Another winner by Ali for me. Alll of her books resonate with a part of my heart and I am just obsessed. What she brings to the bookish world is so unique and I am endlessly grateful. She presents heavy systemic issues through fun, quirky, cozy romance novels. This allows so many of us to discover these problems which we may not have otherwise learned.

Okay - CHESS METAPHORICAL ROMANCE, what a sub genre but UGH. Check and Mate is considered a Young Adult novel that follows Mallory, an 18 year old, who works as a mechanic to support her family as the primary breadwinner. The story begins when she does her friend a favor by reluctantly competing in a chess tournament - charity tournament, I think. It seems like it is a former pastime which has some trauma associated with it and has lead to her not playing for a few years. When Mallory excels in the tournament, the plot takes off from there.

I loved this book so much! It fit’s Ali’s typical writing style:
Quirky and relatable FMC
Minimally verbal and stoic MMC
Science-ish setting that oppresses women
^^ FMC tackles this systemic issue, ofc.
Cozy cuddles
Sarcasm, giggles, heart-warming love, smiles, tears, all the things.

I struggled with this being considered YA. For me, this is more of a door ajar NA, but I won’t let that affect how much I loveddd this book. Excuse me while chess may become a new obsession.

*Just of note, Ali did say that she took some creative liberties with the chess related plot, so just be gentle if you are a chess-nerd.