Check & Mate - Ali Hazelwood

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...).

Blurb taken from Goodreads. 

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I'm a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood's, having read her full collection of books so far. I love the easy style of her writing that makes her stories so easy to take in, and the way she sells her characters so I can't help but fall in  love with them! However, a huge part of my love for Hazelwood's books is tied up in the romance she builds between her characters. I wasn't really sure that would translate well into YA fiction.

I shouldn't have been worried. This did feel a little bit more new adult than young adult to me, but on the whole, I think Hazelwood did a really great job. I really appreciated that the focus was on Mallory's relationship with chess, and that the book was structured around the games she played and the tournaments she competed in. I think that was the right move, with her romance being a secondary plot instead. 

Rating: ✫✫✫✫.5

My Thoughts

The book follows a classic plot structure, which was a little predictable. However, it was so well structured. We see Mallory's entry into competitive chess, then her advancement through various tournaments, and finally, the outcome of her practice. As a chess fan, I absolutely loved being an observer to all her matches, and hearing about the nuances of her games. I'm sure other chess fans would enjoy it as well, but I do also think it would be enjoyable for those who aren't too well-versed on the game. It reminded me very much of a YA The Queen's Gambit. It's very different in many ways, but it follows the same pattern. 

Mallory herself was an interesting character. It took me quite a while to warm up to her. She's a very guarded character, and for quite a stint this came off as standoffish. Yet this did pay off, as we see the story make way for some significant character development, both in Mallory's personal relationships, and in the way she thinks of herself. This comes as Mallory reveals more and more about her past experiences with chess, and as we come to understand her reaction to various events.

Mallory's relationship with Nolan was a highlight of the book, which is unsurprising when we consider Hazelwood's previous success. I was surprised how well the author tackled a romance that had to be more stripped back, and I thought the slow burn of Mallory and Nolan's relationship really paid off. 

Overall, I thought this was such a successful book for Hazelwood, and I'm fully convinced that YA will be a great genre for her moving forward. It's hard not to compare Check & Mate  to The Love Hypothesis and the like, but I actually appreciated their differences more than their similarities. The romance took a backseat to Mallory's relationship with chess, which was definitely the right decision. I enjoyed how immersive the narrative was, and how much we as readers get to experience the different games, and the way Mallory learns from them. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and would rush to pick up another Ali Hazelwood YA in future!