I did not finish this book. I personally did not connect with the characters as I had hoped and ended up deciding to put the book down. I do appreciate the chance to ARC read, this one just was not for me :(

I visited Bainbridge Island, home of pickleball, in 2023 so I was tickled pink to learn there was going to be a pickleball romance set there! I haven’t yet experienced the phenomenon that is pickleball, but I feel like this book was equal parts entertaining romance and beginners guide to the sport. I hate when a sports romance has almost no “sport” so I love that this was centered around a pickleball tournament!

Pickleballers has a great cast of characters, and I enjoyed their antics on and off the courts. I laughed out loud and “awww”d my way through this book, and it was a fresh and fun spin on the sports romance genre. Dare I hope for more niche sports romances in 2025?

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

A debut romance novel that includes the fastest growing sport in the USA, pickleball. Meg Bloomberg put her interests on hold while helping her husband establish his dental practice. And then he left her. In order to lift her spirits her friend Annie introduces her to the world of pickleball. It is a way to get out and meet people. The book is full of quirky and fun side characters that make up her community. She meets Ethan Fine who she finds handsome. Then she learns that he is an environmental consultant that wants to remove the pickleball courts she uses to restore wetlands.

There is a lot of little skirmishes in this story and I don’t want to spoil them. There are miscommunications and misunderstandings between the leads and others. Ethan and Meg are sweet together and I wish the book was open door. Along the way I learned a lot about pickleball and enjoyed the final match. (3.5 Stars)

Wow this fantastic romcom story made me understand pickleball more especially with all the terms they used within the storylines. It also warmed my heart at the chemistry between Meg and Ethan and of the close friendship with all the pickleball players. Highly recommend to all romance lovers and pickleball fans.

What a fun and entertaining read! Pickleball is a trending sport for sure and this book took that label and ran with it! And did a great job. It was funny and entertaining. The pickleball took center court of the story, with quite a bit drama. Set in the PNW I Loved this story as a fellow West Coaster!

I had to dnf this one. It wasn't for me and I didn't like the characters or the writing. I did like that it had to do with pickleball because its something that has really gained popularity.

Full of romance, sports, twists and turns, healing, and so much more, "Pickleballers" is a Contemporary Romance that will keep you reading into the chapter after chapter after chapter!

As soon as I heard about this book, it instantly became one of my most anticipated reads!

Ilana Long's writing is engaging, full of heart, and emotional. From the first page to the last, I was fully immersed in the stories on the page, and I also learned so much about Pickleball while reading this novel!

When Annie, Meg's best friend, introduces her to the sport of Pickleball after her (Meg's) divorce) to hopefully help her heal, Meg could never have imagined how it will change her life forever. When Meg crosses paths with Ethan, and they find one another continually in each others' paths, their relationship begins to develop and deepen. However, all is not smooth sailing. Will they be one another's happyily-ever-after? You will just have to read to find out!

(Possible Spoilers!):
Full of sports puns, beautiful locations, healing, some miscommunication, and a witty and gripping romance, this novel truly has so much in it. The characters grow throughout, and I absolutely love the strong and beautiful friendship between Annie and Meg. I so look forward to reading what the author writes next!

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Pickleballers is a cute, lighthearted sports romance. It’s full of pickleball puns which I enjoyed and while I didn’t know much about the sport going into this, I’ve definitely learned a lot.

It follows Meg Bloomberg whose best friend introduces her to pickleball to help take her mind off her recent divorce. She falls in love with the sport and becomes involved with the local pickleball community so when their court is under attack, she doesn’t hesitate to help. Things get complicated when she discovers that the stranger she met and connected with on the ferry is none other than Ethan Fine, an environmental consultant who plans to convert her pickleball court into wetlands.

I loved following along while Meg rediscovers who she is post divorce. I really liked her friendship with Annie and the new friends she makes along the way. Especially Rooster!
The romance between Meg and Ethan was sweet. They had great chemistry and I loved their banter.

Overall, this was a great debut and I’m looking forward to whatever Ilana Long releases next!

I loved this book so much. It's such a delightful read, with twists and turns and so much pickleball. I loved that despite every attempt to see Ethan as a villain, he time and again proves to be good and well-intentioned. Especially, I loved that it was, at its core, a book about trusting again - about Meg learning to trust both herself and others after betrayed by the one person who was supposed to be the one she could trust more.

Pickleball has really picked up traction in the sports world in 2024, thus I was SO EXCITED to read a book that featured it.

Meg needs something to take her mind off her scumbag of an ex-husband. When her best friend invites her to play pickleball at the school's courts, she knows she'll hate it but does it anyway. But her hate soon turns into a tournament that she's enrolled in to save the schools' courts. The same courts that are set to be developed into wetlands thanks to Ethan, the charming ferry boat man. Will she choose to let him take over her courts or will she cast her lovesick heart aside and play the game of her life?

I enjoyed reading Long's debut however; I felt there was more pickleball and less romance. Throughout the first 20% of the book, I found myself internally cringing at the female main character's antics, which while some were relatable, others had me wanting to flip the pages fast enough due to second hand embarrassment. I just wasn't full on "sold" on the relationship and ended up speeding up the last half of the read to discover what actually happened to the city courts.

A sports romance, but make it pickleball? Adorable. I've never played myself but the characters, description and passion for the game made me want to pick up a paddle. There was a few really laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout that kept me chuckling.

This book centers around Meg, who picks up pickleball after a shocking divorce. What follows is a high stakes tournament, rival pickleball clubs and a complicated love interest. The story also includes a really nice growth arc for our leading lady, which I enjoyed.

The relationship conflict is a little frustrating and without spoiling anything, both Meg and Ethan do the exact same thing which is my only complaint. But overall, I enjoyed the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I must admit I’ve never played pickleball, but it seems like an interesting sport and I was excited to read more about it in this one. This book had some good humor and I think a lot of potential. I think there was a little too much back and forth drama in the relationship build up for me. A rom-com always has the moment where it appears all is lost for the couple, but I couldn’t even tell when we reached that final hill since it had been so up and down all along and I wasn’t emotionally invested at that point (I missed my normal cry during a rom com). When Meg’s marriage falls apart her friend Annie takes her to play Pickleball. Meg is still a beginner, but she enjoys the game quite a bit. When her club loses their court and sees the chance to enter a tournament as a chance to raise the funds to get a new set of courts and she is excited at the chance to play as part of the beginners team. But nothing is simple, especially not the handsome man she has met. The couple was a decent one and I was rooting for them.

Set in the backdrop of the lush Pacific Northwest, Pickleballers follows a female main character who is at a crossroads in her life.

Recently divorced and feeling stagnant in her career, Meg Bloomberg (with the help of her best friends) turns to the game of Pickleball as a means to process her feelings. When she meets Ethan Fine, her plan gets derailed, and she’ll have to decide what’s next in her life, and whether or not Ethan will be a part of it.

Folks who enjoy a seemingly hapless heroine, the sport of Pickleball, and closed door romances might just hit the jackpot with this book. Since I fit into none of those categories, this wasn’t my personal favorite. There is a lot, and I mean A. LOT. of time spent on the sport of Pickleball, which I felt detracted from the other elements in the story. And this romance is completely closed door, which kind of felt a little like a bait-and-switch because it definitely wasn’t reading that way.

My favorite part was the setting, and author Ilana Long does an amazing job of painting the PNW with a beautiful brush.

This book will definitely find its audience who will wholly appreciate this heroine’s journey; it just wasn’t for me.

📣 a post-divorce heroine finds a new hobby + a new love thanks to pickleball

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 have you ever played pickleball? I think it sounds fun but I’ve never played before in my life.

There’s a lot to be said for finding a new hobby to love as an adult. Meg—a recent divorcee—had discovered pickleball since her jerk ex dumped her, & it’s through the sport that she keeps coming into contact with the attractive stranger she meets earlier in the book.

Meg & Ethan’s relationship blows hot & cold throughout Ilana Long’s Pickleballers, something that I wasn’t feeling 💯 about, particularly since the book itself could be more focused.

But throughout it all is a strong friendship between Meg & her bestie, & a sense of possibility—with pickleball, nature, & love.

Though this book feels a bit surface-level to me, you might enjoy the fact that it isn’t super angsty—even if our friends Meg & Ethan have some setbacks.

3 ⭐️. Out now.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the book in front of pink flowers.]

🏓 Book Review 🏓

✔️ Insta Lust
✔️ One Night Stand
✔️ Enemies to Lovers

I had to check this one out because I played pickleball once and had a great time. This was also a unique setting/plot - divorcée picks up pickleball and joins tournament only to find that her hot one night stand is closing down her team's courts for ecological reasons.

There are parts of this book that are super earnest and grounded, particularly the romance storyline and the FMC's backstory and inner journey.

While a fun backdrop, the pickleball parts were less compelling - these parts also felt much more over the top and the tonal shift didn't work as well for me.

My fave relationship in this book was the FMC and her bestie - these scenes were fun and funny and I love how larger than life Annie was but that she still felt very much real.

The romance was sweet. I loved a cinnamon roll, so this is the type of MMC I typically like. I wish he had a little more to him, though.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Meg is fresh from a divorce and she needs to put her energy into something positive. When her and her best friend pick up pickleball she discovers a passion for the game but also so much more, especially when it comes to Ethan. Yes, there are some complications for these too but just definitely rooted for them to be together!

Overall, "Pickleballers" was a really cute book! When newly divorced Meg, a pickleball newbie, finds out her league's courts may be destroyed with a new environmental project being done in the area, she offers to become the liason with the construction group doing the project. only to find out that the environmental consultant on the project, Ethan, is the guy she met on the boat back from Bainbridge Island (and subsequently made out with). To top it off, when her league decides to enter an upcoming pickleball tournament in the hopes of winning the grand prize to build new courts, her ex-husband shows up with his new girlfriend, hoping to take the same spot on the league's tournament roster as Meg and her pickleball partner, Rooster. Meg, and her best friend Annie, decide to head to Bainbridge Island, the birthplace of pickleball, for a getaway, and to prepare for the tournament. Meg happens to find Ethan on the island, only to find out he too is a pickleballer, and as the sparks between them grow, Meg finds out information that may suggest that Ethan is trying to sabotage her team to favor his own in the tournament.

The romance storyline between Meg and Ethan was great, and was fun and enjoyable, as was the cast of side characters. The banter between the characters was playful and witty, and had me snickering throughout. However, having never played pickleball, and really not knowing anything about it, I felt like I kind of slogged through the parts that had detailed descriptions of the game. (3.5 starts rounded up to 4)

Thanks to NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately ended up DNFing the book; after a few chapters, the storyline just didn't grab me and bring me into the book.
I think the writing itself was great, and honestly, it's just a "me' thing. I will try to revisit the book in the future and maybe next time, I'll be more into it!

Congrats to the author on publishing.

Thanks to Berkley for an eARC; All opinions are my own.

I unfortunately was not a fan of this one. While I was really intrigued by the idea of a pickleball romance plot line at first the actual pickleball just became a bit too much for me as it took up so much go the plot. It drowned out the romance which I already didn’t find particularly believable. The fmc and mmc just didn’t have much chemistry to me and it felt very forced.

These two were adorable. I loved their romance and partnership. The last match of the book was EVERYTHING!

Sports romance
Forced proximity