3.5 stars. Sweet YA rom com with a nod to Mamma Mia! Loved Millie’s friendship with the neighbor across the hall obsessed with geocaching. Loved her relationship with her dad and aunt. The search for her birth mom was a little far fetched (how did her dad not tell her the mom’s name?) and it all buttoned up a little too perfectly to be even remotely realistic. I do feel like theater kids (middle school and high school) would absolutely love the show references and all the things these New York City kids get to experience.

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪’𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: in a book inspired by mamma mia - millie price is trying to convince her father to let her go to madison musical theatre precollege program all while trying to find her birth mom.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: i just want to give this book a big hug. this one was so much fun to read. millie’s energy and passion for what she loves was so adorable. i also really loved the fun mamma mia spin this book had where millie had three potential people she thought could possibly be her mom. there were so many broadway/theatre references so if you are someone who loves broadway i think you would recognize tons of the references in this one. there was also a cute little romance thrown in here between millie and oliver which i adored.

Thank you so much to Emma Lord, Wednesday Books & NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. I love the theatre kid center of it, and especially the Mama Mia theme throughout. Emma Lord does a great job with giving you all of the feels in her novels, and When You Get the Chance was definitely full of emotion and heart. I loved all of the various relationships throughout the novel, not just the other characters relationship's with Millie, but their relationships with one another. This was a lighthearted book with a little bit of heavy subject matter as Millie tries to find her mom, but I think it was done in a way without making it feel too heavy to read.

A sweet story about a high school junior who uses the summer to try to convince her dad to let her go to an early college for musical theater. She also dicovers her dad's LiveJournal and begins a Mamma Mia like quest to try and find her mom - is it Steph, the actor turned secretary, Beth, the creator of a Broadway club, or Farrah, the dancer? It was a sweet story but I have actually preferred Emma Lord's other novels even as a big Broadway fan.

Emma Lord is one of my favorite YA authors. Her writing is the perfect mix of fun and lightness that makes reading so enjoyable. The characters are always mature, yet not too much so for the age group. Her stories are grounded in such reality. She will forever be one of the YA authors I recommend to anyone looking for sweet stories to warm their hearts.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Millie Price dreams of becoming a Broadway star and living in NYC with her dad and aunt is the perfect place to start. However, she has bigger ideas and wants to attend a precollege program that will take her out of state, but her dad isn't on board with her plan to move across country to attend this school. Millie devises a plan to find who her mom is and maybe get her on board with her precollege program.

I'm reminded of the tv show Glee and Millie is Rachel. It's a lighthearted quick read that leaves you feeling happy.

Fantastic book! I ended up listening to the audiobook, and loved it. I think any Emma Lord fan will devour this one! I will definitely be recommending it to patrons.

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!