Pickle Perfect

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 thirtysomething 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....

Author: Ilana Long
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.57lbs
Size: 7.95h x 5.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780593642252


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 09/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 09/08/2025
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2025

About the Author
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 Pickleballers, her debut romcom, the picture book, Ziggy's Big Idea, and her essays appear in multiple books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.