A review by lawbooks600
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

funny slow-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

3.0

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Score: Six out of ten.

I wanted to read Check and Mate (the winner of the Best Young Adult book award in 2023,) hoping it would be an improvement over Ali Hazelwood's debut, The Love Hypothesis, but no library had it at the time so I resorted to buying it instead. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem up my alley, but I gave it a try anyway. When I closed the final page, it was okay.

It starts with a prologue spanning a few pages, with Mallory unexpectedly beating Nolan in a chess match, then the plot begins with those characters living separately at first, with Mallory not wanting to play chess because of some events that happened. The first few pages are slow until Mallory and Nolan meet and then start a relationship, all while Mallory plays the game she didn't want to play again, chess. I hoped Hazelwood would resolve the problems I had with The Love Hypothesis in Check and Mate, but I was wrong, since I couldn't connect or relate to Mallory, Nolan or any other character, but that was only the beginning of the issues I saw. Perhaps adding depth to them would've improved the reading experience, since Mallory and Nolan had no chemistry, and the romance felt shoehorned in (they only bonded together over chess and nothing else. Really?) I used to like Mallory until I read some irritating lines when she didn't speak about her family kindly, and even though that was a one off, that left a sour taste in my mouth.

The writing style and pacing are enough to keep the narrative going but the latter can be slow at times with nothing much happening. That kind of progression only works when there are well-written characters, but, unfortunately, there aren't any. At least the plot is easy enough to follow. Hazelwood's second latest creation (at the time of writing) has a narrow target audience of either chess enthusiasts or romance fanatics. I'm not particularly into either of them, which is why I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've. The climax is bittersweet as the couple break up, and an epilogue follows, abruptly finishing the fictional composition. Perhaps I'll give this author another shot by reading more of her stories, but my expectations are low.
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