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...)

When I first started working at Book of the Month, there was this author who had just come out with her debut novel. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It was 2021 BOTY finalist The Love Hypothesis. Since her explosive debut, Ali Hazelwood has continued to take the adult romance scene by storm. In her latest book, Check & Mate, Hazelwood has taken on a whole new genre—Young Adult—effortlessly introducing a new audience of readers to her signature voice and quirky, lovable characters.

Mallory Greenleaf never wants to play competitive chess again, especially after it tore apart her family. Nowadays, Mallory is focused on helping her mom take care of her sisters and pay the bills. But when she’s asked to play in a charity tournament, she begrudgingly relents…and wins against Nolan “Kingkiller” Sawyer—current world champion. After her victory, Mallory is given new opportunities to get back into chess. As she continues to win and rise through the ranks, Mallory must figure out how to keep her chess life and family life separate…and try not to fall for notorious chess player extraordinaire, Nolan.

Check & Mate is just as swoonworthy as previous Hazelwood books, and there’s a wonderful realness and vulnerability in Mallory and Nolan’s relationship that makes this a rewarding YA romance. It is chock-full of angst and the ups and downs of first love, and I couldn’t be happier to recommend it to Book of the Month members. Your move, add this one to your box!