Publication Date: October 28, 2025
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….
Pickle Perfect by Ilana Long is a second-chance love story with pickleball at its center.
Pickleball isn’t my sport, and I didn’t think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. Part of the draw for me was the vivid scenic descriptions, especially of nature.
Lulu and Tyler are the two main characters in this contemporary romantic comedy. It starts in high school in Washington State, but most of the story is spent in Costa Rica. It was an unlikely backdrop for the adventure they unexpectedly take part in together when their paths cross, far from where they grew up and also fell apart.
There are several misconceptions about how and why Lulu and Tyler went their separate ways fifteen years ago, but in the end, all is finally brought to light. There was one adventure after another in Costa Rica with unexpected sightings and details that made up their itinerary. Tyler’s a disgraced pickleball pro who was kicked off the circuit for his actions. He’s in Costa Rica to improve his image, but will it work?
Lulu‘s daughter Zoe was a cute addition, although she wasn’t in the story as much as I had expected. There were family members, newfound friends, and an unknown love of pickleball. When Lulu’s life takes another unexpected turn—this time in her job as a high school teacher—she and Zoe end up in Costa Rica tailing her aunt and uncle. But for her, it probably was one of the best things that ever happened to her.
Several storylines are relayed throughout, with twists and turns and many surprises. The ending was sweeter than I expected, with a chance for a happily-ever-after. There was also a little romance along the way, but Lulu was always taking two steps back when overcoming her fears and then taking one step forward. The ending gave some closure, but I would have liked to see how their life really played out once she and Tyler were on the same page.
Pickle Perfect is an adventurer’s dream with pickleball and Costa Rica as its lure.
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.
