Read a big-hearted book about a girl with Broadway dreams
When You Get the Chance — Emma Lord
What to Read This Week
When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
What It’s About
Emma Lord first came on to my radar with Tweet Cute, about two teens whose families own rival restaurants, and when a grilled cheese scandal ensues, all hell breaks loose. It was one of the most fun books I’d ever read, and it made my heart so happy, I knew Lord was going to be on my lists for a long time.
When You Get the Chance is her third novel, and it might be my favorite. Millie Price has dreams of being a Broadway star, and she knows exactly what she needs to do to get there. She’s helped revamp her New York City high school’s prestigious theatre program, she’s applied for an early prep program across the country, meaning she’d get a leg up on everyone, leaving school a year early to start her pre-college programs and become a star that much sooner. But . . . her dad won’t let her go. Not yet, anyway. So she needs a new plan to get him to agree. When she finds his old LiveJournal page from his college days, she realizes one thing: this could help her find her mom. The mom she’s never known who left her as a baby with her dad to raise on his own. Her mom could be the one to give her permission to go.
With the help of her best friend Teddy and her new intern coworker (and sworn enemy) Oliver, they try to track down possible leads using the LiveJournal entries, all while keeping the secret from Millie’s dad of what they’re up to.
The novel is a fun nod to Mamma Mia—not a true retelling but the basic plot structure is there, plus there are a ton of references, as that’s the play Millie’s always wanted to star in—and so many characters that are extremely lovable and enjoyable to follow. (Also I’ve never felt older than reading about some teens laughing at how old a LiveJournal is, and if you need me, I’ll be making sure mine is scrubbed from the internet.)
As Millie and Teddy get closer to the truth, Millie begins to wonder if this is the way she really wants to meet her mom after all.
Why You Should Read It
I know we’re all extremely enraptured with the Don’t Worry, Darling drama happening, but I’m also fully reading up on the Funny Girl situation too (the latest being the lead’s dress altered to be sleeveless for the thin lead, whereas the previous edition had long sleeves and more fabric covering the plus-size lead). If you, like me, cannot look away, this is a great lower-stakes but still big-energy book to get into. (Elizabeth Held from What to Read If also had a great book recommendation for celebrity drama this week!)
Even if all that hasn’t been on your radar, fans of musicals or theatre should give this one a go—there’s tons of references to popular shows and obscure ones, plus some great side plots about dance, rock bands, and geocaching. Other great musical books are Dear Evan Hansen and Jagged Little Pill.
Some Bonus Thoughts
On a more personal note, I found myself crying multiple times throughout this book. Growing up, I never really saw myself in characters I read about. They were always adventurous, had lots of friends, and had, what the kids these days call, main character energy. I was always having to create my own. And I still feel like that, even as a grown up. So that’s why, when I started this book, I was floored by this dramatic, emotional, over-the-top girl who had dreams and pursued them, even if that meant doing things a little unconventionally. She cried a lot. She yelled. She got mad when something didn’t go exactly as she planned it. And I saw a lot of myself in her.
She struggled with her self-proclaimed Millie Moods, where her emotions came so fast and so suddenly that she didn’t know what to do with them, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe it was okay to be emotional and dramatic. That maybe other people felt like this too, and it wasn’t a character flaw, but something that pushed her forward and made her empathetic and caring.
My whole life I’ve been a bit over-the-top. Some traits are ones that I love and have fond memories of in shared experiences with loved ones. But some are ones I’ve always thought were bad (am I too aggressive, or too abrasive, or too honest, or too loud, or too much?) have made me wish I were something else, because it seemed like I was the only one who was like this. Millie came to me at a time I really needed her, and I hope other loud and messy and too-emotional people find her too.
Next Up
I finished up a bunch of books last week, so that means I got to start some new ones! In the Great TBR Project of 2022 (a thing I just made up but have genuinely been trying to tackle), I pulled a recent purchase and one of the oldest books on my shelf to read next. Dissonance is a dreamy YA sci-fi from 2014 about select people who can pull threads of time and jump to alternate realities. It seems like it’s going to have some angsty romance, which I am excited for. The Glass Kingdom came out in 2020 and is a more recent addition to my stack, about the residents of a high-rise in Bangkok. Everyone has something to hide, and no one ever quite tells the truth, and I’m enjoying trying to piece together who exactly is the villain.
More Books
Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations:
Read a book about a bank heist, con artists, and falling in love
Read this suspenseful dual timeline mystery about the nuclear scare
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Cassie, I was enjoying your review and then your last few paragraphs about how you found yourself in this book made my eyes water. What a feeling that can be! I'm very close with a woman who has been told many times that she's a bit "too much" and, frankly, it's not always been easy for me to be with her when she's at the top of her form. On the other hand, I love her and don't want her to change. She makes me think about how timid I can be sometimes, how buttoned-down, how ungenerous -- because she is so able to go to where people are and bring them out of herself. I'm going to grab this book for future reading. Thanks.
1) I have had a copy of Tweet Cute forever and haven't read it but will now prioritize it and after reading the phrase "grilled cheese scandal."
2) Thank you for the celeb drama shout out.
3) I can't believe parents are old enough to have livejournal.