A review by kade_spade
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

3.5

Such a fun book! I was unsure at first how Ali Hazelwood was going to write YA (if you’ve read any of her adult books you know what I’m saying) but this book very much toes the line between YA and adult. I could see Hazelwood’s struggle to not write further into scenes at times. This book is more chess heavy than romance heavy. The romance is really only a small portion of the book towards the last 1/3rd of it. That didn’t make me like the book any less though. It did start to drag slightly in the middle, but that may be because I know nothing about chess and have little interest in it. I did enjoy all the messages/theme that were throughout the book. Overall, this was a great YA debut!