A review by lkristin2018
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

emotional 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

This is a romance set in the world of international competitive chess.  However, it’s also a coming of age book, and a book where the two main characters deal with challenging family issues.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism and Sexual content

Minor: Suicide and Outing

There was not an actual suicide, but several examples of characters making jokes about suicide.

talk of drowning self, stabbing self, and shanking self

Also several uses of ableist language including crazy, lunatic, and nutty.