Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

So, what's it like to work for an NFL team? More importantly, what was it like fifteen years ago, when you were newly out of college and hired as an intern in the sport that had ruled your life all your life? Poppie Benjamin knows. Because she WAS that girl and she is now the Media Relations Director for the Syracuse Bobcats of the NFL. But how did she get that job? What did she have to do to earn it? And is she still paying the price?

Over the course of the past fifteen years, Poppie has become a part of a group of women, Women Against Groping Shitheads, or WAGS, who are similarly situated in the "man's world" of sports. These women are powerful and have big jobs. And all of them have paid a price for that.

The book alternates between NOW and FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. Both seasons are big ones for the Bobcats. Fifteen years ago, they went undefeated through the Super Bowl and Poppie, as an intern in the Media Relations department was there for all of it. The good, the bad, AND the ugly. This year, the team is faltering as never before. The coach, the legendary Red Guillory, who in his first season took them to that Super Bowl win and the perfect season, is not the coach he used to be. And a lot of the stars seem to be past their prime, too.

Then Red dies, or is murdered, and everything changes. Poppie, who had a good relationship with the coach, mainly because they started at the same time and have lived this cycle together, also has mixed feelings about him. There was an "incident" that first year, and she still isn't completely over it, but she, and the team, and the coach have moved on.

But when the murder investigation seems to be possibly uncovering secrets from the past, and the past may be repeating itself, the wounds suddenly open up and Poppie begins to see everyone in a different light.

I wanted to love, as a former Division 1 athlete & Syracuse native I figured I'd eat this one up. I liked it but didn't love, it was a bit too slow for me and not much happened. Hard to follow at times. It was okay, but not great.

The Snap by Elizabeth Staple is a book about a private support group of women suffering from working in a male dominated workforce. Unfortunately you don’t find this out until much further in the book Poppy Benjamin is the head media coordinator for a NFL team who just lost their head coach due to suspicious circumstances on the same day she receives a note saying I know what you did and you have five days to fix it… Or something like that she learns she isn’t the only one who received the note but again this happens much later in the book if you don’t like football talk women whining about working with men in male-dominated fields, an antisocial protagonist and books about friendship then you may not like this one. I didn’t find this to be a thriller at all.
They do have thriller elements to it and it is a well written story but I didn’t find myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened because basically what happens as we watch her in dual timelines which is confusing because in both timelines she works for the football team won as an intern and one as the head media coordinator so you really had to pay close attention to know which timeline she was in because it’s at the same place with basically the same people once it got in to her going to the support group the book does pick up, but again I do think you’ll only like it if you like a literary fiction book because this isn’t the most thrilling mystery. I mean in the beginning of the book she couldn’t even remember any wrong she had done that she had to redeem herself for. They do have interesting characters in the book but there’s also a lot of them so if this sounds like something you would enjoy do read it I didn’t find it a horrible book I just didn’t find it that thrilling. #NetGalley,#DoubleDayBooks, #ElizabethStaples, #TheSnap

What a treat! This behind the scenes look at the NFL through the eyes of Poppy, head of media relations for the (fictional) Bobcats, starts with the murder of Red, the beloved coach and then unspools to reveal secrets Poppy and her pals who also work in sports have kept- secrets someone is threatening to reveal. This moves between Poppy's first year as an intern with the Bobcats and the present 18 years later when she's pedaling as fast as she can. There are all sorts of interesting details about life working media relations and then there's the tough reality of being a woman in a male dominated environment, which proves critical to the story. The twin mysteries of who is sending letters to Poppy and the others and what happened to Red are twisty- there are surprises afoot here so no spoilers from me. Yes it will help tremendously to know something about and like football but I suspect that even those who don't will find it engaging. It's smart, it's clever, it's entertaining, the characters, the storytelling- well, they're the best. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this.

Women in leadership positions in professional sports. This is the summary.

It's toxic workplaces, it's what we women give up for a career, it's about female friendship.

Elizabeth Staple's experience as an attorney for a few professional sports teams is clearly influencing the story here - and I think that's 100% great. We write what we know and she did just that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In “The Snap,” Elizabeth Staple dives headfirst into the high-stakes world of professional football, where ambition clashes with secrets, and women navigate a male-dominated industry. Brace yourself for a heart-pounding sprint through sacrifice, friendship, and the price of success.

Poppy Benjamin, the media relations director for the Syracuse Bobcats, has fought relentlessly for her career. Fifteen years ago, she was an intern, clutching coffee cups to fend off inappropriate advances. Now, she’s one of the few powerful women in the NFL. But when Coach Red Guillory dies, Poppy’s world unravels. A mysterious note threatens her with consequences unless she tells the truth within five days. As she races against time, memories collide, and Poppy grapples with the price she’s paid to climb the ranks.

“The Snap” buzzes with frustration and echoes the bone-crunching collisions on the football field. Staple weaves moral dilemmas into a no-holds-barred exploration of ambition and sacrifice. Poppy’s journey—from intern to seasoned professional—reveals the dark side of success. The doubts, the thrill, and the game’s relentless pace keep readers hooked. Are we allowed to enjoy this rollercoaster? Staple asks, and the answer lies in the pages of her electrifying novel.

“The Snap” is an endorphin-fueled sprint that tackles injustice, camaraderie, and the choices we make.

A strong debut set in the world of sports that focuses on women working in traditionally male environments. Poppy is the Media Relations director for a fictional NFL team, and her life revolves entirely around her work. As the book opens, the coach of her team has just been murdered, and it's clear there are secrets Poppy has suppressed and not dealt with. The book alternates between the present, where Poppy and the organization are struggling to deal with the coach's death and who might have killed him, and fifteen years in the past, when Poppy was an intern at the organization and trying to do her best at a job she was desperate to be in. I loved that this wasn't a black-and-white treatment of complicated ethical issues. Poppy has made mistakes, but I felt a lot of empathy for her and I was interested in where Staple took the story. I will definitely be reading future books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for a digital review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the advanced reader copy.

I appreciated getting a unique setting for this novel--in the world of professional sports, but from the business side and with high-powered women. I'm still not sure how I feel about how this novel played out. The main character was interesting and the question of who killed the head football coach kept me turning pages. I didn't quite believe the idea that the man character had about what she "did wrong.," which left me unsatisfied with the ending. Definitely a strong debut, though.

The Snap - Elizabeth Staple

I am grateful to have been asked to read and review the ARC of Elizabeth Staple’s The Snap. Set in the world of professional football management, I’m not sure I would have had the good sense to choose it otherwise. Poppy has worked hard to break ground as a female media director for a professional football team. She is in a firestorm, when the team’s coach unexpectedly dies - could it be murder? Through the current struggles, Poppy reflects on her time as an intern within the same organization. Many secrets are revealed along with the cut throat nature of the business.
To be honest, Poppy was difficult for me to wrap my head around. Her world was vastly different from mine. Staple does a remarkable job of illustrating that world - that I found somewhat horrifying - in a way that the outsider can understand it. Within that world, I can better understand Poppy and her choices. Poppy is driven; she works incredibly long hours to reach her goals. WhileI can relate to that fairly easily, her setting requires a different set of parameters to reach that success. I’d love to clutch my pearls and say, “Well, I would never…” But part of the success of this novel is that Staple so clearly illustrates a toxic workplace that is especially damaging to women, I could see why she did what she did. Another very difficult character for me was the coach. I struggled as a teacher with being sometimes asked to believe that excellent athletes walked in rarified air. His character, for me, was the culmination of that attitude over years. The subtlety with which Staple developed him worked so well in this novel. In terms of plot, the murder mystery works well with the characters and setting to further illustrate the world of sports, big business, privilege, and intrigue created here. For me the ending isn’t tied up into a neat bow that makes it all “0k” for me, but, folks, isn’t that life?
I love being challenged by a book different from the norm for me. The Snap by Elizabeth Staple did so. I served as a teacher my entire career, a traditionally woman’s field. I welcome learning what other women experience in the world through reading. Packaged with a suspenseful mystery, this is an excellent read on a number of levels.

I would like to thank Net galley and Doubleday for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.I was intrigued by the setting for this book. I watch football on a regular basis and was interested in this topic. The book started out great- the head coach of a pro football team has been murdered. The female head of PR is upset, but knows more than she is saying. She and her friends, all women with jobs in pro sports, have a group, who meet to talk about their lives and problems. The book has 2 timelines- one from 15 years ago when the main character, Poppy, was an intern and one in present day. Poppy is the narrator for both. It is an intriguing premise- athletes behaving badly and the people who cover up for them, but it feels disjointed to me. There is also a lot of extra information thrown in late int he story about Poppy's family, that doesn't seem to tie together. Anyway, it was , for me anyway, just ok.

I loved this book it was written well I would pick it up again and recommend it to all my friends and family to read. I will be looking to read more of your books shortly. I hope there is more like this one coming out soon.

I wanted to like this, but unfortunately this book was not for me and I ended up DNFing it. I think others will enjoy it though.

I was so happy when I saw this book was out to read. There was so much hope when I started reading The Snap. It was fun and was a quick read and then it dropped the ball and never recovered for me. I read it but was sadly not enthused about what I had just read. I wanted to get to the end and feel like I had a touchdown instead of a missed field goal.
Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth Staple and Doubleday Books for the copy of The Snap. This is my personal review

At first glance, this book seemed tailor-made for me. Sports media and female friendship? Sign me up.

The blend of Hard Knocks meets Pretty Little Liars-style drama kept me engaged, especially with the dual timelines that gradually revealed Poppy's past. While the suspense was palpable, I found it hard to connect with Poppy. Despite her attempts at redemption, her actions felt like too little, too late.

Overall, The Snap was a quick and engaging read. Though it didn't entirely resonate with me, I think fans of sports and thrillers would enjoy its storyline and themes.

An insider’s view of football with a suspenseful twist. This book had the ring of authenticity as it exposes the sacrifices women make to compete in the business’s of professional sports. A page-turner perfect for football fans and thriller fans alike.

I stopped just past 3/4s complete. I DNF books that are likely to get a 2 or less from me. It's not that the whole book was bad. It's that it needs to be paired down and the fat needs to be cut. I am a sports/football fan so the lingo/jargon/sports talk didn't bother me at all, but I think it may be harder for non-sports inclined readers to understand all of it. I also found myself ask, "when are they going to get to it already" Doesn't really read like a thriller even though it has elements to be a thriller. It was more focused on relationship building, instead of building any suspense whatsoever. As the genre indicates, a thrill is what you should feel. I did not.

This book had an interesting premise and seemed promising but unfortunately did not deliver. It dragged on and lacked character development. None of the characters were likable to me and I wish we got more from the “WAGS” instead of a story mostly about Poppy as that was what originally drew me in to this book. I really wanted to love it but this one was a let down for me. Thanks you to NetGalley and DoubleDay Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

loved this mystery about a coaches death. Loved that this Poppy worked her way up from being an intern. She also has a group of girlfriends also in the different industries and how they help each other. I loved that she wanted to make things right and that she heled herself accountable for her choices. It was interesting to see what happened 15 years ago and today with the loss/murder of the coach. Overall a great book and interesting view from someone working with the team.

Based on the premise and synopsis, I really wanted to love this book; unfortunately it was a huge let down. It is poorly written with little to no character development. Pass!

We’re a football loving household so I wanted to learn more about this book. I was intrigued! The character development was excellent. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the writing and this story line.