I was actually very excited for When You Get the Chance. I'm a big fan of YA contemporary books, especially ones with LGBT characters. Unfortunately, this one mostly fell short for me.

First of all, the characters weren't exactly people I could root for. They're a bit selfish or assume they know everything better than anyone else. They're teens, sure, but I wouldn't even hang out with them as a teen myself.

Then there's also the part that basically ruined the book for me: a lesbian saying she's can't use that label anymore because her ex is a nonbinary person. That's not how lesbianism works.

15% DNF: I tried really hard to get into this one but I was bored and could not focus to pay attention to it.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

This book has been on my radar for quite a while and the moment I saw the cover I really wanted to read this. I just love how queer this is and the skyline of Toronto in the background as well as the blurb only added to my already high expectations. If you ask me the world needs more covers like that and I’d be happy to buy them all. This said, the most important question is: Did “When You Get the Chance” live up to my expectations or not?

Truth be told, this isn’t as easy to answer as some might think. The beginning of this book was pretty slow and about half of the book deals with their stay at the family cottage. It’s only about the 50% mark that things actually start to get interesting when they finally hit the road. From there on out I really enjoyed their journey though and I think Tom Ryan did a great job at capturing the spirit of Pride. The feeling of being a part of all those people, of the respect, acceptance, support and safety they offer. It felt like I was there along with them and made new friends while we walked the streets of Toronto.

Another thing I truly appreciated was the diversity we got to see in this book. Mark is gay, Talia is a lesbian or pan (she’s questioning her sexual orientation because she dated Erin who is non-binary) and of course there are a lot of other queer characters as well. ;-) Speaking of the characters themselves I can’t say that I connected with any of them. Well, none except of Paige! Mark’s ten years old little sister is such a ray of sunshine and I swear she was the best character in the entire book! I loved how she saw the world and tried to understand it and I absolutely adored her stance on being queer. For her it was so normal to have a brother who’s gay and gosh how I want more people like that in the world. Ten year old Paige gave me hope in humanity and I can’t thank Tom Ryan enough for that!! For me she represented a generation that grew up with LGBTQ+ rights and accepts everyone who’s under the rainbow and I really hope that one day we’ll actually get there. =) Still, there was a moment when one of the MCs got outed by Paige and I was very glad this issue was broached and challenged. No one should out you except of yourself!

As for Mark and Talia?! Mark might have been outgoing but he was also self-centred and more than just a little egoistic! I couldn’t with him and even though some of his actions later on in the book obviously tried to redeem him, I really can’t say that I liked his embodiment of the entitled white male. Then again I’ve to admit that it was good to have a character like Mark in this book, because quite honestly not everyone can be a sweet fluffy cinnamon roll and the world is made of more complex characters than that. ;-) Talia on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Mark and more on the calm and distant side of things. Whilst Mark didn’t seem to care about deep feelings and only wanted fun, Talia was a very deep and emotional character who had difficulties to accept that her partner had changed without her at their side.

I could probably go on and on about this book but I think I’ll leave it at that. The only thing that truly bothered me was that the characters apparently had no decency regarding their situation. I mean their grandfather just died and their grandma ended up in hospital; you’d think they would have thought about other things than the fastest way to pride. I suppose some of their behaviour could be explained by them being teens and having no tangible idea of the concept of mortality, but even then I would have felt bad for my actions if I’d have been in their shoes. (I felt really sorry for Talia’s dad and Mark’s mom.)

Regardless of everything I just mentioned this was still a fast and enjoyable read. Sure, there were some important topics that were only brought up but never truly addressed, since this book had only 272 pages I had no problem to overlook those little weaknesses though. There’s only so much you can put into a 250+ pages book and considering this Tom Ryan actually did a good job! All told this leaves me with 3,5 stars rounded up to 4 and the hope that my next Tom Ryan book will be another pleasant read.

It is very hard to come across a read that leaves you speechless. I was not sure what to expect when I started this novel but it took me to places I cannot even begin to tell you.
I cannot wait for this beauty to be released to the world so others can have a similar experience.

Special shoutout to Running Press Kids for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley.

In 2019 I happened to read Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan and was instantly enthralled by the story, so when I saw that he was co-authoring this book with Robin Stevenson I was immediately excited. The promise of roadtrip and familiar bonding and being queer I was sold.

Overall the book is definitely enjoyable and very easy to get through. Despite the fact that I put off picking it up for a long time, when I actually got around to reading it I was able to get through it in about a day. In part because it was so easy to get through I think that it also became quickly apparent the things about the book that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, or didn’t feel quite worked. As much as I liked Mark and Talia as narrators, the first half of the book that is mostly set at the cottage wasn’t all that enjoyable. While Paige’s eagerness to solve the case of the honorary Tremblay sibling in a lot of ways it was also just not something I was invested in, it’s also a larger portion of the book I’d argue than any of the roadtrip or real familial bonding moments.

It’s hard to judge family bonding in books because everyone is going to read that kind of thing differently based on their own experiences. For me I never felt there was a closeness between Mark and Talia. Even after the first fifty percent was done with and they were on their way to Toronto for the Pride weekend it was still just two people who wanted to be in the same location and were getting there. Even at Pride when Mark finds Talia just after she’s broken up with Erin it doesn’t really read as them being close? I dunno, there was something off about it. I never really felt that they hated each other, even as Talia spent the first half of the book annoyed with her cousin, but I never really felt that there was a moment where they connected? If anything Paige always felt more like the glue that was holding them and the book together. I’m not quite sure that the book could exist without her. I’ll also say that while the mystery of the honorary Tremblay was solved in a rather mundane fashion, it was also the part of the familial discord that I thought was the most melodramatic moment of the book. Maybe that’s a thing that people experience, but seeing as that had more to do with the adults of the story maybe I was just expecting too much from them.

There’s also a vague throughline of Mark cheating throughout the book. It’s adressed in the text, so definite kudos for that, but I also never quite understood what it was that Mark was looking for. I sort of got the vibe that Mark was looking for a good time and not a long itme, but between his desire for Darren to be his boyfriend and then planning his future with Jeremy I couldn’t tell you why things with Jareth never worked out. Which is fine, while the romantic entanglements of both of our narrators are front and center in terms of their personal issues the book makes no illusions about this being a romcom. I just never understood how Mark was approaching his love l

I’ve said this a couple times already, but just so that it’s that much more clear, Paige was truly my favorite character in the book. Without her I’m not sure I could have finished or enjoyed it as much as I did.

I would ultimately recommend this book. I think that for other readers, younger teen readers they will get something out of this that I ultimately didn’t. The positive experience I had reading the book makes up for some of the underwhelming nature I found with how the narratice actually unfolded.