Romance fans are likely already familiar with Ali Hazelwood, the bestselling author behind megapopular novels like The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain. stories that center on ultra-brainy female characters who excel in traditionally male academic fields like chemistry and neuroscience. But following the release of her third novel (Love, Theoretically), some readers might have been wondering whether Hazelwood was in a rut, narratively speaking. After all, her STEMinist romances all follow a very similar formula in terms of settings and characters. Does this BookTok sensation still have fresh things to say? if her sparkling YA debut Check & Mate is anything to go by, the answer to those questions is that Hazelwood’s just getting started.
A delicious, utterly delightful rivals-to-lovers romp set in the world of competitive chess, Check & Mate is every bit as good as (if not better than, yes, I said it) Hazelwood’s adult romances. Full of humor, realistic conflicts, and complex family dynamics, this story is as concerned with a young woman figuring out who she wants to become as it is who she falls in love with. Granted, the romance at its center is positively swoon-worthy, but it’s also not the point of the larger story Hazelwood is telling, and this balance is a big part of what makes the book feel like such a breath of fresh air.
The story follows Mallory Greenleaf, a bisexual 18-year-old who was once a champion chess player. But she gave up the game after her hypercompetitive father died, and is now almost solely focused on providing for her chronically ill mother and and two younger sisters. Having abandoned plans of college for a job in an auto repair shop, Mallory spends most of her time stressed over bills and wrestling with the guilt she still carries in the wake of her dad’s death. But when her BFF guilt trips her into playing in a charity chess tournament, she unexpectedly ends up in a match against the (wildly popular, extremely handsome) current world chess champion Nolan Sawyer. To the surprise of everyone, Mallory beats him, and suddenly, everything about her life is thrown into chaos.
Although she insists she doesn’t want to play anymore, she says yes when she’s offered a paid fellowship that’s meant to prepare her to play chess professionally. She’s lost her job, after all, and needs the stipend that comes with the position—-not to mention the money she could win playing tournaments. But although Mallory is determined to keep chess at arm’s length this time around, the more she plays, the more she remembers how much she once loved it. And the more time she spends with Nolan, the more she learns that he’s not the boy she assumed him to be—and that he’s much kinder, more intelligent, and more complicated than she ever gave him credit for.
The slowest of slow burn romance that develops between the two is deeply satisfying to watch unfold. Nolan, as it turns out, has his own emotional demons and complex family history to deal with, and is as prickly and awkward as Mallory herself is, albeit in different ways. Hazelwood puts in the work to build a genuine connection between the two and gives each the space to both make selfish mistakes and learn from them. But while the chemistry between Mallory and Nolan is off the charts good, what really makes their relationship compelling is that both characters are so obviously growing into the best versions of themselves as a result of knowing one another.
Hazelwood’s trademark humor and snappy dialogue run throughout the book, and the story’s supporting characters are first-rate, from the rude teammate with a heart of gold who shares Mallory’s office at their New Jersey chess club to her bratty younger sisters, who are each clearly dealing with emotional traumas of their own. The relationships between and among the Greenleaf women are surprisingly complex, as the four women struggle under the weight of shared grief and resentment, (Mallory’s mother laments allowing her daughter to take on so much additional responsibility at such a young age, while her younger sisters chafe under the sudden iron role of a sibling they are now forced to see as a proto-parent.) It’s all deliciously realistic and complex and many readers will be as invested in these relationships as they are in Mallory’s romance with Nolan.
Check & Mate’s chess elements are detailed and clearly well-researched, and the story proves its feminist bona fides through its deft exploration of the sexism and misogyny that appears to run rampant throughout the sport. Chess isn’t chemistry or neuroscience, but its competitive, male-dominated hierarchy feels of a piece with Hazelwood’s other books, and watching Mallory prove the sexists wrong is delightfully cathartic.
Proving that her future as an author is wide open, this triumphant YA debut will delight Hazelwood’s considerable fanbase and newcomers to her work alike. Check & Mate is a story that deserves to be savored (but which readers will likely devour in a single sitting).
Check & Mate is available now.
Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB