Because we love outwitting our romantic opponents.
Song Vibe Check:
"No Mercy" By: Austin Giorgio
"Airhead" By: Honey Revenge
"Different kind of beautiful" By: Alec Benjamin
NOTE: Thanks to the Penguin Readers booth at NCTE for the copy!
Okay, so as one of the famous authors of booktok, I have seen all of the cute covers from Ali Hazelwood's work. But I had never read her work before. I have the ebook of the Love Hypothesis in my tablet, completely untouched. But this is the first time I enter her work, so as I saw down on Thanksgiving to knock this one out, I am grateful enough to say it was a fast read.
That doesn't mean it was the best ride ever, though. So, here we go.
Short Summary: A former chess champion accidentally beats the world champion of chess and is led to a paid chess fellowship...just so said World Chess Champion can get a re-match.
Long 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...)
So, there are so many thoughts I have on this book. When I started it, I LOVED it. I could connect with Mallory, I liked that she was not only bi, but also the book kinda alluded that maybe she was polyamorous too which was interesting given her history of hookups, and the older sibling duty is one I know all too well.
It's once she spends more time with Nolan when it all goes downhill to me. First of all, at one point "tentacle porn" got mentioned and "bananapants" were also mentioned and I am wondering where in YA does this actually fit because both things looked like straight out an adult book. Also, the fact that at one point before Mallory and Nolan inevitably collide, she mentions how her libido must be gone (WHAT 18 YEAR OLD SAYS OR THINKS THAT? JUST WHO?) It is really jarring to read.
Now onto Nolan and what a dry sack of potatoes he is. I don't care if he's tall, dark and handsome. I don't care about the dimples, or if he has a bunch of money or if he was the one who secretly carried her back to her bed in the championship and looked out for her when she forgot to.
This man began as a shallow character and stayed that way. When we find out what he actually did, I was even angrier at him. The fact that the author chose to take Shelby Mahurin's idea of Reid being a virgin and falling for a woman who had plenty of experience is not something I mind too much.
It's the fact that we don't get to see how it all spans out, that we get a lot of sex talk and whatnot, but then not see the actual first experience and going fade-out to black that pisses me off. Why discuss libidos, and hooking up, and all if we don't get a rewarding scene? Truly disappointing to me. Now, I get this is "YA" but this is one of the instances where the author should stick to her adult genre lane because she is better in that field.
And don't let me get started on that horrible ending, I almost screamed in my room at the way it deflated my spirits. By the end of it, I am still not interested in chess whatsoever.
So, go figure I guess.
Overall: 3/5 stars
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