Dill-ightful

by Stef C.R.

A positively dill-ightful MM pickleball novella about finding your family, your purpose, and your happy ending.

Welcome to Cold Water, Michigan. 816.

Milo Van Der Meer never expected to be twenty-five and living in a small town with his grandma. Yet, when his parents went to prison for fraud, he was the only one left to take care of her. He spends most of his days surrounded by children and his afternoons at the only gym within a twenty-mile radius. He feels trapped—no social life, no friends, and no dating prospects. That is until he runs into one of his students and her grumpy dad.

Benny Miller cares about three his daughter, his gym, and his best friend. Everyone else can mind their damn business. When Milo literally stumbles into his life, Benny doesn’t know what to do with the handsome pickleball enthusiast. Should he give him a job? Befriend him? Kiss him? His head is swimming with possibilities and his heart is slowly making room for another person.

Will the grumpy gym owner finally let his guard down and meet the sunshine teacher on the pickleball court?

Genres: M M Romance

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2026

About the author

Project leader by day, romance author by night, Stef C.R. lives in West Michigan with her husband and not one, not two, but three cats.

When she's not working or writing stories, she spends her time reading fantasy and romance, endlessly cheering on the Red Wings, Charles LeClerc, and listening to Noah Kahan.

Reviews

[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves stories with little to no internal angst it's no surprise that this one really worked for me. The characters are super likable and even if it did seem like things just worked out a little too perfectly it was still a really fun little snack sized read.



My only complaints are that A.)Benny went from being a lil insecure about his inexperience (never been with a man/only been with 2 women) to being a confident dirty talker and it was a little bit jarring. B.) Since this is a slowburnish Novella they sorta went from 0- to ' all in' and if you're gonna tell me how they're ' all in' and in love then at least give me a little sneak peak of their new life after having moved in together. If I don't get to witness a proposal at least let me see when they've decided go move in together instead of just telling me they did in the epilogue 😭 they could've hung Emma's picture of the 3 of them holding hands up on the fridge 🥺 *sigh* sue me for always wanting more from these damn endings 😒

[Brit ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this was such a fun novella!! I just loved Milo and Benny. A meet cute caused by a raccoon is hilarious. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a novella that is a slow burn but the way Stef does it, is beautiful!! Emma is such a sweet kid and the perfect addition to their little family. I would loveeeeee more!

[Quilted.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since reading Heated Rivalry I feel like my eyes have been opened to sports romance so when I saw an MM pickleball novella I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did because this one was such a cute feel good story.The book takes place in the small town of Cold Water, Michigan and follows Milo Van Der Meer, a 25 year old teacher who unexpectedly finds himself living with and taking care of his grandma after his parents go to prison for fraud. Milo spends most of his time around kids and helping out at the local gym and he’s feeling pretty stuck in life with no real social circle or dating prospects.Everything starts to change when he runs into one of his students and her very grumpy dad, Benny Miller. Benny is a gym owner who mostly keeps to himself and focuses on three things: his daughter, his gym, and his best friend. But when Milo literally stumbles into his life, Benny suddenly isn’t sure what to do with the sunshiney pickleball enthusiast who keeps showing up in his everyday life . What starts as curiosity slowly turns into something deeper as the two begin to open up to each other.This story was just adorable. I loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Benny and Milo and the small town vibe made everything feel cozy and charming. It’s a quick read but still manages to give you lovable characters and a sweet romance that’s easy to root for. who wouldn’t love an MM pickleball romance? Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something light, fun, and heartwarming. Or just love sports romance in general. Comes out March 10th.

[HeadCanonHeadCase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milo's whole life turned upside down. His parents are in prison, his grandmother needs help, and he just left Chicago for a town with less than 900 residents. All he wants is a little bit of normalcy in the form of pickleball, but the courts at the local gym are closed. Benny has enough going on between his daughter and trying to keep his gym open. Renovating the pickleball courts feels like one task too much, but with Milo as a partner, maybe it's possible.

Read if you like:
-Small Town Romance
-Bi-Awakening
-Single Father
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Age Gap
-Pickleball
-Adorable Raccoons named Bandit

Dill-ightful lives up to its title. The whole novella had me smiling, from Bandit's antics, to Milo's sunshine personality, to Benny's quiet earnestness. It's rare that I connect with both MCs-usually one is the clear favorite in my mind-but I simply can't pick between Milo and Benny. They are both precious and relatable. I was rooting for them the whole time and both can protect me from Bandit any day. I love this small town Stef has created and I'm excited to fall in love with more of it's residents.

[Becca shybookstagramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I ever think I would read a sports romance book about pickleball? No. But did I love every second of it? Yes I did! This was a quick but very cute read. Milo and Benny are so cute! I fell in love with them immediately. They've got that grumpy x sunshine dynamic going on and it was perfect. I liked how obsessed Milo was with pickleball, which I think is very accurate to real pickleball players. It's not just a sport but a lifestyle. That being said, it wasn't sports heavy. It was still very much centered around their romance.
There are also some great side characters including Benny's daughter, his best friend, and a racoon. Stef has also hinted at a sapphic romance featuring some of the side characters and I'm here for it! Overall this was a really cute novella but I wish there had been more because I couldn't get enough of them. Please check it out!

Content warning: spicy content

thank you to the author for the earc. all thoughts are my own

[Tiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh! I loved this book! It was so cute and so sweet. Milo was such a sunshine, golden retriever character with a crush. Benny is a grumpy, single dad trying to stay afloat. They meet due to a raccoon incident, 🤭 then slowly evolve into friends, then lovers. The ending felt a bit rushed, but it is a novella, so I’m not complaining. It was still a lovely read, very cute and cozy with a few angsty or emotional elements. I also adored Emma and the little group of friends/family they made!

⭐️4.75
🌶️2
💧2
😂3

🏏🏋🏻‍♂️💪🏽👟📑👨🏼‍🏫👧🏻🧑‍🧒🧑‍🧑‍🧒🥞🍫📺🎬🍿👨🏻‍❤️‍👨🏼👨🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

📍Illinois

💚mm
💚strangers to friends to lovers
💚gym owner
💚single father x daughters kindergarten teacher
💚babysitter mc
💚small town
💚found family
💚bi-awakening
💚demisexual rep
💚slow burn
💚pickleball enthusiast
💚business partners
💚grumpy x sunshine
💚black cat x golden retriever
💚crazy raccoon
💚slight d/s
💚praise
💚hea

Always check content warnings before reading!

I received this book as an ARC.

[Jalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars

This was such a fun quick read! I loved the chemistry and relationship growth between the two characters! I know it’s a novella but can I please have a full length book of these two!? I need more! I loved the relationship between Benny and his daughter (I’m a sucker for a single dad romance) and how Milo was able to just easily meld right into the family like he was meant to be there the whole time! A short and sweet (and spicy) novella that was a nice palette cleanser as well! Bust seriously, I need a full length book for these two!!

Thank you to Stef CR for this ARC Opportunity!

[Aimee Crant-oksa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dill-ightful is a cute, heartwarming MM novella. Benny is a single dad and gym owning trying to do the best for his daughter and keep his head afloat with the finances of the gym. Milo falls into their lives and brings joy and possibility. He is a teacher and ends up helping Benny with his daughter and it feels like he is their missing piece. Benny has never been with a man before, but he can’t stop thinking about Milo. Milo loves pickleball and together they bring pickleball to the gym and this town and make a life for themselves together. It felt a bit like a slow burn as Benny came to grips with his feelings. They were very much opposites with Benny being a bit grumpy and Milo bringing the sunshine to their lives.
This was a fun, quick read filled with heart, love and a little pickleball.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review
Antecdotal thoughts while reading
Milo - stuck in a small town with few prospects for a relationship, living with grandma
Benny - divorced father, town handyman/gym owner, just trying to make ends meet
Town 🦝 who evades animal control 😄
Even you deserve to be taken care of Benny.
"The coffee, sunshine." The nicknames/pet names have started.
LQBTQIA+ awakening?
Do you open passenger doors for your "friends"? I don't.
Milo, you are speaking my pizza dough language.
Calling her "honey"?????
For a flicker of a second, Chapter 12's title made me stop and think.

[dayshereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet short story about finding people who let you be yourself. It felt like watching a small lake town 90’s summer romcom. Total nostalgia. Comfort like a warm blanket. Both MCs are sort of stuck before they help each other out of ruts. They are both sweet cinnamon rolls who are easy to root for.

Milo is all sunshine to Benny’s grumpy. He has the new ideas and energy that Benny needs to make his business thrive instead of just survive. Their connection and friendship is quick.

The burn is slow but it does pay off with a spicy ending. Benny’s curiosity feels genuine and Milo is the best person to help guide him through a new experience.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

🫶Thank you to the author for an advance reading copy 🫶

Oh my gosh this was such a cute story! Small town ✅ single dad ✅ AGE GAP ✅

This had the warm energy of a hallmark movie, a cute low stakes romance with nothing but lovable characters (including a chaos causing raccoon!)

If you love mm sport romance novellas, this one should be on your list!

[Laura B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cutest little RomCom everyone needs. I absolutely adore Stef CR and her characters. We get to follow along Milo and Benny, and how they become quick friends. I do hope there will be more spin-offs of the others friends in this Cute book. 100% recommend if you are looking for a quick pick me up good feel read.

[Reading is escaping reality · Rating 5 out of 5]

He’s an overworked single dad, while he Mets a guy who is nothing but. A ray of sunshine. He didn’t think he was gay, well until him! This is as cute and short, and a little splash of spice!

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet. (Though I didn’t exactly buy everything that happened in this book.)

I liked the epilogue. I mean, still unnecessary, but no proposals, weddings or babies? Excellent.

[... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww 🥰 This was a sweet, wholesome, feel-good, no-angst, quick read that made me happy. A fantastic little pallate cleanser I'd recommend to anyone who wants an easy pick-me-up!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Brooke.reads_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Benny and Milo so much! This was such a quick read and I’m so sad it’s over. I couldn’t get enough of all the characters in this book. The side characters are just as good as the mains! I wouldn’t be opposed to getting a novella about Bandits crazy antics. I’m convinced that Stef couldn’t write a book or novella that I wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy. Stef did mentioned that she isn’t good at writing standalones so I’m ecstatic to see where this possible series goes!! If you need a cute read that has some spicy moments, this is definitely for you!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
Small Town Pickleball Romance
Bi-awakening
Age Gap
Single Dad
Grumpy x Sunshine
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Cutest Raccoon

Thank you so much to Stef C.R. for the ARC in exchange for my honest review🫶🏻

[c.m.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how you write a novella! I loved everything about this book including Benny, Milo, Sam, and Emma. Single dad Benny is working hard to keep things afloat at his gym, while taking care of his daughter Emma. Milo, is new to town. He use to live in Chicago but moved back to be with his grandmother. He is working at the school, but looking for a job and for his place in the new, much smaller city. Along the way, they form the cutest friendship. They both end up helping one another out and in those little moments they fall for one another. Sam, Benny's best friend was also a great side character. This whole book was great. It had the pickleball element without being overly sporty and was just a feel good story.

Thanks so much Stef C.R for the ARC