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A review by memoirsofabooklover
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
another banger by ali hazelwood. i loved these characters and reading this after just bingeing the queen’s gambit for the first time was the perfect pairing. it was sweet and emotional and funny and enjoyable like all of ali’s books.
the only difference is that there was no spice, it was more of a fade-to-black. which i was initially disappointed by as i enjoy ali’s spice but then i remembered that she wrote the fmc to be 18.
to be honest i completely forgot until i was reminded, as the way she wrote character felt more early to mid 20s as i related to a lot of what she did and felt and the character wasn’t in school, had a full time job and was the parent of the household so she felt much older than she was. but it didn’t take away from the story at all and i really enjoyed it, even all the chess!
the only difference is that there was no spice, it was more of a fade-to-black. which i was initially disappointed by as i enjoy ali’s spice but then i remembered that she wrote the fmc to be 18.
to be honest i completely forgot until i was reminded, as the way she wrote character felt more early to mid 20s as i related to a lot of what she did and felt and the character wasn’t in school, had a full time job and was the parent of the household so she felt much older than she was. but it didn’t take away from the story at all and i really enjoyed it, even all the chess!
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Outing, Alcoholism, Dementia, and Alcohol