This was a fun book! Knowing what I know about Emma Lord from her author background pages, I could feel her pouring herself into this book. (Fellow Newsies fan here!! It’s rare to find another!) I am glad both the author and the character own up to the ABBA parallel early on. Had they tried to allude to it, I think it would have come across as artificial. I liked the relationship between Millie and Teddy and between Millie and Oliver - well written dialogue.

I have now read all of Emma Lord’s works and she will continue to be an author I support. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for this advanced reader’s eCopy.

I'll read everything Emma Lord writes, so I was delighted to receive a copy of When You Get the Chance.

This one is a book for all of the kids (and adults) who love theater, but more than that, it's a book about finding family and chosen family. It's also a book about giving people a chance.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was a totally charming book! I loved everything about it. And to put it completely over the top for me, I have a particular fondness for theater kids and for Mama Mia. But even without those preferences I would have loved it. It is a quick read, but pulls you in to the slightly quirky characters and the interesting relationships. The characters felt true to age and like very typical teenagers. Unlike many YA’s, there is not a love triangle at the center of this, which makes it interesting for all ages. The rivalry between Millie and Oliver was an interesting contrast to all of Millie’s other friendships, and the father, aunt, mother dynamics added a lot of charm. I am in my seventies, so this is not age-limited!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from Emma Lord! She has quickly become one of my favorites.

When You Get a Chance is about Millie Price and her dream of becoming a Broadway star. She knows she has talent but it’s clear she doesn’t get it from her reserved dad. This summer she finds herself in the middle of her own Mama Mia scenario as she attempts to uncover who her mother is. She’s convinced that her mom is one of three women she uncovered from her dad’s past. Her search leads to an impromptu internship with her school arch nemesis, situations that force her to step outside of her comfort zone and more questions than answers.

I loved Millie’s determination and the lessons she learned along this journey. Her life is full of a fantastic support system, really underlining the fact that family isn’t always found through the bonds of blood but often through the people we create relationships with and who are there for us in times of need. I loved the message behind this book and it was certainly an entertaining and uplifting read.

This is the first book I've read where the main character reads her parent's LiveJournal... and it makes me afraid of my own kids finding my old dusty blog. When Millie finds her dad's old LiveJournal entries, she decides the only sensible thing to do is... find her mother. This was the perfect YA book, complete with relatable characters, realistic teen relationships and teen confusion and teen decision making, and a protagonist that everyone will love to root for.

Such a cute book for younger girls. I really enjoyed it and the message that the author makes. I loved the inclusivity of the characters as well.

I really enjoyed this book. I've been following Emma on Twitter for a while and have been wanting to read her books, so I was so excited to get approved for an e-galley! This YA contemporary fiction novel is full of fun Mamma Mia references and teenage confusion. The book is obviously great for theatre lovers, but because the main musical discussed in the book was Mamma Mia, it's definitely accessible to all levels of Broadway fans. I will definitely be reading Emma's other novels!!

I love Emma’s previous books and her ability to take fun romcom that are well known and spin them into something fresh and new. This take on Mama Mia was a fun read and I think that Lord did a good job of making it feel unique, but I just didn’t love or connect to Millie. Her “potential mothers”, her father, her Aunt, her BFF, her potential half sister and her love interest were much more engaging and I felt more of a draw to them over Millie. Maybe it’s because I was never an overly dramatic (as Millie would happily claim) theatre geek, but I couldn’t really understand her “Millie moods” (also probably because I’m an adult and am raiding a 5 year old drama queen and I get my full of handling that on a daily basis). I didn’t dislike this story by any means…it was still a quick and enjoyable read, but it just lacked something from Lord’s other books for me. I still cannot wait to see what she writes next and definitely will be recommending this to all my YA loving friends.

This book was too cute. I loved all of the characters, the setting, the plot - the way everything unfolded was super enjoyable. I am not too much into YA anymore, and i think Emma Lord writes YA so well that I don't feel too old/annoyed at the teenagers while reading. I'm not saying other authors don't, just that I never hesitate with a book by Emma Lord now, because I know I will love it, YA or not.

also, my cat is named Millie, so that gave me some joy too.

Oh Millie - you seemed very immature, you whined and felt you deserved to go to study theatre but your Dad says no. Then you start looking for your Mom and you begin to mature. You grow, become wiser and learn a number of life lessons. I was tempted to stop reading after a few chapters but decided to keep reading, so glad I did. Readers keep reading as this will surprise you. YA theatre buffs will enjoy this one.

I confess that I took this book just because I knew it was by Emma Lord and because of the cover, I didn't even read the synopsis, but when I realized it was a book inspired by the musical I love, Mamma Mia, I immediately put the soundtrack to listen and I embarked on Millie's journey. The father, the best friend, the archenemy, the aunt added several cherries to this delicious cake.

I'm so in love!!!!

At first I thought it was strange that she wanted to find the person who abandoned her as a baby, but little by little I understood her motivations and I really hoped that she would find the mother that best suited her. The three suspects were great and connected very quickly with Millie, with each step taken, I twisted more and more and when everything was revealed my jaw dropped. As in the musical, the best thing is to realize that little by little they all fell in love with the girl and ended up, in a way, becoming her real mother and she began to value what she had and what she conquered.

Of course, romance could not be missing and the plot is filled with it on every page. In the end, the couples formed yielded a beautiful happy ending with good laughs, sighs and lots of music.

5/5 stars

This was adorable! I’ve read all of Emma Lord’s books and I’d have to say this is my favorite! I loved the NYC Broadway city setting, the characters, banter, and overall storyline.

Millie is such a firecracker of a character. I enjoyed her spunk and the banter between her and the other characters in the book was the best!

The friendship between Millie and her best friend Teddy is one of the best parts of the book for me. He is there to help her navigate the search for her mother and in the process stumbles on a romance of his own. I loved how supportive they were of each other. I’ll always enjoy a well developed friendship in the books I read.

The romance was perfectly done. It’s a classic hate to love YA contemporary but it still felt fresh. I loved the way Millie and Oliver’s competition against each other turned into flirty banter. They brought things out of each other neither saw coming. I enjoyed the romance.

Millie doesn’t know her mother but as her senior year approaches she finds herself feeling as if a piece of her is missing. The dynamics between Millie, her dad, and aunt lent a more serious viewpoint for the story and I liked that. Millie is looking for answers to why her mother didn’t want her. In the end Millie doesn’t just find her mother but she finds parts of herself she didn’t know she had.

I definitely recommend this book along with all of Emma Lord’s books!

Millie Price's life revolves around theater and when an opportunity to join an intensive program arises, she is quick to want to go! With some obstacles from her father, she sets out on a mission to find her mother whom she has narrowed down to three people in the area. With the help of her friend and neighbor, she sets out to connect and find out more about them. Throughout the story, Millie also obtains an internship where she is competing with a nemesis from school. I enjoyed this story and Millie's journey of the summer. The behind the scenes look at the theater scene was fun to read and new to me. Emma Lord writes great books about friendships and family and this one follows suit! The details of New York in this book also felt like I was walking the streets with Millie.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Mamma Mia is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies (parts 1 and2!) so I had to read this adorable YA novel about a young woman named Millie, who sets out to find her mom. She’s very into Broadway and wants to be a performer. She even applied to a precollege for her senior year of HS at a school for performing arts. However, it’s in California and Millie lives in NYC. When her dad says no, she does the very teenage response of going to her other parent for a different answer, however Millie doesn’t know who she is.

She uses an old live journal blog post (remember LJ?) from her dad to narrow down three women as possible options. She also recruits her best friend Teddy, who uses geocaching to find these women. To get closer to one of them, she applies as an intern to her talent agency. To her dismay, her arch nemesis from school is also applying for the job and they are often forced together to split the intern job. This turns into a spark of romance when Millie realized that Oliver isn’t so bad.

Millie also joins a dance class to get closer to the instructor, a possible mom. And Teddy helps her find a third possibility, a mom who hosts monthly get together for theater kids. It’s fun to watch Millie and Teddy put the clues together to figure it out. Her age shows when she’s trying to talk to her dad about the school and why she wanted to find her mom.

Overall, I thought it was very good. I don’t read a lot of YA, but the one really nailed it.
Thank you so much to @wednesdaybooks, @dilemmalord, and @netgalley. This book is on sale now!

This is the best Emma Lord book to date! I am always amazed at the feelings her books bring out of me. I chuckle, I cry, and through it all I have the warmest feeling in my chest.

I adored every character in this story! Millie is brave and fun and loud and outrageous. Teddy is the best friend we all want. Millie's dad is wonderful. And Oliver is 😍😍😍

I definitely got the Mama Mia inspiration here but this book was a story entirely is own as well. I'll be shoving this at everyone I know for the foreseeable future.

A cheesy, predictable, annoying but funny YA book I'm sure many, many people will love. I am not one of those people.

Writing is fresh and lively. The characters are a little manic, but believable in their portrayal of high school life.

This was a lighthearted YA read with just the perfect touch of emotion. It wasn't too deep, yet at no point did it feel too fluffy or silly. We get to see Millie in every type of relationship: as a daughter, best friend, (potential) sister, and love interest. I think Lord did a great job at highlighting challenges in each of these relationships, without the book every feeling too heavy or hopeless. We as readers got to watch Millie grow, not only with the people in her life, but with discovering herself. The ending felt a bit too on the nose for me, but I do appreciate a happy ending where the girl gets all she's wanted.

This book had all the YA cheese, would recommend to teens who are looking for a perfect HEA!
rating: 🙂 (like)
steam: kissing only 💋
❤️ musical theatre, NYC, self discovery
📚The Unexpected Everything By Morgan Matson
🎧 ‘dancing queen’ by ABBA

This is such a sweet, charming book from Emma Lord complete with lovely friendships, complex but nuanced family dynamics, and enough musical theater references to delight any drama geek. Millie is a fantastic and compelling character, and Lord’s voice is, always, such a delight to read.

Another great read from Emma Lord! I'm really enjoying her YA novels, and her characters tend to make me laugh, cringe, cry, and more.
Millie is a passionate teenager, whose goal is to be a STAR! She is well on her way, although the adults in her life aren't always sure her timing is right. Her adventures abound as she discovers who she really is the summer of her junior year of high school. I highly enjoyed this read, and am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy!