Thank you to Putnam and BookishFirst for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
When I saw that this author was making a YA debut, I knew that I needed to read it right away! Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood is the newest book by the bestselling and critically acclaimed romance author. The story revolves around Mallory, who is not a professional chess player. She's an ordinary high school student who enjoyed playing chess when she was younger but stopped. One day, when she unexpectedly beats Nolan, the current world chess champion, her life changes. Now, she's being invited to chess competitions all over, and she keeps bumping into Nolan again and again.
Here is an interesting excerpt from the Prologue that introduces us to Nolan:
"Meet the Kingkiller: The No. 1 chess player in the world.
“Let me tell you something, Nolan: smart is the new sexy.”
“Still not sure I qualify.” His tone is so dry, it has me wondering how his publicist talked him into this interview. But the
audience laughs, and the host does, too. He leans forward, obviously charmed by this young man who’s built like an athlete,
thinks like a theoretical physicist, and has the net worth of a
Silicon Valley entrepreneur. An unusual, handsome prodigy
who won’t admit to being special.""
Overall, Check & Mate is an unforgettable YA romance that is sure to become an instant classic. It will appeal to fans of The Queen's Gambit and HBO's Gossip Girl reboot. One highlight of this book is the relationship between Mallory and her mother and two younger sisters. Even though this was the subplot and not the main plot, I felt myself getting emotional, especially toward the climax, and I enjoyed their relationship development a lot.
Another highlight of this book is how it makes chess so exciting. I loved watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and reading about the matches here gave me the same feelings. I also loved reading about the process and how Mallory had to study different moves in order to get better at playing chess. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA romance in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in November!
When I saw that this author was making a YA debut, I knew that I needed to read it right away! Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood is the newest book by the bestselling and critically acclaimed romance author. The story revolves around Mallory, who is not a professional chess player. She's an ordinary high school student who enjoyed playing chess when she was younger but stopped. One day, when she unexpectedly beats Nolan, the current world chess champion, her life changes. Now, she's being invited to chess competitions all over, and she keeps bumping into Nolan again and again.
Here is an interesting excerpt from the Prologue that introduces us to Nolan:
"Meet the Kingkiller: The No. 1 chess player in the world.
“Let me tell you something, Nolan: smart is the new sexy.”
“Still not sure I qualify.” His tone is so dry, it has me wondering how his publicist talked him into this interview. But the
audience laughs, and the host does, too. He leans forward, obviously charmed by this young man who’s built like an athlete,
thinks like a theoretical physicist, and has the net worth of a
Silicon Valley entrepreneur. An unusual, handsome prodigy
who won’t admit to being special.""
Overall, Check & Mate is an unforgettable YA romance that is sure to become an instant classic. It will appeal to fans of The Queen's Gambit and HBO's Gossip Girl reboot. One highlight of this book is the relationship between Mallory and her mother and two younger sisters. Even though this was the subplot and not the main plot, I felt myself getting emotional, especially toward the climax, and I enjoyed their relationship development a lot.
Another highlight of this book is how it makes chess so exciting. I loved watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and reading about the matches here gave me the same feelings. I also loved reading about the process and how Mallory had to study different moves in order to get better at playing chess. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA romance in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in November!