(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars)

"When You Get the Chance" by Emma Lord offers a heartwarming exploration of family, friendship, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of a small town summer festival. The characters in the novel are endearing and relatable, each grappling with their own dreams and insecurities. Lord excels at creating a nostalgic atmosphere that transports readers to the idyllic setting of Cherry Lake, where the bonds of friendship are forged and tested amidst the backdrop of fireworks and ferris wheels.

Lord's writing style is engaging and accessible, with witty dialogue and vivid descriptions that bring the story to life. The plot of "When You Get the Chance" unfolds with a perfect blend of humor and heart, as the protagonist Millie navigates the challenges of returning to her hometown and confronting the ghosts of her past. While the intrigue may not be as high-stakes as in other novels, the novel still manages to keep readers invested in the outcome of Millie's journey. The logic behind the relationships and decisions of the characters feels authentic, adding depth and resonance to the narrative.

Overall, "When You Get the Chance" is a charming and enjoyable read that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance and coming-of-age stories. Lord's warm and witty storytelling makes for a delightful reading experience that is sure to leave readers smiling. While it may not break new ground in the genre, "When You Get the Chance" offers a comforting escape into a world of friendship, love, and second chances.

I LOVE EMMA LORD SO MUCH IT'S RIDICULOUS. MILLY IS ONE OF HER MOST MEMORABLE HEROINES AND THIS PINK COVER WILL NEVER NOT BE MY FAVE.

I went into this book completely blind and honestly had no idea what to expect. I did get through 32% in the first two days so that is always a good sign. I was also listening to the audiobook for this one so that did help. The narrator for this book was phenomenal.

There have been times when I did find the main character a bit annoying. I did like the storyline though, and was excited to see how the story would play out. However, there were some times I did have to put the book down which was more personal preference.

Overall, I did love the ending of the book and enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this story, it was a cute refreshing read. It read a bit like Rachel Berry trying to find her way in Broadway and meeting her mom if Rachel Berry wasn't a complete nightmare. I thought it was an interesting read and kept you on your toes. I also enjoyed the relationship between Millie and her dad. I thought Oliver was an interesting character, there dynamic was fun to read (definitely not cringe-y which I feel like a lot of Contemporary Romance books tend to lean towards for me).

This book definitely made me want to read another Emma Lord book!

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover! I'm glad I requested it because it was such a sweet love story!

Emma Lord got me again 🥲 This was so cute and fun! I loved the characters and I loved Millie as the protagonist. She had such a strong voice and her development over the course of the story was wonderful. The book was heavily focused on family and friendship themes, which was enjoyable, and the romance between Millie and Oliver was adorable. I definitely felt old at certain points reading this but that just means that Emma Lord was truly embracing the Teen Experience™️ of making people in the twenties realize their age!

WYGTC was an absolute delight and I highly recommend for fans of YA, Broadway, Mamma Mia, and/or Emma Lord’s other books!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I love that Millie goes after her dreams. I think the story was done well. I love the dad/daughter interactions. It was a really fun book. I loved the NYC adventure and coming of age.

This is a YA Contemporary fiction set in NYC. Millie is a dramatic theater kid that wants to be a Broadway star. She lives with her dorky single dad and has never known her mom. Tracking down her mom ends up being a large part of this story. Similar to You Have A Match this story focuses on family. However there was a tiny bit of romance towards the end of the book.

I really enjoy Emma Lord's writing style and her use of pop culture references. I'm eager to pick up Tweet Cute and anything else she may put out on in the future.

This book was just not for me. The main character was incredibly self centered and had serious main character syndrome (in the worst kind of way). I ended up switching to audio at 3x just to finish this.

Millie has dreams of becoming an actress and wants to attend a theatre precollege program for her senior year of high school. However, her Dad isn’t thrilled with the idea of her going across the country, so Millie decides to find her Mom, who she has never met. In the process, she ends up on a journey of self-discovery she hadn’t anticipated.

This was a sweet story that had a lot of layers. The characters were well written and easy to like. There were a lot of references to musical theatre, which I loved. As usual, the author, Emma Lord, wove a variety of sweets throughout the story. I’m always hungry after I read one of her novels. 😂

Thank you to #NetGalley and #WednesdayBooks for an eARC of #WhenYouGettheChance by #EmmaLord - 4 stars

I just couldn't get into When You Get the Chance. I really didn't like Millie and wasn't invested in her journey at all.

Chockfull of musical theatre references, pep, and found family, When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord is absolutely delightful. I maintain that she is the queen of the modern rom-com novel, and this new installment does not disappoint.

Lord takes on a Mamma Mia (or Millie Mia!) retelling in this new story featuring a young actress looking to dig up the past and find her mom in the hopes of clarifying the best path forward for her future. The only thing Millie has are a handful of names from her dad’s LiveJournal and the knowledge that her mom is just as interested in theatre as she is. I loved this plotline because it showcases all of the women in Millie’s life, and how they add to her understanding of what it means to love musical theatre. This story is about finding blood family, but it’s also about discovering new friendships and staying open-minded. Millie is very set in her ways and firm about the path she would like to take, so watching her form new bonds with the women she’s “mom-testing” is extremely heartwarming to say the least.

For the romance lovers, as the blurb hints, there is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn relationship developing between Millie and Oliver, her stage manager and new coworker. They challenge each other, collaborate—knowingly and unknowingly—and argue. Lord’s banter is some of my favorite dialogue in today’s YA scene. She keeps it witty and fresh, but there’s always a sweet backstory to provide substance under all of the fluff.

I won’t share too much about the sub-plots, since I think they’re best discovered on their own, but this book managed to perfectly balance interesting character developments for both main and side characters the whole way through. I am usually a main character girlie, but I found myself invested in the stories about Teddy (Millie’s best friend), Cooper (her dad), and Heather (her aunt). The whole novel keeps the pace spinning and the plot never dragged, which pleased me.

I adored this novel, as I do with everything Emma Lord writes, so it’ll be no surprise that When You Get the Chance earned 5/5 stars from me!

Emma Lord does a Mamma Mia retelling? YESSSSS! I pretty much love all of Emma’s books but I loved this one so much. It was the gender bent retelling I never knew I needed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars

I enjoyed this love letter to theater nerds and Broadway lovers so much! I believe it's this author's best story yet. Millie was such a happy, vibrant character that she basically hopped off the page and into your heart. I really loved all of Millie and Oliver's interactions together. Oliver was such a serious, sometimes grumpy character and Millie was so upbeat that they reminded me of a sunshine grumpy romance. I really enjoyed Millie's journey to find her family and background while meeting new friends along the way. This was such a good coming of age while finding family and yourself story. If you need a YA romance pick me up, I highly recommend this one!

Everything that Emma Lord writes is gold and this is no exception. I love the ways he mixes love and fun and creates a story that takes you by the hand and guides you to the end.

Love a "finding a parent" book and Lord always delivers with voice, smarts, and feels! A must-read for any YA contemporary fan.

This novel was a bit too juvenile for me, and I felt like I have read it before. I liked the evolution of the main character and her best friends. I just don’t think YA is for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Let me just say that Emma Lord is fantastic. As a former high school teacher and librarian, I think she truly captured the "drama kid." I would recommend this to anyone who has big dreams that they hope come true, but also might be looking for their person in the wrong places. It is also a great book for New Yorkers, or anyone dreaming of New York.