Practice Makes Perfect : A Novel

Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Epigraph Chapter One: Annie Chapter Two: Annie Chapter Three: Will Chapter Four: Annie Chapter Five: Will Chapter Six: Will Chapter Seven: Annie Chapter Eight: Will Chapter Nine: Annie Chapter Ten: Will Chapter Eleven: Annie Chapter Twelve: Annie Chapter Thirteen: Annie Chapter Fourteen: Will Chapter Fifteen: Annie Chapter Sixteen: Will Chapter Seventeen: Annie Chapter Eighteen: Will Chapter Nineteen: Will Chapter Twenty: Annie Chapter Twenty-one: Annie Chapter Twenty-two: Will Chapter Twenty-three: Annie Chapter Twenty-four Chapter Twenty-five: Annie Chapter Twenty-six: Annie Chapter Twenty-seven: Will Chapter Twenty-eight: Annie Chapter Twenty-nine: Will Chapter Thirty: Annie Chapter Thirty-one: Will Chapter Thirty-two: Annie Chapter Thirty-three: Will Chapter Thirty-four: Annie Chapter Thirty-five: Will Chapter Thirty-six: Annie Chapter Thirty-seven: Will Chapter Thirty-eight: Annie Chapter Thirty-nine: Annie Chapter Forty: Annie Epilogue: The Rome Gazette Dedication Acknowledgments Other Titles About the Author Landmarks Cover Cover Title Page Contents Start Copyright Print Page List v vi ix 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 vii 333 334 335 ii 337 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Practice Makes Perfect is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
 Copyright © 2023 by Sarah Adams
 All rights reserved.
 Published in the United States by Dell, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
 Dell is a registered trademark and the D colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Names: Adams, Sarah, 1991– author.
 Title: Practice makes perfect / Sarah Adams.
 Description: Dell Trade Paperback Edition. | New York: Dell Books, 2023.
 Identifiers: lccn 2022051990 (print) | lccn 2022051991 (ebook) | isbn 9780593500804 (trade paperback) | isbn 9780593500811 (eBook)
 Classification: lcc ps3601.d3947 p73 2023 (print) | lcc ps3601.d3947 (ebook) | ddc 813/.6—dc23
 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2022051990
 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2022051991
 Ebook ISBN 9780593500811
 randomhousebooks.com
 Title-page art: imaginarybo © Adobe Stock Photos
 Book design by Sara Bereta, adapted for ebook
 Cover illustration and design: Sandra Chiu
 ep_prh_6.1_143319816_c0_r0
 
 
 
 Contents
 
 Cover
 Title Page
 Copyright
 Epigraph
 
 
 Chapter One: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Two: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Three: Will
 
 
 Chapter Four: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Five: Will
 
 
 Chapter Six: Will
 
 
 Chapter Seven: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Eight: Will
 
 
 Chapter Nine: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Ten: Will
 
 
 Chapter Eleven: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Twelve: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Thirteen: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Fourteen: Will
 
 
 Chapter Fifteen: Annie
 
 
 Chapter Sixteen: Will
 
 
 Chapter 
 
 
 
 To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
 —Audrey Hepburn
 
 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 Annie
 I am convinced dating was created by an evil villain to torture humanity. Dramatic? Not in the least. For introverts like me with social anxiety, the process of dating is equivalent to waxing your bikini line. Menstrual cramps on day two of your cycle. An emergency dental procedure you weren’t expecting—and guess what: they’re fresh out of novocaine.
 “Again, I’m so sorry about the beer,” I say to