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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…)
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
November 7, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593744543
- File size: 274432 KB
- Duration: 09:31:43
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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September 11, 2023
Bisexual 18-year-old Mallory Greenleaf was once a talented chess player, but ever since her Grandmaster father abandoned the family four years ago then died, she’s given up the sport and instead prioritized caring for her arthritic mother and two younger sisters. Rather than attending college, Mallory gets hired as an auto mechanic; things take an unexpected turn, however, when she reluctantly agrees to play in a charity chess tournament and beats 19-year-old Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion. When she loses her job—and realizes that she can earn decent money by competing in tournaments—Mallory accepts a paid fellowship for potential pros at a local New Jersey chess club. And as Mallory navigates sudden acclaim alongside grief and guilt over her return to chess, she grows closer to Nolan, who turns out to be her biggest supporter. Hazelwood (Love, Theoretically, for adults) makes a seamless transition into YA romance with this well-researched read. Via Mallory and Nolan’s complementary personalities and complex histories, Hazelwood crafts a feminist rendering that sheds light on sexist views within the world of competitive chess, all while spinning a swoon-worthy romance. Protagonists read as white. Ages 14–up.
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