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Practice Practice Practice: A Friends-to-Secret-Lovers MM Romance
Martin has a plan. He and Tommy will do everything “the right way” for their last year of high school, including losing their virginities with their girlfriends on Prom night. But the only way to do things well is to practice, right?
Practice Practice Practice is an erotic gay novella, a coming-of-age romance, and a coming out story about the unreasonable expectations and pressures put on young adults.
Practice Practice Practice is an erotic gay novella, a coming-of-age romance, and a coming out story about the unreasonable expectations and pressures put on young adults.
113 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2025
About the author
T. S. Drake
8 books3 followersT. S. Drake enjoys writing romantic and erotic stories about young adult men discovering themselves, falling in love, and trying new experiences. He lives in Canada with his partner and their dog. New stories and chapters post early on Patreon.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 20, 2025
Found this on Wattpad. It was so unexpectedly poignant and sweet. Lots of heart and humor.
July 6, 2026
📚Story setting/tropes/tags:
- high school
- best friends to lovers
- bi/gay-awakening
- single POV (3rd person)
👥 MCs:
- age: not stated but implied 17/18 (senior year)
- shy, serious, studious, caring, anxious, timid, overthinking MC
- laidback, mischievous, confident, outgoing, daring, calm MC
💕 Romance:
- blooming feelings
- yearning/longing
- ILY
- HFN
🔥 Spice:
- Explicit content (masturbation, bj, handjob, 69, safe sex, bareback sex, public sex, anal orgasm, wet dream)
‼️TW:
- cheating (MCs had girlfriends)
- internalised queerphobia/homophobia
- slight dubcon (unconsented kiss, read below)
💬 Review:
Spice was really good, hot, sensual, plentiful and so emotionally charged towards the end. The book started light, turned fun and steamy, then came fear and confusion to luckily end happily.
I found fan chapter discussions on the author’s page that highlighted some interesting points that I didn’t notice at first. Like others, I also liked that it was Tommy who volunteered to take on a “girl” role first because he was the one who came up with the idea when Martin was clearly nowhere near ready for that step. Very often it’s the MC who suggests gay experimenting that wants to “put it in” and pressuring the other. In this case this led to greater implication as Tommy never requested to switch. His lack of desire to top was symbolic that he no longer wanted to prepare himself for heterosexual sex with his “girlfriend”.
It was subtle yet evident as the story progressed that the practice turned into something else for Tommy where he caught feelings and embraced his sexuality (his views on that was well expressed and it was made even clearer later on). He wanted to be taken rather than doing the taking. Similarly, Martin topping in a way unleashed his dormant primal, softly dominant side which gave him a sense of being in charge when his life has been filled with events out of his control that impacted him more than he was aware of. He was drowning in helplessness, chaos and overly critical thoughts in his head that he tried to obsessively manage with order and planning.
They found the perfect fit in each other, achieving a mutual sense of safeness, rightness and profound connection beyond mere friendship. I don’t often put much significance on bed roles which are purely personal preferences but here they delivered slightly deeper meaning. These were small, seemingly trivial details yet they added another dimension to the story.
One thing I didn’t agree with was the school scene. As much as I felt for Tommy, he had no right to out Martin publicly when he was yet to fully come to terms with his sexuality. Martin denying them was wrong but that didn’t excuse Tommy’s actions. Martin’s punishment from school was excessive imo.
Elizabeth as a “girlfriend” was far too good for Martin, she showed deep understanding despite being technically cheated on. But I couldn’t help but side eye her when she admitted to having to make MCs drunk enough to get him to kiss her (even if you’re dating, if your partner is not ready to initiate any intimacy, you fucking respect that). To me it was a minor dubcon but still.
The revelation part was a bit shocking as in it came out of nowhere imo. I wasn’t sure how relevant it was to the story but ok, Martin was dealing with a lot behind the scene.
I felt the final resolution could have been handled better and ended less rushed. I wished there was another chapter with them going to the prom together, that would be such a power move. Those boys deserved a more well-rounded HEA.
But all in all, it was a beautiful, poignant and heartfelt YA novel. This was a second book written by this author that I thoroughly enjoyed and l’ll definitely be checking his other works.
“Gay is an orientation–it’s desire.”
“Tommy was his rock, but at that moment Martin saw that he was Tommy’s rock too. They were in this stormy sea together.”
- high school
- best friends to lovers
- bi/gay-awakening
- single POV (3rd person)
👥 MCs:
- age: not stated but implied 17/18 (senior year)
- shy, serious, studious, caring, anxious, timid, overthinking MC
- laidback, mischievous, confident, outgoing, daring, calm MC
💕 Romance:
- blooming feelings
- yearning/longing
- ILY
- HFN
🔥 Spice:
- Explicit content (masturbation, bj, handjob, 69, safe sex, bareback sex, public sex, anal orgasm, wet dream)
‼️TW:
- cheating (MCs had girlfriends)
- internalised queerphobia/homophobia
- slight dubcon (unconsented kiss, read below)
💬 Review:
Spice was really good, hot, sensual, plentiful and so emotionally charged towards the end. The book started light, turned fun and steamy, then came fear and confusion to luckily end happily.
I found fan chapter discussions on the author’s page that highlighted some interesting points that I didn’t notice at first. Like others, I also liked that it was Tommy who volunteered to take on a “girl” role first because he was the one who came up with the idea when Martin was clearly nowhere near ready for that step. Very often it’s the MC who suggests gay experimenting that wants to “put it in” and pressuring the other. In this case this led to greater implication as Tommy never requested to switch. His lack of desire to top was symbolic that he no longer wanted to prepare himself for heterosexual sex with his “girlfriend”.
It was subtle yet evident as the story progressed that the practice turned into something else for Tommy where he caught feelings and embraced his sexuality (his views on that was well expressed and it was made even clearer later on). He wanted to be taken rather than doing the taking. Similarly, Martin topping in a way unleashed his dormant primal, softly dominant side which gave him a sense of being in charge when his life has been filled with events out of his control that impacted him more than he was aware of. He was drowning in helplessness, chaos and overly critical thoughts in his head that he tried to obsessively manage with order and planning.
They found the perfect fit in each other, achieving a mutual sense of safeness, rightness and profound connection beyond mere friendship. I don’t often put much significance on bed roles which are purely personal preferences but here they delivered slightly deeper meaning. These were small, seemingly trivial details yet they added another dimension to the story.
One thing I didn’t agree with was the school scene. As much as I felt for Tommy, he had no right to out Martin publicly when he was yet to fully come to terms with his sexuality. Martin denying them was wrong but that didn’t excuse Tommy’s actions. Martin’s punishment from school was excessive imo.
Elizabeth as a “girlfriend” was far too good for Martin, she showed deep understanding despite being technically cheated on. But I couldn’t help but side eye her when she admitted to having to make MCs drunk enough to get him to kiss her (even if you’re dating, if your partner is not ready to initiate any intimacy, you fucking respect that). To me it was a minor dubcon but still.
The revelation part was a bit shocking as in it came out of nowhere imo. I wasn’t sure how relevant it was to the story but ok, Martin was dealing with a lot behind the scene.
I felt the final resolution could have been handled better and ended less rushed. I wished there was another chapter with them going to the prom together, that would be such a power move. Those boys deserved a more well-rounded HEA.
But all in all, it was a beautiful, poignant and heartfelt YA novel. This was a second book written by this author that I thoroughly enjoyed and l’ll definitely be checking his other works.
“Gay is an orientation–it’s desire.”
“Tommy was his rock, but at that moment Martin saw that he was Tommy’s rock too. They were in this stormy sea together.”
March 5, 2025
Practice Practice Practice by T. S. Drake is delightful story about the transformative power of practice—especially erotic practice.
As a somatic sex educator, I teach adults by suggesting embodied erotic practices. In my experience, people develop sexual skills through intentional, ongoing practice. Unfortunately, many people don’t believe they can expand their erotic capacities in this way. Martin and Tyler, the teenage boys in this story, however, fully trust in the power of practice. Tyler puts it simply: “How else are you supposed to get good at anything?”
For Martin and Tyler, their senior year of high school is not just about finishing school but about preparing for life. They believe that with practice, they can meet any challenge, and they approach each goal with discipline and intention. Every Saturday, they meet to reflect on their efforts and record what they’ve learned.
The story begins with them discussing their progress in learning how to kiss their girlfriends—how often they practiced, how their partners responded, and whether they were improving. They intuitively know that deliberate practice is most effective when combined with thoughtful reflection.
This learning philosophy extends to every area of their lives. They train for basketball so effectively that they make the varsity team as seniors, despite not having played in previous years. They take music lessons, practice wrestling, prepare for public speaking, and even commit to learning how to dance for prom.
T.S. Drake’s story then details how two boys with an unwavering belief in the transformative power of practice prepare for their first sexual experience with a girl. As they begin, Tyler speaks a rational for their erotic practice sessions: “It’s just to figure out what feels good. It’s like practicing your layups.” Of course, the boys experience the complexity and mystery of practicing sex and how different it is from practicing basketball.
As a somatic sex educator, I teach adults by suggesting embodied erotic practices. In my experience, people develop sexual skills through intentional, ongoing practice. Unfortunately, many people don’t believe they can expand their erotic capacities in this way. Martin and Tyler, the teenage boys in this story, however, fully trust in the power of practice. Tyler puts it simply: “How else are you supposed to get good at anything?”
For Martin and Tyler, their senior year of high school is not just about finishing school but about preparing for life. They believe that with practice, they can meet any challenge, and they approach each goal with discipline and intention. Every Saturday, they meet to reflect on their efforts and record what they’ve learned.
The story begins with them discussing their progress in learning how to kiss their girlfriends—how often they practiced, how their partners responded, and whether they were improving. They intuitively know that deliberate practice is most effective when combined with thoughtful reflection.
This learning philosophy extends to every area of their lives. They train for basketball so effectively that they make the varsity team as seniors, despite not having played in previous years. They take music lessons, practice wrestling, prepare for public speaking, and even commit to learning how to dance for prom.
T.S. Drake’s story then details how two boys with an unwavering belief in the transformative power of practice prepare for their first sexual experience with a girl. As they begin, Tyler speaks a rational for their erotic practice sessions: “It’s just to figure out what feels good. It’s like practicing your layups.” Of course, the boys experience the complexity and mystery of practicing sex and how different it is from practicing basketball.
March 6, 2025
What begins as an easy agreement between friends to help each other be ready for success with important upcoming life milestones turns into a whirlwind of enjoyment and conflict for the two main characters as they wend their way toward a life-changing denouement for them both. Enjoy the heartful and detailed account of their discoveries - laugh, cry, and finish with them throughout the compelling chapters! Excellent story!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews