In a Pickle by Jane Marlowe

Life can be sour…
Liana Abrams’ life isn’t going the way she’d planned. When she graduated high school and was accepted into a prestigious university, everyone told her she was going places.

But life happened, and Liana unexpectedly finds herself moving back in with her mom at age 26, directionless and learning to manage a chronic disease. Trying to recover, Liana signs up for a pickleball class at her local court… only to discover that her attractive instructor is someone she recognizes from high school.

Life can be sweet…
James Alonso thought he’d be a major tennis star by now, but a career-ending injury caused him to take up pickleball instead. He teaches at the local park and is pleased that the new student in his class is a familiar face.

Sure, he never paid much attention to Liana in high school. She was a bit of a wallflower, while he was the popular golden boy. But now, he can’t stop thinking about her, and he’s determined to take the unexpected opportunity life gave him by putting Liana in his path.

In a Pickle is a delightful sports romance about finding love while finding yourself. This is a standalone with a guaranteed HEA.

My Review

I love the content warning at the beginning of this book. I also appreciate that the book features representation of chronic illness and portrayal of autoimmune diseases. The author also includes mental health representation in this story.  

Liana is home recovering from surgery and getting her health back. She had been on her own for a while and is between the new adult and midlife stages. Her first big outing is lunch with her mom’s boisterous friends, but they are like family to her. She gets invited to play pickleball with her mom’s friends at the country club to check out the instructor and ease back into exercise.

“Assuming that her chronic disease would cooperate with that plan, which was a big if. “- Liana

Wow, with all the name-dropping, I almost missed the importance of who and why the pickleball instructor matters. Yes, I had to scroll back and think about it. He was Mr. Pro Athlete, supposedly dating the ever-popular Mary Grace and traveling the world according to the interwebs feed. But of course, he is also the pickleball instructor, so what’s the real story? 

We do get his pov in the story, and since he is the only other character the same age as Liana, I imagine he is an important character. James has a history of an injury redirecting his life and career as well, which is why he now teaches pickleball classes. 

So her disease is mentioned and the effect on her body and the surgery she went through, but not outright named at this point in the story. He is a good coach, but 

Ahh, so it is mentioned, and she has issues with her illness and the reality of living with it still. She dominated how to proceed with the date, and I don’t blame her.  She has Crohn’s disease. Like a lot of people, she thought it was all in her head until it manifested in outward symptoms, but I still thought it was anxiety. My heart goes out to this character. 

Liana’s journey with diagnosis is very relatable for anyone with a chronic illness, going to the doctor, and being sent home with random labels that don’t treat the issue. Her sickness is affecting her work and her social life, even as an introvert. She got lucky. One doctor finally suggested a basic test and found the solution for her, but of course, to reverse the years of damage, she would need surgery. This brings us to the present day. 

“That was the thing about autoimmune disease: Liana didn’t think anyone could truly understand what was actually going on just by looking at her body. No one could see the havoc her chronic disease had wrought on every aspect of her life. The disease had caused her career plans, relationships, and way of life to careen off path.” – Liana

James and Liana have an easy level of friends and lovers, but then have an opposite side of the tracks thing going on his side. To her, the middle class is very noticeable in the story.

James is an awesome boyfriend and support system, dealing with her autoimmune challenges as they come and being supportive and understanding. I love how the book focuses on a healthy relationship and budding romance. 

Oh, they get steamy and outdoor frisky at that. I so didn’t see that coming with her self-esteem issues.  Of course, one steamy scene leads to a more drawn-out intimate scene as their relationship becomes more defined. Unfortunately, things are regretful, and I’m not sure how it happened, but James screws it up. I didn’t see it coming, and there was no prelude to it from the author. So this is kinda out of left field. 

The unexpected does lead to moving on with the ex and long-time nemesis. So there is that, but can they fix their relationship?  So apologies, new friendships, and a time jump.  The story ends cutely with a happy-for-now ending.

Overall, I like the story and the body positivity, second-chance romance, chronic illness representation, and sports romance. I love the change in the tropes with the mix of a contemporary romance and sports romance to keep it fresh. The characters have a whole friends-to-lovers thing going on with a little history and a small-town feel. The chronic illness was highlighted more in the beginning of the book, and then the author tapered off through the story; it is mentioned, but very little is noticeable as the romance is involved. The book is a little steamy and has a lot of corny puns. But it was a cute read. 

If you would like to read In a Pickle by Jane Marlowe, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Chronic Illness, Sports, and Friends to Lovers.