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courtknee__vn 's review for:

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
emotional funny hopeful inspiring
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A book about chess had no right to be this good 😂 I loved this so much!! Mallory & Nolan had chemistry that jumped off the page from their first chess match all the way to the epilogue! I personally know literally nothing about chess but that didn’t deter my enjoyment of this story at all. I loved getting to see Mallory work through her family issues and figure out how to let people in even though she was terrified of being vulnerable. Mallory & Nolan were also very invisible string by Taylor Swift coded which I adored!!! I didn’t expect the queer rep but it was such a nice surprise, it makes me happy reading more and more books where it’s just a part of who a character is and it’s not an issue in the story! Anyway, this book was so cute and I definitely recommend!! 🥰