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A review by ellemaddy
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
for now i must sleep but i’ll return with a review!
to summarize, though… I ATE THIS UP!!!!!!!!! 📣📣📣📣📣
OK I now had a proper & good 8 hour sleep so here's an update on this.
2024 is for me to finally unapologetically embrace that yes, yes Ali Hazelwood's books are for me. Like you can literally give me the same book with just the characters' name and the background settings changed and if it's written by her I'd still eat it up. In fact, that's exactly what's happening. Most of her books have the same vibe, pretty much the same type of characters and the same type of story beat and formula. Do I care? Do I give a single living fuck? I truly don't. I think they're fun, they're snappy and they're entertaining! They're good for my health, I think!
In the case of Check & Mate, let's get this out of the way. This is NOT YA. If I read this back when I was 15 I'd think to myself "This is... a bit much". But since now I'm an adult woman well into being practically an ancient relic, I read this and I thought "If this is YA, we are so doomed". This is New Adult, you guys. Let's just put this out there. The sexy scene is fade to black, but that's literally just about it. YA age range is literally from age 12 to 18 and I don't know if this is a book for the 12 year old to read. YKWIM.
Anyway. This book was cute! The MC is the typical smart, gifted, type A kind of character and the MMC is the typical tall, dark-haired, handsome, unsmiling asshole. Ms. Hazelwood reeled it in a little bit with the size kink, which I think is good. Let's not talk about how the MMC is built like a fridge and how teeny tiny the MC is anymore, that's one thing I'm kinda tired of.
You might find Mal as a character to be kind of annoying because this bitch cannot communicate without making everything about her own trauma and shit. If she were to go and seek help to a therapist she'd probably think that everyone else is toxic but then the therapist would tell her that actually, you made all that shit up in your head and the pressure to act this way is all coming from your own unresolved trauma, guilt, and savior complex. Which is like, girl! that's me. Hence why I can relate and also I don't find her annoying. I was just screaming in my head the entire time about how she's so me and about how we're literally the same person and I realize how stupid I am when I try to fix everything and do everything on my own and for making all sorts of assumptions about everyone I'm trying to help. It's exhausting! I get her! So I do not hate Mallory Greenleaf. I tolerate her, at best. But I have a lot of sympathy for her. Also.. she's a traumatized 18 year old. Let her live.
Then comes Nolan Sawyer. I love him. Simple as that. I know that some of you girls hate it when the MMC come into the story and they try to save the girl but I don't hate it. Save me Nolan Sawyer... save me Nolan Sawyer. Wish I had a Nolan Sawyer who would come into my life and fix my shit for me, wouldn't that be great. Maybe in my early 20s I'd be like 'that's so unfeminist of you' but now in my ripe old age, let me tell you, I genuinely wouldn't mind at all. Oh, you're a hot person who loves me and wants to help me (financially and in other aspects of my life?) well.. yes! Come here, bitch.
Also you know that thing Ms. Hazelwood does like when Mal was talking to Nolan's best friend and then she was just yapping and he was like "oh he doesn't stand a chance" and Mal had no idea what he was talking about and YOU as the reader GETS IT. I was like "Oh that's..." then I just started gnawing at my couch like a rat. SHE GETS IT. SHE KNOWS WHATS UP. And then there's the hurt/comfort scene that literally got me running circles in my house. You can give me enemies to lovers and I wouldn't even bat an eye and my cold dead heart wouldn't even warm just a little bit, but give me a sickfic trope and I'd literally start barking, I don't play with this shit.
UGH. what else. THE YEARNING? HIM BEING LIKE "I want you.." OR "I WANT TO PLAY CHESS WITH YOU?" ur probably thinking "what's so great about that" idk, don't ask me. But they do things to me that makes me want to go out there and run a marathon. See what I mean when I say that these books are good for my health???
Ok that's enough craziness. Read this if you like cute romance! If you're a tween maybe don't, though. Even if you don't understand shit about chess (like me), this book would still be enjoyable. Aside from the romance, the relationship between Mal and her family & friends are great. I cried when they had that conflict resolution near the end with her Mom because I can relate to the stuff they're going through so much. And in a typical Ali Hazelwood fashion, Check & Mate was just super highly readable and very quick to get through. So yeah! I think it deserves it's 5/5 because I loveeed it. LOVED IT!
52 Book club prompt 5/#39 Published by Hachette
to summarize, though… I ATE THIS UP!!!!!!!!! 📣📣📣📣📣
OK I now had a proper & good 8 hour sleep so here's an update on this.
2024 is for me to finally unapologetically embrace that yes, yes Ali Hazelwood's books are for me. Like you can literally give me the same book with just the characters' name and the background settings changed and if it's written by her I'd still eat it up. In fact, that's exactly what's happening. Most of her books have the same vibe, pretty much the same type of characters and the same type of story beat and formula. Do I care? Do I give a single living fuck? I truly don't. I think they're fun, they're snappy and they're entertaining! They're good for my health, I think!
In the case of Check & Mate, let's get this out of the way. This is NOT YA. If I read this back when I was 15 I'd think to myself "This is... a bit much". But since now I'm an adult woman well into being practically an ancient relic, I read this and I thought "If this is YA, we are so doomed". This is New Adult, you guys. Let's just put this out there. The sexy scene is fade to black, but that's literally just about it. YA age range is literally from age 12 to 18 and I don't know if this is a book for the 12 year old to read. YKWIM.
Anyway. This book was cute! The MC is the typical smart, gifted, type A kind of character and the MMC is the typical tall, dark-haired, handsome, unsmiling asshole. Ms. Hazelwood reeled it in a little bit with the size kink, which I think is good. Let's not talk about how the MMC is built like a fridge and how teeny tiny the MC is anymore, that's one thing I'm kinda tired of.
You might find Mal as a character to be kind of annoying because this bitch cannot communicate without making everything about her own trauma and shit. If she were to go and seek help to a therapist she'd probably think that everyone else is toxic but then the therapist would tell her that actually, you made all that shit up in your head and the pressure to act this way is all coming from your own unresolved trauma, guilt, and savior complex. Which is like, girl! that's me. Hence why I can relate and also I don't find her annoying. I was just screaming in my head the entire time about how she's so me and about how we're literally the same person and I realize how stupid I am when I try to fix everything and do everything on my own and for making all sorts of assumptions about everyone I'm trying to help. It's exhausting! I get her! So I do not hate Mallory Greenleaf. I tolerate her, at best. But I have a lot of sympathy for her. Also.. she's a traumatized 18 year old. Let her live.
Then comes Nolan Sawyer. I love him. Simple as that. I know that some of you girls hate it when the MMC come into the story and they try to save the girl but I don't hate it. Save me Nolan Sawyer... save me Nolan Sawyer. Wish I had a Nolan Sawyer who would come into my life and fix my shit for me, wouldn't that be great. Maybe in my early 20s I'd be like 'that's so unfeminist of you' but now in my ripe old age, let me tell you, I genuinely wouldn't mind at all. Oh, you're a hot person who loves me and wants to help me (financially and in other aspects of my life?) well.. yes! Come here, bitch.
Also you know that thing Ms. Hazelwood does like when Mal was talking to Nolan's best friend and then she was just yapping and he was like "oh he doesn't stand a chance" and Mal had no idea what he was talking about and YOU as the reader GETS IT. I was like "Oh that's..." then I just started gnawing at my couch like a rat. SHE GETS IT. SHE KNOWS WHATS UP. And then there's the hurt/comfort scene that literally got me running circles in my house. You can give me enemies to lovers and I wouldn't even bat an eye and my cold dead heart wouldn't even warm just a little bit, but give me a sickfic trope and I'd literally start barking, I don't play with this shit.
UGH. what else. THE YEARNING? HIM BEING LIKE "I want you.." OR "I WANT TO PLAY CHESS WITH YOU?" ur probably thinking "what's so great about that" idk, don't ask me. But they do things to me that makes me want to go out there and run a marathon. See what I mean when I say that these books are good for my health???
Ok that's enough craziness. Read this if you like cute romance! If you're a tween maybe don't, though. Even if you don't understand shit about chess (like me), this book would still be enjoyable. Aside from the romance, the relationship between Mal and her family & friends are great. I cried when they had that conflict resolution near the end with her Mom because I can relate to the stuff they're going through so much. And in a typical Ali Hazelwood fashion, Check & Mate was just super highly readable and very quick to get through. So yeah! I think it deserves it's 5/5 because I loveeed it. LOVED IT!
52 Book club prompt 5/#39 Published by Hachette