Pickleballers by Ilana Long is an amateur outing on the pickleball court. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and is entirely here for a fun, mind-numbing time.

It’s flimsy, fleeting storytelling won’t leave a lasting impression on romance readers, but it will provide a light and fluffy new take on the sports genre for those tired of reading about hockey dude bros. Beat for beat, it offers all the generic yet beloved trappings of the romance genre with heart-warming encounters and adorable banter.

The rom-com follows Meg, an artist scrambling to establish a new life for herself after a brutal breakup. She joins her friend’s recreational pickleball league as a way to keep her mind off her ex, but soon finds trouble when she falls for a player from the rival league — a man also in charge of demoing the school’s pickleball courts, which her league lays claim to each week.

If that summary sounds messy enough, know this book is a hot mess on and off the courts.

It throws around plot twists and new characters with careless abandon. It can be challenging to follow at times and lacks depth. Much of the book relies on the miscommunication and drama between the lead couple, Meg and Ethan, so much so that you’re never really rooting for them to make it work in the end.

Despite the grating back and forth of their budding relationship and the immature nature of our protagonist, there is something positive to be said about the pickleball of it all.

The play-by-play action sequences are far more fascinating than anything else this premise has to offer. The rival league dynamics and wholesomeness of Meg’s encouraging teammates build camaraderie on the courts, making for a breezy beach read. The author milks the gimmicks of the sport, dropping interesting terminology and tidbits about pickleball’s history at every available opportunity.

Suppose you’re curious enough to immerse yourself in a fictional pickleball world to understand what makes people gravitate towards this sport of all things. In that case, Pickleballers isn’t a terrible place to start.

It offers us plenty of time on scenic courts with beautiful waterfront backdrops.

The book never reaches its full potential, weighed down by poorly written characters and tired plot tools. If the author can refine their delivery and make this concept shine, readers will be eager to see Long bounce back with another pickleball-centric romance.

Unfortunately, Meg and Ethan aren’t the winning pairing this book needs them to be.

I don't understand the major dislike for this book! I was laughing out loud reading this. I've never played pickleball and yes, this did have a lot of pickleball talk, but it was easy to understand and didn't bother me. I also loved Meg and was rooting for her the whole time when she put herself out there after her divorce.

I went in with hopes of really liking the book. It had some potential, but I just couldn't connect with/enjoy spending time with the FMC.

DNF @ 32%

I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, the intense look at pickleball is centered overall, leaving romance readers at a loss and yearning way more.

Listen, I tried, okay? I went into this book with optimism for a sport that I loathe. And I should have just ... stayed away. It was painful to read through play by plays. I couldn't root for Meg either ... she was not a strong lead and complained ... a lot. And I get it, okay? She's supposed to grow, but honestly it was just too trivial for me to even care.

The whole tournament/prize situation was a little hard to follow, to be honest, but the romance and the pickleball and the friendships were not. This was a fun story with likable characters - Ethan and Meg were really cute on and off the court.

Overall this was a quick and cute book -enemies to loversish book. Not going to lie I did find some of the closed door scenes jarring and maybe that took away some of my liking of the book? Still cute and would read more from her in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I live in Bainbridge and I struggled to love this one. I know pickleball was founded in Bainbridge but it just didn't hit for me the way I wanted it to.

I was excited about the premise of Pickleballers because I had never read a sports romance set in pickleball before. Overall, I found myself getting bored as I read this book. I think this book has potential, but it missed the opportunity. I won't be reviewing this book on my social media accounts.

This was a cute and fun contemporary rom-com. I really enjoyed the characters - especially Meg. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

TITLE: PICKLEBALLERS
AUTHOR: Ilana Long
PUB DATE: 11.12.2024

Meg Bloomberg is in a pickle. When Meg’s ex turns out to be a total player, she and her bestie take off for a mood-lifting pickleball excursion to Bainbridge Island. It’s supposed to be an easy lob, a way to heal, not the opening serve to a new courtside romance that’s doomed to spin out.
 
No matter how Meg tries, she can’t shake her feelings for Ethan Fine. A charismatic environmental consultant and Bainbridge local, Ethan seems like the real dill. But when Meg discovers that Ethan is sabotaging her home court, she decides the match is over.
 
It’s time for Meg to take control of her own game. And maybe, just maybe…love will bounce back.

THOUGHTS:

I was so excited when we had a Posh Pickleball event at work when I received this book in the mail, while also having just learned to play the sport from my sister. Who knew I had a knack for dinking the ball in the kitchen.

The book was a fun read, and had all the pickleball puns in an uplifting story full of heartwarming moments that was sweet and romantic.

If you love a sports romance romcom set in the beautiful PNW surrounding pickleball, with a tender romance, and the occasional hilarious scenes that will make you belly laugh? Be sure to pick up Pickleball - it’s good for your soul.

Pickleballers by Ilana Long offers a fun and lighthearted look at the world of pickleball, capturing the excitement of the sport and the quirky personalities of its players. The writing is easy to follow, and Long does a good job of bringing the sport to life with humor and enthusiasm. The characters are likable, and their interactions are relatable, offering a nice mix of competition, friendship, and personal growth.

However, while the story is enjoyable, it lacks the emotional depth or complexity that could have made it truly stand out. The plot feels a bit predictable at times, and the character development doesn’t go as deep as it could have. Some readers may find themselves wanting more from the narrative, particularly in terms of the stakes and emotional investment in the characters’ journeys.

Overall, Pickleballers is an entertaining, easy read for fans of sports fiction and lighthearted stories. It’s a fun way to pass the time but doesn’t fully reach its potential in terms of depth and emotional resonance.

Rating: 2.5/5

I’ll start by saying that I was not the target audience for this book. Pickleball has taken over the country—everyone seems to be playing, buying gear, or generally obsessed with it. I am not one of those people. So, a book that was about 85% pickleball just didn’t work for me.

That being said, if you love the sport or want to learn more about it, this might be right up your alley. However, for a romance, I felt the sports focus took away from both the romantic connection and character development. I couldn’t connect with the two main characters, and the “enemies” aspect of their relationship felt weak. I wanted more depth, more tension, and more emotional investment.

If you’re looking for a light read that’s heavy on pickleball with a side of romance, this could be for you. But if you’re here primarily for the romance, you might find it lacking.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Pickleballers by Ilana Long!

The Pickleballers by Ilana Long –2.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨🥒🏓

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, the only reason I finished this book was because of that agreement. The characters took pickleball so seriously that it became laughable-I found myself rolling my eyes throughout.

The moments I enjoyed most had nothing to do with pickleball; the hiking chapters with goats were the real highlight for me. I can see how this book might appeal to dedicated fans of the sport, but maybe I’m just not a sports romance reader. The chants of “Pickleball!” at the end were the final touch on my ongoing frustration with the story.

I also found Meg’s friend Annie incredibly annoying, and the confusion between the two Michaels felt far-fetched. While I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC, this one just wasn’t for me.

These two have great chemistry and I loved the PNW setting. I thought the author nailed the feeling.

I am such a great fan of tennis, that I was excited to see how pickleball could translate into a rom com. Loved the pickleball puns.

There were some laugh out loud moments, but I really wished there was a little more touching moments.

It’s a new sport to throw into the sports romance genre.

This is a sports book first while the romance takes a backseat. If you are interested in pickleball, you'll likely enjoy the book as there is extensive explanation of the sport, play-by-play, etc. If (like me) you don't give a fig, it may be less enjoyable to read and you'll be skimming those parts but if you want a quirky take on a sports (semi) romance book, this may be the book for you!

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a cute book which uses Pickleball as the background for a romance. Meg is recovering from an ex relationship and finds herself in Bainbridge, but the person that she finds herself getting close to is going to be a hindrance to her home court. The characters are pretty cute, but I did feel like the romance was a little slower than I usually enjoy. But all in all if you are looking for a cute romantic comedy set in the exciting world of Pickleball this could be the book for you.

Hm, while I thought I was ready for a really silly book, I found myself not loving this one. Neither of the main characters really stood out to me or interested me. I also found the pickleball scenes to feel kind of annoying, but that might be because I don't know much about that sport. This was fine, but definitely one I recommend you grab from the library or on sale.

I love pickleball. I love romance. But unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book - hence why it took me so long to pick up and get through. My biggest issue with it was there was just so much going on - a romance, a pickleball competition, a bit of a self-discovery journey, a community project and some activism - it was just so much to juggle. And because there were so many different plot points, it was difficult to enjoy all of them completely, because they all felt slightly underdeveloped.

Additionally, there were so many scenes that were nothing but play-by-play descriptions of pickleball matches, which took away from the story and various plot lines.

Ultimately, this was just not the book for me and, in the end, I was not invested in the relationship or main character.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.