I have read The Best of All Possible Worlds - which I like! it's a romance, it doesn't pretend not to be - and I HATED TGG. Hated it. Firstly it is boringly about sportsball, as you note, and the weird structure doesn't seem to achieve much, as you also note, and second of all, it kind of dispenses with everything charming about the first book! Argh I am still angry about it.