Genre : YA, Contemporary Romance
Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
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...)
Ali Hazelwood's books are so much fun so it shouldn't be a surprise that I really enjoyed this one too(I think it might be my newest favorite from her!). It had some of the things that I usually love in Ali's books along with some other different elements too!
Mallory Greenleaf has been working hard to take care of her family while working as a mechanic. With two sisters and a mother suffering from chronic illness, Mallory's plate is full and that might mean that she has left behind most of the things that she loved - including chess. But it all changes when she takes part in a charity tournament to help her best friend and ends up defeating the current world champion - Nolan Sawyer. Though Mallory has a complicated relationship with chess, a chess fellowship opportunity that comes her way is too good to pass up - especially if it could help her family stay afloat. And with this, she's slowly pulled back into the sport that she really wanted to stay away from, while making new friends and re-discovering herself!
It was hard not to love Mallory - she's so strong and talented. She's also ready to work hard to catch up on the time that she'd lost. And though she's confident in some aspects(loved the bi rep), she also has some insecurities to work through. And omg I can't get over how cute Nolan was(probably the sweetest Ali hero)! I loved how direct he was at times and how he showed his care for her! Their relationship was my favorite along with a few other things! I don't really know much about chess(except the basics) but I think this one was fun without too much overwhelming info and I loved seeing the gender aspect too!♟️
Personally, I didn't like how she was made to take on all this responsibility and later blamed by her family for her attitude - so I guess her bratty lil sis was probably the only one that I disliked here😂 I might be biased as I really empathized with Mallory but I think she deserved a bigger apology and they should perhaps have had more discussions as a family.
Overall, this was an amazing read and I hope Ali writes more YA books in the future!❣️✨
You can also find my review on my bookstagram here
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
You can also find my reviews of the author's other books here
I’m originally from Italy, lived in Japan and Germany, and eventually moved to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. I recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies me. When I’m not at work you can find me binge-watching shows with my three feline overlords (and my slightly less feline husband), running, or eating candy.
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