Check & Mate

I've discovered that Ali Hazelwood writes in a unique style. And I'm ready for it.

It is good to watch Mallory work things out and get over her problems. Since she played the victim for the better part of the novel, I have to admit that she truly irritated me for about 70% of it. She was being provided everything she needed, but she was just being difficult and wouldn't accept it. Not to mention, Nolan was a complete darling, and she treated him really rudely. Darcy and Oz, loved them.

“Oh my God. Mal, now it’s our secret!” All of a sudden, she looks seriously pumped up. “No. No, I don’t want you keeping secrets from Mom— ” “I don’t mind,” she says quickly. “I want to!” “Darcy, you were all about us telling each other everything at dinner. I’ll explain to Mom— ” “You said it might be painful to her. And I want to have a secret with you. Something just ours!”

“And if you decide to continue torturing yourself, could you use your headphones?” Oz glares at me from his desk. “Some of us are not unlearned prodigies mistakenly assumed to be Nolan Sawyer’s new concubine. Some of us have to actually practice chess.”

I adore Hazelwood's style of writing. There's a certain tone to it, and I noticed that I was smiling a lot when things were said—something I don't typically do—and occasionally laughed out loud at specific lines.

However, I haven't had enough of Nolan and Mallory. Despite enjoying Mallory's character growth, I did wish there had been more of their romance towards the end of the book.

“He leans toward me over the table, dark eyes earnest, stars traveling on his skin. “Do you know how incredible you are?” I cannot breathe. Temporarily. So I force myself to laugh. “Really? You’re wasting your question on this?” “I am serious. Do you realize how exceptional you are, Mallory?”

The chess-related narrative was also pleasant to read. It was a lot of fun.

And if you “ship them hard” and “want to believe,” you might enjoy this little clue: three weeks ago, at a charity event, Nolan Sawyer—who is a notoriously bad loser—did not stop to take questions from journalists. But eyewitnesses reported that when asked how he felt about the possibility of Mallory Greenleaf accruing enough points to take the No. 1 spot from him, he simply smiled before walking away.