"The First Move" is a wonderfully written novel that alternates between the perspectives of Juliet and Ronan. Chess plays a significant role in the story, but the real heart of the book is Juliet's struggle to navigate life with a progressive disease. Ireland does an excellent job of portraying the difficulties that come with living with limitations and the toll it takes on one's self-esteem and relationships.
I was completely invested in Juliet's story and felt for her as she tried to balance her desire to live a normal life with her physical limitations. Her struggles were heart-wrenching, and I found myself rooting for her to succeed in everything she did.
Ronan's character was equally complex and relatable. His own struggles added depth to the story and highlighted the importance of empathy and understanding in any relationship.
Overall, "The First Move" is a sweet and honest story about the challenges of living with a disability while trying to build relationships and navigate school. Jenny Ireland's writing is beautifully crafted, and her characters are both realistic and engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartfelt and inspiring read. It deserves five stars!

thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start off with the cover: IT IS GORGEOUS! I love the colours, I love the characters, it's amazing and immediately pull you in.

I really enjoyed the disability rep and it's definitely something I haven't seen in YA before. I think the characters are well-formed and the book answers any lingering questions all the while tying back to how the book started in the first place.

I really loved the messaging aspect and found that it broke up the book quite well. Would deffo recommend to everyone!

This is one of the best YA books I’ve read this year. Loveable, believable characters, great plot and gorgeous uplifting resolution. I’ll be handselling this one for a very long time. Love it!

Juliet is dreading starting another year of school, this time on crutches as she struggles with her worsening arthritis. Ronan hopes starting at a new school will be an escape from the difficulties of the previous year but finds more attention than he hoped. Both find solace on an anonymous online chess platform, where they can escape their complicated ‘real lives’ but what will happen when they realise their online opponent is closer than they think?

Easy to read with short chapters and some messaging between characters, I demolished this book in a couple of days. However, I felt that Jenny took us on a guided tour instead of experiencing Juliet and Ronan’s lives. Here is our new hot bad boy, he smokes, and he skips school but there’s more to him than meets the eye (dun dun dun). Here is our mean girl, she talks about losing her virginity, try’s to steal the FMC’s crush and (literally) steals her clothes but (you guessed it) there’s more to her than meets the eye. Then there’s our FMC, Juliet, who doesn’t seem to realise that everyone is going through something while struggling with her own medical concerns. This is where I got frustrated.

I think this message and what Jenny is trying to convey is so important. The arthritis representation (Juliet’s journey and experiences were genuine, and I immediately became invested), but also grief and various other issues the characters face are often missed in YA books. Young adults face so much, additionally, they are often not equipped with the support they need and are forced to mature so much quicker than they should have to. On this note, the characters needed to be treated with a bit more maturity, yes, they’re still teenagers, and they might worry about romance and parties. Still, they have responsibilities and perspectives that a lot of their peers won’t have and this wasn’t granted or explored. There was just a lot of signposting. Plus, it always bugs me when I read YA characters obsessed with ‘hot’ and popular people and losing someone’s virginity- it’s just not real life.

I was really excited about the chess aspect of the story, I saw a Queens Gambit publicity pitch before picking it up, but again it felt a little lacking. Juliet enjoys chess and is a decent player but has no interest in its history or plays, whereas Ronan knows it all. They bond over playing the game (and I did love the banter and build-up) but that’s about all, it's more used as a plot device and as a way to highlight the ‘not like other teens’ label. Likewise, there was a Romeo/Juliet injection into the plot as well (you have to wonder when the chosen names are Ronan and Juliet) but this bit I really didn’t get. Maybe it was just too subtle for me. Or it was just a homage to both characters judging each other before they get to actually know each other? But it felt unnecessary.

Overall, it was an easy read with banter and an important message, but I wish it was developed further and the characters were given more respect towards their maturity. Yet, I’m interested to see what comes next for Jenny as she grows as a writer.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover. The art, the colour palette, stunning! That’s what initially drew me in, and chess! As someone who likes chess, I was happy to find a YA book, where the characters love to play chess.

The main characters were both sweet, although I should mention that Juliet is one of the girls who doesn’t know she is pretty. Even though people around her tell her she’s attractive. Although, understandably her struggles with her disability have made her lose confidence in herself. She thinks of herself as a burden to her parents, and that no one would love her because she is disabled.

There’s this one part in the book where she witnesses that her so-called-bestie calls her Crutch Girl behind her back, and laughs about it. It hurt me. Especially when Juliet had to gather up so much courage to attend the party in the first place. Well it was also at this part that she lost one bad thing, but gained one good thing. So, yay Juliet!

Also, Tara had something going on at home, but it was no excuse to treat Juliet like that. I especially disliked the part where she made Juliet feel like crap about wearing that one dress, and then asked if she could wear it instead. Urghh.

Michael is the bestest friend. I’m glad she has Michael and her parents by her side. They are a great support. Her mum can be a bit overbearing, but she’s lovely.

The romance was rather cute, I mainly read it for the chess bit. I don’t even like romance. But definitely would recommend it if you like cute romance. But there are parts in this book where it gets emotional.

The one complaint I have to make is that the two found out about each other a little too early. I would have preferred for the author to keep the identity of the Chess Life identities a mystery for both Juliet and Ronan, until we reach the third quarter of the book.

I wanted to read this book when I read that Jules suffer from arthritis and as I suffer from an autoimmune disease with similar symptoms and my mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis I thought I wanted to meet this character.
I was moved by this story, I smiled, rootted for the characters and cried at times.
A good YA that should be read by adults too as it can help to understand how some people are living.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A Cinderella Story meets the heart and comfort of Heartstopper

This book was absolutely everything that I love. I really connected with the characters and they felt so real. I actually cared about the friendships, relationships and what each character was going through.

This book has so many wonderful messages and it’s also so cute. There is also representation of arthritis which I think was discussed really well (please note I do not have arthritis so please listen to the voices of people who experience it for a more accurate opinion on just how well it was represented). I feel like I learnt more about arthritis than I originally knew, such as there being different types.

I love the kind of “A Cinderella Story” aspect of the talking online not knowing it’s each other in real life, that has to be one of my favourite scenarios. I don’t know why I just find it so adorable and cute and just eeeee!!! The idea there’s something pulling them together in real life but they think the other person doesn’t feel it, but then online they realise how perfect this other person is, not knowing it’s the other all along. LOVE IT! Also I loved the reveal, I think it was so wonderful and just YES!

Each character had their own things to work through and I loved how it was done. I don’t often like the miscommunication in some books, but this I genuinely enjoyed and think was done really well. I also enjoyed how respectful most of the characters were to each other. This book gave me those good feels that reading Heartstopper gave me, just cuteness overload and good good feelings, even when dealing with heavier topics. It just felt comforting in a way I can’t explain, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending this book!

The First Move is a swoonworthy YA romance filled with characters you can’t help but root for. I don’t have arthritis but Juliet dealing with her chronic pain made me feel so seen, and I loved seeing a realistic portrayal of a teen girl struggling with her disability but trying her best anyway. I also don’t know anything about chess but I really enjoyed learning more about the game and the symbolism of the different chess pieces used in the story. I’m a sucker for a romance where the main characters are not only drawn to each other in real life but also connect online, and the banter between Juliet and Ronan while they’re playing chess online and chatting was definitely a highlight of the book. The First Move had the potential to be a new fave but it unfortunately didn’t check all of my boxes. It leaned a bit too heavily into the “bad boy with a traumatic past is emotionally unavailable and mysterious” trope for my tastes and some of the drama was just too much for me. The last third of the book felt unnecessarily dragged out and the pacing needed some work. I did overall quite enjoy it though and still recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of YA romance!

A beautiful romance with amazing disability rep, especially as it is something you don't hear much about, young people with arthritis, as it usually gets dismissed I love how this is a big part of the story. I read this so fast I could barely put it down, the characters were great, really dynamic and each with their own struggles. Also the romance was super cute I loved seeing them together and reading their chess messages it was adorable and I highly recommend for an amazing Contemporary YA romance.

Absolutely loved this one. Fell in love with the characters both Jules and Ronan were perfectly imperfect. Loved how we got both their perspectives to see how they experience the lives intertwining. Truly beautiful to read.

i really enjoyed the first move. it was sweet, had some brilliant side characters, and the main characters felt real and where written in a way that made me root for them to end up happy, whether in a romantic way or not.

unfortunately i did find myself enjoying them more separately than as a couple. they where good together, but i just didn’t care all that much about it. i feel like i struggled to see the connection between them, and there was also other minor love interests who i could also have been convinced they liked.

the way both disability and addiction where talked about in this seemed great to me, but i can see how addiction is talked about possibly being triggering for some readers (it does have a tw at the start) so be careful.

over all i recommend!

I love contemporary YA romance and, because I have an invisible disability myself, I love books with disability rep. So I was always going to love this book where a teenager with arthritis and the mysterious new boy at school connect over the messaging section of a virtual chess app. And what a treat it was. The characters jumped off the page. The portrayal of Jules’ arthritis and the impact that has on her growing up as a disabled teenager is well written. There’s a swoon worthy romantic interest and a fabulously supportive best friend. I was hooked! I raced through this book and now eagerly await more from this author. It deals with some serious topics, including drug abuse and parental mental illness, but they are all dealt with very sensitively. All in all, I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy contemporary YA.

The First Move is a book that reminded me of the power of love and the hope for the future YA embodies so well.

This was a pleasant surprise for me. It was a book that was slightly on my radar, but boy am I glad I picked it up. One thing I must commend Ireland for is the depiction of grief in its many forms. There is bereavement here and it is nuanced, devastating and impactful. But, there is also the grief for the life you could have had or the opportunities you have missed out on. It is so emotionally raw and tangible.

It is still so rare to see disability representation in YA and Ireland provides a vulnerable and honest look at it. There is frank discussion of the impacts it can have on everyday life and how it changes your entire perspective on life. However, this is no inspiration porn. Instead, Juliet lives with her disability, which does affect every aspect of her life, but she is not solely defined by it. She is a sweet, hopeful and somewhat naive teenage girl, learning to adapt to a world that does not want to adjust for her. It leads to some real moments of anger and frustration that hit home. Ronan is also a fractured, flawed and fantastically human character that I adored. His rage at the world reminds you how rarely you truly know what is going on with someone.

I absolutely adored how much of this book centred around chess. Often dismissed as a nerdy hobby, chess has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence following the popular success of shows like The Queen’s Gambit. The mix of gameplay and realistically awkward teenage flirting on the online platform is brilliant. Ireland includes these chat transcripts that hold so much joy, hope and chemistry that just pops off the page. You cannot help but root for these two to work everything out.

Ireland combines a sweet and highly enjoyable YA romance with a raw and emotionally vulnerable look at grief, disability and the way your life can be changed forever by the tiniest thing. More people need to add this to their radar immediately.

I thought that this was such a cute YA with some really important themes and I loved how inclusive it was with disability representation, young carers and grief. I think this is an amazing book for young people to read

I absolutely LOVED this book!!

Juliet is a teen who suffers from arthritis, and although she has loving parents, she feels bogged down by her disease. Unable to believe in herself, she finds her best friend slowly drifting away from her, and her confidence waning. Enter Ronan, quiet, mysterious new boy who left his old school after his brother dies, and he's living with the grief and managing his absentee mother who is also losing herself. Both Juliet and Ronan find solace in chess, namely an online game, where they end up talking and becoming friends.

This is a new favourite! I adored the chemistry and relationship between the two characters. They were raw, flawed and I enjoyed their banter so so much. The side characters were also so well done! Michael was the best friend anyone could ever have- I loved his jokes and witty dialogue!

Juliet and Ronan made decisions that were suitable for their age- both immature and sometimes quiet profoundly what I would do in such a situation. My favourite part was when Ronan found out that his online crush is actually Juliet, and when he meets her, and that moment was just EVERYTHING. This was the case of she fell first, but he fell harder. Ronan's feelings were definitely much stronger, and it showed in his actions. Juliet's ex-best friend was also interesting, she was dealing with her own problems, but she still acted so toxic to her friend, which I still don't forgive her for! She called her names and tried to act cool in front of her, despite borrowing her clothes, and just being so toxic and full of herself. I really felt angry whenever she was on-page.

I loved the short chapters in this book, and it was just such a fun and interesting read. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy and reread it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of this book.

'The First Move' is a dual perspective novel set in Ireland starring Juliet (who likes to be known as Jules) who has arthritis and Ronan, a new boy at Jules' school. On paper, Jules and Ronan might not have lots in common but they have one shared passion: chess.

The gorgeous front cover of this book is initially what drew me in but the story inside was equally gorgeous and lovely. The story moved along nicely with short chapters and the dual perspective was used effectively. I also really liked that Jules and Ronan were far from stereotypes. When you see girl with a disability and a bad boy on paper, you may think that it would go in a really cliche way but in fact Jules has lots of friends, is constantly complimented on how beautiful she is and lives a full life rather than her being a character for able bodied readers to feel sorry for. Ronan is sweet, sensitive and likeable rather than being a typical rude bad boy character. There are other elements to Ronan's character arc that are handled with sensitivity and unravels throughout the book in an effective way.

I'd recommend this story cautiously to Year 9s (there's quite a lot of swearing and some more some dark subject matter) but definitely year 10 and up. There are lots of fun contemporary and relevant references (not too many though) to be enjoyed. The characters felt realistic as well for the age that they are and the inclusion of the online chess element was an effective choice. I can't speak to the specifics of the arthritis representation as it's not something I have but as I have already mentioned it seemed extremely positive to me.

I had a good time reading this book and would definitely recommend it and look forward to seeing what Jenny writes next!

"The First Move" by Jenny Ireland is a delightful and heartwarming YA romance novel that tackles important topics with sensitivity and grace. The story follows Juliet, a girl with arthritis, who believes that love stories are not meant for girls like her. However, her life changes when she meets Ronan, a new student who is dealing with his own struggles.

The book is beautifully written, and the characters are well-developed and realistic. The portrayal of Juliet's disability is both accurate and respectful, shedding light on what it's like to live with a chronic illness as a young person, which personally I related too. The book also deals with delicate topics such as mental health, loss, and guilt, which are handled with care, nuance and dignity.

The romance between Juliet and Ronan is adorable and wholesome, and their chemistry is palpable from the beginning. The book is also filled with delightful secondary characters, such as Michael, Juliet's best friend, who is supportive and kind.

Overall, "The First Move" is an engaging and emotional read that will resonate with readers of all ages. It's a story about love, friendship, and self-discovery, and it tackles important issues in a way that is both accessible and impactful. Jenny Ireland's debut novel is a promising start to what will undoubtedly be a successful writing career.

The First Move by Jenny Ireland is a heartwarming and uplifting YA romance novel that breaks stereotypes about people with disabilities. The story is about Juliet, a teenage girl who has arthritis, and Ronan, a new student at her school who is dealing with his own struggles.

Ireland's writing style is engaging, easy to read and she creates believable and relatable characters. Juliet is a determined and intelligent protagonist who refuses to let her disability hold her back, which makes the read so uplifting. And Ronan is a complex character with a troubled past, but his vulnerability makes him all the more endearing which only helps you root for him even during his hard times throughout the characters progression.

I absolutely loved this read, and it was exactly what I was needing during this time in my reading. You do not need to have a background for chess to understand it, and even having an understanding of it, It didn't feel like I was gaining anything further from the book by having that extra-understanding. As I was rating it, I instantly went to give it a 4-star, and then was thinking of what I was going to say I disliked about the book during this review, and then realized there was nothing, so I had to give it the 5-star. I cant foresee a sequel for this, but I would absolutely love to revisit these characters again.

Overall, The First Move is an enjoyable and inspiring read that will appeal to anyone who loves a good romance with a strong message of empowerment. It challenges readers to look beyond appearances and to see people for who they truly are. Ireland's debut novel is a promising start to what will undoubtedly be a successful writing career.

i really enjoyable and refreshing enemies to lovers romance set in the chess world. thanks for the arc!

I'm a simple man I see chess and romance so I read.

What I like about this book most is the way that the author is able to write about so many different subject matters and intersect them to create such an amazing product. The first move follows Jules who has arthritis and the book doesn't shy away from that and instead acknowledges how arthritis affects her on both a physical and mental level as Jules is in secondary school. I think the book achieves this well and without spoiling it is just nice to read about her journey of self-acceptance throughout. I also like that all the other characters in this book have problems as well as it really shows that nobody's life is perfect.

As for romance I love how the author uses chess to connect the love interests. Chess is literally one of my favourite things so I loved every reference to grandmaster's and opening strategies. I think that many books fail to write young relationships but this book really shows two people who care for each other and honestly the chemistry between two people who met on a chess app is more than most romances I have read in the last couple years just shows that Ireland deserves their accolades (just realised her name is Ireland and this book is set in Dublin that is brilliant )

This book definitely is one to read for all lovers of romance, enemies to lovers and most importantly chess

Thank you to net galley and penguin for giving me the opportunity to read this