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Title: Snapped
Author: Alexa Martin
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Trope(s): Enemies to lovers
Alright, I think you all know this by now, but for disclosure purposes, Alexa was my Pitch Wars mentor so I might be slightly biased when it comes to this review. However, for the record, I was a fan of Alexa’s books long before she became my mentor and I would love this book even if I didn’t know her.
Elle was recently hired for what she thinks is her dream job: working PR for the Denver Mustangs. Elle and her father were huge Mustangs fans, and after his recent passing, she feels like working for the Mustangs is one way to stay connected to his memory. Things are going great for Elle until the new star quarterback, Quinton, decides to stage a two-pronged protest, first by covering the league’s logo on his uniform with black tape and second by kneeling during the national anthem. Quinton creates a PR nightmare for the Mustangs, and Elle’s super skeazy boss assigns her the task of getting him to stop. After a rough first meeting, Elle and Quinton’s relationship is contentious at best. Elle doesn’t want him to stop his protest, but she is worried about losing her job. Quinton becomes frustrated with Elle, who is biracial but was raised solely by her white father, because in his eyes, she excuses racism and tends to not acknowledge it when it is happening to her. When Elle gets roped into a side project for her conservative, white, definitely racist boss, it threatens to topple their entire relationship. Both Elle and Quinton have to decide just what they are willing to sacrifice for love, but (duh) it all works out in the end.
I’ve been thinking about writing this review for a while now (I actually read an early version of the book a couple months ago and reread it when it was published). I’m going to try to make some coherent sense of all the thoughts in my head, but I apologize in advance for all the rambling that is probably going to happen.
First and foremost, Alexa has developed a distinctive voice over the course of the Playbook series, and despite the more serious nature of Snapped, that voice is as strong as ever. Elle is just as witty, just as pop culture obsessed, and just as fun as all of her other heroines. She’s also flawed, kinda messy, and still working through some life shit (story of my life these days). Quinton, though he has his moments of seeming like a total douchebag, is actually a pretty perfect hero. Some of the things he does for Elle truly melted my heart. This book has all of the chemistry and witty banter and sexy times I’m looking for in a romance.
But of course, like many of Alexa’s books, this one also tackles some major social issues. I honestly have learned more about CTE from this series than I ever have from watching anything on ESPN (and I watch a lot of football). I have always loved how these books don’t shy away from the messy parts of professional football, and Snapped not only continues the CTE discussion, but also expands to the issue of racism in the league as well. One of Quinton’s main causes is getting the league to treat its older retirees better, because he has watched his former player father suffer from dementia caused by CTE. Players who retired before 1993 are actually the most at risk because of lack of regulations, and yet they are not entitled to the same retirement protections as those who retired after 1993. This is a real issue and I love how these books continue to bring light to such a serious problem.
The racism in professional football is also one of Quinton’s main causes. Despite the fact that the majority of players are Black, the majority of coaches are white, and there are no Black team owners. Quinton is a quarterback, but even after leading his team to a championship, his ability to be a team leader is questioned because of his race. And of course, that doesn’t even touch on the racism happening around America on a daily basis. And one of the main struggles Elle and Quinton have to deal with is their different experiences. Elle has some opinions on race and racism that she is forced to confront throughout the book. And as a white woman, I don’t think it would be fair for me to critique the experience of a Black character, written by a Black author. I’ll just say that for me, Elle’s journey felt authentic and honest.
I don’t think it’s fair to just say that I loved this book and leave it at that. I think this book is important, and impactful, and is one that has the power to challenge people’s perceptions. And on top of all that, at its heart, is a truly swoony love story between two people who really earn their HEA. I loved Snapped the first time I read it, but going back and reading it again, especially after all that has happened over the past few months, has really cemented it as one of my top books of 2020.
Overall Rating: 5 stars
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