallory was also a little instantaneous for me even if it took many chapters for it to be expressed. It’s clear that Mallory works hard and also has an aptitude for chess, but there was a slight “instant expert” trope here that I didn’t love. Mallory was also very casual about her sex life, and the level of innuendo and discussion surrounding it would make me personally recommend this for an 18+ audience. Finally, the resolutions/conversations Mallory needed with her family and her best friend came far later in the book than I would have liked, making the ending feel a little anticlimactic to me.
The bottom line: This was cute and kind of a whirlwind. I enjoyed it, but I am perhaps just outside of the stage of life to fully appreciate it. It felt very “young” (as YA would) but had content that felt mismatched to me.
— NOTES —
Genres: YA romantic comedy, but I’d rate this 18+
POV: first-person, singular
Content: character with chronic illness, infidelity, past loss of loved ones
Romance: innuendo, casual mentions of past “hook-ups,” one fade-to-black scene (chapter 21)
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content
Minor: Grief