Check & Mate

Name: Check & Mate
Author: Ali Hazelwood
ISBN: 9780593619919

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?…

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NPR Books We Love

"If you, like me, are firmly in the “checkers not chess” camp, you may have been feeling a little FOMO when the chess craze kicked in high gear this year. This YA book is the perfect balm – offering a mix of teen angst, a lot of romantic chemistry and some actual chess sprinkled in. Mallory Greenleaf, who’s 18, hasn’t played chess since it ruined her life a few years ago. When her best friend enters her in a charity competition, she finds herself face-to-face with “bad boy of chess” Nolan Sawyer. As the two make moves on and off the chessboard, Mallory has to decide whether she can open her heart to both the player and the game."

NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org

Goodreads Choice Awards

Goodreads Choice Awards — 2023 · goodreads.com