Start On: December 15, 2023
Finished On: December 18, 2023
Format: Audiobook
Genre: YA Romance

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Tropes:
Rivals to Lovers
He Falls First
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity

Book Summary:

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…)

(Summary from Goodreads)

“You two must work very closely together.”
“Not nearly as much as I’d like.”

Review/Thoughts:

Since this book was so chess focused, I was a bit apprehensive. Even though I know nothing about chess – I still really enjoyed it! This book was adorably sweet and nerdy. While the romantic storyline is somewhat predictable, it was engaging. It is well-paced, with well-developed characters. My only complaint is that it feels very mature to be considered a Young Adult romance.