Title: Check & Mate
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: YA Romance
Page Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Dare I say Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong? Once again, I am obsessed.
Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood's debut into the YA romance sphere. On the surface, it's a gripping romance between two rival chess players. But underneath, it's a story about family, self-identity, the transition into adulthood, and sexism in organized competition. This, to me, is one of Ali's most balanced books in terms of plot, romance, self-exploration, and secondary characters.
I was sucked in from the beginning. We're introduced to a very compelling main character that you can see is having a rough go of it. She's trying to support her family, often at the expense of her own happiness and fulfillment. Playing chess, and the cash rewards that come with tournaments, is a way for her to support them, despite all of the complex emotions around the sport.
It's hard to pick what I loved most about this book. I know that I was laughing and giggling and kicking my feet often. I also know that it dealt with a lot of complex situations and emotions in a thoughtful way. Yes, the main plot was about the main character playing chess tournaments and getting closer to a rival player, Nolan (swoon!), but it was also about so much more.
Check & Mate somehow managed to address so many topics including the transition of growing up into adulthood, complex and differing family dynamics, friendship strains and changed, sexism and misogyny in sports, self-identity exploration, and even the issues with class and money. If I even try to address all of them I'll end up writing an entire essay.
All that to say, I loved it. Mallory and Nolan were delightful to read about. Nolan is so unlike any of Ali's other male leads (and that's not to say I don't love the others too) in a refreshing way. Mallory is so focused on everyone but herself and it was beautiful to watch her put herself first finally. This was just a pair of characters who are flawed but beautiful and kind and I loved watching their romance bloom.
The side characters were equally interesting and compelling. Each one had such a unique voice and distinct impact on the main characters. I loved them all, especially as the story went on and we got to see how each of their relationships with Mallory evolved.
Overall, this was one of Ali's strongest novels to date and has become a new top favorite of mine. I'm quite excited to get a copy for my shelf and read it over and over again in the years to come.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren
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