Pickle Perfect
A swoony, second-chance sports rom-com full of tropical heat, sharp banter and sizzling chemistry on and off the court
Published on 30. October 2025
368 pages
978-1-4059-7948-1 (ISBN)
Description
He broke her heart in high school. Now he's breaking her serve.
Your latest obsession has arrived - it's time to pick up your paddle and fight for romance. It's game, set, pickleball!
'Fans of sports romances will delight in this flirty, laugh-out-loud vacation romp!' Jessica James, author of For One Night Only
A second chance at love crashes one woman's tropical pickleball vacation and serves up an adorkably swoony romantic comedy.
Lulu Gardner only takes predictable shots. After faulting on tennis stardom at eighteen, Lulu, now a thirty-something single parent, is in control of her game. But when an unanticipated blunder threatens her teaching job, Lulu's stable, well-planned-okay, boring-world spins out.
And somehow, her godparents convince her to join them for a "de-stressing" destination pickleball vacation in Costa Rica. Maybe an all-inclusive picklecation is just the pick-me-up she needs to loosen her grip.
Or it would have been if she wasn't backhanded by the sight of her high school fling Tyler Demming on the beachside courts.
Fresh off the pickleball pro tour, the reigning bad boy of paddle sports is as studly and snarky as ever. Even though his public image took a hit with a ballsy publicity stunt, Tyler seems to be the big shot he's always been.
But Lulu's had years to steel herself against his rugged good looks and hypnotic charm. Despite the changes she sees in Tyler since their teenage days, Lulu will have no problem keeping her head in the game and her heart on the sidelines. Or so she tells herself....
Praise for Ilana Long:
'Pickleballers delivers the ultimate serve...a fun new rom-com that will definitely have you hitting the court ASAP' Cosmopolitan
'Flirty fun' Good Housekeeping
'Like a perfectly executed third shot drop, Ilana Long's Pickleballers is a delightful banter-filled romcom sure to plink all the heartstrings as the adorable heroine and a swoon worthy hero navigate love and life both on and off the court' Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author
'With lush prose, swoony adventures, and an atmospheric setting, Pickle Perfect is the perfect escapist beach read...An utter delight of a romcom' Heather McBreen, author of Wedding Dashers
'With Pickleballers, Long has taken a big swing and hit a winner' KING 5's Evening
'A funny, feel-good adventure you won't want to miss' Kirkus, starred review on Pickleballers
Your latest obsession has arrived - it's time to pick up your paddle and fight for romance. It's game, set, pickleball!
'Fans of sports romances will delight in this flirty, laugh-out-loud vacation romp!' Jessica James, author of For One Night Only
A second chance at love crashes one woman's tropical pickleball vacation and serves up an adorkably swoony romantic comedy.
Lulu Gardner only takes predictable shots. After faulting on tennis stardom at eighteen, Lulu, now a thirty-something single parent, is in control of her game. But when an unanticipated blunder threatens her teaching job, Lulu's stable, well-planned-okay, boring-world spins out.
And somehow, her godparents convince her to join them for a "de-stressing" destination pickleball vacation in Costa Rica. Maybe an all-inclusive picklecation is just the pick-me-up she needs to loosen her grip.
Or it would have been if she wasn't backhanded by the sight of her high school fling Tyler Demming on the beachside courts.
Fresh off the pickleball pro tour, the reigning bad boy of paddle sports is as studly and snarky as ever. Even though his public image took a hit with a ballsy publicity stunt, Tyler seems to be the big shot he's always been.
But Lulu's had years to steel herself against his rugged good looks and hypnotic charm. Despite the changes she sees in Tyler since their teenage days, Lulu will have no problem keeping her head in the game and her heart on the sidelines. Or so she tells herself....
Praise for Ilana Long:
'Pickleballers delivers the ultimate serve...a fun new rom-com that will definitely have you hitting the court ASAP' Cosmopolitan
'Flirty fun' Good Housekeeping
'Like a perfectly executed third shot drop, Ilana Long's Pickleballers is a delightful banter-filled romcom sure to plink all the heartstrings as the adorable heroine and a swoon worthy hero navigate love and life both on and off the court' Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author
'With lush prose, swoony adventures, and an atmospheric setting, Pickle Perfect is the perfect escapist beach read...An utter delight of a romcom' Heather McBreen, author of Wedding Dashers
'With Pickleballers, Long has taken a big swing and hit a winner' KING 5's Evening
'A funny, feel-good adventure you won't want to miss' Kirkus, starred review on Pickleballers
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
File size
1,87 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4059-7948-1 (9781405979481)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Ilana Long first heard about pickleball when her sporty friend confessed that she was addicted to a game that was "like ping-pong but standing on the table." Shortly after, Long joined the pickleball craze despite her utter lack of hand-eye coordination. A stand-up and sketch comedy writer and actor, Long studied improv and performed at The Second City in Chicago. She is the author of the picture book, Ziggy's Big Idea, and her essays appear in multiple books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
