Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

44 reviews

melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my third Ali Hazelwood novel and she did her lil thing with this one im ngl 😋 I’m obsessed with Nolan and how smitten he was with Mallory after she outsmarted him and won their chess game. Also the fact that she is bi and has a supportive family is just 🥹🫶 bc we rarely get to see rom-coms where the mc’s in a heterosexual relationship have different sexualities other than being straight, so this was refreshing. I do agree with some people opinions that this should’ve been marketed as a new adult instead of YA bc even if it wasn’t incredibly descriptive, the spicy scene in the book was hardly fade to black either. I will definitely continue to read books by this author bc I enjoy her writing and how each book sheds a positive light on feminism.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Dementia, Car accident, and Abandonment

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was SO fun and so cute. I absolutely loved Mallory and Nolan and their relationship! This one had so many good moments and the banter was gold. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

mikaylawood's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Alcoholism

sariefaerie's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went in assuming this would be good but that it would be my least favorite of Ali Hazelwood's books. With my lack of interest in chess I, wrongfully, assumed that I wouldn't be able to relate to the characters at all. Ali Hazelwood is a genius at making relatable characters, or maybe she just knows people like me a little too intimately. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Death of parent

yanagi's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, and Car accident

amypt46's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness and Sexism

sarahdittmore's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A delightful YA romance! I never thought I’d care this much about chess, but by the end I was as engrossed in the outcome of the chess tournament as I was the romance. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Car accident

raechrae's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Sexism

alenert's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Obsessed!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

alicia_rausch's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The premise and plot of this book is absolutely ridiculous, and yet I loved every second of it. Will it age well with all the pop culture references? Probably not. But I am here reading it in the year of 2024, and it only needs to exist in this time & place for me to enjoy it. Ali Hazelwood gets a lot of hate read reviews but it’s just not that deep - it’s a fun novel, and I’m coming off of 2 550+ fantasy novels so it was the perfect palate cleanser.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness and Sexual content