Perfect if you:
- Miss attending Pride
- Need some LGBTQIAP+ goodness in your life
- Want to learn about the history of Pride in an entertaining way
Review:
Some YA books are just really easy to fly through, and When You Get the Chance certainly is one of them. Even if this is a bit more of a mystery and has a heavier focus on family dynamics instead of just the Pride event (like I erroneously thought), this book has a lot going for it.
In this story, there’s a mystery of why Mark and Talia’s parents aren’t talking to each other anymore. I loved how we got to dive deep into family secrets and get to the bottom of it all, especially with Talia and Mark in the center. Honestly, I was also kind of living for the representation of cousins getting along with each other. Being an only child, I grew up with my cousins and in a way, they were like the siblings I’ve never had and I see that so rarely represented in books, so I loved Mark and Talia’s, if somewhat rocky, relationship.
While Mark definitely wasn’t my favourite, I was really intrigued by the family dynamics overall and found myself constantly wanting to cuddle and hug Mark’s sister Paige who deserved more time on the pa(i)ge. Throughout the novel, I did warm up to Mark and Talia though, and the more they learned about queer history and queer representation, the more open the two of them got to discussions surrounding others’ experiences which was really special and lovely to read about.
There’s a lot of diversity represented in this book and that will definitely appeal to readers. Though I can’t speak to some of the representations (trans, poly rep), I did enjoy that they were being included, and that this story is filled with pride for everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIAP+ community. Also, this book was set in Canada and I loved that we got time to explore it in the novel instead of it just being the backdrop.
A feel-good story, When You Get the Chance is perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to go to Pride or is missing out on it and needs a reminder of why celebrating and embracing who you are is always the right choice!
When You Get the Chance is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 4th 2021.
Will you be picking up When You Get the Chance? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Follow cousins on a road trip to Pride as they dive into family secrets and friendships in this contemporary YA novel — perfect for fans of David Levithan and Becky Albertalli.
As kids, Mark and his cousin Talia spent many happy summers together at the family cottage in Ontario, but a fight between their parents put an end to the annual event. Living on opposite coasts — Mark in Halifax and Talia in Victoria — they haven’t seen each other in years. When their grandfather dies unexpectedly, Mark and Talia find themselves reunited at the cottage once again, cleaning it out while the family decides what to do with it.
Mark and Talia are both queer, but they soon realize that’s about all they have in common, other than the fact that they’d both prefer to be in Toronto. Talia is desperate to see her high school sweetheart Erin, who’s barely been in touch since leaving to spend the summer working at a coffee shop in the Gay Village. Mark, on the other hand, is just looking for some fun, and Toronto Pride seems like the perfect place to find it.
When a series of complications throws everything up in the air, Mark and Talia — with Mark’s little sister Paige in tow — decide to hit the road for Toronto. With a bit of luck, and some help from a series of unexpected new friends, they might just make it to the big city and find what they’re looking for. That is, if they can figure out how to start seeing things through each other’s eyes.
