An effervescent, endearing, joyful contemporary romance of one young woman searching for her birth mother one summer, by New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.
There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?
Joyous, heartfelt, and brimming with emotion, When You Get the Chance is a novel about falling in love, making a mess, and learning to let go that will have you happy-sobbing and cheering all the way to the end.
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Gr 8 Up-Millie Price has long dreamed of Broadway, and nothing is going to stop her from realizing those dreams-not an embarrassing viral video from her past, not a dad who thwarts her plans to attend the precollege theater program of her dreams in California, not even the rumors that her high school is finally going to be doing a production of Mamma Mia! in the fall. In an effort to pay for her potential new school, Millie stumbles upon a relic from her dad's past that sets her on her own Mamma Mia!-esque quest to discover the identity of her mother and leads her in some completely unexpected directions-to an internship alongside longtime rival Oliver, dance classes in a Brooklyn studio, an informal Broadway sing-along group, and maybe even her own romance. As Millie tries to solve this mystery, she comes to some important realizations about herself, her family, and where her future really lies. The book is full of Lord's characteristic quick wit and delightful banter, and packed with enough Broadway references to satisfy even the most avid theater fan. The rivals-to-romance development between Millie and Oliver is the stuff great rom-coms are made of, but Millie isn't lacking in regard to other supportive friends and family members either. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli's Kate in Waiting or Marisa Kanter's As If On Cue, theater kids, and rom-com enthusiasts, this would make a great addition to school and public library collections.-Alison Glass