When You Get the Chance: A Novel

About the Author
Emma Lord (she/her) is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn't writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese. Her books include Tweet Cute, You Have a Match, and When You Get the Chance.
One of Cosmo's Best YA of 2022
A bighearted novel about falling in love, making a mess, and learning to let go, from Emma Lord, the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club pick You Have a Match.
**An Indie Next Pick**
Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream of becoming a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super introverted dad, who raised Millie alone since she was a baby. Not her drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not her “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm. Millie needs an ally. And when an accidentally left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do―find her mom.
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?
PRAISE FOR EMMA LORD:
"Brimming with energy, rapid-fire banter, and affectionate theater references, this memorable Mamma Mia! retelling...thoughtfully pays homage while skillfully modernizing it for today’s readers." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Chock-full of musical theater references and humor, the novel includes high-stakes emotional drama that is balanced by supportive friendships and strong, deep family connections...An entertaining personal journey with plot twists galore." - Kirkus Reviews
From School Library Journal
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 Glassα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.