Hiya everyone! Today I’ll be reviewing When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord. Enjoy!
PS: Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book.
(Synopsis from GoodReads)
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.
There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?
From the musical theatre references to an authentic look at New York, this is THE book for musical theatre fans!
When You Get the Chance is joyful, fun, and very hilarious. While I didn’t understand many of the theatre references made, I did enjoy the main plot! The book follows a teen named Millie, as she travels across New York to search for her long-lost mother. At times, it was difficult to keep track of all the potential moms she was meeting. However, I quickly found myself itching to see who would end up being her mother.
The characters in When You Get the Chance were a delight! Millie is such a bold person, but in the best way possible. In many books, bold characters are usually rude. This wasn’t the case here though. Millie is kind and eccentric, I adored her! Her family and friends were also very off-beat, and I loved that!
Furthermore, the banter between Millie and her ‘enemy’ Oliver was really funny! They got under each other’s skin without flat-out insulting one another. This made for some very interesting dialogue. 😆
Much like the dialogue, the writing was hilarious! There weren’t many pop culture references. However, the writing contained a lot of Gen-Z slang and quotes. Thankfully, it wasn’t cringy and was done very well!
Overall, I enjoyed When You Get the Chance. While I found the plot to be slightly overwhelming, I’m sure that theatre fans would love this one!
Age Rating: 14 and up
Trigger Warnings: Parental Abandonment
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars or 7/10
⭐⭐⭐
Have you read any of Emma Lord’s novels? Have a great day!
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