I think about a deserted chessboard. Only the white king on it, standing on the home square. Alone, untethered, safe from threats. Free to roam.
Check & Mate
by Ali Hazelwood
Genre: YA Romance
About: Mallory has a mortgage to pay, two bratty sisters to appease, a chronically ill mum to look after and a satanic force (otherwise known as a guinea pig) to feed. She doesn't have time for college or anything more than a hook-up, and she certainly doesn't have time for chess - the obsession of her younger years is well and truly behind her. Until her best friend guilt trips her into a charity tournament (gluten sensitivity is a thing ya'll) and she happens to defeat world no. 1 and chess's very own sex symbol, Nolan Sawyer. But that won't disrupt her plans or anything.
Thoughts
This was my first Ali Hazelwood book and I... enjoyed it? Which I know makes it sound like I wasn't expecting to enjoy it but it did have all the things that I usually don't like about contemporary romances. As well as all the things that I like about reading in general. So it was a mixed bag, but one I'm happy to have... bagged.
So. The things I don't like about contemporary romances:
- When one part of the couple has something in their past that makes them feel guilty or unworthy of love but which you know is going to be totally not their fault. In Check & Mate, Mallory is the one and the reason is guessable and obviously not her fault.
- The plot is always so contrived. Characters will say they'll never do X, Y and Z and then the plot will laugh at them as they proceed to be forced into doing X, Y and Z. It feels like it takes agency away from the characters and it makes me eye-roll through the beginning while the characters catch up to the plot of the book they're centre-stage in. For Check & Mate, Mallory drags her feet over playing chess when the whole book is centred around the fact that she'll be playing chess for a whole lot of it.
- Enemies to lovers but it isn't really. Mallory for some reason tries to play Nolan as her enemy for a very long time when it's quite clear that Nolan never views her as his enemy and is in love with her for the majority of the book.
- The Big Argument. Towards the end there always has to be a miscommunication and/or a big argument that divides the couple. Mallory and Nolan get theirs but it's really just Mallory saying completely unjust things over being mad about something that really didn't need such a explosion. She also has a miscommunication with her best friend that seemed entirely unnecessary. Again, these were just plot points that needed ticking I guess but it's why the genre can be such an eye-roll for me.
So... what did I like? A lot, actually. This was really cute to read. The characters are sweet - Nolan and Mallory have nice chemistry, the world of chess was a great backdrop, everyone is really funny, and it's just one of those books that puts a smile on your face. It's predictable but also warm and fuzzy and a little bit sexy.
Comments