Snapped (Playbook, #4) by Alexa Martin

Jul 28, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it liked it

Hmmm... Okay, I’m having complex feelings about another book. I personally enjoy the previous Playbook series and the smart feel-good rom-com premise the author presented us.

But this book is questioning deep political , socioeconomic issues and racism , injustice. This is not entertaining, sweet, soft romcom with steamy love scenes you’re looking for. This is serious, emotional women’s fiction. If you’re expecting to read an easy sports romance, this is not great fit for you.

I have no problems Hmmm... Okay, I’m having complex feelings about another book. I personally enjoy the previous Playbook series and the smart feel-good rom-com premise the author presented us.

But this book is questioning deep political , socioeconomic issues and racism , injustice. This is not entertaining, sweet, soft romcom with steamy love scenes you’re looking for. This is serious, emotional women’s fiction. If you’re expecting to read an easy sports romance, this is not great fit for you.

I have no problems with the characters. Both of them were likable from the beginning and as individuals, their point of views and opinions about racism are understandable.
Quinton, star quarterback is taking a knee as black man to protest inequality and racism in the sports industry. Elliot, already suffers from losses of her family, PR exec, hired to stop this PR mess. From the beginning she thinks Quinton is spoiled rich brat and she couldn’t understand with his motives about protesting the entire system. But as long as she starts learning more about him and back story, she slowly changes her mind, empathizing with him.

In my opinion, the way of approaching to the political issues, dialogues and characters’ actions at the end ( both of them were ready to give up their ideals or what they worked for) and team members’ sudden awakening and changing their opinions instantly parts were not realistic.

The book gives important messages and deals with sensitive issues which overshadowed romance parts and the outcome of the story was a little haphazard and unsatisfying. (The novel started like thought provoking, serious fiction/ emotional women’s fiction and finished as cheesy romcom with a lot of cliches!)

I like the characters and I wholeheartedly support the author’s decision to write about racism, injustice and inequality in the competitive sports industry but the conclusion could be more inspirational and logical.

So this is I didn’t love it so much but I also didn’t hate it kind of I prefer to stay in the middle kind of reading for me. I’m giving my three sporty, equal, powerful stars!

I keen on reading more books from the series but this one didn’t work with me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this emotional ARC with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

...more

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Jul 19, 2020 JenReadsRomance rated it did not like it

I've been really on the fence about what to say about this book, so I'll settle for this: this book in its current state (I read my ARC in late June) is deeply problematic in both plot and characterization. The plot is that Quinton is a Black man and quarterback taking a knee and taping over the league's name to protest racism in America and also the league's treatment of CTE in former players. Elliot is the PR exec for the team tasked to stop him from protesting.

Elle is a biracial woman who di I've been really on the fence about what to say about this book, so I'll settle for this: this book in its current state (I read my ARC in late June) is deeply problematic in both plot and characterization. The plot is that Quinton is a Black man and quarterback taking a knee and taping over the league's name to protest racism in America and also the league's treatment of CTE in former players. Elliot is the PR exec for the team tasked to stop him from protesting.

Elle is a biracial woman who didn't really believe in racism until the events of the book (she was raised by her white dad to be "color blind" in her own words) even though she's 31. I mean, it's honestly kind of jaw-dropping. For example, she says over and over again that she is a life long football fan. But then when his agent tells her that the team wanted Quinton to not be quarterback, she doesn't believe it. She's apparently never heard before about the disparity between Black and white quarterbacks. You guys, I know NOTHING about football, and I know about that!

I continue to be upset at how so many books from this publisher use thinly-veiled real life social movements in the books, but in really... upsetting, and maybe even reckless, ways. For example, at the end (view spoiler)

This was a disturbing reading experience, honestly.

ETA: I'm a white reviewer, and obviously anyone is free to disagree with my review and to give me feedback on the content of this review or whether or not it's even my place to comment on what I see as a pretty problematic book. In the end, I think that this book fails as a romance, MOST of this book is Elliot's personal growth, with a hastily added romance plot in the last third (literally. there is nothing between them for MOST of the book, which is another hallmark of women's fiction, I guess). I guess ultimately, the plotting question that overwhelms me is why if it's so easy for Elliot to "fix" Quinton's PR problem at the end, like literally in the last chapter she writes an email and makes some calls and gets EVERYONE on his side all of a sudden -- why didn't she do that all along if she supported his cause? It was not convincing that Quinton, who spent the entire book taking a huge risky stand for his beliefs, would toss them all over at the end for a romantic gesture. The difference between her personal narrative and her behavior is completely disconnected. YMMV. ...more

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Oct 11, 2020 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: characters-of-color, authors-of-color, sports-romance

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.

Edit added 10/22 I was not aware there was an author's note in the book (it's at the beginning, which I did not see) and I have just read Alexa Martin's note. I previously said that Elliot's character was frustrating to me because she so vehemently 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.

Edit added 10/22 I was not aware there was an author's note in the book (it's at the beginning, which I did not see) and I have just read Alexa Martin's note. I previously said that Elliot's character was frustrating to me because she so vehemently denied racism she saw and claimed she never realized racism existed, which as a grown woman in America, that was hard for me to believe. Elliot went so far as to get offended when someone called her Black; she was quick to respond that she was also white. Elliot was raised by a white father and was raised to be color blind. I really did appreciate Elliot's discussion and difficulty grappling her identity as a biracial woman, especially since she was raised by only a white parent and not also a Black parent. Alexa Martin explained that she had this same experience growing up as a biracial woman being raised by a white parent. What I felt frustrated with was how Elliot "realized" there was racism. It all seemed like she just suddenly had an epiphany and her friends had to point out that she's been experiencing racism all of her life and through that conversation she realizes racism exists after so adamantly claiming it didn't for the entirety of the book. As a Black woman working in a professional industry, it was hard for me to understand that Elliot had gone 31 years without "realizing" that racism exists. While she was raised color blind, she worked in an industry and claimed to be a fan of the industry where there are constantly discussions about racism going on. Being surrounded by constant discussions of racism, which does happen in the NFL and being a working professional, I didn't feel like her friends being the ones to tell her at the end of the book after having continuous conversations with Quinton about what he was protesting was the realistic way she would realize she had been experiencing racism all of her life. Even her mentioning moments where she could acknowledge racism without calling it racism would have felt like there was more progression in her journey towards not being colorblind than the sudden realization that racism exists at the end of the book.

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. ...more

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Dec 27, 2020 Berit☀️✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: advanced-reader-copy, berkley, 2020, romance, sports, steamy, prh-audio

Alexa Martin has written a timely romcom, the perfect blend of romance and social justice. While The discussion of racism in football made this book a little heavier I think it would be remiss if the author did not address the treatment of black players in a series about the NFL. Alexa handled the subject matter perfectly, in a thought-provoking nonjudgmental way. Elliot (can I just say I love this name for a girl) has her dream job working with the Denver Mustangs. One of her first assignments Alexa Martin has written a timely romcom, the perfect blend of romance and social justice. While The discussion of racism in football made this book a little heavier I think it would be remiss if the author did not address the treatment of black players in a series about the NFL. Alexa handled the subject matter perfectly, in a thought-provoking nonjudgmental way. Elliot (can I just say I love this name for a girl) has her dream job working with the Denver Mustangs. One of her first assignments is to “deal“ with Quinton Howard star quarterback who has recently started taking a knee during the national anthem. Elliot is biracial but was raised by her white father in a white world and has been taught to be colorblind. Elliotts interactions with Quinton are eye-opening and ignite a spark in her that was not previously there. there is also an attraction between Elliott and Quinton that is undeniable. BUT ken they find a compromise given all the differences between them?

This was a great story that gave me a lot to think about. My youngest brother is biracial, raised by white parents, in a white world, and I had a lot of aha moments in this book. now I will never truly understand what it’s like to be biracial but I appreciated the insight in this story. I really liked both Elliot and Quinton as characters and liked them even more together. I definitely felt the pole and liked how they listen and learn from one another. The issue of racism and how it impacts the NFL was handled well. I read a few reviews that said they didn’t want any social justice issues in their romcoms and all I could think was, your privilege is showing. Additionally I read several reviews that did not like the ending... here’s the thing, I think the ending was wrapped up nice and neat with a tidy bow, but had it been messy I think people would have complained about that as well. Alexa Martin Took on a huge challenge with trying to balance a feel good romcom and tossing in a generous dose of social justice. I think she did an excellent job of it. 🏈

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. *** ...more

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Sep 19, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-ebooks, 2020-series-ender-challenge

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 w ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Sahitya rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance-and-or-relationships, sports-romances, 2020-read, politics-feminism-religion, contemporary-fiction

After the disappointing third book in the series, I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one. But I saw that it was about an NFL quarterback taking the knee and because I do love my contemporaries with social justice themes, I requested for this ARC. But I honestly shouldn’t have.

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 After the disappointing third book in the series, I actually wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one. But I saw that it was about an NFL quarterback taking the knee and because I do love my contemporaries with social justice themes, I requested for this ARC. But I honestly shouldn’t have.

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 signing 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. But I am being honest when I say that I personally can’t recommend this book in good faith. ...more

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Jul 23, 2020 Melinda rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc

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 Bl 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.

(I'm putting the rest of this behind a spoiler tag)

(view spoiler)[ 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. (view spoiler) (hide spoiler)] ...more

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Jun 21, 2020 Brei rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, rom-com, romance, berkley, contemporary-romance, berkley-romance, sports-romance, 2020-bookshelf

Snapped is the latest and last in this series and I cannot express to you how much I love it!

Sports in my romance is my thing. Maybe it’s a throwback to my college days drooling over the baseball players🤷🏻‍♀️. It always seems my fav romances always involve sports and Alexa Martin definitely writes my favorite series.

Snapped is the last in the series and it’s the only one that made me cry. This book wasn’t as steamy as the previous three books but it was definitely way more emotional. This may be ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 Whitney rated it really liked it

Shelves: black-books-matter, books-baes, contemporary-reads, readathon-reads, startonyourshelfathon, arcs-galore, poc-unite, the-diversity-jumped-out, who-said-romance-was-dead, y-all-need-to-read-these-okay

First I’d like to thank the publisher, Berkley, for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Snapped before it’s release in exchange for an honest review. This was the first time I’d reached out to a publisher for an ARC successfully and it was such a great experience!

Anyone who’s been here for awhile knows that I am a very big fan of Alexa Martin’s Playbook series. I love the Mustangs and the women who love them. When I found out we were getting another book in this series, I was over the moon First I’d like to thank the publisher, Berkley, for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Snapped before it’s release in exchange for an honest review. This was the first time I’d reached out to a publisher for an ARC successfully and it was such a great experience!

Anyone who’s been here for awhile knows that I am a very big fan of Alexa Martin’s Playbook series. I love the Mustangs and the women who love them. When I found out we were getting another book in this series, I was over the moon. Fumbled is still my absolute favorite, but I couldn’t wait to see what Alexa had in store next and thankfully, she didn’t disappoint.

Snapped throws us right into the deep end of the pool from page one. Quinton Howard Jr. is the new quarterback from the Mustangs with an amazing contract and amazing skills. Everyone expects him to get the Mustangs to the playoffs, but no one expects him to take a knee and cover his league logo the first time he takes the field. Showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement and calling attention to the racist and bigoted industry that is football? Who would do a thing like that? That’s what Elliot Reed wants to know. While she completely understands the injustices that are going on in the world, the last thing she wants to see is Quinton protesting it on the field. While she supports the cause, as the newest PR employee on the Mustangs roster, she was hoping not to have to face anything too large right off the bat. Sure she understands why Quinton is protesting, but he’s jeopardizing her job in the process. Why couldn’t he just tell the league he wanted to protest? She could have helped him do it in a way that didn’t piss off the Mustangs’ owner and could’ve helped spread his message without it possibly ruining her career. When the owner of the Mustangs give Elliott the task of putting an end to Quinton’s protest, Elliot is forced to face some things she’d rather keep hidden…and maybe find both love and herself in the process.

I’ll admit I was worried. With such a big social justice message, I wasn’t entirely sure how things would play out or how they would be handled in the book. I must say, Alexa did a great job. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with Quinton. He was passionate about shedding light not only on racial injustice, but the injustices within professional football as well, no matter the cost. Whenever he talked about why this was important to him or why he needed to do this, I fell in love a little more because he was speaking nothing but facts. Quinton gives us tons of insight throughout the entire book and I must say he almost rivaled the love I have for TK from Fumbled.

While falling in love with Quinton wasn’t hard, loving Elliot was a little bit more difficult. She’s a strong woman, which I loved, but being inside her head tended to be frustrating for awhile. Here’s why: Elliot is a mixed race woman. Born to a Black mom who died early on and raised by her White father, Elliot was raised to be “color-blind”, which is a direct quote. As a Black woman, I know how ridiculous this is, but it’s not surprising. So many White people believe that being color-blind will end racism because if you don’t see color, then we’re all the same. WRONG! You can’t be color-blind and saying you can ignore color is just another way of saying that you can ignore me. I don’t want you to ignore my Black skin, I want you to embrace it, respect it, and treat me like the person I am. Elliot wasn’t taught this though and she’s spent a lifetime trying to fit into a world that sees her one way, when she was raised another. I wanted to shake her sometimes, but I finally began to understand that Elliot’s faults were not her own. They were a product of her upbringing. I don’t know what it’s like to be raised around people who don’t share my skin tone or be told to deny half of what I am. Quinton doesn’t have this experience either and so part of what we see in the book is Quinton calling Elliot out on this and Elliot realizing that maybe she has some things to work on within herself and in her past that she’s been trying to push to the side for so long. In case you’re worried: yes Elliot does finally learn, but her journey getting there was both amazing and frustrating to watch (I loved it lol).

Alexa Martin writes an Author’s Note at the beginning of Snapped discussing why she wanted to tell this story and I implore anyone who picks up this book to read it. Alexa discusses how she was raised in a household similar to Elliot and how it wasn’t until she was an adult with a Black husband and black children that she finally began to understand just how much her upbringing and experiences affected her. She discusses how she minimized herself, excused or ignored microaggressions around her, and mentions how growing up in an all White family and confronting racism may mean for the ones she loved. This is important. Without this context, I don’t know if you can fully appreciate the struggle that Elliot and other women like her (Alexa included) have gone through when faced with situations like this one. It’s what prompted me to believe that Elliot would grow throughout the story because I knew that growth was personal to the author herself.

The one thing I will say is, I was a little frustrated by the ending, though I promise it was not because of Elliot or Quinton’s actions, but rather by the actions of his teammates and the fans.One you read it, I think you’ll understand why. Quinton was such a big spirit and so driven to do what was right, but it seemed as if people weren’t ready to support him openly until a “big” gesture was made. Either way, we were given the happy ending we deserve and I’m happy to say, Alexa Martin’s amazingness struck again! ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Brittany J. (BNJreads) rated it it was amazing

I LOOVEED IT!!!!!

I was overjoyed to pick up Alexa Martin’s 4th book in the Playbook Series, Snapped (#SHOOTYOURSHOT) and I started it on Sunday.....YOU GUYS! PREORDER PREORDER PREORDER!!! It’s due to be released on October 20,2020 and covers topics of racism, racial disparities, especially within the NFL, taking a knee and what it really means, tokenism, micro-aggression and just enough steam to entice you......Listen, you name it, it’s in this book!

If you know me, you know I love this series ...more

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Dec 19, 2020 Carole Bell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: engaging-social-justice-in-romance, black-contemporary-romance

There are several different things going on here, and some definitely work better than others. First and foremost, Snapped is an unusually candid and insightful portrait of a biracial woman coming to terms with the internalized anti-black attitudes she swallowed while growing up in a white family and predominantly white community. And the toxic folly of the color blind philosophy she was steeped in for so long. Author Alexa Martin knows this territory from the inside out— this aspect of the stor There are several different things going on here, and some definitely work better than others. First and foremost, Snapped is an unusually candid and insightful portrait of a biracial woman coming to terms with the internalized anti-black attitudes she swallowed while growing up in a white family and predominantly white community. And the toxic folly of the color blind philosophy she was steeped in for so long. Author Alexa Martin knows this territory from the inside out— this aspect of the story is very personal for her— and she writes Elliot incredibly specifically and well.

As a result of Martin’s insight, Elle is infuriating at times but she’s also very real. Some Black people raised the way she was go out of their way to deny racism as a form of self protection and protection for the families that raised them. That’s a serious phenomenon and I haven’t seen that laid out so clearly in romance before in a story that acknowledges how messed up that is. It’s humane but honest.

That said, there were some things I didn’t get about Elliot—parts of the portrayal that undermined the strengths Elliot was supposed to have. She’s supposed to be good with people but doesn’t think that Quinton might have a really good reason for keeping his father out of his movement and his foundation? People have complicated relationships with their family for many very good reasons and yet she assumes he’s just ungrateful or petulant. That’s a silly way to generate more conflict.
Even worse, Elliot has watched and studied football all her life and prides herself in being at least sensible to really blatant racism even if she doesn’t see racism as ubiquitous, but doesn’t understand that the league has discriminated against black quarterbacks, and isn't familiar with all the racist stereotypes about Black athletes and how they influence who gets to play what position in the league. This might just be an awkward and unintended consequence of using Elliot as a proxy when the author wants to educate readers about a point, but it's a pretty big part of NFL history. Elliott's ignorance strains both credulity and threatens her credibility, tipping her turning a blind eye to race to the absurd.

Apart from these points, the other ways that Elliot has swallowed micro and macro racial aggression in order to get along generally tracked. Snapped is also a romance and that works too even if the burn is very slow. Elliot’s love interest Quinton is a fictionalized Colin Kaepernick type character with a secret, very personal motivation for his activism. He’s fighting for better and more equitable treatment of Black athletes and veteran, retired football players struggling with the devastating health effects of the brutal sport they play. They’re thrown together when Elliot is tasked by the team owner with channeling his protest into more socially acceptable forms that reflect well on the team. I liked Quinton as a romantic hero, but the portrayal of the movement politics he’s engaged in is by far the weakest link, especially at the climax which goes off the rails and is far too simplistic and ahistorical about how change is made. Overall Snapped tells a difficult and meaningful story about a woman coming to terms with her family and identity imperfectly but well. For me it was well worth the time and consideration. ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Antonella rated it it was ok

Shelves: smh, audiobook, sport-romance, workplace-romance

I don't think that this book gives justice to the issues these characters are dealing with.
Around 95% of the book when everything gets resolved I was very disappointed.
Also, the romance is lacking, I don't "feel" these two are in love at all.

...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Crystal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2020, 2020

This book is timely, thought provoking, and yes, romantic. Quinton is strong yet vulnerable. Fierce, protective, and beyond swoon-worthy. Elle is confident, but confused. Loyal to a fault, but also broken. Together, along with some great friends, they find the love they both deserve.

The issues dealt with in this book are not things I have personally experienced, or will ever have to because of my skin color and privilege. But, I will be forever thankful to Alexa Martin for allowing my daughters ...more

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Jul 15, 2020 Stanella rated it did not like it

This book is like what would happen if you looked up "tragic mulatto" on the internet, and instead of a definition, a book popped out for you to read.

...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases, 2020, romance, sports-romance

I received an ARC copy of this from Berkely via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary
Elliot Reed is trying to live her best life. She has the job of her dreams and owes it to her father's memory to be happy. But when the new quarterback becomes the first Mustang's player to kneel during the anthem, her job becomes much more difficult.
Now she has to has to work with Quinton to smooth things back out. But their initial meeting is rocky and tensions are high. Quinton refuses to let this ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 mindful.librarian ☀️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: advanced-reader-copies, aoc, adult-reads

(free review copy) Wow, this one has a VERY strong message! I love that mixed with steamy romance. I do hope the series continues because there’s one side story here that I NEED resolution on 🙏🏼 I love that this is an #ownvoices story and that the author is writing from such a deep personal history as the wife of an NFL player.

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Oct 06, 2020 Smart Women Read Romance rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, slowburn-romance, 2020-reads, enemies-to-lovers, sports-romance, own-voices-romance

ARC Review provide by NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback

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 don ...more

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Aug 28, 2020 Veronica (Honey Roselea Reads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley, 2020

My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | Twitter

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My review of Snapped will be up on October 13, 2020, a week before release date (October 20, 2020) on my blog. I will update you guys with a direct link once it’s up! For now, here is a preview of what my review will look like:

❀❀❀❀

The slowburn romance between Elliot and Quinton brings in readers unexpectedly as we dive into Snapped and watch them discover the ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 Reading Mama rated it it was amazing

Omg, I loved this book! I don't even know where to start, so forgive me if this is one long, rambling post. Snapped tells the story of Quinton Howard Jr., star quarterback of the Denver Mustangs. Elliott Reed is the Strategic Communications Manager for the team. She usually does damage control PR for the players. After Quinton takes a knee during the national anthem, Elliot is "assigned to him," with the job of getting Quinton to back down. The relationship between Quinton and Elliot showed one ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Erin Cataldi rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

This one definitely tackled some big issues (more so than her other three) and I really appreciated her author's note at the beginning. Elliot Reed has received her dream job - she working her late father's favorite pro-football team, the Mustangs. She thought it was going to be a cakewalk but when the hunky quarterback blacks out the NFL logo on his jersey AND kneels during the anthem for a game she knows that she has her work cut out for her. Soon she's having to work directly with Quinton to ...more

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Oct 31, 2020 Toya (the reading chemist) rated it it was amazing

Well damn Alexa, I see you’ve upped your game with Elliot’s story. Snapped was definitely the most emotionally intense of the series so far, and so many of the topics hit home for me.

More thoughts to come.

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Dec 16, 2020 Michele rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-titles, audiobook, series-books, womens-fiction, other-workplace-romance, athletes, social-issues, illness-or-injury, 2020-reads, multicultural

4 1/2 Stars...

I have read or listened to all of Alexa Martin's books in the Playbook series. I've enjoyed each of them and have found the storylines to be engaging and entertaining. With Snapped, I knew from her author's note at the beginning that this wasn't going to be a "happy go lucky" sports romance....and I was there for it. I know people will have their own opinions regarding this book and that's okay....it's actually what should always happen...everyone can have their own opinion. I'd ju 4 1/2 Stars...

I have read or listened to all of Alexa Martin's books in the Playbook series. I've enjoyed each of them and have found the storylines to be engaging and entertaining. With Snapped, I knew from her author's note at the beginning that this wasn't going to be a "happy go lucky" sports romance....and I was there for it. I know people will have their own opinions regarding this book and that's okay....it's actually what should always happen...everyone can have their own opinion. I'd just like to say I, personally, was impressed at how well Ms. Martin took what's been an often volatile topic within our current society and wrote about it in a way that felt passionate and honest. She tried to blend in how easily others discount a player's motivation and quickly jump to make assumptions. Overall, I think she made every effort to put an honest portrayal out there.

Snapped is a wonderful addition to this series. I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Quinton and Elliot. They definitely have a roller coaster of a relationship. I'm not sure they could have gotten off to a rockier start that when they initially met. It was certainly an inventive "meet cute." Ms. Martin does a nice job at giving us Elliot's history as we go, but makes us wait a while for the full details on Quinton. Even though I enjoy their gradually progressing friendship that eventually evolves into more, I would most likely classify this as women's fiction and not necessarily romance. Even though a romantic relationship blooms and struggles during the course of the story, I believe it is about more. First of all, it is about grief and the many forms it takes. Not just the death of a loved one, but how you move on from it. For Elliot, grief is ruling her life....even more than she realizes or can admit to herself. This book also delves into racism and its many forms. Elliot and Quinton are both dealing with life altering issues in their lives. They have to work hard to find their way to one another and even then, they have trouble. I actually really enjoyed the fact that these two didn't instantly fall into one another's arms and declare their undying love. It felt as if it developed in a more natural and organic way. Both characters (probably Elliot more than Quinton) did frustrate me a few times here and there. However, I believe it was to demonstrate how their characters develop and grow.

Overall, I thought this was a well done women's fiction book and am rating it as such. Please don't go into this looking for a fluffy romance. I love those as much as the next reader, but this is not that story. As a disclaimer, it's quite possible this story spoke to me because I personally lost my mother this year. They say stories often hit you a certain way because of your own personal experiences....so this could be it for me. Overall, I feel it's a heartfelt storyline that relays a strong message.

On a sidenote, I really hope this isn't the final book in the series! Ms. Martin opened a storyline with Vonnie that wasn't obvious before and I see so much potential in exploring where that goes. I truly hope she'll do so and give us at least one more book in this series!!

Lastly, I listened to the audiobook and LOVED the narration. It really did add to my enjoyment of this book. ...more

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Jan 05, 2021 Jenna rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021-book-hoarder-reading-challenge

HOARDER CHALLENGE #20-BOOK PUBL 2020

ok, so i had some trouble getting into this one.
to be honest, i wasn't following the news concerning the football players taking a knee at games so i think that's one of the reasons i didn't completely connect w/the story. also, beards & mustaches on men aren't really my thing and Q is sexy footballer w/a beard. (oops!)
Because this series is set in the world of football, I thought it was a great way for the writer to make her story more relevant by including t ...more

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Jan 01, 2021 Shevanty R rated it really liked it · review of another edition

After reading the first 3 books in this series earlier this year, I just HAD to read this one to keep up with the characters around the Denver Mustangs football team. This book was much for serious than the other 3 as it covered more heavy topics such as police brutality, Black Lives Matter movement, and death of a parent, but the characters were still light hearted and cute and overall it was an adorable book! This book was not my favorite of the series, but it was still good. Personally I like ...more

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Jun 26, 2020 Jamie rated it liked it

This surprise fourth book in the Playbook series is timely and talks about a lot of really serious political and social issues for a romcom. Having Elliot be biracial is such a smart, compelling choice, as she navigates what she owes to her communities in the face of the unexpected arrival of the Colin Kaepernick-esque Quentin into her professional (and later, personal) life. The conversations about race and the treatment of black players and the tokenizing of Elliot in her job are done VERY wel ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: rrrc-challenge, racially-diverse-cast, authors-of-color, 2020, arc

When I received an ARC of Snapped I was SO EXCITED! Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for an ARC to review!

I have really enjoyed Alexa Martin's Playbook series. Poppy and TK are by far my favorite (and I didn't love Brynn and Maxwell's book), but I think that Elliot and Quinton might have surpassed Poppy and TK. Elliott has experienced a huge loss in her family, but she has just started her dream job in PR at the Mustangs. Unfortunately, her first task is to change the PR for Quinton, who blac When I received an ARC of Snapped I was SO EXCITED! Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for an ARC to review!

I have really enjoyed Alexa Martin's Playbook series. Poppy and TK are by far my favorite (and I didn't love Brynn and Maxwell's book), but I think that Elliot and Quinton might have surpassed Poppy and TK. Elliott has experienced a huge loss in her family, but she has just started her dream job in PR at the Mustangs. Unfortunately, her first task is to change the PR for Quinton, who blacks out the NFL logo and kneels for the anthem at the start of the season. Elliott and Quinton must work together to turn the tide of negative public outcry against Quinton while battling racism, systemic oppression, and a growing attraction.

I love how authentic Martin's books feel to football. As a football fan, it has been much harder to watch in recent years as we see how the League treats it's players. Retirement funds are atrocious for players prior to 1993, the League is a capitalistic organization that puts money over players, and when the majority of owners, GMs, and coaches are white men, issues of race and racism are abound. It makes me so happy when romance especially mixes real life issues into the text and Martin does it so well.

I struggled a bit with Elliott. As a biracial person, I felt for Elliott. She was where I was maybe 8 years ago - thinking that being color-blind is best, leaning more towards my white family because I didn't want to forsake them, not believing the race is the cause of everything. So I get where she was coming from with some of her blindness, but I wanted her to see through it quicker. She has her head in the sand for a lot of the book and it made me so upset to see her not recognize when she was being treated poorly because of her race. I did love the romance between Elliott and Quinton - a "forced proximity" relationship is catnip for me and I loved seeing their friendship blossom. I still feel that Martin ends her books too quickly (I need a little more resolution!) but this one might just be my favorite in the series. ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Maria (mariareadsbooksalot) rated it it was amazing

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 an 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! ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 Vivian rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, review-copy, romance, netgalley, sports

Okay, the first thing you should know is that I am not a sports person by any stretch of the imagination, but I've thoroughly enjoyed The Playbook series by Alexa Martin. I just binge re-read the entire series over the past few days (yes, I re-re-read Intercepted, Fumbled, and re-read Blitzed) in preparation for reading the latest addition to this series, Snapped. I'm so glad I did. It was nice refamiliarizing myself with the Lady Mustangs (the wives and girlfriends of the Denver Mustang players Okay, the first thing you should know is that I am not a sports person by any stretch of the imagination, but I've thoroughly enjoyed The Playbook series by Alexa Martin. I just binge re-read the entire series over the past few days (yes, I re-re-read Intercepted, Fumbled, and re-read Blitzed) in preparation for reading the latest addition to this series, Snapped. I'm so glad I did. It was nice refamiliarizing myself with the Lady Mustangs (the wives and girlfriends of the Denver Mustang players) and their drama and romances. Each book in this series touches upon some serious issues while also providing a great steamy romance read. Snapped is a bit more serious in that it takes to heart the issues of long-term adverse effects of head injuries or CTE and lack of player parity within the football league, as well as professional athlete protests on-the-field and racial representation within the industry. I knew little about any of these subjects before reading this book (trust me, you'll want to do some research if you watch any professional football).

Elliot "Elle" Reed is just as lacking in confidence as some of the other women we've seen in previous books in this series. If I were dealing with professional athletes pulling in millions of dollars each year and having hundreds, if not thousands, of groupies throwing themselves at these players, I'd probably be somewhat lacking in confidence as well. But Elle is also dealing with childhood issues from being biracial and not quite knowing how to fit into society as she was raised by her white father without any strong black role models or guidance. She's had to quietly straddle the fence of both races without being fully embraced into either one and trying to live her life colorblind, the way she was raised. I can tell you that it isn't going well. Quinton Howard Jr. is the new star quarterback for the Denver Mustangs and has become something of a problem issue by blacking out the league logo on his jersey at the start of each game and his taking a knee during the national anthem. He's quiet and respectful to all, but he's also using his voice and money to try and right some wrongs. Elle's job is to make the Mustangs and the league look good, so she has to once again straddle the fence by keeping the team's owner happy whilst also working with Quinton to assure his personal goals are met. Needless to say, there's a bit of friction and attraction between the two. Will they be able to make things work or will things frizzle out? Hey, this is a romance, and what is a romance without a HEA. Yes, there is trouble. Not only for Quinton and Elle but also for "Vonnie" Lamar and her husband Justin Lamar. Most of the trouble gets resolved (not all, but most). This book deals with quite a number of issues, including racial identity, racism, systemic racism within certain professional sports leagues, lack of parity in the treatment of retired professional athletes (NFL vs. NBA for example), and more. Yes, these are heavy topics to be dealt with in a romance, but Ms. Martin deals with these issues without lightly glossing over them or being too heavy-handed, or at least she does so in this reader's opinion. There are plenty of light-hearted moments (it is a romance, people) and some moments that just make you want to say "aww." If you've read any of the previous books in this series, then you'll definitely want to add Snapped to your immediate TBR list. If you haven't read any of the books in this series and you enjoy romance, then you'll definitely want to grab all three of the previous books as well as a copy of Snapped when it releases. Something tells me that I'll be re-re-re-re-reading this series at some point soon (yes, I'm enjoying it just that much!). I'm hopeful that this isn't the end of this series, simply because I want to read more about these amazing women along with their struggles, their careers, their friendships, their families, and yes, their romances.

Happy Reading, y'all!

I was given a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review originally posted on 10/18/2020 at https://www.thebookdivasreads.com/202.... ...more

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Aug 29, 2020 Grace rated it really liked it

3.5 stars,

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 an ...more

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Jan 03, 2021 Dayla rated it really liked it

I found myself relating way too much to the MC of this one. As a mixed woman raised by a Latina mixed mother, I wasn’t really raised as either a white or black person—in my mind I was just Latina. But growing up in North America, it was hard for me to accept/see the micro aggressions and moments of racism that I experienced because I had put up this protection around myself. “This can’t happen to me.” I always told myself.

Clearly it can and it has.

This is why Elliot’s character arc was way too ...more

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