Alexa Martin does a wonderful job navigating a very complex issue. She sticks to her point of view and doesn't try to show all the different sides of the issue. I appreciated the journey that the heroine went through to better understand her own feelings about racism and how they were shaped by her childhood and teenage years.

I was nervous about reading this book with so much going on, but Martin's wonderful writing kept me engaged and her pacing kept me reading even as it encouraged me to have serious thoughts about my own beliefs and actions.

I was so excited when I saw that Alexa Martin had another book releasing in the Playbook series. I devoured her first three books and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one!

I love how the author writes. It always grabs my attention and has me flying through the pages. She writes such colorful characters that I can so easily picture in my head.

While I have loved the first three books (they are all standalones, you can easily pick any book in the series and start there and be 100% fine!), I was pleased to see that this book dealt with current social issues. I know that some people may take issue with that for various reasons, but me — it made me love Snapped that much more! It is important for people to be able to see the struggles that others face with racism, identity, and taking a stand for something they believe in.

The characters and secondary characters are what make these books so special. I want to be able to hang with the girls at HERS (the super cool bar) and would love to have friends that really stand by me and are so invested in things working out for me. And that is what these women share — a true sisterhood.

For me, this book had it all — great characters, tension, romance, emotion, strong bonds of sisterhood, timely issues such as racism, and of course, football — all wrapped up in a sexy story that will keep you entranced from start to finish.

And yes, Alexa Martin, I definitely felt "the love and heart" that you put into this book. Thank you!

I hope this series isn’t over! I love the characters in each of these books! Elliot was such a boss babe! She totally kicked ass and I loved her so much! I felt like this book is coming out in such a perfect time for what we are going through in our lives right now.

Thank you Berkley for a arc in exchange for an honest review

This feels like the book Alexa Martin was always meant to write. It comes at the perfect time in romance and history. Well done. Full review to come.

The 4th book in Alexa Martin’s Playbook series takes a different tone than the previous 3. It has all the makings of the books we know and love— an amazing group of women supporting each other, steamy sportsball heroes, and career driven women getting shit done. But it also aims to tackle the reckoning that’s long overdue in professional sports.

As someone who refers to all sports as “sportsball”, I thought Martin did a great job of addressing the issues currently plaguing professional sports, but at times, the heroine’s reactions felt disingenuous. I’m looking forward to discussing the book with people more familiar with the topic once it’s published. The friendships between the Lady Mustangs were as enjoyable as in the first three books, but the chemistry between Elliot and Quinton was a little lacking at parts. This was balanced though by some really sweet, emotionally impactful moments.

As someone who’s consistently given 5 stars to Alexa’s previous books, this one was not my favourite, but I still very much enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans for the series, more so than a starting point for new readers

Snapped is the 4th book in this series by Alexa Martin.
The first 3 books were filled with sass humor,football and strong female friendships. This book contains all of that but also tackles players taking a knee and racism.
Elliot works in pr for the Mustangs. She is assigned to Quinton, the quarterback who took a knee and covered the teams logo, to help spin the story.
The story explores NFL' players who retired before 1993 and receive a minimal pension. It also dicusses CTE in players.
Elliot is biracial and we watch her try to figure out what that means to her..
I have enjoyed all of these books, but appreciate the honesty & reflection the author shared in this book.

3.5 Stars

I was a little nervous prior to starting Snapped. I've enjoyed the Playbook series up until this point, and the reviews I have seen for this fourth book are very mixed. People seemed to either love or dislike it, so I wasn't sure how it would hit me. Snapped started out with a letter from Martin about how the book and she relates to Elliot, the NFL, and the racial injustices/inequalities in it. I appreciated this letter because it enhanced how I saw the character and what was going on. It made me forgot about the worry I had and just dive in.

I enjoyed the experience of reading Snapped more than I thought I would. It didn't really feel like a romance, more like women's fiction for the most part. That didn't bother me because I was immediately pulled in with the writing and story. Based on the subject matter it covers, I was imagining it being a heavy read. It had its heavy moments, mostly at the climax of the story, but was overall not too angsty. The build up to the climax did make me uncomfortable, but it was supposed to. Martin did a great job making me feel the tension Elliot was feeling. Did I love feeling that tension? Not really, but I pushed through.

What I liked the most about this book was Elliot and the self-discovery she went through.  I could feel her fears, frustrations, sadness, and hope. I can't comment on how true to life her experiences were as I'm not biracial, but I'm hoping maybe they mirror the author's enough to be authentic to readers who are.

Quinton was a gem of a character. I loved how he stood up for his beliefs and didn't back down. I only wish I would have gotten dual point of view because I would have loved to hear his thoughts straight from his own head. It would have made this book and its topics that much more powerful.

I feel like I need to warn readers who are fans of the series at this point. I know I mentioned how this didn't read like true romance novel to me (and it's definitely not a rom-com). There's a lot of getting to know each other, working together, and building rapport between Elliot and Quinton through most of the book. Things don't truly progress further until about 70% and then it feels like fast forward was hit. I do wish the romance was heavier at the beginning, but the progression to the start of a relationship did feel natural.

Overall, Snapped was a good addition to this series. Each book has gotten a little heavier in subject manner, and this one continued that trend. I wish there had been a little more romance throughout the book, but I wouldn't want it to take anything away from the important, relevant issues touched on. It also set up what I'm guessing is going to be book #5, which I am very interested in reading.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkley for this egalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a part of the Playbook series, but this one is a bit different in that it also focuses on players' kneeling during the National anthem, as well as sheds light on some of the issues and dangers facing older players in the League.

The characters were likeable, although at times it seemed like Elliot was determined to see things in the most negative light. The Lady Mustangs were hilarious, especially Brynn and Vonnie. I would have liked even more romance and steaminess between Elliot and Quinton, because Quinton seemed like a sweetie pie. The ending wrapped up super quickly and I would have liked it to have been fleshed out a little more to be a bit more realistic.

Some parts of the book were a little predictable, but it is a romance novel after all. Overall, it was a good read and attempted to touch on important topics.

I've had a lukewarm relationship with Alexa Martin's books, but I really enjoyed this one! More than just a romance, this book is a super timely exploration of the intersection of sports and race.

Let me just say first of all that I am reviewing this book based purely on the book - the characters, the plot, the romance, and the arc all of it takes. This is not a memoir of the author and there is even a pointed note at the beginning directing the reader specifically to *not* read the book as her story.

This book did not work for me on basically any level or any lens I looked at it through, no matter how hard I tried. Elliot is a biracial PR exec hired for a football team where Quinton, a Black man, just began to protest racism in America and the treatment of men with CTE in the league. Her boss assigns her the task with distracting Quinton. My initial issue was that Elliot’s actions, words, and internal monologue are never in alignment. Throughout the book she’s contradicting herself and the result is incredibly disjointed. She wants to distract him because that’s her job, and I get that, but her internal monologue never shows that, it’s completely taken up with how unfair her life is because Quinton is a spoiled rich football player and she’s lost her family.

“I can’t help but be irritated that normal people can’t get approved before they have all of the details. Of course, for the rich and mighty Quinton Howard Junior, he can make things happen with no real intent to follow through.”

This is one example of many of how she thinks of Quinton throughout the book - a spoiled rich player. Yes, once she learns about his family her feelings change about him, but there is no real thought, about WHY HE IS PROTESTING. She thinks to herself briefly yes I agree with him, but never considers how she is the fucking PUBLIC RELATIONS executive and how she can help him do this powerful thing? At one point she says “At this point it’s not really about trust, it’s about building my resume and not burning bridges. But Quinton wouldn’t know this because I never told him that my job is out here dangling by a thread….I’m not sure he would stop taking a knee for me.” She thinks about him as a threat to her job and her way of life throughout the book even as she vaguely says she supports him but outwardly does nothing to *actually* support it.


From a romance POV it’s incredibly under developed to the point that around 60% is when there is even some semblance of feelings and it’s truly out of nowhere. I was thinking where the hell did that even come from? Leading up to it we get Elliot working through her grief losing her father recently, dealing with her job, and her friends. Yes there is an HEA, but as a romance this book was underwhelming. This felt more like women’s fiction because it is completely Elliot’s story.

And then at the end the worst part comes when Elliot finally realizes what she’s doing is screwed up, quits, and Quinton who has been doing something real to protest racism suddenly abandons his ideals and decides to stop his protest so she won’t lose her job. To be clear she never actually asks him, never, to not take a knee. Even in her internal monologue she says she supports his taking a knee. (Although none of her external actions support this). To stop him from doing this she contacts all of his teammates and they all end up taking a knee with him at the next game. And so does the entire stadium and tbh? The scene is SO FUCKING DISTURBING. She fixes racism with a goddamn email!? You’re telling me Quinton never explained his reasoning before? But suddenly Elliot does and not only does his teammates understand but*poof*! So does an entire stadium??? “In the two weeks since players all across the League started kneeling with Quinton, it’s like everything he was fighting for magically clicked. Who would’ve thought? Other than me, of course.” OF COURSE.

This scene floors me. For a lot of reasons - but specifically that it’s literally called out as magical. I know this is fiction, but when tackling such a huge topic as racism authors have a responsibility to their audience and I feel that this was such a disservice to every reader. Magical thinking, an email, and 2 weeks time is all it took to solve racism here. If only.

This is one of the best ones yet!
I'm so glad this author has never tried to explain away racism, race or conversations that people have about it! Honestly I started with frustration at the heroines character and her being so hyper focused on her job not thinking about balancing her life. But, I like how a lot of people in her life made her think and to come to some really hard truths. At the end of the day I liked her more than I did in the beginning and it was worth the read.

An emotional sports romance that explores the pertinent subjects of racism and inequality within the sports world.

Given everything going on in the US, this book felt like a timely one. It centers on the quarterback of the Denver Mustangs, Quinton Howard Junior. And I think the title has a double meaning, being a sports play, and the actions of a man who can no longer ignore the problems brewing around him. That moment comes during a pre-game ceremony, when he covers up his team logo and takes a knee during the national anthem.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know how some react to these types of actions. This story explores how the Mustangs, and their management try to handle Quinton's actions. That handling falls squarely on the shoulders of Elliott "Elle" Reed.

While these two main characters take some time to warm up to one another, they do have a common vision on how to make Quinton's controversial move, a positive one, as they work on developing his foundation.

There's been a lot of talk in the world about inequality, but this book tackled the subject in a way that was new to me, addressing the treatment of former players. As a hockey fan, I'm all too familiar with the difficult road players have on retirement, particularly when it comes to brain injuries. I thought it was important that Quinton brought this to light, and I loved how Elle made his goals for the foundation flourish.

The romantic element of this story was definitely not a key part of the storyline, but I liked how these two began to grow closer together over time. This is not an insta-love story, but still a sweet one.

If you are looking for a light read, this might not be it. But I thought it was a great addition to the sports romance genre, tackling some difficult subjects and providing some much-needed hope for the future.

I love this series: it's clever, sexy, and I feel like a learn a lot, which I don't normally expect from romance!

The slowburn romance between Elliot and Quinton brings in readers unexpectedly as we dive into Snapped and watch them discover their chemistry for each other.

Snapped tells the story of Quinton Howard Jr. takes a knee during the national anthem during his game as the star quarterback for the Denver Mustangs. Because of that, Strategic Communications Manager of the Denver Mustangs, Elliot Reed must work with Quinton to figure out the commotion that he has caused. Slowly as Elliot and Quinton work together and get to know one another better, they start to realize maybe they’re compatible.

I gave Snapped four stars, enjoying every single moment Elliot and Quinton came together. Even though they would fight and butt heads and disagree with each other, there was no denying that they secretly enjoyed each others’ companies.

I loved Elliot and the way she was able to speak her mind freely. Elliot Reed is a biracial heroine who was not afraid to say what was on her mind and speak for what she believes. She’s passionate about her work and believes in herself when it comes to her job qualifications and has the confidence to do her job which is something I enjoyed while reading this. Elliot was a well developed character throughout this book and I loved seeing the way she grew as a character and toward her relationship with Quinton.

Quinton Howard Jr. is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome according to Elliot and I was completely in awe of his passion throughout the book to portray his thoughts when it came to the lack of race representation in the football industry. I loved the way even through the book you can feel how heartfelt and genuine he is when it comes to the work he starts to develop throughout the book. He was a sweet character and made me fall in love with him quickly with his caring acts and the way he treats people. Although sometimes he does questionable actions, he turns them around with actions that shows that he notices and he cares.

I love the way Elliot and Quinton’s relationship started off slow and they didn’t immediately be together. It was nice and refreshing to see the way they took their time around each other and even though it was specifically because they had to work together, you could see them slowly tread the line, wanting to be with each other even if one of them or both of them denied their feelings for the other. In the end I love the way they came full force to each other and connected. Their relationship sparked and flew everywhere and I couldn’t feel any happier when they finally realized their feelings for each other. They had conflict throughout the book but no matter what, they came to each other and helped each other understand.

Snapped made me feel happy while reading this and I enjoyed every step of Elliot and Quinton’s slowburn romance, anticipating every second of when they would finally be together.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am still compiling how I feel about this book...I know the author's note said it wasn't autobiographical for herself nor was it based on Colin K. but its impossible to ignore the similarities or the purposeful small changes she made. For someone who is a lifelong fan of the NFL, Elliot is problematically naive about the issues in the NFL around race. She also really seems to have internalized so many views about being Black from being raised by a white man which I cannot relate to though I know the author can- her journey seems incredibly slow but at times weirdly speeded up. Also in regards to the event she planned regarding the candidate who is obviously supposed to be Donald Trump- it is disappointing that she only really thought about not doing it in terms of Quinton's feelings It should've been a no brainer to turn down planning a campaign event for a racist, irregardless of how her boyfriend would feel. Finally the end- when no one understood why Quinton was kneeling but she sends one email and everyone all of a sudden kneels with him is ridiculous and offensive to the cause...so is the fact that he was willing to stop kneeling so she would not lose her job working for a racist? That goes against everything he was working for. For me the entire sub story about the kneeling and race issues was not well handled. Their romance fell secondary which is unfortunate because I think that could've been better developed, same with the sub story around his father.

I have been looking forward to the next instalment in this series since I finished Blitzed. I, for one, am not a sporty person. I know nothing about anything specific. When players started taking a knee, I started to listen but I did not put my head deep enough into the conversation and I have spent the majority of this year trying to educate myself and listen to what is happening around me. I had no idea what this book was going to be about, so I really didn't know that a player was taking a knee in it, let alone the main character. I am not going to sit here as a white person and pretend like I know even a tenth of the pain the Black community must feel and must have BEEN feeling, I will say that while I did feel an emotional pull as I read this, I did feel that it did not do the best job in covering such a layered issue. This ties into everything we have been watching for the past two years ALONE if we're seeing this from it at a minimum.

Elliot and Quinton were fun to follow. I enjoyed the PR/Athlete pairing as I knew I would. However, the end felt very unrealistic. If it were that simple, to just call up everyone and rally the troops.... why wouldn't we be doing it now? It made the book feel like an empty call to action. I wanted to love this like I have the rest but this did not happen. From a romance standpoint? Great. But the story's execution was not.

This is the fourth book in Alexa Martin's series and it definitely lives up to the expectations! This may be my favorite one yet. This book covers some very real topics that are effecting people today. Alexa Martin creates a wonderful world of characters and beautifully covers topics like racism and injustice within the league and in the outside world. This book felt very important to be reading during an election year were a lot is at stake,

Elliot was a great character. She was strong willed and dedicated. I loved that we got to see Elliot going through big moments in life while also still grieving for her late father. We were able to get insight on why she did certain things and how she was feeling in her every day life. I liked that Elliot had to have some really hard conversations about her own biases with her friends, herself, and Quinton. I also really liked how we got to see a lot of the friendship between the lady mustangs. It was nice to see that she had s very strong support system behind her.

Quinton may be my new favorite male character from this series. He is so passionate about the causes he believes in and wanted to make real change in the world. He had a lot on his shoulders for being the first player in the league to protest during the national anthem and I felt that Alexa Martin wrote his character beautifully. You get to see insight into his motivations behind his protests and learn why he is doing what he's doing regardless of the backlash from media, fans, and the league.

I do wish that this was written in a dual POV. I would've liked to see Quinton's thoughts and feelings as the book progressed and I think it would've helped explain a lot of his motivations better.

Overall, I loved this book. I think it captured the feelings of a lot of people today. It covered very relevant topics while also adding in romance. Quinton and Elliot were a great couple to watch grow individually to help them grow together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This summer I have been reading romances written by Black authors and featuring Black characters. I wanted to be able to recommend new authors to people at my library. I was really pleased to see that I had already bought the first book of this series (though I haven't read it yet.) I can't imagine a stronger book than Snapped. The book deals with the structural racism of the football industry as well as the problems faced by bi-racial people. The strength of the book comes from the incredible women that help Elle face her feelings for Quentin, the racism of her boss, and her own hidden feelings of inadequacy as a bi-racial woman who was raised by a White father. Who doesn't want friends like this? I could easily recommend this to readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips who not only also has a football series, but also features wonderful secondary characters.

This the fourth book in Alexa Martin's football series and it may be my favorite one yet. Elliot has her dream job in the PR team of a major football team and seems to be living a perfect life but she's actually still struggling from her father's death. When she gets assigned to work with Quinton, the football player that started kneeling before the game, she's in a sticky situation. Elliot is mixed but her Black mother died when she was really young. She was raised by her White father but she mostly took after her mom, so she always had a hard time saying how she feels, not wanting to hurt her dad's feeling. Working with Quinton and eventually having feelings for him, makes her uncomfortable, specially at the things she's been ignoring her whole life. I loved this book and specially love how diverse the characters are in this series. I really recommend all of them.

I loved that this book touched on issues that are incredibly relevant today. That being said, I am not sure it landed correctly. I know the author was writing from her own experiences, and I 100% respect and admire that, but I think the story just fell a little flat. The ending was rushed and a little too sunshine and rainbows for the subject matter, and the love story felt forced. I love enemies to lovers, it is one of my favourite tropes, but the chemistry was lacking for me.