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Check & Mate
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
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Publisher's Summary
In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
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…)
What the critics say
"Ali Hazelwood is the queen of smart rom-coms, and Check & Mate is her best book yet. Filled with snappy banter, clever characters, and crackling tension (and lots of chess!), this is the perfect rivals-to-lovers romance. Check & Mate will have you swooning, laughing, staying up all night, and smiling so much your face hurts. This book is my new obsession. Who knew chess could be so romantic?" —Alex Aster, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lightlark
"Ali Hazelwood brings her signature wit to YA and the result is nothing short of delightful! Check & Mate stole my heart from the first page — it's at once an irresistible romance, compelling character study, and fascinating peek into the world of chess. I couldn't put it down!" —Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of We Can't Keep Meeting Like This
★ "Hazelwood has captured many a reader’s heart with her adult rom-coms. Now, she makes her YA debut with a story that sparkles with her signature wit and relatable characters. . . . This highly enjoyable, emotion-filled romance will attract teens and even loyal fans of her adult novels as it blends wit and wisdom with love’s tendency to make pawns of us all." —Booklist, starred review
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What listeners say about Check & Mate
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- LEDK
- 2023-11-22
Excellent everything
The readers were great, voices perfect. The story was excellent and I had trouble putting it down.
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- Sasha
- 2023-11-17
Genuinely Amazing Novel
Thank you Ali Hazelwood again for giving us these characters and letting us immerse ourselves in their world. She definitely did not disappoint me at all and I appreciate her branching out to write a new type of main character and going outside her comfort zone on that, it really paid off! On a side note, Karissa Vacker gave a great voice performance, she allows you to fall into the characters mindset so well.
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- Maria D. Gasper
- 2023-12-03
Adorable story, likeable characters, great narrator
Simply loved this story and I’m sure you will too. I listened once, and immediately listened to it again. So cute.
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- Jainab Ahmed
- 2023-12-17
slow but good 👍
literally the book was kinda slow but over all love how when it got interesting it was enjoyable to listen
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-11-26
Ali is becoming a fav author for me.
I love the story, but I feel like the end wasn't as satisfying as love hypothesis. I love Mallory, she's selfless, hardworking, bubbly, relateable. Nolan has a cool personality, he's really chill but also Witty and has this determination and focus on chess that is attractive. Also Mal's friend and Nolan's friends are a nice addition to the storyline. The romance and intmacy is sweet, enjoyable and I would totally read this again. I'm having post book sadness and would like a sequel. Klarissa's narration is awesome, I really enjoyed her voice for Mallory.
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- Renee kohler
- 2023-11-11
Love it
It was everything I hoped, and more I can not recommend it enough everyone read it
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-11-08
I loved it!
I absolutely loved this book! So much so, that I listened to the entire thing in one day. The book kind of felt like all of the best parts of The Queen’s Gambit without any of the darker themes. I adore Ali Hazelwood’s writing and her ability to craft complex characters and engaging stories. I’ve never been disappointed by any of her books, and this one was no exception. Definitely one that I’ll be listening to again in the future.
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- McKenna Dolbec-Edmand
- 2023-11-16
Ali does it again!
loved this, the story flows amazingly and all of the relationship themes Ali explores rings true. here's to all the eldest daughters holding it together. 🩷
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- Anonymous User
- 2024-02-12
So fun and cute
I really love Ali Hazelwood books, especially in audiobook form because the narrator is probably my favorite and the book are so fun and don’t require too much attention.
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- Asim
- 2023-12-02
Not for me
I couldn't get far into this one. It just felt too implausible to the extent that it was not enjoyable. Ali's other novels are quite good though
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