By Claire Barickman A&E and Social Media Editor 

The new year has just begun, and with it, many people have begun their must-read list of 2024. If you are one of these people, I have just the book for you. “Check and Mate” by Ali Hazelwood is a perfectly adorable YA book to start the year off with. Hazelwood blew up on booktok for her STEM based romance novels. However she stepped away from her normal style with her debut YA novel while still maintaining her stereotypically nerdy subject matter. 

Mallory Greenleaf, the novel’s protagonist, played chess until she was 14 years old and ended her career for a reason. The game she once held dear in her heart is now one that she would rather not think about, so when her best friend tries to get her to play in a charity tournament, she is less than thrilled. Malloy begrudgingly agrees to play just this once, thinking it wouldn’t change anything. When Mallory sees that her opponent is Nolan Sawyer, the reigning world champion, she couldn’t be more annoyed, and when she unexpectedly wins, everyone including herself is shocked. Mallory’s life was flipped upside down when she stopped flying under the radar and began getting approached with offers to be paid to play chess professionally. The question is, can Mallory face the game that changed her life without getting attached once again?

Ali Hazelwood is a romcom writing powerhouse, and she has made her way to being one of my favorite authors of the genre. “Check and Mate” was no exception to her amazing writing ability. I was personally worried I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much as her others because it strayed away from her typical STEM themes, but after reading the first few chapters of  “Check and Mate,” all of my worries disappeared. If you are looking for something new, nerdy, and notable to read this year, then “Check and Mate” is the book for you.