Check & Mate
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4.4 • 540 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
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…)
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Making the right moves means everything when it comes to chess—and love—in this young-adult romance. Mallory Greenleaf stopped competing in chess after her father left the family, but as a favor to a friend, she agrees to play a benefit match. When Mallory trounces endearing reigning champ Nolan Sawyer, it’s her ticket to a future that will pay for college and help her ailing mom, which pulls her back into the game she once loved...and toward the irresistible Nolan. In her first YA novel, rom-com hitmaker Ali Hazelwood realistically portrays the push and pull of young love amidst the fascinating world of competitive chess. With its spot-on dialogue, lighthearted humor, and fast pace, this book is a sheer delight.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bisexual 18-year-old Mallory Greenleaf was once a talented chess player, but ever since her Grandmaster father abandoned the family four years ago then died, she's given up the sport and instead prioritized caring for her arthritic mother and two younger sisters. Rather than attending college, Mallory gets hired as an auto mechanic; things take an unexpected turn, however, when she reluctantly agrees to play in a charity chess tournament and beats 19-year-old Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion. When she loses her job—and realizes that she can earn decent money by competing in tournaments—Mallory accepts a paid fellowship for potential pros at a local New Jersey chess club. And as Mallory navigates sudden acclaim alongside grief and guilt over her return to chess, she grows closer to Nolan, who turns out to be her biggest supporter. Hazelwood (Love, Theoretically, for adults) makes a seamless transition into YA romance with this well-researched read. Via Mallory and Nolan's complementary personalities and complex histories, Hazelwood crafts a feminist rendering that sheds light on sexist views within the world of competitive chess, all while spinning a swoon-worthy romance. Protagonists read as white. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
A “can’t put down read!”
This book was absolutely well written and I loved it. I physically could not put it down to stop reading. Definitely something everyone should read, I’m pretty much a chess player at this point.
Its so CUTEE
I did not want to stop reading it but at the same time i didnt want to finish it!!
Goosebumps
Ali’s writing is so beautiful and during parts of the romantic sides made her writing even took my breath away! Her knowledge of the chess world is also incredible! Read this book in one day!