3.6 stars! i gravitate towards anything that has to do with competitive chess players and i love romance, so of course i ate this book up — especially this one with headstrong rivals that can almost read each others’ minds because they’re just that good at what they do. the plot didn’t move me, but the character moments did, especially the main character’s journey of growth and self-advocacy. this was an easy read with this little quote that i found romantic:

Galaxies pass through his black eyes, and I wonder whether this second could last a century. Whether the universe could be just me and him, understanding each other on a forever loop.

now i’m back on my chess shit — thank you ali hazelwood!