Kirkus
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When a recently divorced Seattle woman tries her hand at pickleball, it kicks off a summers’ worth of shenanigans, self-help, and steamy romance. Just six months past her divorce, Meg Bloomberg decides to channel her self-pity in a different, more useful direction: playing pickleball. Actually, her friend Annie Yoon cajoled her into it, but after just a few volleys Meg can’t help but admit that playing pickleball is kind of fun. Meg joins Annie’s Lakeview pickleball league, which boasts a crew of charmingly kooky characters, including a guy known as Reflux Dave, a smack-talking bird-watcher named Jeannie, and the wise, grandfatherly Rooster. But just as Meg’s pickleball love story is beginning, her local court is threatened by environmental do-gooders—and they’re led by not just any earth-friendly consultant, but one specific environmentalist Meg hooked up with a few weeks back. Ethan Fine wants to transform the pickleball court back to its original wetlands state, but that won’t happen if the league has any say in the matter. Meg enters the beginners’ Picklesmash Tournament hoping to use the prize money to save her court, and heads to nearby Bainbridge Island, the birthplace of pickleball, to practice and clear her head of any Ethan Fine distractions. But of course, she runs into the man almost everywhere she goes on the island. She learns that not only is Ethan conspiring to destroy her court, but he’s also competing against her team in the tournament. Can Meg get her groove back and save the Lakeview league while secretly sleeping with the enemy? Long’s sporty romcom is a joyful, slapstick journey about a 30-something woman desperate to reconnect with her true self, full of insight, friendship, and hijinks. Readers will root for Meg’s victory as she volleys for Ethan’s heart, the Golden Pickledrop, and her happily-ever-after. Long’s debut rom-com is a funny, feel-good adventure you won’t want to miss. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.