I quite enjoyed Check and Mate. It's Hazelwood's first YA romance, but the main characters are 18 and 20 and out of high school, so it's definitely in between most YA romance and Adult. I've read a few chess-themed books in the past, and while the plot wasn't super original, I had a really fun time with Mallory and Nolen and their relationship. Mallory's relationship with her family is quite complicated and I liked the various layers that Hazelwood explored here. While there was third act tension, I personally felt it was quite justified, but they both learned and the respect they have for each other saved it for me.