When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord ~ 320 pages ~ to be published 1/4/2022 by Wednesday Books
Goodreads Synopsis:
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?
What I Thought:
*I received this book for free from Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*
Emma Lord has become an auto-buy/auto-read author for me, so when I heard she had a new book coming out I was so excited. Then, when I found out the book was about musicals and was a gender-bent Mamma Mia, I was thrilled!! I am a singer as well as a book enthusiast, so this is completely up my alley!!
First of all, I was so excited about all of the musical theater references in this book. I was able to geek out over it while simultaneously enjoying a great story. I love reading books about music, books about books, basically just give me a book about something that I love and I am almost guaranteed to love it!
The characters in this story were great, as per usual for an Emma Lord novel. I loved Millie. She reminded me so much of myself as a teenager, though perhaps a bit more over the top than me (but only a bit 😉 ) I really loved her character development throughout the novel. Her relationship with her dad and aunt were lovely, and the relationships she develops with each of her potential moms were so delightful to watch. I loved that she really couldn’t see herself in any of them, making it so much more of a mystery for the reader as to who could be ‘the one’. Her friendships with Teddy, Chloe and Oliver were so realistic, which is something I can always count on from Emma Lord.
I really enjoyed seeing the parallels between the plot of the book and the musical Mamma Mia. They were there, but the book was still its own unique story, which walked that line perfectly when it comes to a retelling of sorts.
If you are interested in a great story of searching for who you are in all of the wrong places and a love of music and all things theater, this is a great book for you to pick up!!
If you are interested in reading my reviews of Emma Lord’s other books, you can click here for Tweet Cute or here for You Have a Match!
My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I gave When You Get the Chance 5 Stars!!
Are you interested in learning more about this book? Check out the links below!
When You Get the Chance on Goodreads
Pre-order When You Get the Chance on BN.com
Are you a fan of books about music? Are you a musical fan? What other books about music do you recommend? Have you read either of Emma Lord’s other books, Tweet Cute or You Have a Match?
Let’s chat in the comments!
Love and happy reading,
Whitney
Whit Reads Lit 
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