A bighearted novel about falling in love, making a mess, and learning to let go, When You Get the Chance is the next effervescent novel from Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club pick You Have a Match.
WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE by EMMA LORD
Series: Standalone
Publication date: January 4, 2022
Published by: Wednesday Books
Genre: young adult romance
SYNOPSIS
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?
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Praise for Emma Lord:
"Brimming with energy, rapid-fire banter, and affectionate theater references, this memorable Mamma Mia! retelling...thoughtfully pays homage while skillfully modernizing it for today’s readers." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Chock-full of musical theater references and humor, the novel includes high-stakes emotional drama that is balanced by supportive friendships and strong, deep family connections...An entertaining personal journey with plot twists galore." - Kirkus Reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Lord is the NYT bestselling author of YOU HAVE A MATCH and TWEET CUTE, a BuzzFeed market editor, and dessert gremlin living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese.
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When You Get the Chance by Emma LordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Title: When You Get the Chance
Series: n/a
Author: Emma Lord
Release date: January 4, 2022
Cliffhanger: no
Genre: ya romance
Emma Lord is quickly cementing herself as one of my top favorite authors in the young adult genre. I've read all three books of hers now and each one is a fresh, modern, and poignant coming of age story. When I read the synopsis for When You Get the Chance, I was intrigued by the description of Millie Price. As a teen with aspirations of making it big in theater, she seemed like she would have a larger than life personality. And boy...did she ever. I guess you could call her a bit of a drama queen, in more ways than one. She's brash, impulsive, confident (sometimes overly so) and strong-willed. There are tons of YA books out there about teens who are shy, uncertain of their futures, and perhaps even scared to enter into the next chapter of their life. Millie is a completely different personality which I have to say, was very refreshing.
Millie knew where she was headed from a very young age. She started belting out tunes whenever the opportunity arose, which led to her meteoric internet fame in the "Little Jo" video. We all have embarrassing home videos that we'd rather never see the light of day ever again, right? What if that home video were available for millions to view and ridicule for public entertainment? (Think back to Rebecca Black's video, Friday. Now you get the picture.) Millie is so ashamed of her warbling childhood singing video that she decides that the only solution is to constantly re-invent herself. Her wardrobe is like a revolving door of identities that swing from one extreme to another. She knows she has the talent to succeed in the business, but only if she can keep the skeleton firmly hidden in the closet.
Oliver is the thorn in her side at school who lives to annoy her as much as she does him. After starting off on the wrong foot, they've had a competitive edge in their school relationship. After getting accepted into Madison with a scholarship, it's an added bonus that she won't have to work alongside him in their theater department anymore. That is, if she can convince her dad to allow her to attend the school she never got permission to apply to. Yes, she went through rigorous auditions and screenings to get approved, but she didn't plan far enough ahead to figure out how she was going to actually get permission to go. She has one summer in order to make that happen-and when she sets her mind on something she goes after it like a tenacious Pit Bull. Then her dad's college journal happens. Left open, she's suddenly faced with the possibility of solving the mystery of her mother.
When Millie's was a newborn, her mom dropped her off on her dad's doorstep and never came back. He's handled being a single father like a champ with a little help from her Aunt Heather-she couldn't have asked for two more supportive people in her life. She also has her endearing best friend Teddy to lean on. However, not knowing who her mother was or why she was abandoned has always eaten away at her, and her dad has never offered her any explanations or clues about what transpired in the past.
My dad has always sidestepped the topic like he’s allergic to it,and my aunt says my dad never actually told her who my mom was.I took their cues growing up and never discussed it much either.Not even with Teddy. The secrecy aside, it just always kind of lefta bad taste in my mouth to think about, let alone say out loud.
So typical Millie style, she hatches an impulsive plan to find her mother by applying for an internship that Oliver is up for (which was definitely not well thought out and led to more secrecy and dishonesty with her family.) In some ways, Millie is very strong and confident for her age, but in others she's kind of a mess. She often sticks her foot in her mouth, unintentionally hurting those around her. She's also much more vulnerable than she appears on the surface. The stress of competing against Oliver for the internship while simultaneously trying to find her mom wore her thin. Her mentor is hardcore tough, and her dance class is just as impossible as she feared it would be. Add in some conflicting feelings for Oliver that start to develop and she's got a lot to deal with.
I feel like the romance between Oliver and Millie was a bit underwhelming, but overall they were sweet together. After they got beyond the antagonism and competitiveness that prevented them from truly getting to know one another, they hidden depths that neither expected. There was also a side story with Teddy and Chloe that I really enjoyed.
In summary, there was a lot to love about this book. In Millie's search for her mother, she learned so much about herself along the way. She learned to embrace who she was without shame and open herself up to new possibilities. I'm excited to see what Emma Lord has to offer next.
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