Checkmate

Danielle Bolcar (Goodreads Author)

3.50 · Rating details · 6 ratings · 3 reviews

Have you ever wondered what your significant other was really thinking during the pivotal moments in your relationship?

Leann is faced with the opportunity to get all the answers to years of questions, but does she really want the truth? Would knowing mend fences or just open old wounds?

Danielle Bolcar’s debut novel keeps you guessing until the very last page. Will Leann an ...more

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Paperback, 164 pages

Published February 14th 2016 by Pen & Pad Publishing LLC

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Nov 02, 2016 Olivia rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

"Checkmate" is a first-person point-of-view narrative of Leann who is reminiscing about her failed relationship with Lloyd, whom she considers to be the love of her live. The story is told in flashbacks at first as Leann seems stuck in the past and then through the written words of Lloyd with Leann's memories also colliding. These moments describe a few key points in the relationship plus its end. Lloyd was a big chess fan (thus the title and the king and queen tattoos they got). They are self-p "Checkmate" is a first-person point-of-view narrative of Leann who is reminiscing about her failed relationship with Lloyd, whom she considers to be the love of her live. The story is told in flashbacks at first as Leann seems stuck in the past and then through the written words of Lloyd with Leann's memories also colliding. These moments describe a few key points in the relationship plus its end. Lloyd was a big chess fan (thus the title and the king and queen tattoos they got). They are self-proclaimed soulmates.

Considering Leann is the primary voice we hear throughout the book, you really need to like or "get" her, and this is where I fell short. She is painted as a perpetual klutz, and all of her relationships seem to begin with her literally falling into someone (her best friend and with Lloyd, repeatedly). She seems very immature, relying on her mother to help with her son and relying somewhat on her son to take care of her (even though he is a child). Her reactions to their relationship and discussions also come across as immature, and you can understand why it went the way it did. I am not convinced that she has matured, even in the future scenes, as she is stuck in the past and her memories/unable to move on. Maybe she grows by the end of the book, but I was not convinced.

As far as the organization of the book, I had a hard time following the timeline and had to keep flipping around to see what was happening and when. The flashbacks are somewhat out of order and the present day is unclear as to when it starts and ends. I think it needs some markers in terms of when things are happening (e.g. if we had her son, Renz's ages at each place or something) so that the timeline would be easier to follow. It may have been easier just to place the book in the past and follow the relationship from start to finish and then have what little actually happens in the present at the end (maybe even as an epilogue) or to start with the present then go back to the past and follow the events sequentially and then go back to the present at the end (I could easily see this working much better, beginning with the book she buys going entirely back to the past and then flashing to the end of the book/her present life in the last chapter). As-is, it was hard to follow and was unclear why it was all in flashbacks as the present did not hold a separate or worthwhile story (e.g. if there had been something in the present co-occurring in Leann's life that was interspersed with the past stories, this may have made more sense).

It also revolves around the idea that Lloyd is the only for Leann, despite the fact that she's relatively young and pretty. I'm just not sure I bought into the idea that they were soulmates as they had a lot of issues. I didn't get the depth of their relationship (maybe due to the use of only flashbacks) that I would expect if I was going to buy a soulmate type relationship. But maybe I am just skeptical!

Overall, I felt like this book had a lot of promise but the execution just wasn't quite there. Regardless, I kept reading all the way to the end to see what happens (and it is relatively fast), and for that reason, I am giving 2 stars. Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Oct 20, 2016 Shelley rated it liked it

ARC generously provided by publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wondered what your significant other was really thinking during the pivotal moments in your relationship?

Leann is faced with the opportunity to get all the answers to years of questions, but does she really want the truth? Would knowing mend fences or just open old wounds?

Danielle Bolcar’s debut novel keeps you guessing until the very last page. Will Leann and Lloyd end up together or will distance, ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Blue rated it liked it · review of another edition

An ARC of this book was generously provided to me from the publisher via NetGalley.

Overall this was a nice, mainstream contemporary romance. It was written in a different style, utilizing flash backs and the perspective of the heroine reading the perspective of the hero from his book. The on-again-off-again relationship was a bit tough to navigate and at times didn’t ring true to me. I feel like we didn’t get to know Lloyd until his perspective which comes about half way through the book. Unfort ...more

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