This was a sweet YA novel filled with fun Broadway references! In a story reminiscent of Mamma Mia, a teen girl is on a quest to figure out who her mom is. Millie narrows the possibilities down to three women and then secretly plots to get closer to each of them. Along the way, she makes some unexpected new friends and develops a new appreciation and understanding for her life.

I have enjoyed all of Emma Lord's YA novels. I know I'm not the target audience, but I think they are always fun to read. I'm a big Broadway fangirl, so I was eating up all the Broadway shout outs in this story. The characters are sweet and the story is just cute from start to finish.

I think this would be a great book for teens, especially a teen who loves theater! But really it's great for anyone who just wants to enjoy a cute, light-hearted little story!

Absolute loved this one. As an Emma Lord stan, this one blew me away. It is my favourite out of her three books. I enjoyed the mystery in finding out who her mother is. I loved her relationship with her complete opposite father and her aunt. The friendship was great and the dynamic between the two mc was great,

At this point, I will literally read anything that Emma Lord writes. She always does a phenomenal job of really tapping into the complexities and emotional rollercoasters that can accompany teenage life.

I'm not someone with a theatre background nor was I raised in the arts, but that did not stop me from loving Millie and this story. From start to finish, Millie is an absolute riot, and she has zero concept of slowing down when it comes to pursuing her dreams and passions in life...even when it comes to finding the mother who abandoned her as a baby. Don't get me wrong, so many of the decisions that Millie makes are incredibly frustrating, but the way everything plays out is really fantastic.

I really loved the who rivalry plot line between Millie and Oliver. There's something about rivals/enemies to lovers that gets me every single time.

This story definitely made me wish I was gallivanting all over NYC as a teenager during the summer and living my best life.

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.

I loved this ABBA/Mama Mia inspired YA novel. The premise of a teen finding her dad’s old LiveJournal and going on a hunt to find her mom was a lot of fun. The audio was great, too. I will read whatever Emma Lord writes.

I was very excited about this book. I mean Emma Lord doing a Mama Mia twist. COUNT ME IN. Millie is a lot, she is serving Rachel Berry vibes for sure. Even with all of her quirks, you cannot help but love her. The enemies twist with Oliver is SWOON, one of my favorite tropes for sure. Teddy is giving me bestie boy wonder and I LOVE HIM he is adorable. I love the father daughter relationship in this but also the found family vibes. The twist of who her mother is a saw coming though. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is a great coming of age. If you love YA and Broadway, this is for you!

The narration is great. Jesse Vilinsky always does an amazing job. She brings so much to any book she narrates. She makes so much character to every book she reads.

3.5/5 Stars

Millie has big dreams of becoming a Broadway star. She has been raised by her single father for as long as she can remember. One day, while on the computer, she finds her father's LiveJournal from 2003. After reading snippets from it, she decides to go find her birth mother.

I really enjoyed Tweet Cute by this author, so I was excited to pick up more of her writing. This is a cute retelling of Mamma Mia that features a cute enemies-to-lovers relationship. I liked Millie and her extroverted personality for the most part, but at times she can definitely become annoying. Her bestfriend Teddy was also a sweetheart and probably one of my favourite characters, aside from Millie's Aunt Heather and Chloe. All three were so supportive of Millie and all her endeavors. I prefer Millie and Teddy's platonic relationship much better compared to her relationship with Oliver. Oliver originally bugged me, but he grew on me as we got to know him better. The banter was fun though, and I enjoyed their growing relationship as the story progressed. I like how there was also a side plot of the internship as well, allowing for the enemies to lovers trope come into play. It was fun getting to know the three candidates Millie believed to be her mom. The biggest complaint I have is that I was able to call who Millie's mother was as soon as they were introduced into the story, which ended up being a big disappointment to me.

I thought the premise of this book was a good idea. Millie searching to find her birth mother, who she has learned very little about in her life. Her quest to find her was interesting, a good idea to have it almost like a mystery. There is evidence pointing to 3 different women but who?!? The execution of this idea was just a miss for me. Some people might love it but the way it was done was too middle grade level. Of course take what I say with a grain of salt becuase Contemporary like this is one of my least favorite genres, but I am trying to branch out more in the genres I read.

From this beginning I could tell this would be a meh book for me. Millie's personality was a hit and miss for me. I love how in some things she was rebellious and had a strong personality. She was strong and stood up for her goals, but then there were things like "Millie moods". This made Millie turn very childish in my eyes. Her internal dialog brought her maturity level down a few years.

The ending concluded with a happily ever after, like you could probably guess. But things ended too perfect for my liking. Some people love this so if you are one then go ahead, but I guess I like a little bit of lasting struggles, makes things more real. But this also doesn't mean it ended in all the ways you might have thought. There were some ups and downs through the book, which I did enjoy, it left me guessing in some spots. So overall wasn't my favorite. The book itself was just Okay.

The audio for this book fit the feeling of the book. The narrator in my opinion matched Millie's somewhat childish personality. I found it easy to follow along with the narration and it helped me picture Millie easier.

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: Reverse Mamma Mia New York City edition.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
This book is all about dreaming big, putting yourself out there, and the importance of human connection. Millie is in doing so in two ways: finding her mother, and pursing a broadway career.

I loved Millie’s drive and her tenacity. I also loved the relationships she grew and built throughout the story. There’s a little bit of everything in this book— self discovery, coming of age, puppy love romance, character growth, and witty banter. Definitely an enjoyable read!

Of note, I listened to this on audio book and the narrator does a fantastic job embodying the characters and engaging the audience.

Highlights:
🎶 Mentions of musicals
🌱 Character Growth
🧭Self discovery

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen with request for review. This title is now available to purchase or download!

I absolutely love Mama Mia: the music, the movie, the broadway show, so when I was told about this book being a searching for mom, Mama Mia story, I grabbed it. Millie Price dreams of being on Broadway and has worked hard towards that dream. It has not been easy, her dad is an introvert who would rather hang out at home, Oliver, the stage manager at her school seems to be against her and then there are her Millie moods (the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm her). She has been accepted at a well known drama school for her precollege year, but her father is reluctant to let her go. When she accidentally reads her dad's journal from 2003, she decides it is time to find her mom, maybe she will support her dreams. Her BFF and neighbor Teddy is a tech nerd who can find any information in few seconds. The three women mentioned in the journal who could be the possible mother candidates of Millie are Beth: a social worker, mother of Chloe who is a year younger than Millie, Steph: an executive assistant of a famous Broadway agent and a struggling actress and finally Farrah: a talented dance teacher. In order to meet them, Millie finds herself at an interview for an intern position of the very famous Broadway manager. She ends up competing for the position with her long time nemesis Oliver. They’re both chosen to be temporary assistants for two weeks and given some tasks to complete. The one with the best performance will get the permanent position.

This was a fun story. I loved reading about all the competitions and things that happen between Millie and Oliver. They have such a love/hate relationship, but as it develops into friendship and more, I was rooting for them. The various ways that Millie meets her three possible moms was interesting. There were times that she shone and others where she bumbled. She is so relatable, that everyone she met befriended her. It was also great to see how Teddy and Millie helped awkward Chloe come out of her shell. As she got to know the women, she also learned more about herself and Oliver. Her relationship with her dad and her aunt were wonderful but they had some problems that summer with her behaviour and secrets. I did love Millie. Her moods, dreams and insecurities were so realistic and made her relatable. Emma Lord does a fantastic job of mixing cutesy-YA Romance, with some serious family issues. It was fun, witty, fast paced and sweet, but had substance dealing with a young woman who wanted to know more about her mother, but was worried about upsetting her father, so afraid to ask. She was coming into her own and had to find her place. I did a read/listen with this story, the audiobook narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, a new narrator to me. Her narration was well done. The voices seemed effortless, with each given a distinctive voice. Both Millie's emotions and Oliver's low voice were comfortable to listen to. Emotion flows through her voice, as she portrayed Millie's bigger-than-life dramatic personality. I will not hesitate to listen to this narrator again. So, which woman is her mother? You will have to read this one to find out.

This book was so much fun! Having loved her previous two novels, I was delighted to get my eyes (and ears!) on advanced e-book and audiobook copies of this YA novel (also set in NYC!). I am happy to report that I loved this one too!

This book reimagines Mamma Mia a bit with a single dad character and a teenager completely obsessed with (and striving for a career on!) Broadway. Millie was so fun to read about, and I loved her cast of friends and the way this whole plot unfolded. This book was the perfect read to brighten my spirit a bit in the days before heading back to work post-Christmas vacation - so if you need your January to be a bit less blue, I'd recommend it to you as well!! :)

Like all of Emma's novels, I really adored the NYC setting of this book and I had to dig out this old photo of Times Square for the novel. I love musicals despite never really being into drama or theatre much besides the orchestral side of it a little bit in high school. Immersing myself in this teenage world of stardom as well as a side plot of geocaching in the city was just so.much.fun and I didn't want this story to end (although I loved the ending!!) This is the kind of YA novel I need in my life and I'll read all of her future books too.

Why did I listen to When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord?

When You Get The Chance sounded like a modern day Mamma Mia type story and I was here for that. It also sounded like an ode to Broadway which was definitely right up my alleyway. Broadway is one of my favorite places. There was also a hint of a hate/love relationship. Basically, it sounded like the perfect book for me.

What's the story here?

Millie Price is a junior in a dream: she wants to be a Broadway star. When she is accepted to a special musical arts program, she thinks she is finally on her way. Except her father does not want her going clear across the country for school and without a mother in her corner, she feels like she is all alone. When she comes upon her father's LiveJournal from 2003 (his first year in college), she makes a decision to finally find her mom and hopefully have an ally on her side.

How did I like What You Get The Chance?

When You Get The Chance is a hilarious and heart-warming love letter to family, friends, and the theater community. I really enjoyed reading about Millie and all of her little and big moods and experiences. This is a character with alot of heart and a wide range of human emotions. This journey takes her through so many experiences including an internship with her arch nemesis, a local dance class, and an unexpected kinship with a young girl. It tests her relationship with herself and those around her. This story is also a journey across NYC and is filled with a sweet romance between arch nemesis which I also enjoyed. It was a delight to read. I laughed, smiled, and even got a little emotional as I went on this adventure with Millie and an excellent supporting cast.

How was the narration?

This audiobook was an advanced reader copy from Netgalley. The story is narrated by Jesse Vilinsky and is approximately 10 hours and 18 minutes long. I listened to it at 1.5x speed and found that it flowed along easily. It kept my attention and also kept with the various emotions of the story. And trust me, there are alot of mixed emotions through out for Millie and the various other characters! I recommend When You Get The Chance to anyone who enjoys strong family dynamics, enemy to lover troupes, and who has a sense of adventure and a love for Broadway and NYC.

What a delight Emma Lord's books are! I really enjoyed listening to WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE, which published earlier this month (January 4). Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my ALC listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

The narrator was perfect for this quirky YA rom com! I think I have listened to another book with the same narrator, and remember loving that book as well. Narrator win!

I'm not much of a theatre person, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book. This book also explores the topic of parental abandonment, and wanting to find said parent to find out some answers. Millie, the main character, was also trying to figure out who she is as a person, something we can all relate too. Another topic that I connected with, surrounded going to college/university. Millie had all the typical highschool fears of going off to school - wanting or needing to get good grades and work hard to get a scholarship to help pay for her education.

I also really enjoyed the budding romance between Millie and Oliver. A favourite trope of mine- enemies to lovers was used! Yay! But make it super sweet (they are still in highschool!)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it! This was my first book from Emma Lord, but it won't be my last!

If I had to describe this book in one sentence it would be a modern day parent-gender-swapped Mamma Mia with a diva main character who just so happens to have a secret heart of gold. But just when you think you know what the story holds, BAM, the author rips the (theoretical) carpet out from underneath you with the biggest most unexpected twist and it was just so good! That is all I can say about that so no spoilers, just read to experience.

I also love that her best friend is male and there is ZERO romance between them and I adore that that was not a love triangle or repressed romantic feelings here. BUT we do have a love interest present here to make a nice enemies to lover trope bloom in the sweetest way.

I also really love the overall message in the story, that where or who you came from doesn't matter as much as where you are going and who you are now. This was overall a super enjoyable rollercoaster read, full of fun, heart, drama and theater and has now cemented the fact that this author can do no wrong in my eyes. I highly recommend this read for anyone who likes loud characters, mischievous antics, great relationships of all kinds and the play Momma Mia.

The audiobook was incredibly well done, the narrator did a fantastic job bringing Millie to life, I felt like she nailed the teen voice and personality incredibly well, and was able to voice the side characters perfectly as well. Keep in mind that I listen to audiobooks at faster speeds, this one at 1.75x and it was the perfect pacing and speed for me there, I 100% recommend this book as an audio and have already told all my friends to pick it up.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for advanced listening and ebook copies of this title.

Millie Price is about to enter her senior year of high school with dreams of becoming a Broadway star. She lives in New York City with her single dad and his sister who has acted as Millie's stand-in mom since her birthmom left her as an infant. She has longed for information about her mother, but her dad has always been reluctant to divulge anything. When Millie and her friend discover her dad's college Live Journal, it sets her on a quest to track down her mother. What ensues is a delightful story that reminds us that family isn't just the people we're biologically related to. I enjoyed this story a lot!

When You Get the Chance is a love letter to musical theater and Broadway in particular. If you follow Emma Lord on social media, you know she's a giant musical theater nerd and this is the Book of Her Heart. If you're not a theater kid, this will probably not hit the spot for you. I've been chasing that Tweet Cute feeling and Lord's second and third books aren't as focused on the central relationship, nor are they as funny. It's a different feeling and that's fine! Just set your expectations appropriately.

Millie Price is going to be a Broadway star. Nothing is going to get in the way of that. Not her school rival, not her family members who don't want her to leave home to pursue her goals, not her harsh new boss, not even herself and her Millie moods. So what Millie decides she needs is an ally. When she stumbles upon her dad's journal from college, she knows exactly who that ally can be, her mom. Enter Steph, Farrah, and Beth. Three of her dad's friends from college. All possibly her mom.

This was such a beautiful, adorable, heart-warming coming of age story from Emma Lord. I LOVE Millie, complete adoration for her. Millie was so authentic and incredible and adorable. I love her and all I wanted was for her to be happy. Every single character was authentic and well-fleshed out. I love that this had all of the parts of Millie's life that she was working on. She worked on her family relationships, friendships, rival...ships, career, school, everything! I loved all the musical theatre references but I especially loved the Mamma Mia aspect of this!!! It was such a fun aspect of it! The Millie Mia!

In audiobook this was AMAZING. I am SO glad that I read this in audiobook format. The narrator is absolutely fabulous. The characterization was so strong because of the narrator. As was the emotion. You could hear every ounce of emotion from every character. The narrator deserves the biggest raise.

Lastly, this is one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-ARC, it in no way influences my review!

Recently I’ve been so disillusioned by YA books with the new trend of super heavy themes. This was a breath of fresh air to have a book that dealt with serious enough stuff without feeling heavy, but also not only focusing on immature themes or just love-in-a-week romance.
Super cute characters and relationships while having a serious note as Millie searches for her mom whilst trying to pay for a school she wants to attend. I love how it feels like a modern day Mamma Mia but also includes Millie’s obsession with the broadway musical itself with so many references from it. The broadway theme was fun—especially the Newsie scene for this obsessed Newsies fan—and was even more so finding out that the author was in musical theater herself! It clearly added to the spirit of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much so that I was hoping to pass it along to my middle school daughter (because NO sex scene!!) but there were a few too many cuss words for our taste. That being said, a great all around YA! And absolutely FANTASTIC narration. From the get go I knew I was sold on that (and I am very particular about narrations…especially for YA novels)!

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I have loved every Emma Lord book I have ever read. I was very happy to have the opportunity to listen to this audiobook on @netgalley (and thanks also to @wednesdaybooks )

💜 What I liked:
This book is FULL of theater references that make my heart so happy. Emma Lord’s writing style is whimsical and so cohesive that you can’t help but fall in love with the characters. And Millie is one character you need more of. She has a love/hate relationship with Oliver, but through the book, their chemistry is undeniable. Millie’s search for her birth mom as well as her journey of self discovery is also a topic of exploration.

😱 What I didn’t like:
I would have loved even more of Millie interacting with her friends. Or even a sequel? What will she do next? I am here for that ride.

🚦 My face at the end: 🥰

💬 The Narrator:
I really appreciated the way the narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, was so clear in this book. A narrator’s style could make or break a book and I am so glad this one was so effective.

💭 5 Reasons to Read:
1. Musical theater
2. Supportive community
3. Mom search
4. Little women
5. Milkshakes



🕧 Mini-Summary:
Millie wants to be a theater star, but she also wants to find her mom. She only has a summer to find herself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney) or check out our Podcast - Elated Geek!

Could I love this book anymore?! Millie Price has dreams of being a Broadway star and she thinks the ticket to getting there is transferring for her senior year to a prestigious art program halfway across the country. She is not going to let her introverted dad or her extroverted aunt who has had a big hand in raising her get in her way. In fact, she's already said goodbye to her biggest rival Oliver. But when Mille's dad says no, she knows she needs someone in her corner and makes it her summer's mission to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby on her father's doorstep. This is a book of adventure, making messes glitz, glamour, and the people who love and care about us the most.