slyxxi 's review for:

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

3.75

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Overall I liked this. There were times I struggled to connect with the characters as they are very young and sometimes very stupid, but this is YA so I kept reminding myself to take a deep breath. Disappointed a bit by the FMC - Mallory was sadly both the most fleshed out and the most annoying character of them all. The parts of her self-sabotaging and me screaming at the book went on way too long.

Mallory's mother and sisters were just horrible throughout and I couldn't accept their "I didn't know you felt this way" explanation of the stress they were putting on their own family. Also felt VERY strange that the sisters were so openly talking about sex but this was a closed door YA romance? I was also super disappointed after the entire book built up the match when Mallory and Nolan would play together and then we get to see 0% of their 12 games?? What a letdown.

Still had some cute, heartwarming moments and was a fun audiobook.