I started reading The Playbook series as a way to lose myself in a world not consumed by COVID. I thought I was there for the romance, but I fell in love with Martin’s portrayal of female friendship and radical self-love. It is clear from reading this series that Martin has experience being underestimated and judged living as the “wife of”, but she uses this experience to fuel characters that are smart, capable, and complex. I knew that Snapped was going to resonate for me as soon as I read the author’s forward. As a multi-racial woman, with a similar experience of growing up surrounded by my white family rather than my family of color, Elliot’s struggle with identity politics struck a chord. Martin did a fantastic job of addressing some serious and contentious topics in the NFL without losing the unique and well-developed characters I’ve come to love.