$9.63 sale price when purchased online
$14.00 list price
Target Online store #3991
About this item
Description
About the Book
When eighteen-year-old Mallory begrudgingly agrees to return to chess in one last charity tournament, her surprise upset against Nolan Sawyer, the reigning world champ and bad boy of the chess world, sets her on an worldwin adventure as she rediscovers her passion for the game.Book Synopsis
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...)Review Quotes
Praise for Check & Mate "Ali Hazelwood is the queen of smart rom-coms, and Check & Mate is her best book yet. Filled with snappy banter, clever characters, and crackling tension (and lots of chess!), this is the perfect rivals-to-lovers romance. Check & Mate will have you swooning, laughing, staying up all night, and smiling so much your face hurts. This book is my new obsession. Who knew chess could be so romantic?" --Alex Aster, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lightlark
"Ali Hazelwood brings her signature wit to YA and the result is nothing short of delightful! Check & Mate stole my heart from the first page -- it's at once an irresistible romance, compelling character study, and fascinating peek into the world of chess. I couldn't put it down!" --Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of We Can't Keep Meeting Like This "Ali Hazelwood is a known master of deeply clever, ridiculously satisfying 'JUST KISS ALREADY!!' slow burns, and this book is all of that and so much more. Readers are going to ship Mallory and Nolan hard enough to break their sails. If you're not ready to swoon and gasp and cackle in front of strangers, read this book in public at your own risk."--Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of When You Get the Chance "Ali Hazelwood is a Grandmaster of romance. Check and Mate is so delightfully hilarious that you won't see the play coming before Hazelwood steals your bishop, sneaks by your defenses, and checkmates your heart. A charming riot of a YA debut! Ali Hazelwood has never let me down!"--New York Times bestselling author Ashley Poston "It's the YA romance I have been starving for and truly, only Ali Hazelwood could deliver. Wickedly smart, highly addictive, fun and emotional all wrapped in a wonderfully heart-clutching book. I can't stop, won't stop screaming about this one!"--Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates
About the Author
Ali Hazelwood is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her three feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).Dimensions (Overall): 8.25 (H) x 5.5 (W) x .91 (D)
Weight: .76
Suggested Age: 14 Years
Sub-Genre: Romance
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Number of Pages: 368
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Theme: Contemporary
Language: English
Street Date: November 7, 2023
TCIN: 88555324
UPC: 9780593619919
Item Number (DPCI): 059-13-8576
Origin: Made in the USA
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.91 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.25 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.76 pounds
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4.4 out of 5 stars with 41 reviews
63% would recommend
11 recommendations
Not at all what I was anticipating
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
Maddie - 2 months ago, Verified purchaser
While reading this, I've come to the conclusion that I'm more conservative than I thought. I read the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo and wasn't bothered by it's twists but this book felt like it was adding different gender identities simply to say it was in the book. These statements about being gay, bi, nonbinary or furry, added nothing to the story line and at times even felt like it took away or didn't belong in the dialogue at that time. I'm hesitant to read more of her books which sucks because I have more on my bookshelf already.
Book is great, target stickers are the worst!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
LDV89 - 3 months ago, Verified purchaser
Good book but target needs to STOP WITH THE STICKERS!!! Your 20% sticker took the coloring from the cover of this book. It is not white adhesive left, it’s where the sticker took off the black ink! :(
Not the usual Hazelwood hook
3 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
Leah P - 5 months ago, Verified purchaser
Normally Ali has me hooked hard early in. This book was a bit more slow build for me. Not quite on level with her others, but a decent read if you need a filler book.
Meh
2 out of 5 stars
AW - 7 months ago, Verified purchaser
This was just alright. I feel like it had so much potential but let me down for some reason.
YA chess romance
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
bostieslovebooks - 8 months ago
Having left chess years ago, Mallory is sucked back in when she wins against the current world champion, Nolan, in a charity tournament. Both can’t deny being drawn to the other. Mallory desperately needs the money from the cash prizes to supplement her dead-end job. Struggling to keep chess separate from her family as she moves up the ranks, Mallory begins to rekindle feelings for the sport that she hated for destroying her life. Mix the vibe of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ with a lot of YA angst and you’ve got CHECK & MATE. I wasn’t particularly fond of the main characters and so consequentially didn’t care very much about their relationship. I actually found one of Mallory’s younger sisters to be the most endearing. What carried the book for me was the exploration of gender stereotypes and the misogynistic world of chess. Following Mallory’s journey from that context is what kept my interest. CHECK & MATE is the first book of Ali Hazelwood’s that I’ve read. I have a couple of her adult novels on my TBR shelf. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the gifted ARC.
Loved it!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
JKD - 8 months ago
Ali Hazelwood's YA debut, Check & Mate, was everything I was hoping for and more. I first fell in love with Ali's writing after reading The Love Hypothesis back in 2021 and have since read all of her books. She hits the mark every single time and thankfully her first YA novel was no exception. Ali has a way of writing quirky, interesting and well developed characters that you can not only relate to but also continue to root for throughout her stories. Check & Mate has a very similar feel to both The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically with both the characters and storyline having similar themes. I would love to see something completely different from Ali but she does this type of book so well that it is hard to complain. Another thing Ali does so well is covers, her books always have the cutest covers that look so nice together on my shelf. Overall, I would highly recommend this book!
chess is cool again
5 out of 5 stars
MGMGMG - 9 months ago
A romance about chess? Sign me up! Okay, full disclosure: I don't actually know how to play chess. But I do know Ali Hazelwood, and this book is something new and different for her--I love it when authors break their own molds. The main characters, Mallory and Nolan, have great chemistry as a chess prodigy and chess champion, respectively. The side characters are also awesome; they are fully developed and memorable, even Mallory's obnoxious and ungrateful sisters. As an added bonus, I learned a lot about the world of professional chess! If I had to pick something to complain about, it would be that the beginning was a little slow and the ending was a bit abrupt and predictable. But in between was pure entertainment, a quick read that kept me completely engaged. If you liked the show Queen's Gambit, Check & Mate is definitely the book for you.
Chess rivals to lovers
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
jenlynnc14 - 9 months ago
This was the first Ali Hazelwood book I had heard of and while I was impatiently waiting for it to come out, I bought all her other books. I just finished reading The Love Hypothesis, an adult novel, and was a little jolted to discover that Check & Mate was a young adult book. I'm not sure I would 100% agree that it's young adult, other than the FMC's age and no explicit $ex scenes, and I really think this book may have been better as an adult novel. Some of Mallory's actions didn't really fit her age (even though she is a genius) and I think it may have been better if she was a few years older. Other than that, I was completely sucked into this story. I had watched The Queen's Gambit on Netflix a year or so ago and binged watched the whole thing in the day. That show is a large reason why I wanted to read this and I was not disappointed. To have a woman be completely dominant in a game played mostly by men and beat the "villain" is so satisfying, and adding in a rivals to lovers romance is a cherry on top. I hardly know anything about chess, but that didn't make this any less entertaining. It's great having strong, smart woman be successful and also have romance. I really liked how the romance was handled, with Mallory being more experienced than Nolan. It created an interesting dynamic. Even though this book is kind of rivals to lovers, it didn't ever really feel that intense. Nolan wore his heart on his sleeve and it was heart clenchingly sweet that he didn't want to play Mallory just to win, he just wanted to play chess with someone who sees the game the way he does. And the way he was always there for her, shadowing her tournaments, leaving her food, giving advice, and the other thing that I can't say because of *spoilers* - *sigh*. It was all very teeth aching sweet in the best way. The family situation with Mallory, her sisters, and her mother was also unique. I understood the difficultly the mom was facing with her health, but I was honestly disappointed in her and how everything was handled. Even though Mallory is way mature for her age, she's still only eighteen and too young to be the main provider. I don't really buy the excuse that the mom was letting Mallory work through things in her own way for so long and not seeing that she was struggling. It just rubbed me the wrong way. Overall, this is a VERY entertaining book with sweet romance, a strong, smart FMC, and fierce chess competition. It will make you sad, joyous, and cheer with victory!
NOT a YA book
3 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
Cwp823 - 9 months ago, Verified purchaser
This is not an appropriate YA book. There is an unnecessary focus on bedroom activities, in this book. The main characters 12 and 15-year-old sister are entirely to aware and having way too mature for them discussions around bedroom activies. The story is good, the rating would be higher if this was intended for adults.
Ali's still the best
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
MarieH - 10 months ago, Verified purchaser
Im giving this Ali Hazelwood book 4 outta 5 stars simply because I did not enjoy the LGBTQ scenes in the book, they made me very uncomfortable. I love Ali Hazelwoods books but I can not finish this one and I only made it to chapter 6. Sorry Ali its nothing personal
Buy it
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Ann3424 - 11 months ago, Verified purchaser
The book was packed well. Also came in great condition.
Target do better
3 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
Joyish - 11 months ago, Verified purchaser
The book is a 5 star read. I’m just extremely upset and mad at Target because the “20% off cover” sticker damaged the cover, I wish they would just get rid of the stickers.
Check and Mate!!!
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Idk - 11 months ago
Ali Hazelwood is a great romance writer 10/10!!!!! I have read almost all of her books and they do not disappoint!!❤️