Pickle perfect

Long returns to the pickleball court (after 2024's Pickleballers) for a delightful second-chance romance with heart. After high school teacher and single mother Lulu Gardner accidentally sends a recording of herself cursing to all of her students via malfunctioning educational software, she's suspended from work indefinitely, freeing her up to accompany her Aunt Laverne and Uncle Rooster on their "Costa Rican pickleball vacation," with her three-year-old daughter, Zoe, in tow. Their last-minute addition to the trip hits a snag when the resort doesn't have rooms for them. The concierge recommends that Lulu take the open slot in a pickleball adventure cohort traveling throughout the country. This brings her face-to-face with her teenage love turned pickleball champ, Tyler Demming, whom she hasn't seen since he broke her heart 15 years earlier. As the pair travel and compete together, old feelings reignite, but can Lulu forgive and forget? Long makes her characters easy to root for, and adorable Zoe steals every scene she's in. The Costa Rican backdrop and fast-paced action on the pickleball court add to the fun. This charms. (Oct.)

A single mother joins an impromptu pickleball vacation to Costa Rica, only to discover that her ex-boyfriend is on the very same trip. Lulu Gardner is a rule follower. As a high school business teacher and single mom to toddler Zoe, the 33-year-old has little time for risk-taking. There was a time when Lulu would sneak out late with her high school boyfriend, Tyler Demming, to play tennis after dark on Washington's Bainbridge Island. But that was then, before her parents died and she abandoned her dreams of going pro. It's been years since she last heard from Tyler, since he didn't show up to her parents' funeral and later became a pro pickleball star. And while she attributes some of her current prudence to that heartbreak, she doesn't know if she can ever reclaim her past adventurousness. That is, until an inappropriate speech-to-text incident lands Lulu in hot water at school and she's suspended. With her job in limbo, Lulu decides to join her godparents on their weeklong Costa Rican pickleball vacation, with Zoe in tow. There, Lulu is presented with the offer of a lifetime: Join a trial pickleball adventure tour through the Costa Rican wilderness for free! Hoping to regain her old spark, Lulu says yes--what could be more fun than pickleball with a sprinkling of zip lining and bat caves? Then a surprise celebrity guest is announced: Tyler Demming. Suddenly, Lulu is thrust into the great unknown with a group of pickleballersand her ex-boyfriend, who's just as damn charming as she remembers. Can Lulu forgive Tyler for the past and conquer her fears, or will she forever be too afraid to take chances? Long's second pickleball romance is a score, full of heart, excitement, spice, and shenanigans. Lulu and Tyler aren't afraid to be vulnerable and their chemistry is undeniable, with just the right amount of a sizzling slow burn. Fans ofPickleballers (2024) will enjoy the perfect mix of sports and romance that proves to be Long's specialty. A page-turning second-chance romance that brings the heat on and off the court. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.