Practice Makes Perfect: A witty and warm Irish rom-com about fake dates and real sparks from Clodagh Murphy for 2026
About this ebook
Claire Kennedy is the anonymous voice behind a wildly popular sex blog – smart, sassy, and always up for an adventure.... Or so her fans think.
In reality, Claire is quiet, bookish, and hasn’t been on a date in over a year. But when Mark – the charming publisher she’s been flirting with online – suggests they meet in real life, the fantasy risks falling apart.
Mark is offering everything Claire’s ever wanted: an actual relationship, a hot book deal, and a foot in the door of London’s literary scene. There’s just one problem – she needs dating experience, fast.
Enter Luca: laid-back, infuriating, and annoyingly attractive. He agrees to help Claire with some very hands-on research... as long as she doesn’t get the wrong idea. He’s not boyfriend material – and this is strictly practice.
But as sparks fly and lines blur, Claire starts to wonder: Can the rough draft end up being better than the real thing?
Previously published as Some Girls Do.
Praise for Clodagh Murphy:
‘Beautifully written, funny and warm, Murphy has done it again’ Joanna Bolouri
‘A wonderful story of romance, sisterhood and community with a really strong will they/won’t they vibe’ BookMadJo
‘Once again, I loved my trip to Halfpenny Lane and I adored this book. I cannot wait for another visit’ Herding Cats
‘Sweet and funny, this second chance romance was a fun read’ Reviews in Heels
‘If you haven’t started this series yet there is still time to book your trip to the theatre – you don’t know what you are missing’ Kirsty’s Book Reviews
‘This is a lovely series and although it can be read as a standalone, reading the first in the series will add to the enjoyment’ Books, Life and Everything
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About the author
Clodagh Murphy is an Irish author of romantic comedy novels. After more jobs than she can remember, she’s now a full-time writer, the job she’s been training for all her life. The training mainly involved staring into space daydreaming about hot men, so she aced it. She previously worked a variety of admin office jobs, supplemented by side hustles including mystery shopper and movie/TV background artist. Most of her books are set in her hometown of Dublin, but in 2025 she started a new series set on the beautiful, rugged coastline of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. When she’s not writing or obsessing about food, she enjoys travelling, binge-watching TV, reading, doing jigsaws and gardening. She lives in Dublin with a sibling and a cat and writes in a cabin in the garden. Her writing heroes are Jilly Cooper, and Joan Wilder from Romancing the Stone.
