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A review by el_tayo
Check Mate by Leah Brunner
4.0
This is definitely the best installation in this series so far and I think Leah Brunner is definitely growing from strength to strength.
David and Isa are neighbours who do not get along and tend to "prank" each other. Prank books are hard to pull off cause they can easily come off as actually cruel. In my assessment, Check Mate half pulled it off. The best prank book I've ever read still remains Neighbours Like That since I felt that it struck the perfect tone. Check Mate's pranks weren't actually a large part of the book and when they happened, it didn't necessarily feel cruel but it didn't feel particularly fun either (in my opinion). But like I said this wasn't a large portion of the book.
It was actually quite an interesting premise because from the outset David and Isa genuinely don't like each other. They acknowledge that the other person is attractive but neither is harbouring secret feelings for the other. Instead what we get in the first third or so of the book is David and Isa's personal growth journey. David is learning that there is life outside himself and realising the need to stretch, and Isa is struggling with appeasing her family while going after what she wants in life. I thought that these elements were excellent.
Anyway, their two paths converge when they both end up on the same trip in Peru and the two start to bond. The chemistry, relationship development, everything to do with the coupling was all executed very well and I felt invested in the relationship. I also felt that the "foil" to their romance was earned and not overdone. David and Isa have a genuine hurdle with how to marry up Isa's career which is based on travel and his attachment to stability.
The reason this isn't 5 stars is it felt like the last bit of the book really....I actually don't know how to explain it. Isa and David go on a break as she sets up the next phase of her business. David has his enlightened moment of going after love so he shows up in Italy to surprise Isa. Then he proposes (!), and then they get married the very next day. That in itself wasn't necessarily bad but the whole section felt off somehow, like it was cramming a lot. I think even if they had just gotten engaged and end the book there, and the epilogue can summarise they got married the next day, it might have felt sharper.
Anyhoo, really enjoyed the story. Brooks annoyed me a smidge in this book so we'll see how his book goes in the next stop.
David and Isa are neighbours who do not get along and tend to "prank" each other. Prank books are hard to pull off cause they can easily come off as actually cruel. In my assessment, Check Mate half pulled it off. The best prank book I've ever read still remains Neighbours Like That since I felt that it struck the perfect tone. Check Mate's pranks weren't actually a large part of the book and when they happened, it didn't necessarily feel cruel but it didn't feel particularly fun either (in my opinion). But like I said this wasn't a large portion of the book.
It was actually quite an interesting premise because from the outset David and Isa genuinely don't like each other. They acknowledge that the other person is attractive but neither is harbouring secret feelings for the other. Instead what we get in the first third or so of the book is David and Isa's personal growth journey. David is learning that there is life outside himself and realising the need to stretch, and Isa is struggling with appeasing her family while going after what she wants in life. I thought that these elements were excellent.
Anyway, their two paths converge when they both end up on the same trip in Peru and the two start to bond. The chemistry, relationship development, everything to do with the coupling was all executed very well and I felt invested in the relationship. I also felt that the "foil" to their romance was earned and not overdone. David and Isa have a genuine hurdle with how to marry up Isa's career which is based on travel and his attachment to stability.
The reason this isn't 5 stars is it felt like the last bit of the book really....I actually don't know how to explain it. Isa and David go on a break as she sets up the next phase of her business. David has his enlightened moment of going after love so he shows up in Italy to surprise Isa. Then he proposes (!), and then they get married the very next day. That in itself wasn't necessarily bad but the whole section felt off somehow, like it was cramming a lot. I think even if they had just gotten engaged and end the book there, and the epilogue can summarise they got married the next day, it might have felt sharper.
Anyhoo, really enjoyed the story. Brooks annoyed me a smidge in this book so we'll see how his book goes in the next stop.