When You Get the Chance: A Novel

Written by Emma Lord

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

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.

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream of becoming a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super introverted dad, who raised Millie alone since she was a baby. Not her drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not her “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm. Millie needs an ally. And when an accidentally left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do—find her mom.

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?

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250839732

Emma Lord

Emma Lord (she/her) is a digital media editor and writer 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. Her books include Tweet Cute, You Have a Match, and When You Get the Chance.

Reviews for When You Get the Chance

[elle · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

DNF. I picked this book without reading much about it because I’ve listened to other books with the narrator and found her to be great. From the first chapter I knew this book was going to be awful but I kept going because I didn’t want to waste my allotted audiobook for the month. Well at chapter 8 I’ve given up; boring, virtue signalling garbage is how I’d describe this drivel. Recommended for people who want to be bored to death by an unoriginal and clichéd concept.

[Andrea Author · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When her dad refuses to let New York teen Millie attend a performing arts school in California, she decides to enlist the help of her mother. Just one problem: she doesn't know who her mother is. Using her dad's LiveJournal entries from 2003, she narrows down the possibilities. With the encouragement of her best friend, and the interference of her nemesis Oliver, will this be the summer she makes her family whole?

This book is PHENOMENAL. Millie is bold and ambitious, in part because she's made that way, and in part because it's the only way to achieve her dreams. The rivalry and budding romance between her and Ollie is adorable. I love how her courage helps other characters overcome their fears and go after the things they want. I enjoyed Emma Lord's first book, TWEET CUTE, but this one is even better. I highly recommend the audio version—Millie is a performer, and the narrator does a great job of bringing her oversized personality to life.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Shelley Swift · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the story, characters and narration. All around, it's a treat. Highly recommend.

[Mary Ulrickson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved everything about this book! Millie’s vocabulary and manner of speaking constantly entertained me!

[Victoria Edelsbrunner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightful modern and self-aware retelling of Mamma Mia that is as thoughtful as it is exuberant.

[Beth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was so cute and fun! If you're a fan of musicals, Mamma Mia, sassy leading ladies, awkwardly precious nerds, and slow burn enemies to lovers YA romance, this one is for you!

I loved the "Millie Mia" storyline where Millie Price is searching for the mother she's never known. From start to finish, I had Mamma Mia songs playing in my head as I read it, and I am not mad one bit about that! Millie was a hoot, and I loved her never-ending theater references.

As someone who has been apart of/seen behind the curtain of the musical theater world, I think that young aspiring musical actors will be able to heavily relate to this book. The terminology was spot-on, and the descriptions and conversations surrounding the fear, self-doubt, embarrassment, confidence, abilities, practicing, and sacrificing that come with this field were all too real.

Not only did Millie shine as a wonderfully done character, but Cooper, Heather, Teddy, Chloe, Oliver, Beth, Steph, Georgie, and Farrah also brought alot of fun, flavor, and growth to the story! Teddy is such a sweet friend to Millie, and I loved their sibling dynamic. Not that I don't LOVE a good friends to lovers story, but was so nice to see them start and end as just friends. Having the places and characters from Tweet Cute referenced was a neat little Easter egg, too!

Oliver and Millie worked so well together, and watching their slow burn, enemies to lovers relationship take place was adorable. They balanced each other out perfectly, and they brought out the best in each other, even when they were purposefully pestering each other.

I did get tired of how frequently they talked about her "Millie Moods," but it wasn't enough to detract from the overall flow of the story. I felt like they blamed every bad thing she did or said on her Millie Moods without her actually having to take any responsibility for them. Like, oh she's just having one of her Millie Moods, so we'll let her do or say whatever she wants. Wasn't the biggest fan of that.

Even though it is a YA with only kissing, I wouldn't consider the language appropriate for a younger audience. So, keep that in mind if you're thinking about passing it along to kids younger than high school. Overall, I truly enjoyed this one, and I'd definitely recommend for those interested in YA stories with dynamic characters and all the Broadway references you could ever want!