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A review by mimsyreads
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
i’ll admit that i was skeptical. this is the first ali hazelwood book that really interested me in terms of plot (i’m a big chess fan), so i was like sure why not, i’ll pick it up! I’M SO GLAD I DID. and yes i did stay up till 5:30am to finish this, because nolan & mallory were worth it.
i know this is not a book for everyone! the critiques on the language and “cringeness” are valid. but do i care? NO!!! the writing made it easy and FUN to get through and i personally enjoyed the references! it was crazy how fast i got into the story, and crazy how quickly i finished it.
the biggest thing i’m over the moon happy about: THERE WAS AN ACTUAL ATTEMPT TO PLACE CHESS AT THE FOREFRONT. i know of many books that claim to be about a certain activity or sport .. but then end up falling short. i was happy to read about the chess tournaments and openings and plays. was the portrayal 100% accurate? probably not. but again: i don’t care! it was captivating and i’m a nerd.
another thing. i literally had no intention of annotating this book until nolan sawyer had me going insane. i had to make a whole tabbing category called “oh nolan sawyer” because i wasn’t breathing every time he appeared. i love him and he probably makes the top five (5) of my fictional love interests ranking. everyone needs a nolan sawyer with his tall stature and big hands (thanks ali for the consistent mentioning of his limbs).
there is so much more I can say. but for now, i wish i had my own real life nolan sawyer (or any other whipped chess rival) that i could play chess with. and also we need more chess romances, please and thank you <3
i know this is not a book for everyone! the critiques on the language and “cringeness” are valid. but do i care? NO!!! the writing made it easy and FUN to get through and i personally enjoyed the references! it was crazy how fast i got into the story, and crazy how quickly i finished it.
the biggest thing i’m over the moon happy about: THERE WAS AN ACTUAL ATTEMPT TO PLACE CHESS AT THE FOREFRONT. i know of many books that claim to be about a certain activity or sport .. but then end up falling short. i was happy to read about the chess tournaments and openings and plays. was the portrayal 100% accurate? probably not. but again: i don’t care! it was captivating and i’m a nerd.
another thing. i literally had no intention of annotating this book until nolan sawyer had me going insane. i had to make a whole tabbing category called “oh nolan sawyer” because i wasn’t breathing every time he appeared. i love him and he probably makes the top five (5) of my fictional love interests ranking. everyone needs a nolan sawyer with his tall stature and big hands (thanks ali for the consistent mentioning of his limbs).
there is so much more I can say. but for now, i wish i had my own real life nolan sawyer (or any other whipped chess rival) that i could play chess with. and also we need more chess romances, please and thank you <3