Chess Not Checkers

RomCom University #1

by Annah Conwell

Blurb coming soon!

Things to look forward chess rivals, roommates that become like sisters, football, banter, and appearances from past characters!

Genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Clean Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Audiobook

291 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2025

Reviews

[Ana]

I listened to the audiobook and I have to say that it made my experience so much more enjoyable. Both of the narrators did a great job, I really liked how the story was brought to life, I gave an extra star because of it!!

Jasmine is determined to have the best college experience and make her family proud. Shepard is under a lot of pressure to live up to the expectations his older brother set. They get paired up to be chess partners, she thinks he's an arrogant jerk, he think she's beautiful. They can't stop teasing each other and as they spend more time together, they realise they have a lot in common and feelings start to grow.

Jasmine lived with an immense pressure and need to prove to the family she gained and her sister she was worth it. It made me so sad, especially because her family loved her so much, they were such incredible people. She was an amazing chef, I loved how much joy cooking brought her. Her connection with her roommates and how they slowly started opening to each other was so special. I can't wait for their stories.
Shepherd was the star quarterback, but he hated the way he was constantly compared to his brother and the pressure he felt to do everything better, so he'll be known for himself, broke my heart a little. He was so supportive and I loved how open he was with Jasmine and his bond with Willow was a delight to see.

Jasmine and Shepard were incredibly cute together. The banter, the chemistry, the friendship, the chess games and the cooking, the way they were able to be vulnerable with one another, the understanding, the support, the way she fought for him and how protective he was of her, they made the perfect couple.

I have to admit that the audiobook did the heavy lifting here. I had some issues with the writing style and the story did feel underdeveloped and a little rushed, there were scenes that felt too short and some that we didn't see, we were just told what happened and I think that was a miss.. While that would usually bother me a lot, I realised that audiobooks make it much easier for me to disregard those issues. I didn't feel as frustrated and I found myself enjoying it more than I normally would, which is why I'm giving it a higher rating.

The secondary characters were included into the story very seamlessly and it actually made me curious about their stories.
Also, I really excited to learn more about Marigold and James!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ALC.*

[shelbysbookshelf]

i’ve really liked all of annah conwell’s books ive read so far, each series is interconnected and it’s fun to get snippets of the other couples! this book stars jason’s (the run option) brother, shepherd and dahlia’s (but he’s my one regret) sister, jasmine. jason isn’t featured as much as the carters but i was nostalgic getting glimpses of themx

this book seemed very YA to me even though they were in college. so much so that it felt weird when drinking was mentioned even though that is very age appropriate for a college student.

i did appreciate the deeper themes of jasmines grief and shepherds struggles with perfectionism. they both had crazy high expectations for themselves and felt like they needed to prove themselves “worthy” to their families.

this book was short and sweet and i would recommend to YA lovers! the narrators did a great job. thank you netgalley for the arc

[kat]

thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an ALC of this book in return for a voluntary and honest review!

god something about annah conwell's writing is so bingeable - both times ive picked up one of her books ive been incapable of putting them down!

seeing jasmine and shepherd fall for each other in real time was genuinely so heartwarming and believable, lowkey i need what they have yk?? there were multiple times that i said listening to this book and literally giggled im not even going to lie - moving on from this book will genuinely feel like im going into a state of mourning...

begging that we get to see glimpses of them in book 2 of this series!!

the narrators were also really fun! it was super easy to listen to and you could really hear what out mcs were meant to be feeling at any given moment! id love to check out more of their works

[Evelyn (Ev’s Novel Delights)]

(Pretty Clean NA Romcom)

THIS WAS SO ADORABLE 😍😍 I smiled so much reading this book 😁😁 Shepherd just has that effect on you 😂😂😂
I loved Shepherd and Jasmine so much.. both were great characters.. I wanted to give them both a hug for the amount of loss and hurt they went through 🥺🥺🥺 Jasmines friend group was AWESOME.. I need to see books with all their stories 🥰🥹
I also need to know what happens to Marigold and Jameson!
Overall, a very cute and fluffy read! Very Fall fitting too 🍂

My rating: 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (took off a star for a kiss that got a little too descriptive)

⚠️ Age suggestion: 17+ ⚠️

CONTENT INFO ‼️

Sexual Content: no spice- up to semi detailed kissing, except one that got a bit more descriptive
Language: None
Violence: not really any
LGBTQ content: None

[Sian]

4.5 stars and so close to being five, that I don't mind rounding it up here. This was SO CUTE! Like I-can-barely-take-it-I'm-getting-cute-aggression-and-want-to-throw-this-book-it's-so-cute.

I enjoyed the storytelling from cover to cover. Jasmine and Shepherd are both well-defined characters. I loved them both instantly. I could picture this writing vividly. I devoured the banter. This book made me laugh out loud with it's deadpan humor. And I loved being introduced to the dynamic between Jasmine and her roommates. I cannot wait for each of their books.

This totally captured that nostalgic college campus feeling. It made me miss college just for the sake of getting to experience that setting one last time in the busyness of an undergrad fall semester. I was in an informal chess club a few years ago, fresh out of undergrad at my first big-girl job so the chess thing took me back to that, but I digress. While the chemistry was off the charts, this lost half a star for me because the first kissing scene was too much for my preferences. That is my only complaint, otherwise this was so fun! The dash of depth in this did actually make me shed a few tears! And the ending wrapped up nicely. I recommend!

In this book:
-rivals to more (via chess club)
-off-limits
-found family
-dual-POV
-forced proximity (they also have a class together)
-star QB/football captain MMC
-cheerleader/aspiring chef FMC

Content Guide:
-romance: clean/some innuendo
-language: clean
-violence: one instance/non-descriptive

Potential Content Warnings
-college-age/underage drinking (not the main characters)
-brief unwanted advances

[Ella Noelle]

⭐️5

The moment I picked up this book I knew I was gonna love it!
Shepherd and Jasmine are the cutest! The way they bantered and cheered for each other and cared for each other was so adorable. I love that both of them shared a love for checkers.
Shepherd. That sweet, sweet man. He was just so great. I love that he called her ‘Chef’ and the way he was obsessed with her. I was always looking forward to him and Jasmine interacting. He was such a gentleman with her. The scene where he protected her at the party was AMAZING, I was so there for it. He was also a great captain and brother.
Jasmine is determined, caring and sweet. I love how much she cared for her family and friends.
One of my favorite parts was definitely the roommates.
I loved Jasmine, Marigold, Saylor, and Auroras friendship. Their personalities balance each other so well. Their support and love for each other was so sweet.
This book is a perfect balance of sweet and swoony. I most definitely recommend reading it.

tropes:
🩵rivals to lovers
🏈forbidden love
🩵nicknames
🏈college romance
🩵found family
🏈banter
🩵he takes care of her
🏈he falls first
🩵dual pov

CONTENT:
- kisses only (closed door)
- no language

[Gigi]

OMG STOP. This book ate and left no crumbs. Annah Conwell, you have once again snatched my heart and run off with it.

Jasmine and Shepherd have completely stolen my heart. Their banter was top-tier, their chemistry was chemistry-ing, and when they eventually opened up to each other?? I was DONE. They’re honestly one of the cutest duos Annah has ever written.

On top of all the swoon, Annah handled Jasmine’s grief and Shepherd’s pressure so beautifully. It added so much depth without ever feeling heavy. Just… chef’s kiss.

I also loved seeing the overlapping characters from her other series. The cameos from the Carter family felt like a reunion. I’ve missed them so much.

The college setting, the Chef/Captain nicknames, the tension, the vibes… everything was just adorable. I’m already counting down for the next books, especially Marigold’s story.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
❤️‍🔥 Star Quarterback MMC
❤️‍🔥 Cheerleader FMC
❤️‍🔥 College Romance
❤️‍🔥 Rivals to Lovers
❤️‍🔥 Found Family

[Kait]

I have the privilege of being on Annah’s ARC team and I just gotta say that this first entry in the “Rom Com University” series is a touchdown. Having met the love of my life in college, I have a soft spot for sweet, closed door (kissing only) stories where sparks fly between 18 year olds who just happen to be smart enough to know they’ve found “the one” and hold onto them. The fall-in love moments, the banter, and the pet names are all darling in “Checkers Not Chess” but what I appreciate even more are the family and friend dynamics which surround the main characters– this is definitely a group of people you’d want to know in real life. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it (releases 11/13) and would recommend it to love-story lovers out there!

[Katie (hiding in the pages)]

Chess Not Checkers is the first book in the RomCom University series by Annah Conwell and it delivers the most quintessential college experience. Jasmine, a cheerleader, and Shepherd, the hotshot quarterback, find themselves as partners in the chess club.

I love characters that come across one way but are opposite under the layers of protective characteristics. The competition is fierce and the attraction is forbidden, but the friendship-to-more that develops is a complete dream.

I loved seeing cameos of past characters, but it’s the insecurities, swoon, and meddling that consumed me.

The narration in this sizzling no spice romcom set in the world of academia is spot on. This is the perfect listen for fans of rivals-to-friends-to-love and lovers of sports romcoms with a dash of nerdiness.

Content: mild romance

*I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*

[gracie]

It's exactly as the blurb says, no surprises there lol. Nothing particularly caught my interest for as much as I didn't actually hate it. One thing I will say I liked was how the author incorporated the characters from her other books into this one. It was just enough to get me curious about their stories but not enough that it felt like they were overshadowing the actual main characters. The narrators were also really fun to listen to, lowkey wouldn't have finished without them.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the alc in exchange for an honest review

[ryliekate_reads]

4.25 stars!!!
Oh my goodness, I adored every single moment of this book! The banter, the rivalry, the sweetness… seriously so so so good! Both Jasmine and Shepherd’s struggles with the pressures of perfection, the feeling of needing to “make up” for everything someone did for you, the striving for enough-ness (don’t know if that’s a word), and living up to expectations resonated so deeply. The author beautifully wrote their growth while still having them dealing with those struggles. And the romance was so adorable and sweet and banter-filled and wonderfully written. Jasmine and Shepherd truly help (and push) one another to grow in a way that is filled with such compassion and love and genuine care for the other’s wellbeing. Their unlikely friendship that stems from a rivalry steeped in misjudgments slowly begins to blossom into a beautiful relationship. 🥹💗

“Vulnerability invites vulnerability.”

“I’d say this is the greatest day of my life, but it might be a waste of breath, because every day with Jasmine is bound to get better.”

“You make me feel at home. There. Are you happy? Now do you believe me?”

This is a no-spice with mild kissing (level 2), no swearing, and infrequent innuendos. There are two instances of being at a college afterparty in which alcohol is present, however none of the main characters partake in drinking (the main characters make a point about how underage drinking is illegal). And while not explicitly Christian, there are some of those values present.
With themes of healing, found family, friendship, and, of course, rivals-to-lovers meets he-falls-first, Chess Not Checkers is a wonderful read! Definitely recommend if you enjoy witty comebacks, sports-based romances, clean content, swoony male leads, and adorably sweet relationships in your reads, and also if you are fans of Lynn Painter (but want no profanity), Jenna Evans Welch, and Pepper Basham!
Also, it’s set in college while STILL being clean AND combining football and chess— thank you Annah Conwell! I’m so excited to read the next in the RomCom University Series and to explore more of her books (the fact that so many of them are interconnected is so neat!).
Happy reading :)

[Tatum - nuggetybooks]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shepherd Kingsley & Jasmine Chamberlain
- Dual POV
- College romcom
- Chess club rivals
- Forced proximity (classes together)
- Star Quarterback MMC
- Cheerleader, aspiring chef FMC
- Big, loving family

✨ a few of my favorite things:
- All of the girls together, & their bond
- Delilah & Jasmine’s moment
- How the Carters love big
- Chef & Captain
- Him teaching her chess
- Her fighting for him
- Shepherd’s protective moment
- the marriage muffins


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book 1 of RomCom University - This book had everything I could ask for in a romcom. They had teasing, flirty banter. There were best friends who we got to see grow closer through the book. Each roommate has her own distinct personality and stuff going on. I loved getting little bits of each of their stories (can’t wait for Marigold and Jameson) and I was able to be invested in all the girls. Shepherd and Jasmine had deeper moments of connection and comforted each other through hard emotions. Their chemistry is also clear from their very first interaction. They worked as a team and taught one another. They have friend and family who surround them and support them.

This is a fun college age book that is easy to read and so heartwarming. If you’ve read Annah’s other books you’ll appreciate the cameos from past main characters more but it’s still easy to enjoy with no prior Annah book knowledge.

This is a closed door romance with no cursing and kissing/makeouts.

**Thank you so much to Annah for letting me read this gifted ARC. No positive review was required. All thoughts are my own.**

[Kristina]

Chess Not Checkers by Annah Conwell
Narrated by Cat Protano and Kevel Shah

Jasmine – college cheerleader, aspiring chef, chess player, raised by her older sister after her parents’ death.

Shepherd – college quarterback, chess player, lives in his older brother’s shadow.

This story starts out with Jasmine being snarky to Shepherd for no reason.
Despite this they develop a friendship which turns into more – despite coach’s no dating cheerleader’s rule.

Relatively low angst, good found family vibes, clean romance, both have emotional backgrounds driving them, cooking and chess lessons, plenty of communication.

Narrators did a good job – did take me a couple of chapters to feel that they were the characters. Some of the additional voices that the used for friends and reporters were cringing at times

Annah is a new to me author so I was unfamiliar with the characters that were from her previous books – maybe having read their stories I would have enjoyed this one more


Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media

[Angie♡ Nguyen]

4.5 so cute! I love seeing old characters

[Ella]

I will read anything Annah Conwell writes without question.

[Sarah Shelton]

actually the cutest!!

This book was just the cutest!! I knew their love was inevitable after the More Than A Game series, and Annah did them so right. I enjoyed that Jasmine and Shepherd were safe places for one another & their teasing was adorable. I’m always down for Carter family cameos too. 🤩 A new girl group with honest conversations and support for one another? Sign me up for the rest of the series. Jameson and Marigold are going to get me. 🥹🫶🏻

[Madison]

✨5 stars✨

I want to read 10,000 more books just like this😆😍

I was literally obsessed the whole time. As a college student who is so far removed from the college scene, I don’t know why this hit so hard😅 It had the perfect balance of romance, steam, and yearning while still being squeaky clean!

That’s all I’m saying because I will be rereading soon and I want it to be a surprise🤣

Note: Audiobook (Hoopla)

[Camille Mosemann]

OH. MY. HEART. 🥹🥰😆💕🤩

Jasmine and Shepherd have STOLEN MY HEART. The key is gone! I’ll probably never find it because I love these two SO MUCH!!!!!!

This is my all time favorite read from Annah. Hands down my favorite rom com ever!!!!! I don’t think I’ll ever get over how stinkin cute Jaz and Shep were. Their banter?!?!? Their chemistry?!?! And then they like poured out their hearts to each other???? I was dead. I adored it so much!!!!

As always, Annah delivered a sweet and swoony rom com with delicate issues wrapped under the surface. The way she handles Jasmine’s grief in the story, as well as the pressure that Shepherd is under, was so. well. done!!!

Honestly I can’t wait for the rest of this series! It’s gonna be one I come back to over and over again I can already tell!!!!!

[Tyler Burke]

I really ate this book up! 🤭 This was such a cute and fun read! I loved Jasmine and Shepard so much, and they had me feeling SO giddy! 🥰

These two fit together so well from the very beginning, and I was absolutely obsessed with their banter! 😜 I loved watching their enemies-to-lovers turn into friends-to-lovers relationship. Such a cute progression! 🫶🏻

One of my favorite parts was when these two were finally comfortable enough to open up and share their deepest fears and anxieties with one another. 🥹 There was also a little forbidden romance vibe that I absolutely LOVED! 🙌🏻

I will definitely be continuing with the other books in this series! And I had NO idea there were books about Jasmine’s family too, so now I’m even more excited to dive into those! 🥰📚

[Brittany]

This sweet, clean romcom was a delight to listen to! The narrators really did a great job with the voices and it will be going on my list of “comfort” listens, which are audio books that I reach for when I need something I can just relax and enjoy listening to.

I loved the way Shepherd and Jasmine went from rivals (definitely how she viewed him) to friends to falling in love. I also appreciated the way Jasmine and Shepherd’s friendship and eventual relationship developed. It felt very natural to me. They did such a good job of communicating with each other and then truly supporting each other.

Their story emphasized the importance of knowing that you are loved and cared for simply because you are you and that it should not in any way be tied to accomplishments or a feeling of needing to repay what has been given to you. I loved that Shepherd and Jasmine found that true devotion in each other, while also growing closer to their specific family members who loved them for who they were and not for what they could accomplish. Jasmine also hit the jackpot in amazing roommates! I am looking forward to reading all of their stories, too.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book, but I also purchased my own ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

You can read this review on my blog:
https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.c...

[sam | the bookish soul]

Annah appears to be a new favorite author of mine, whether it’s romcoms or romantasy. This one is such a cute read, and fun. I love the rival to lovers thing that Jasmine and Shepherd had going on. What I really enjoyed, though, was Jasmine fighting for Shepherd. That was actually very refreshing! And the found family going on with all of the side characters.. so much fun! Let’s just say several books have been added to my TBR.

[Halle Newman]

4.5 stars ⭐️

I loved this book! Both of the main characters have some things that they’re dealing with, and I love that they talk with each other and work through things together. I really loved the characters and I love how the main guy character wanted to protect the girl.

I also really enjoyed how this book was about chess. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has chess.

Overall, this was a good book and I cannot wait to read the other two books in the series!!!

[SabrinaTheBookDragon]

Y'all, This book is too ADORABLE!! Annah did it AGAIN!! I was swooning and laughing and almost tearing up. Such a sweet story and such SWEETIE PIE characters!! Also loved the little snippets we got to see of the Carter/Holt families, and Jason and Willow!!

[Hannah Erickson]

4.5 ⭐️

[Maja]

Cute book I liked seeing the holt/carter family again

[Megan Scholle]

Really sweet 💜

[Shiloh Oleary]

4.5 ⭐️
spice level: 0.5
violence level: 0.5

oh my gosh i could gush about this for ages 😭😭😭i love this couple!

full review later once i collect my thoughts ❤️❤️❤️


***for the record, i read this book to get out of a reading slump, meaning i wasn’t fully engaged with it at times. otherwise, the rating would be much higher than it is. my plan is to reread it soon.***

[Ally]

3.5 ★

This would be such a good romcom movie!

[Jo|Ruth Reads]

Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED this book! I even gave up some sleep just to keep reading! If you love a good rivals to friends to more story, this one is absolutely for you. Add in a college setting, roommates, and the promise of future romances with the side characters...Annah had me hooked from the start and excited for all the books to come!

When Jasmine meets Shepherd, she’s anything but thrilled. She’s SO tired of hearing his name everywhere he’s the hotshot college quarterback, after all. But if that’s not annoying enough, he’s also in her chess class, paired with her, and beats her every time! She finds him arrogant and infuriating; he finds her beautiful and can’t resist pushing her buttons. Before long, their chess sessions become something they both look forward to... and maybe, just maybe, they start looking forward to EACH OTHER, too.

As Jasmine and Shepherd slowly move from rivals to friends, and possibly more, they begin to unpack their insecurities and the reasons behind their constant drive to prove themselves. But just as they grow closer, the truth hits hard... they’re not supposed to be together. If they cross that line, Shepherd risks being benched, and Jasmine feels she can’t go against the coach’s rules either. So where does that leave them?

They’ve finally found something real... each other.. but they’re not allowed to have it.

I LOVED this story, the banter, the raw emotion, and the deeper themes of acceptance and belonging. It’s fun, sweet, and unexpectedly heartfelt, with plenty of swoony moments and kisses that made me melt... into a puddle? lol!

I cannot wait for Marigold’s story next, and I’m already counting down to what happens with the rest of the roommates!

I received a complimentary copy. This review reflects my honest opinion.

[celene]

this was one of my highly anticipated reads bc i rlly enjoyed the confidentiality clause from this author but this was kinda disappointing,,, imo she writes better with adult romance rather than college romance idk, but yeah there was very few times it was almost cute but for the most part it was just really cheesy, the nicknames weren’t cute sawry and the chef, not yet part was so annoying, they keep saying it gazillion times i’m like stop ???? pls hahah ???? but,,, i still want to continue reading this series because the side characters were kinda interesting, i’m lowkey interested with the next book too, they’re more interesting imo lols,,, hope her writing improves,,, pls, this series has so much potential 🤧