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.

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.

I am confident that this book is wonderful. I am also confident after starting it twice that this is just not the book for me. I love Mamma Mia, but somehow I never felt like Mamma Mia was an invasion of privacy (probably because we zoom right past that in the movie/play) and in book format I absolutely could not get past that. And, in all fairness, this was less invasive than actually reading a parent's diary... The hypocrisy in me is definitely a thing. But anyway, this just didn't work for me. I was way too concerned about her dad's feelings because parenting seems really freaking hard and he was trying so hard to look out for his daughter and she was being impetuous.

In other words, I would have loved this book as a teenager. You know, the audience this book is intended for. But for me? A 31 year old lady? Nope. Not for me. Highly recommend for y'all though!

Really cute book that took me a while to not want to put it down. Now I need to rewatch Mamma Mia. I figured out who the mom was halfway through the book and I also got major Devil Wears Prada vibes.

There could have been a few chapters left out because it was starting to get dragged out and the amount of times Millie looks down at "Heather's shoes" was annoying. I know who the shoes actually belong to. I didn't need to be reminded 15 million times.

I adored this book! I loved Millie, all the musical theater references, the twists, the heart...
Just a delight, and another fun read from Emma Lord.

I loved this spunky, story of self discovery; it's the type of book I wish I had had when I was 18! Emma's writing is amazing and I'm so excited to dig into what she writes next!

This book was phenomenal! A modern day Mamma Mia with a musical theatre twist, this book kept me smiling from start to finish, and I was highly invested!

This book was a fun look into the world of theater through the eyes of a teenager chasing their dream. Millie is a character - not just in this book, but her personality makes her a stand out that you want to root for. I really enjoyed all the storylines and how they wrapped up!

I've enjoyed all of Emma Lord's work since her debut novel Tweet Cute, and When You Get the Chance is certainly no exception to that! Readers make a return to New York with our titular character Millie, who is on a journey that she thinks is merely to 1. figure out who her birth mom might be and 2. get her father on board with the pre-college theater program she wants to attend that's all the way across the country. But the truth is that it's actually the story of Millie getting to a deeper understanding of herself and what she wants, as well as the people who surround her -- new and old alike. It was charming and funny and I really enjoyed this one!

I adore Mamma Mia and will read absolutely anything Emma Lord writes, so it's no surprise I loved When You Get the Chance! At its heart is an enemies-to-lovers relationship set in NYC, but theatre-kid style with *all* the Broadway references and over-the-top shenanigans. It was a heartwarming, delightful read that I can't wait to revisit!

Since Tweet Cute came out, Emma Lord has become an auto-request author for me. I’ve read every book thus far and have enjoyed them all. This one is no different.

It is charming, it is happy, it is joyful! If you love theatre and musicals and all that comes along with it, take a chance on this book. You won’t be disappointed.

Anyone who knows me know I have a very weird relationship with YA novels, but Emma Lord does not disappoint. Pick this book up if Broadway has a special place in your heart!

Millie is determined to do a lot of things- become a Broadway Star and find out who her mother is being the two most important on her list.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Though it wasn't astounding as a story, I think Emma Lord writes likeable characters and in a compelling manner.