I think Check & Mate might be my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book, it's funny, it's cute and made me laugh. Check & Mate is her fourth novel and her first Young Adult novel, her characters are quirky, smart and the humor is the same as her adult novels,
I love the story and the characters, it’s a romance and personal growth, family dynamics, older sister responsibilities, friendship and a criticism of environments that are dominated by men and hostile to women.
Nolan is a sweetheart with a bad boy reputation, he is the world chess champion and he is barely 20 years old, nobody can beat him, until Mallory arrives, she hasn't played in years but she has talent, which leads her to defeat Nolan and being sponsored by a chess association. From the moment they meet, Nolan wants more.
It feel realistic, Mal struggles are real, she feels like a real teen who has a lot on her plate, a girl who wants the best for her family and prioritizes them against her needs, and she feels guilty when she do sometimes she loves. I was happy when Mal was true to herself, and play chess for fun, sincere with her family and spend more time with Nolan.
The romance is slow burn with much tension, so good and cute, Ali man's are always the goals. I would have liked to see a couple of chapters from Nolan's point of view. I loved the passion of both for chess, instead of rivals they support each other, Nolan wants (he needs) to play again against Mal, not to defeat her or prove that he is better, but to have a fun time and and challenge himself, both bring out the best in each other.
I don't know how to play chess, it catches my attention but not enough to try to understand its rules, I love The Queen's Gambit series but apart from a couple of rules I don't know anything and although the game is a central part of the story (it's the title of the novel) does not feel confuse, we attend tournaments with the characters and at no time do you feel that you are missing something, you get hooked.
Read it if you want:
• YA Romance
• Funny and cute stories
• Realistic problems
• You have interest in chess
• Romance trope: He falls first, kind of rivals to lovers (because they are competition) and forced proximity.
I love the story and the characters, it’s a romance and personal growth, family dynamics, older sister responsibilities, friendship and a criticism of environments that are dominated by men and hostile to women.
Nolan is a sweetheart with a bad boy reputation, he is the world chess champion and he is barely 20 years old, nobody can beat him, until Mallory arrives, she hasn't played in years but she has talent, which leads her to defeat Nolan and being sponsored by a chess association. From the moment they meet, Nolan wants more.
It feel realistic, Mal struggles are real, she feels like a real teen who has a lot on her plate, a girl who wants the best for her family and prioritizes them against her needs, and she feels guilty when she do sometimes she loves. I was happy when Mal was true to herself, and play chess for fun, sincere with her family and spend more time with Nolan.
The romance is slow burn with much tension, so good and cute, Ali man's are always the goals. I would have liked to see a couple of chapters from Nolan's point of view. I loved the passion of both for chess, instead of rivals they support each other, Nolan wants (he needs) to play again against Mal, not to defeat her or prove that he is better, but to have a fun time and and challenge himself, both bring out the best in each other.
I don't know how to play chess, it catches my attention but not enough to try to understand its rules, I love The Queen's Gambit series but apart from a couple of rules I don't know anything and although the game is a central part of the story (it's the title of the novel) does not feel confuse, we attend tournaments with the characters and at no time do you feel that you are missing something, you get hooked.
Read it if you want:
• YA Romance
• Funny and cute stories
• Realistic problems
• You have interest in chess
• Romance trope: He falls first, kind of rivals to lovers (because they are competition) and forced proximity.