Cover Image: When You Get the Chance

When You Get the Chance

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Member Reviews

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

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A quick look at how queerness and family can affect your relationships all around, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE is a fluffy binge-read when you are missing Pride week/weekend celebrations.

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Family, friendship. An easy read that I really enjoyed.I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out good.

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I feel so bad that I didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else seems to.
In theory, this was right up my alley - I love stories about family and especially cousins being close. But there was just a lot of negativity within this story (yes, obviously because Mark and Talia's grandfather has passed and they travel to his summer home to clean out everything) and it just dragged me down a bit while reading.
I also wasn't the biggest fan of Mark, to be honest. Mark was so focused on himself that he didn't really care about anyone else for most of the book and that made me want to put it down repeatedly.

What saved this for me was obviously the Pride setting and the moments where we got to learn about queer histor and culture. Those tidbits and moments of knowledge transfer really kept me going!

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My friend read this book, and unfortunately I no longer want to read it. I just don't think it's a book I need to spend time on anymore, and I don't think my review would be positive.

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Tom Ryan has the range. From coming of age novels, road trips to thrillers. It has been a pleasure to follow his career since the start. It was great to see author friends co write this book. Mark and Talia are as vibrant as the rainbow color on the cover. How each queer lived experience is different. You feel reading this book that these two Canadian authors love the sights of their country. It was a delight to on this journey with them; Ryan, Stevenson, mark and talia. I'd love to go on a roadtrip in my teens and I'm so going to gone on ones in the future . Keep in mind mark reads young , I have no qualms but be aware

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I have to say that the beginning of this book was really slow and I almost felt like putting it away, but it got better soon. I loved the representation, which is what made me request this book. It was just a really wholesome book and it was just not too overwhelming, it was just right for the time I read it.

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This was a nice book, overall feel-good and it discusses some serious topics in a light way, not because they are not taken seriously, but because they are explained in a friendly light, not making a lot of fuss about it, like using they/them pronouns and correcting people when necessary, talking about the Stonewall riots, etc.

I deeply disliked Mark although he improved a little bit at the end, but still he was such an annoying, selfish, over-hormoned guy. Even if I didn't like him as a person, I appreciate making a deeply flawed gay character. There's a lot of misogyny and internalised homophobia among gay men, and it's nice to see that in a charcater. Of course lovable queer characters are amazing, but sometimes I get the feeling that queer characters are a bit glorified and idolised, when in the end they are just people with defects like everyone else.

It's so sad that the release date got pushed a whole year because of COVID (I assume), but if you want to read a light queer happy book in 2021, this is definitely a great choice to keep in sight.

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I didn't finish this, because I didn't really enjoy the writing style. As someone from Toronto, I appreciated the hometown references, and I enjoyed the concept. But I found it hard to read, and though it might be for some, it wasn't really for me.

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[The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

What I liked:
• The cover is really cute (and queer)!
• I loved that the story was about family and friendships, and not so much about romance.
• The characters were so diverse – there were queer characters of color, trans and nonbinary characters, older queer characters, polyam characters… That was great!
• I also liked that the story was set in Canada.
• The side characters were all really great and interesting! Paige was very funny, and I loved Shirley and Derek.

What I didn’t like:
• I wish asexuality and aromanticism had at least been mentioned… In such a diverse story it would not have been difficult to include an a-spec character.
• I really didn’t like the main characters. Mark was just an asshole, especially at the beginning. He’s a selfish, privileged white allo cis gay guy, and he literally tells Talia: “You don’t seem happy unless you have some social justice warrior shit to keep you busy.” because she educates him about some queer topics. And the worst thing is: he never apologizes for it, and at the end, Talia even seems to agree with him!
• The plot was kind of boring… There was no real common thread, little to no character development and the ending seemed a little forced.

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2.5 stars

I'm gonna start by saying that this actually lived up to my expectations. It was a quick, mostly enjoyable read, but otherwise not very memorable at all. When You Get the Chance follows cousins Mark and Talia, who haven't seen each other in years because their parents aren't on speaking terms. The death of their grandfather, though, makes the family reunite in Toronto for the funeral, and Talia and Mark (and Mark's younger sister, who we'll talk about later because she was wonderful) somehow end up alone in the family cottage where they used to spend their summers when they were kids. The thing is: it's Pride Weekend, and they're both queer, and they'd very much like to be in Toronto at the moment, for one reason or another.

Let's talk about my biggest problem with this book: the characters. I had read in reviews that they weren't the most lovable people ever but, oh my god. I could deal with Talia for the most part; she was really intense sometimes, yes, I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her a bit sometimes, yes, but she wasn't that bad most of the time. Mark, though. He spent most of the book thinking only about himself and simply being an asshole. He was just... unbearable, honestly, and I even thought of DNFing the book because of him. I'm glad I didn't, though. He gets a little bit better towards the end, although I don't think his arc was very good at all. He realizes that he's spent the whole book being a self-centered dickhead at some point and owns up to some of his mistakes, but it felt like it happened out of nowhere. There was no build up to it, and no reason for him to change so suddenly, which I wasn't a fan of.

PAIGE, THOUGH. Mark's ten year old sister. She was the best character in the book, period. Everything was a hundred percent more fun every time she was there. She was probably more mature than both Talia and Mark put together, and I loved her a lot. (Also shotout to Shirley and Babs, they were amazing too).

Because I didn't really like the main characters, I didn't really care about most of the sub-plots either. I was excited about the whole road-trip-to-Pride situation, but that didn't take as much of the book as I was expecting. The book mostly focuses on Talia's complicated relationship with her (ex?) partner, and Mark's... I don't even know. Mark's whatever. There's also the whole family mystery, aka them (or, well, mostly Paige) trying to figure out why they parents don't speak anymore.

I wish the book had been more focused on the family dynamics. They were there, sure, but it didn't feel like enough; I was hoping that it would be a little bit more about Mark and Talia re-building their relationship, but they just had random interactions now and then, and somehow I had to believe that they were suddenly very good friends, even though they didn't like each other all that much at first. I would have loved that to be a little bit more fleshed out.

My favorite part of the book was definitely the time they spend at Pride. I think it captured the spirit of the whole thing pretty well. It made me feel weirdly nostalgic (probably because, you know, 2020. We celebrate Pride in November here. Will it even be a thing this year? Who knows!). I love Pride. It's such a joy. I totally could relate to Mark and Talia feeling so safe and accepted and supported there. That part was so short, though! Even the road trip was over in a blink. I understand that it was a pretty short book, so it couldn't fit everything I wish it had, but the blurb promised an exciting family road trip to Pride, right? So, where was that?

As for the writing, it was ok. It wasn't my favorite (but I'm a fan of very pretentious writing styles, so there's that), but it worked for the book. It was fast paced and easy to get through. So, final thoughts: it wasn't the worst thing ever. It was enjoyable, it kept me hooked, and especially the second part of the book was fun, but I wish some of the issues, relationships and themes that it depicted were a little more fleshed out. It makes a perfect summer read, or something to fly through if you're in the middle of a slump, but I didn't think it was all that memorable.

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I was very excited when I could read this book in advance for free via NetGalley. Mainly the cover is what triggered my interest, it is so unapologetically queer that it had me reading the blurb quickly after! This book is advertised as a road trip to Toronto Pride, with everything being happy and queer! Well, that was not exactly what we got...

Firstly, that roadtrip that I got so excited about? That takes up about 5% of the entire book. The story unfolds as Mark and Talia's grandpa passes away. Mark's mum and Talia's dad have been in a fight for years, which was also the reason why the cousins haven't visited the family holiday home in seven years. Grandma stood firm that they all needed to go back to the family cottage, with the intention for the two parents to reconcile. Then their parents have to visit the grandma unexpectantly, leaving Mark, Talia and Paige (Mark's little sister) on their own in the stay. This is where the drama starts.

We slowly get to know the three, and wow... I don't know if I have ever gotten to know two such incredibly self-centered, insufferable main characters. Both Mark and Talia spend the whole book acting so dumb, and complaining sooo so much, it's really exagerated. Talia is this Social Justice Warrior, to the extent that she annoyed the shit out of me sometimes. She was very very judgemental as well. She wasn't as bad as Mark though... Mark is extremely unlikeable. He was in a relationship with Jareth, but was not 'feeling it anymore'. But, because he thinks that 'they were never officially dating', he doesn't think it necessary to officially call things off. But throughout the book Jareth does keep sending messages, and Mark isn't bothered to reply. Like, YES you should let your boyfriend (even if things never got serious) know you don't want to date anymore. It is so unfair and manipulative to let Jareth linger like that, ew. He hides behind the excuse that 'Jareth should've gotten the hint by now'. Well, guess what, Jareth not getting the hint just means that you haven't made it clear enough. It is not Jareth's responisbility to get a hint of something he doesn't know that's going on.

And this is just a beginning of Mark's insufferable behaviour. He is also transphobic, as he does not 'understand the whole 'they/them' pronoun thing'. He even said 'seems complicated, that's all'. Talia (our social justice warrior, who was dating a non-binary joyfriend) addresses the issue, after which Mark covers himself with saying 'I'm gay too, remember?'. This shows again how within the lgbtqia+ community there can be such vulgur comments as well. Identifying as queer does not excuse you from being homophobic or transphobic.

These are just some examples of how excruciating it was to read about Mark. In short, he makes transphobic comments, is manipulative, a lier, arrogant, irresponsible and just a very plain character overall.

But the actual issue I want to address here is how it feels like all the misgendering and homophobic or transphobic comments are inserted in the story JUST to have another character be able to call them out. There was so so much pointless homo/transphobia, that the book could've been better without. I get the authors want to get across that stuff like that is wrong, but the way they did it was terrible. The message were just so blunt, clearly in there as a message from the author to the reader, instead of being part of the storyline itself, to the point where it felt forced and unnatural. There's purposeful misgendering just for the sake of being able to correct it, this is just part of the problem. If you want to normalise they/them pronouns, then just have a character in the book with those pronouns. There is no need for misgendering, that will just be harmful to some readers. Normalise something by treating it as a non-issue, instead of this.

What was also addressed, again in quite an unnatural way, was bi-erasure. However forced it felt, it did spread the message. A teacher, Ms Taylor, was open about being bisexual. '*She talked to us about how she refused to be invisible as a queer person just because she was currently living with a man'.*

I would've liked to see much more focus on the trip and Toronto Pride. The pride part was very visual, I loved reading about it, but it was infused with so much drama again that I couldn't enjoy it to its full potential. This book seemed pitched as a happy queer road trip, but ended up 1) being more drama than happiness, 2) having so much focus on homo/transphobia that queer joy wasn't central anymore and 3) not really being a road trip.

Some positive notes

- I did really enjoy Paige, she was adorable!!
- However forced it felt, there was a lot of lgbtqia+ rep.
- Gay main character
- Sapphic main character
- Pan nonbinary polyamorous love interest
- Wlw and mlm side characters
- Some good humour!

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This is a great starting point for young readers looking to either learn about the queer experience through books or are queer themselves and looking to see themselves in the books they read.

It's filled with pride and love and it's light and funny.

My only issue was that I really did not like Mark for most of the book but that might have been more of a personal issue than anything else. He just pushed too many of my buttons and he's quiet self-centred and lazy. It was infuriating to read about him doing whatever he wanted while Talia did everything while actually struggling through a meaningful break-up.

I really loved Talia though and the mystery surrounding why their parents don't talk anymore was enough to keep me reading.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m always looking for family-centered stories and this absolutely delivered! This book is dual narrated and grapples with two cousins coming to terms with who they are and what they want, set against the backdrop of a family upheaval. It was a quick read and one I would recommend to a younger audience as a great book for starting discussions about queer identity!

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Honestly this was a great book about Pride and queer kids but the problem is that I thought Mark, one of the two main characters, was such a jerk and I just couldn’t stand him. He kind of do better at the end because this story is also about self growth, but for most of the time I kinda wanted to punch him so that was not very enjoyable. I didn’t really get attached to any character but I simply adored the moments where they were at Pride, it was simply magical, it made me want to be there with them.

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I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review!

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED When you get the chance! This book is funny, cute and an immersive and quick read!! I basically devoured it!

Mark is seventeen, gay and lives in Halifax. He's an athlete and a bit self-absorbed, thinking about having fun and avoid responsibilities. Talia is queer, she's lives in Victoria and she's stubborn and a social justice warrior (sometimes she could be a bit annoying, but I love her passion and strength!). Mark and Talia are cousins, but they haven't seen each other in years after a big fight between their parents and even though they spent their summer in the family lake cottage, when they meet again for their granfather's funeral they are strangers.
Having to deal with the cottage, cleaning it out while their parents (Mark's mum and Talia's dad are brother and sister) decide what to do with it, Talia, Mark and Paige, Mark's ten years old sister, find themselves in a journey made of memories and misteries, like why their parents stopped talking.
But when a family emergency leave them alone at the cottage, Mark and Talia, who beside being queer have nothing in common, discover they both want to be at the Toronto Pride and, using their Grandma's old car, with Paige in tow, decide to go there.
Mark wants to have fun, Talia wants to understand where she and her high school sweetheart stand and the Toronto Pride is perfect for them.
Between new friendships, discoveries, luck and unluck, will they reach Toronto and find what are they looking for?

When we get the chance is funny, sweet and I really liked it. Told by two POVs, Talia's and Mark's, the reader is able to follow their problems, issues, desires and fears. The way they are written is incredibly realistic.. They messed up, they seem selfish and self-absorbed, annoying, loyal, brilliant, stubborn, loving, exactly as a human being would be, so they are really relatable. They are teenagers, they rage, they make mistakes, they look for something, they want to have fun and find their own place in the world.
A funny and brilliant surprise is Mark's sister, Paige, who seems so much older than her ten years old. A Nancy Drew, interested in the family history and mystery, with her head always in a book (amazing when she's reading Magnus Chase) and I love her relationship with Mark and how she is so funny and outspoken.
I liked reading about Babs and Shirley, Jeremy and his uncles and their friends. It was so brilliant and heartwarming thinking about their queer community, their history, past and present.
Reading about the pride was immersive and brilliant and it brought tears to my eyes.

When we get the chance is a book about family, love, friendship, pride and connection with new and reconnection with old people. I love the way, in few days, the characters connect, change and start to build something for themselves and their future.

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I think I overall liked this book and the story kept me interested until the end. I was really excited to read it because of the family themes and the queer cousins as main characters! "Road trip to Pride" was also a pretty good selling point. But I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by this read. Not because of the writing being bad, not because the description was misleading (it actually summarize the story pretty well!) but because Mark, one of the two main characters, is a self-centered young guy that kept getting on my nerves.

So "When You Get the Chance" is a book written with a dual POV, which allows our two main characters, Mark and Talia, to share the spotlight throughout the story. Talia is only a year older than her cousin Mark but these two have truly nothing in common appart the fact that they're queer. And even their knowledge on sexual and gender identities aren't on the same level, which was interesting to see.

Talia is a queer young woman in a 3 year relationship with her non-binary partner with whom she'd founded her high school's GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) while Mark is a gay high school student and soccer player who has kind of a "friends with benefits" relationship with a guy called Jareth, who seems to believe they are boyfriends (Mark doesn't bother correcting him and only ignores him).

I really empathized with Talia and what she was going through. To me she was the best character of this book because of her developement and the emotions we were allowed to see her experience. Her relationship with her dad was also a very refreshing one. I had never read a book with a father supportive of her queer daughter before. Her discussions with her cousin Paige (Mark's 10 year old little sister) about gender and "outing" were also pretty good ! I think everyone reading this book will like Paige's character.

Now the other main character, Mark, a young gay man, is the opposite of Talia. He made me sigh, shake my head and metaphorically fume. Mark is very self-centered. This is something we learn about him only a few minutes into the book because his main thoughts as he is flying to Toronto with his mother and little sister, for his grandfather's funeral, are about Toronto's Pride. That sets the tone for the rest of the book. Mark doesn't really evolve much throughout the story. There is some progress at the end but that's the issue right here : it only happens at the end. I might have enjoyed this story much more if I could have felt some positive emotions towards Mark before the last chapters. Mark's character is realistic : he is a teenager, almost a young adult, who really embodies young men's entitlement. I didn't like him and it annoyed me to read about him.

In conclusion I can only give this book 3/5 stars because Mark ate the other 2 !

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One of my new favorites, this book does a wonderful job of painting the picture of everything going on. You grow to know the characters like a close friend and end up wishing the story would never end

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This book was incredibly and unapologetically queer and that's what I was really wanting out of this book so at least in that, the book lived up to what I was looking for. I enjoyed how the book explored the different facets and shades of queer, how not everyone approaches and experiences it the same way. it was nice to read a book that just sprinkled the gay around heartily instead of how so much media these days tends to be more sparing. there are so many books and shows where you run into the token problem in which you just get one or two queer characters and then the creators called it good. I was happy to read a story that didn't have that approach. That being said, I definitely connected with Talia more, I was more engaged in her story and her point of view, Mark not so much. I had difficulty connecting with him. iN the beginning, he was very vapid and callous and inconsiderate and I knew that it was very likely the book would involve him growing or changing for that but it was difficult for me to get through. I found myself more interested in his little sister Paige when reading the chapters from his perspective, She was great.
The book, on the whole, was a bit of a slow read. There was the mystery of why the parents weren't talking anymore but it was not exactly the type of intrigue to really grab me. I will say that I appreciated that it was a queer story that wasn't about coming out and focused more on other aspects of queerdom as well as familial and platonic relationships. It wasn't the most compelling read and dragged in a few places but I enjoyed it for what it was.

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I love the diversity! Obviously, representation is important regardless of how you identify, and this book checks a lot of those boxes for me. I like the writing. It wasn't overly descriptive and the pacing was nic.e. Nothing about this book really struck me as 'wow', but nothing about it was bad. Maybe I'll give it a few months and then reread and reevaluate. Just because this isn't the book for me doesn't mean it won't be the book for you. I'd give it a go!

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