2.5 stars
Trigger warnings for grief and death of a parent

I love this series, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous book. Seeing as I enjoyed book one and loved book two, I had high hopes that I would love the newest installment to this series.

When this book started, I had a really hard time with Elliot's character. She's biracial and she almost seemed to get offended when someone would call her Black. It just put a bad taste in my mouth and made me confused as to why she would not be okay with someone calling her Black. Also, she was raised to be color blind by her dad, who was white, and she is so vehemently against seeing anything as racist which, again, was so confusing to me. A 30-year-old Black (yes, she's biracial, but she is visibly Black), would never have experienced racism in this country? She just seemed so naive to me. Someone pointed out that she was being used as the token Black employee for their company and she FLIPPED out and said that would never ever happen to her. She also had no idea that there was racism in the NFL, though she claimed to love football and that was the industry she was working in. Is she really that naive being Black in America? Later on in the book, Elliot does have an epiphany that racism really does exist and she just ignored it her whole life, something her friends all had to point out to her. It just seemed so odd to me and not very realistic.

When it came to the romance, it was really lacking in this book. I still feel like I don't even know Quinton as a character and I really wish we had alternating chapters in this book so I could really get to know his character more. The romance doesn't even begin developing until well over 50% into the book and this read much more like a women's fiction novel than a romance. When it came to their relationship, it also felt like Elliot as very self-centered and, again, didn't really truly understand what Quinton was fighting for. When she had to set up an event for someone who was extremely racist and against everything Quinton stands for, Elliot never seems disgusted with the man but instead is only worried about what Quinton would think. Again, this felt odd.

I know that a lot of people didn't like the ending of this book and I had heard the author changed things for this final copy that were included in the e-arc (I only read the final copy). I'm interested to see what she changed because this ending was all wrapped up in a neat bow and nothing about it felt realistic whatsoever, which is something earlier reviews I read also pointed out. It also felt like the only problem Elliot thought Quinton was fighting for was rights for retired NFL players and his fight against racism in their program was just brushed to the side for that final push at the end. This book attempted to look at racism and the injustices in the NFL, but the way those issues were handled just didn't sit well with me and did not feel realistic. The romance was also lacking and I just didn't feel the connection between the characters.

The Playbook series by Alexa Martin keeps getting better and better, friends. The fourth installment in the series of standalone football romances, Snapped, is my favorite one to date. (And I said that about the PREVIOUS book in the series, too).

With Snapped, I was repeatedly impressed with Martin's ability to deftly incorporate timely, important subjects into a romance that is heartfelt, sexy, swoony, and also funny. None of it ever felt forced. The more serious aspects -- both those reflective of current events, and those dealing with some of the book's more somber subject matters -- were impactful, emotional, and meaningful. But they never detracted from the comedic moments, the swoon-worthy slow-burn romance, or the delightful, female friendships that have become a signature part of the Playbook series.

I loved both of these main characters, and seeing their relationship simmer and boil over was really lovely. And as much as I loved the scenes between Elliot and Quinton, the scenes featuring Elliot's lady friends (both long-time and new) often threatened to steal the show.

I don't know if there's a fifth book to come in the Playbook series, but I hope there is -- because I would certainly love to spend more time with these ladies, and the world of the Denver Mustangs. (And lord knows, this book certainly laid the groundwork for what could be another book -- so ... gimme.)

A smart, sexy romance!

Fumbled remains my favorite book in this series, but I'm happy to report that Snapped was memorable and full of heart.

Elliot was the Strategic Communications manager for her deceased father's favorite football team. While in the grieving process, she was tasked with "dealing with" Quinton, a Mustang player who was taking a knee against the league. Elliot was a tricky character to like because she was in desperate need of growth. As a biracial woman who was raised by a white dad, she never got to talk about race and easily forgave microaggressions. Despite the summary, the romance was still the focus of Snapped and Quinton and Elliot were so sweet together. Throughout the novel, Elliot was keeping herself from grieving and Quinton was the perfect man to coax her out and help her acknowledge her feelings Even though Elliot was a hard person to like at times because she seemed to ignorant about the most blatant racism, I appreciated that Martin took the time to describe the complexities surrounding internalized racism and identity.

I've always enjoyed this series' audiobooks and Soneela Nankani captured Elliot's voice perfectly. Through Soneela, I was able to better understand Elliot's confusion, sass, and pain.

The Playbook series is like getting a hug from an old friend and I hope we get more of the Lady Mustangs and their men!

This installment of Alexa Martin's sports romance series may be my favorite. I really enjoyed to relationship between the two main characters.

4/5 Stars

I had a great time reading this! It was realistic and moving. This is the second book I've read from Alexa Martin and I will continue to pick up her books. I love her writing and connect with her characters and stories. As I said her books are very realistic, her characters are flawed and that's part of what makes me connect to them. Honestly, I recommend giving her books a read.

Alexa Martin does not disappoint in SNAPPED! This book is fit for the times right now and gave a great #OwnVoices take on the BLM movement.

Elliot has landed her dream job on the PR team for the Denver Mustangs. It’s a little bittersweet due the recent passing of her father, who she shared her love of football. But when the quarterback decides to take a knee during the National Anthem, Elliot is forced to confront issues she’d rather not face as a biracial woman who has spent her whole life trying to find her place.

She’s assigned to Quinton to discover what can be done to save face and spin the narrative. Quinton won’t be budged, but Elliot works with him to amplify his message by starting a foundation that bring attention to the lack of care and attention retired football players receive from the league. Elliot doesn’t like that Quinton forces her to confront long-standing issues that she has pushed to the side, content to pretend everything was fine and she wasn’t affected by racism.

At first they butt heads, but Quinton, being the sweet and thoughtful man that he is, works his way into Elliot’s life and heart. There’s a super sweet Halloween scene that makes me melt just thinking about it!

A few minor nit-picks: I wish there was less focus on Elliot meshing with the WAGs group and more on her own self-actualization and growth. It feels too quick the way that Elliot finally clued into the owner's racism. Quinton has told her many times and she's ignored what's right in front of her face UNTIL she loses Quinton. Then the blinders suddenly fall. I wish it didn't happen all at once and now she's suddenly seen the light.

Quinton is the QB for the Denver Mustangs. Elliot works for the Denver Mustangs handling PR. Quinton & Elliot’s life’s collide when Quinton decides to take a knee during the national anthem & wears black tape over the franchise logo to protest social injustices & bring attention to the pension inequity that NFL players who retired prior to 1993 are subject to. Elliot is assigned to work with Quinton and whew the tension between these two is 🥵

Elliott is a biracial woman and struggles with her identity as she grew up with her white father. While she’s working with Quinton these issues will surface for her and will force her to unpack why she feels so uncomfortable when speaking about race. I thought her thought process as a biracial woman was very well done in the limitations of my perspective as I am not biracial. Quinton is a very thoughtful man and is constantly misjudged as superficial. Quinton has very personal reasons to use his platform as a way to show that he’s more than an athlete and that he won’t just shut up and play. Honestly, I was here for all of it. Also, as their relationship brews you will see a lot of tension building up between them. There wasn’t as much steam as I hoped but loved their romance nonetheless.

As always, Alexa puts a heavy emphasis on female friendships in this book. You will see some returning characters that we love like Poppy, Vonnie, and Brynn.

This is a romance novel, but it addresses very real issues happening in our society today. While the love that emerges between the main characters is complicated, I encourage you to read this book with an open heart and open eyes. While this is a work of fiction, Alexa shares a part of herself that is very personal. I personally loved this book and I applaud Alexa for using her platform to bring attention to these issues in her book. My only issue with this storyline was the ending. I felt that it was too neatly tied up in a bow. Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed Snapped and it’s a MUST READ!

I love, love, love this new book by Alexa Martin, which adds to the series and somehow manages to be extremely timely and thought-provoking while also being humorous and romantic. Addressing issues including protest against racial inequity and kneeling during the anthem in football is a serious and difficult matter. But it is balanced here by a very appealing heroine and hero, along with an amazing group of supporting women and friends (featured in previous books). Here's hoping there are more new entries in this series!

Alexa Martin, I always love you! This is honestly probably my favourite book she has ever written. Alexa Martin tackles so many issues in this book: racism, biracial racism/prejudice, racism in the football community, the feeling of not belonging by being biracial and of course the mistreatment/inequity of retired football players. This book managed to touch so many important topics, but still have new kick-ass female characters, as well as the return of some of our favourites and a whole new love story to boot!

Alexa Martin manages to achieve a near-impossible task in romance series: producing a book that is clearly from the same voice, related enough to its predecessors to seriously be considered a series, but also had a unique, new plot that doesn't regurgitate ideas from its firsts-in-series. There's only so many romance tropes, and when you combine that with the universe of professional football, the options dwindle more, so color me majorly impressed by this original addition to the series.

I truly love all the characters in this series (and book), with side characters Donny and Vonnie (never noticed they rhymed before...) totally capturing my heart. Each character is so thought-through with their own quirks and backstories that are provided to us in a natural way. Elle and Quinton are no exception. When Quinton decided to take a stand by kneeling during the National Anthem at a game and taping over the league logo on his jersey, the team's PR manager, Elle, is forced to work with him. Of course, Quinton can't help but get off on completely the wrong foot...

As much as I loved this book, I saw two major drawbacks. One, I think the issues of kneeling for racial equality and taping over the league logo in protest of the league's treatment of players got a little muddled. I would have preferred Martin had picked one of the two issues to provide a clearer storyline and stance. Second, I absolutely loved the Vonnie subplot. Not that it's happy, but I'm glad it's something being addressed. Women shouldn't feel like they can only be one thing (a mother, a careerwoman) and men shouldn't be so insecure they feel the need to make their women dependent on them. Great subplot! HOWEVER, I don't feel Vonnie got the ending to her story she and we deserve. All I can hope for is that this means Vonnie gets the fifth book??? WILL THERE BE A FIFTH BOOK? HUH, BERKLEY? If Vonnie gets the next book, fantastic, this was the perfect set-up, but if not, it felt unfinished. I would be HERE for Vonnie getting a second-chance romance reunion (love that trope) or a new flame--JUST GIVE ME MORE VONNIE.

Also, I highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the beginning. I don't typically read Author's Notes, but when they're placed before the story it seems like the author really wants us to read it. I truly appreciate Martin sharing a little bit more of her personal story with us, and it influenced how I read the story.

5 Stars - 9/10

I do not say this lightly, but this is a must-read book. Alexa Martin takes on timely political issues in her latest romantic comedy while also maintaining her usual flair for a powerful love story and quirky heroines. Snapped is the love story of Denver Mustangs Football’s newest PR hire Elliot Reed and Denver Mustangs new QB Quinton. At the first game of the season, Quinton takes a knee and blacks out the NFL logo on his jersey. Quinton is protesting police brutality, racial discrimination, and unfair treatment of Blacks in the league. But, he is also protesting the way all players have been treated by the league- specifically the way older players are suffering from a myriad of health disorders that are linked to football, all on a relatively small pension. This book brings attention to many issues that Americans are often unaware of when they turn on the TVs every Sunday and Monday to watch the games. Martin provides powerful insight into this world, partly based on her own experiences as the wife of an NFL player. Personally, I found Elliot’s half of the story even more moving than Quinton’s. Elliot is biracial, but she was raised by her white dad, and it is clear throughout the story she has a sense of disconnectedness from her identity. Throughout the course of the book, the reader gets to watch Elliot fall in love with Quinton and also come to terms with the discrimination against Blacks that occurs daily in this country. While this book does tackle (pardon the football pun) several important issues, it is at its heart still a romantic comedy. Quinton is the quintessential Martin hero: muscular, brooding, smarter than people think, and sensitive-- but only around those he loves and trusts. The comedy come from, of course, the lovely ladies who support Elliot throughout her story. Martin introduces two new women who are Elliots best friends, while also bringing in characters from the earlier books in her series (Intercepted, Fumbled, and Blitzed), including Marley, Poppy, and Vonnie. While these books can be read on their own, I recommend reading them in order-- it will save you from small spoilers and they are each unique in their own right! Snapped is a book I will reread and recommend for sure!

I've read all of the books in this series, and this is probably one of the weakest. The premise is really interesting. I was excited to have the aspect of protest by professional athletes talked about in a fun novel, but the plot felt rushed and so was the romance! The 2nd book in this series talked about concussions and was done so well and the rest of the story didn't seem to suffer; but in this one it did. While it was still an enjoyable read, it was not my favorite.

There needs to be more books in this series. I need to know what happens to Vonnie and Justin. I need to know what happens to all of them. Alexa Martin must write more books in this series! Although this was a little preachy in spots and deviated from Alexa Martin’s normal writing style, it was a great book that added just a little more substance to the plot.

For those familiar with the series, Snapped hits a little different. It’s timely and reads more as women’s fiction than rom-com. And I was here for it. Snapped addresses racism and racial inequity within the League. It’s told through the lens of Elliot, the female protagonist who is a multi-racial woman working in PR for the Mustangs, and was raised to be “color blind” by her white father. As a multi-racial woman, I connected so much to Elliot’s character and experiences. I felt the portrayal was authentic and Martin did an excellent job capturing what it’s like to be seen in a different way than you identify. No two experiences are ever going to the be the same, and this is particularly true with multi-racial people, but I think Martin did justice to the balancing act we face everyday within a world that likes to fit people within boxes.⁣
⁣
This may not deliver the steam you’re accustomed to with Martin’s previous books, but it definitely delivers the punch and will give you a lot to think about.⁣
⁣
Thank you so much to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the advance e-galley of this book which is scheduled for publication on October 20. ⁣

After reading 3 of the Playbook series books in the past year I can officially say: there is only one thing Alexa Martin can't do, and it's write a bad book.

Snapped is a phenomenal read that I couldn't put down even when my entire body got covered in goosebumps and I ugly-cried while other people were in the room. This book was everything I have been afraid to say I wanted in a romance. It tackles big-picture issues in layman's terms and blends it into the plot and the romance so well it simply seems normal, and I love it. I want a trend of it. I want the next 50 books in the series please.

This book is so much more than "girl falls for hunky football player." It's about how corporations treat their employees, how systemic racism is hiding in the most unlikely places, and how racism itself is a multi-faceted and sometimes unacknowledged thing. This is a powerful and impactful book that will surely grace the best-sellers lists because it is the most incredible book you can put on bookshelves in a romance section, hands down. Even if football itself isn't your jam, this is a book you should read. I'm blown away.

The author mentions in her note that even though she is a biracial woman like the main character in the story, this is not based on her life as well as not inspired by Colin Kapaernik’s decision to take a knee and his subsequent activism. So I’m gonna try not to relate any of my gripes with the book to the events that have happened to Colin, and hopefully no one will assume that my criticism of the main character in anyway reflects on what I think of the author.

Firstly, this book may belong to this series and it does have an HEA towards the end (even though it felt more like an HFN for me), but this is more of women’s fiction than genre romance. Nothing happens in the feelings department for about two-thirds of the book, and even when it does, it all comes out of nowhere. So, just go into this book prepared for the romance to be a subplot only and not the major focus.

And for the main part, the kneeling and the hero’s fight for equality and pension parity for retired players who are suffering from CTE but ignored by the league, is a worthy topic to be explored with depth but I don’t think the book does it justice. One, because the whole book is from Elliot’s POV and we never see what Quinton is thinking or feeling when he is taking the knee or speaking out, as well as about all the racist abuse he is subjected to online and in the media.

Two, Elliot is a biracial woman raised by her loving single white father without any contact with the Black side of her family, and she has clearly internalized a lot of harmful things. She is proud to call herself colorblind, wishes that everyone would be the same and treat her with respect because of her qualifications and competence and not bring race into the mix. It’s obvious that despite being 31 years old, she is willfully ignorant about the historical as well as contemporary racial issues in the country. She touts herself as a lifelong football fan but doesn’t understand the racist implications behind the sport having majority black players on the whole but not black quarterbacks or head coaches. I rolled my eyes at this initially but then realized it’s offensive because here she is, working for a football team in PR and doesn’t understand this... I have watched exactly one full season of the sport till date (last year) and even I know that. Whenever anyone is being subtly racist towards her, she just lets it go or makes up excuses in her head, and actually becomes angry when someone else points the truth out to her. And she justifies this behavior by saying that she doesn’t like throwing the word racist around, when all she is doing is living in denial.

I will get spoilery from here, so you may wanna stop if you haven’t read the book. You probably already realize what my thoughts about it in general are, but just to clear up, I’m not sure I can recommend this one unfortunately. Coming to the spoilers, we have a DJT stand-in who is also running for the president and as expected, he makes Quinton a major target in his campaign rallies, drumming up his base with extremely vile and racist rhetoric. But when Elliot is roped into singing an NDA by her racist boss and then asked to organize a campaign fundraiser for this candidate, she feels uncomfortable and worries for how Quinton will react if he gets to know, but I never felt she was personally disgusted at having to organize the event. She seemed quite okay with dismissing it as part of having a PR job (though this fundraiser was outside of her actual job with the team).

And then came the end, where Quinton decides to stop taking the knee because she might lose her job working for a racist owner, this after making all the excellent passionate speeches about his worthy cause for months and getting booed and questioned all the time. And magically Elliot fixes everything by sending an email to all his teammates and they realize what he is fighting for and decide to take a knee to support him.... am I to assume that Quinton being the quarterback never explained why he was taking a knee to his teammates all through the season, and Elliot saved the day and opened their eyes with one email. And in just two weeks, whole of the media and fans across the country also start supporting him... it’s all “magically” fixed and this is the exact word Elliot uses which made me quite angry. We all wish racism would magically get fixed in this country but one Olivia Pope loving PR executive is unfortunately not capable of doing that.

I actually didn’t expect to write such a long rant and I apologize because I try my best always not to go full negative but I couldn’t help myself here. I tried my best only to criticize the actions and thoughts of the characters in the book, but I’m also aware that I have absolutely zero knowledge about the living experience of a biracial woman in this country, so please excuse me if any of my interpretations are wrong.

Snapped is the most recent book in this sports series. I absolutely loved it and how much it relates to current events taking place.

When Quinton takes a knee and blacks out his number, in comes Elliot who is sent by the owner of the franchise to assist with damage control. Working towards a common goal really helped these two learn from each other in ways they did not expect. I truly loved the enemies to lover aspect of the book. Not only was the romance good, but I also adored the friendship with the girl gang. They were seriously goals!

This book was the perfect amount of fun while still dealing with heavier topics such as systemic racism. loss of a parent, friendships, and love. I feel like this book truly covered it all. Everyone should add this to their TBR!

A little heavier than the other books in The Playbook series, Snapped deals with some heavy issues: systemic racism, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and the loss of a parent. But Elliot and Quinton's burgeoning romance also has some funny, light-hearted moments, and altogether Alexa Martin has written a very enjoyable romance.

4.5/ 5 stars

Snapped is the fourth and final book in the Playbook series. It is a Sports Contemporary Romance that deals with serious issues.

These are interconnected standalone books, each one featuring a different couple. And each book has its own female narrator. But the main characters from the previous books are in the next books.

This is a football series. I really enjoy sports romance as a genre. But I especially enjoy it when it is clear that the author knows about the sport that they are writing about. And in this case the author knows both about the sport and about what it is like to be the girlfriend/wife of an NFL player.

The book starts with an incredibly poignant author's note that really set the tone for the entire book. I don't always love when there is an author's note at the beginning of a book. But in this case I thought that it really explained her writing process.

I have really enjoyed this series so much. But I think that Snapped is a bit different from the previous books in the series. The author chose to include a very important topic that is fairly divisive.

I personally love it when books deal with serious issues. And I think that the author did a really good job explaining the issue in this case. It is perhaps a bit unusual for a series where the previous books had more of a Romantic Comedy/ Chick Lit vibe. But I like it when my romances are emotional and meaningful. And this was definitely the case here.

The narrator of this book is Elliot Reed (female 1st person POV, 31 years old). She is the Strategic Communications Manager for the Denver Mustangs football team. She is a biracial Black woman.

The main focus of this book is that the star quarterback of the Mustangs Quinton Howard Jr. decides to take a knee during the national anthem.

I love this series so much. My favorite part was being able to see the characters from the previous books. Brynn and Vonnie are in this book a lot (Brynn is the narrator of Blitzed and Vonnie was in that book a lot).

My only minor issue with the book is that I wish that the romance had started earlier. But I do understand why it didn't.

I really liked seeing Elliot's PR job. And I really enjoyed how Elliot's girlfriends' had her back, including Brynn and Vonnie. I liked getting to see some football. And I absolutely loved Mrs. Rafter. What a great character!

Overall, I have really enjoyed the Playbook series so much. And I am so sad that it is over. I really enjoyed Snapped. It was a strong conclusion to a really great series.