The day I found out there was a pickleball rom com novel hitting the shelves at my Barnes & Noble, I knew it was going to be a good day in the picklesphere.

Released on November 12, 2024, “Pickleballers” by Ilana Long tells the story of Meg, who takes a trip with her best friend to Bainbridge Island, WA to reset after she discovers that her ex is a player.

While there, Meg falls in love with the game and finds family on the court, but gets the unfortunate news that the beloved community courts are going to be torn down by a hunky environmentalist who she had a brief fling with.

It’s an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy.  

An avid pickleball player since 2020, Long described herself as “a little obsessed with pickleball.” 

Having grown up outside of Seattle, she has previously visited the birthplace of America's fastest-growing sport - and even won a tournament there.

“The pandemic was such a reset for all of us because it was an international unifying experience where we were communally thinking that we need to be grateful,” said Long. “That’s why I think both comedy and romance are so great because they satisfy the need to connect with people, the need to be outside, play sports, and reinvent ourselves at any stage in life.” 

Comedy is the key element in “Pickleballers.” Long has a background in improv and stand-up, so her agent advised her to write about something she loves and especially something funny.  

“I wrote something funny about pickleball. I actually stole some of my own stand-up jokes. And people who play pickleball are like a treasure chest of comedy,” she explained. “On the courts, I just laugh my head off because people around me just say the funniest things.” 

Originally, the romance was just a side plot in the first draft of “Pickleballers.” But Long’s editor thought this would make the perfect rom com and challenged her to write with romance as the main plot. 

“I like the idea of community and found family at the pickleball courts because that really happens for people – and so does romance,” she mentioned.  

While Long was a full-time teacher in 2020, she spent her 50-minute planning period actually writing this book. 

“I’ve been writing for a lot of years, but I’ve never written so fast in my life. I felt this pressure that pickleball was going to boom and I had to be the first,” she insisted. “I really felt the intensity of that, so I was writing as fast as I could.”

Long finished the first draft about six months later and sent it to her agent. After shopping the novel around, they finally landed a deal with Penguin Random House where she scored some incredible reviews from Cosmopolitan, Kirkus Review, and Good Housekeeping.

And best yet? The adorable cover. 

Fortunately, there's more to come. 

“I’m writing the second book now called “Pickle Perfect” and it has some of the same characters from ”Pickleballers.” That will be out in about a year from now,” confirmed Long. 

If you want to read “Pickleballers” or listen to Long narrate the audiobook, go to Amazon, Penguin Random House, Barnes & Noble, or Ilanalong.com.