Emma Lord’s new novel When You Get the Chance is a deliciously fun spin on the musical Mamma Mia. Spunky and endlessly confident, narrator Millie Price is a musical theater fanatic who dreams of one day performing on Broadway. She grew up in New York City, raised by her dad after her mysterious mother dropped baby Millie off on his doorstep seventeen years ago. Now, as a rising high school senior dying to understand more about herself (and also wanting to find someone who will help convince her dad to let her attend a musical theater precollege in the fall), Millie goes on a wild chase to find her mom. After finding her dad’s LiveJournal from his college days (think old school Tumblr), Millie and her best friend/pseudo-brother Teddy realize that there are three different women who could possibly fit the bill. There’s Beth, the warmhearted musical theater fan; Farrah, the vibrant dance instructor; and Steph, the charming part-time actress. Making up the rules as she goes, Millie crisscrosses the city trying to find these women, and finds friendship, romance, and personal identity along the way.
Although When You Get the Chance is categorized as a young adult novel, don’t let that deter you! I am a full-fledged adult and I absolutely adored it. The writing is fantastic, the enemies-turned-friends love story is delightful, and the endless musical theater references are a riot (but that could just be the former drama student in me). I was a bit hesitant at first, not sure if I was on board for the antics of a seemingly very dramatic high school theater student, but by the end of the second chapter I was fully hooked. And once I got started, I couldn’t stop; Lord has a special knack for writing unputdownable stories. Her chapters are short and snappy, and her writing crackles with unabashed enthusiasm. Fittingly, her characters are also enthusiastically quirky, the sort of lovely people who love Newsies and geocaching, prefer their Reese’s Puffs in iced coffee, and wear sparkly rainbow-hued bangles. Amidst all the sequined fun, Lord slips in poignant moments that give the novel depth. She touches on topics like perfectionism and anxiety, mentorship and community, and the beauty of a found family. When You Get the Chance is a wild ride, and I loved every minute.
I’d recommend this book to…
- Anyone who is secretly or not-so-secretly a musical theater nerd… it’s similar in theme toHooked by Sutton Foster
- Anyone who appreciates a funny and fresh coming of age story… it’s similar in style to One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
- Anyone who likes a narrator that doesn’t lose her sparkle even when things are falling apart… it’s similar in tone toDial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
