Check & Mate: the instant Sunday Times bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards winner - an enemies-to-lovers romance that will have you hooked! Paperback – 7 Nov. 2023

This genuinely might be one of the best book i’ve ever read… and it just got me out of my reading slump.I first read check & mate at the end of 2023 (the very end. it was my last book before it hit midnight on December 31st.) and I raved about it for months afterwards.Eventually it gets to a point where you forget the major plot points of a book, you forget how good the writing is, all the crazy romantic quotes and.. once it gets to that point, you know it’s time for a reread.i’ve been struggling getting back into my reading recently, as life has other priorities and unfortunately, i didn’t hit my reading goal for 2024, which was really disappointing as for the 2 years before that i’d read 100 books each year. it was a hard reality to come to terms with, but 2022 and 2023, I was in college, only working part time, and had lots more time for reading. Life has really moved on, and it has meant less time for reading. but this book has thrown me right back into the love for reading.There is something SO unique about Ali Hazelwood’s voice in her books, especially in this book. I’m not sure if it’s the audience switch - whilst most of her books reach a ‘New Adult’ audience, this book seems to be more targeted to Young Adults - but whatever the reason is, her voice is defined and GOOD. I am in awe at her pacing, descriptions, and ability to create complex yet loveable characters.I resonate with Mallory Greenleaf probably more than I care to admit. She is real, she is difficult, but she is passionate, and loving, and SUCH a brilliantly written character. Whilst fictional, her love for chess comes across beautifully in this book - and the same goes for Nolan. Both main characters are enticing. You WANT to carry on reading. You WANT to root for them and pray they make it, despite the hardships.And that last chapter just ties everything up with a bow on top 🎁 The article, the JOURNALIST, the hidden smiles and secret lives - i am obsessed, and i know there’s no need for a sequel, but i’d eat it up in a heartbeatI cannot recommend this book enough to people, and it falls under so many people’s radars!!!! please read it if you haven’t!!

👻 standalone contemporary romance🍑 young adult with closed door spice👻 chess players🍑 rivals to teammates to lovers👻 bisexual FMC🍑 sexual tension & yearning👻 grief🍑 inexperienced MMCI’m not usually a fan of YA books (they’re usually too slow for me) but I adored this one.Ali always writes incredibly believable and devourable (is that a word?) romances, and the fact that this was her debut YA novel? Outstanding. Both Mallory and Nolan have so much depth and are characters you can easily fall in love with.The plot is easy to follow and just captivates you. Even if you’re not a fan of chess, you’ll find yourself understanding the rules and being so into the matches just because of how Ali writes.Also. The sexual tension. I was gagged, gasping, clutching my pearls. Only Ali could write that level of sexual tension across a chess board. The romance between the MCs and the build up to it was absolute perfection. Ali really is a legend.If you’ve read any of Hazelwood’s other books, you’ll love this one. In fact, if you love contemporary romance or even any of the above tropes, I highly highly recommend you pick up this one. You’ll have such a great time

Mallory, is doing her best to help her family get by. Her Father passed away recently and her Mother has an illness. So Mallory, chooses to give up going to university and gets a full rime job to pay the bills and look after her Mum and 2 younger sisters.Malory as a child, was trained by her Father in chess, and she was really good at it too that she participated in tournaments. But an incident with her Dad caused her to leave chess and cause her to try and push out her love for it.Until one day, her friend convinces her to participate in a small tournament, where she ends up beating the handsome number 1 chess player in the world and opening old wounds and throwing Mallory back into that world.The concept was quite enjoyable, even though I'm not a massive fan of chess.Personally, I felt Nolan's character was a bit flat and I would have liked more from him.I also found myself getting really frustrated with Mallory's family, I won't say why due to spoilers.Overall, a cute fun read, I just wish I enjoyed it more.