Check & Mate Review: Ali Hazelwood Goes YA

Is Check & Mate worth reading? Here's an honest review of Ali Hazelwood's YA chess romance debut.

8/4/20263 min read

Check & Mate Review: Ali Hazelwood Goes YA

Ali Hazelwood's first YA novel swaps academia and corporate boardrooms for the competitive chess circuit, and it's a genuinely different reading experience from the rest of her catalog. Here's my honest take on whether this detour works, and where it fits in her broader bibliography (full breakdown in my reading order guide).

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Quick Answer

Yes, and I think it succeeds specifically because Hazelwood doesn't try to force her adult romance voice into a YA framework unchanged — the humor and banter are still there, but the emotional stakes and pacing feel appropriately adjusted for a younger protagonist and audience.

What It's About

Mallory Greenleaf swore off competitive chess years ago after a family tragedy, choosing to focus on her family's financial survival instead of the sport she once excelled in. Talked into playing a single exhibition match, she finds herself pulled back into the competitive chess world — and directly into orbit with Nolan Sawyer, the sport's reigning golden boy and the person Mallory is most determined not to like.

My Honest Take

I went in slightly skeptical about whether Hazelwood's specific brand of humor would translate to YA, since so much of her adult work leans on very adult professional stakes (tenure, grant funding, corporate power struggles) for tension. I think this book smartly replaces those stakes with something equally real for its protagonist's age: family financial pressure and grief, which gives Mallory's arc genuine emotional weight without needing adult-world stakes to get there.

The chess competition sequences are genuinely tense. I wasn't expecting to be as invested in chess matches as I was — Hazelwood renders the competitive tension effectively, which is a real achievement for a sport that's inherently quiet and internal on the page.

Mallory's family situation adds real depth beyond the romance. Her financial responsibility for her family and lingering grief give her arc substance that elevates this above a purely romance-driven YA read.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic with Nolan is a little more restrained than her adult work, appropriately. Given the YA audience, the tension stays PG in ways that feel like a deliberate, sensible choice rather than a compromise.

The pacing occasionally slows during chess strategy explanation. For readers who aren't already interested in the mechanics of competitive chess, a few sections explaining strategy in detail may feel like more information than the plot strictly needs.

What to Know Before You Start

This is genuinely YA, not adult romance marketed as YA. If you're coming from Hazelwood's adult books expecting similar spice or intensity, recalibrate — this is a real tonal shift appropriate for its younger audience.

Chess knowledge isn't required, but some patience with the sport's mechanics being explained in detail helps.

It's a standalone, unconnected to the rest of Hazelwood's adult catalog.

Who Should Read This

  • YA readers looking for a well-executed enemies-to-lovers romance

  • Fans of competitive sports romance, even in a less conventional sport like chess

  • Adult Hazelwood fans curious how her voice translates to a different age category

Who Might Want to Skip It

  • Readers specifically wanting her adult-level spice or intensity

  • Anyone with zero interest in chess as a backdrop, given how central it is to the plot

Amazon link: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this appropriate for younger teen readers? Yes, it's genuinely YA in content and tone, unlike her adult catalog.

Do I need to know how to play chess to enjoy it? No, but the book does spend real time on chess strategy and match sequences, so some patience with that helps.

Is this connected to any of her adult books? No, it's a standalone, unconnected to her academic or corporate romance catalog.

Final Thoughts

Check & Mate proves Hazelwood's voice can adapt meaningfully to a different age category without losing what makes her writing work — humor, tension, and a protagonist with real emotional stakes. For YA readers or adult fans curious about her range, it's a worthwhile, well-executed detour from her usual lane.