Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Krawczyk
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun, heartwarming coming-of-age tale has "Mamma Mia!" twist.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE is about talented and outgoing Millie Price, who lives in New York City with her dad Cooper and his sister Heather in an apartment above the business that Heather owns. Mille's been raised by her dad since she was a baby and doesn't know her mom. On the last day of junior year, Millie is accepted into a prestigious precollege program for musical theater in California. She secretly applied to the program without telling her dad. When Millie shares the news, Cooper isn't as excited as she expected. He wants Millie to finish high school at home. Disappointed by his response, Millie decides it's time to find the mom she's never met. She and her best friend Teddy look at Cooper's old LiveJournal from his college days and on Facebook to find clues and narrow it down to three possible women. In her attempts to meet them, Millie gets entangled in a variety of adventures and mishaps. She even ends up competing for an internship with her longtime rival Oliver, the stage manager she's been sparring with since they both were freshman. Working together, they become friends and maybe more. Millie is confused and conflicted. What is happening between her and Oliver? Will she pursue her dreams by enrolling in the precollege program or staying in New York? Will she find her mom?
Is It Any Good?
This exciting novel entertains with endearing characters and a fun plot. At the heart of When You Get the Chance, Millie Price shines with her outgoing personality and her big dreams. She stumbles a bit along the way and struggles with family, friends, and identity in ways that many teens may relate to. The Mamma Mia! plot twist, with Millie's quest to find her mom, creates a nice amount of suspense. A few predictable but sweet romances that develop among the characters add to the charm of the story.
Unfortunately, there isn't much ethnic or racial diversity among the characters, especially given that it takes place in New York City. Millie's rival turned romantic interest Oliver Yang is Chinese American. There's a brief reference to his mom facing discrimination when she auditions for roles and is only called back for "tokenized Asian things." However, there's good representation of nontraditional gender roles with Cooper being Millie's primary caretaker as a single dad and several childless women flourishing in their careers. Overall, this is a fun and fast-paced read, with an abundance of current media references, that will appeal teens. Musical theater fans will especially enjoy it due to numerous mentions of popular shows, songs, and performers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Millie grows throughout When You Get the Chance. What does Millie learn about family in searching for her mom? How does her relationship with Oliver change as she gets to know him better? How does recognizing her mistakes and apologizing for them help Millie to find her way?
When You Get the Chance is a retelling of the musical Mamma Mia!, and many other musicals are mentioned throughout book. Do you have a favorite musical or play? Why do you like it? How does a live performance feel different compared with a movie or TV show?
Millie struggles because she isn't being honest with some of the people closest to her, and she lies when she's trying to find her mom. Can you remember a time when it was hard to be honest with a family member or friend? What happened? How did you feel?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Arts , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Wednesday Books
- Publication date : January 4, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 320
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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