In Ali Hazelwood's YA debut, she tells the story of a young female chess prodigy who reenters the competitive chess world after a hiatus and crosses paths with the reigning world champion, a cute boy her age. If you loved the Queen's Gambit and wanted a YA romance version, this is for you. The main character is heartfelt and relatable as she attempts to put her trauma associated with chess to the side in order to provide for herself and her family. I also found the narrative regarding her friend who goes off to college very compelling and relatable.
This is by far, my favorite of Hazelwood's books as I felt it broke the mold that her adult novels tend to fall into. It was also a unique take on a contemporary ya romance by focusing on a competitive sport rather than the typical high school or college experience which I really enjoyed. The book is fast paced and I devoured it in a day and the plot moves quickly. Hazelwood's writing style seems to be well suited to a YA book and I hope she writes more in the future.
This is by far, my favorite of Hazelwood's books as I felt it broke the mold that her adult novels tend to fall into. It was also a unique take on a contemporary ya romance by focusing on a competitive sport rather than the typical high school or college experience which I really enjoyed. The book is fast paced and I devoured it in a day and the plot moves quickly. Hazelwood's writing style seems to be well suited to a YA book and I hope she writes more in the future.