Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

 

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...)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60683957-check-mate

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

When it comes to chess, Mallory is extraordinary. But when she is 14 she stops playing and is determined not to do it again. Not when it lead to breaking her family apart. And now at 18, she declines her scholarships for college and is determined to stay home and support her mom and two sisters. Her mom has medical bills and her sisters are too young to help them out. So it’s up to Mallory. But when her friend pokes and pokes at her to attend a charity chess tournament, and reminds Mallory that she is leaving for college, Mallory gives in. One day won’t hurt right? But when she is put against Nolan Sawyer? The number one player in the world and beats him?? Well things get interesting. At first, she resits the offer to play chess and get paid for it, but circumstances force her hand. And when she begins to win serious money to support her family? She can’t resist. And also, there is a strong part of her that misses the game and her brain just can’t turn that off. And then there is Nolan. Mysterious Nolan who she can’t help feel drawn to and he feels the same about her. If she lets herself finally see it. This book was so good! There was so much to unpack with Mallory and even Nolan, just like all of Ali’s characters. And for one to be invested in chess games? Ali knows how to make it super interesting. I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down! This was Ali’s first YA book and I thought she did an excellent job.