When You Get the Chance, Tom Ryan
When You Get the Chance, Tom Ryan
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
Club: $8.47

When You Get the Chance

Author: Tom Ryan, Robin Stevenson

Narrator: Emily Lawrence, Vikas Adam

Unabridged: 6 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/17/2021

Synopsis

Follow cousins on a road trip to Pride as they dive into family secrets and friendships.As kids, Mark and his cousin Talia spent many happy summers together at the family cottage in Ontario, Canada, but a fight between their parents put an end to the annual event. Living on opposite coasts—Mark in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Talia in Victoria, British Columbia—they haven’t seen each other in years. When their grandfather dies unexpectedly, Mark and Talia find themselves reunited at the cottage 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 would 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 the renowned “Pride Toronto” festival and parade 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.

About Tom Ryan

Tom Ryan is the award-winning author of several books for young readers. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction. Tom and his husband divide their time between Ontario and Nova Scotia. For more information, visit TomRyanAuthor.com.

About Robin Stevenson

Robin Stevenson is an award-winning author of many books of fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens, including the Stonewall Honor book Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community. She lives on the west coast of Canada with her family. You can find her online at RobinStevenson.com.

About Emily Lawrence

Emily Lawrence, an actor and writer, is passionate about bringing stories to life. She has narrated more than 425 audiobooks, many of which were USA Today or New York Times bestsellers, and has also worked in film, television, and theater.

About Vikas Adam

Vikas Adam is a classically trained actor with numerous credits in stage, film, commercials, and television, in addition to his over two hundred recorded audiobooks. His narrations have garnered numerous awards and nominations, including AudioFile Earphones Awards, various Best of the Year lists, and the prestigious Audie Award. He was an inaugural inductee into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Virginia Ronan on May 13, 2020

*A huge thank you to NetGalley and “Perseus Books, Running Press” for providing a free ARC* This book has been on my radar for quite a while and the moment I saw the cover I really wanted to read this. I just love how queer this is and the skyline of Toronto in the background as well as the blurb onl......more

Goodreads review by Sam on April 03, 2020

*I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* 3.75/5 This book lives up to what I was promised. It was both super queer and super Canadian, and was quite frankly a blast! I really liked the family dynamics in this, between the cousins, the parents, the gra......more

Goodreads review by Caleb on January 19, 2020

I can already tell this is a book I’ll be bringing up for a long time, because I feel like I’ve got too much to say to put my thoughts together coherently. It’s about all the ways in which queerness is a unique and personal experience, but also about how it unites and creates community out of divers......more

Goodreads review by lu ☾ on July 13, 2020

2.5 stars I'm gonna start off by saying that this actually lived up to my expectations. It was a quick, mostly enjoyable read, but otherwise not very memorable at all. When You Get the Chance follows cousins Mark and Talia, who haven't seen each other in years because their parents aren't on speaking......more

Goodreads review by Iris on May 04, 2021

I exchanged an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not affected my opinions in any way. we're going to pretend like I actually remember more than three things about this book, because I read it literally a year ago and then forgot to review it because the relea......more

Quotes

“A lovely and thoughtful story about family, community, and what comes next in a young person’s life. A wonderful addition to young adult literature.” Sara Farizan, author of Here to Stay

“A stunning duet about the messiness, history, and beauty of both family and queerness.” Lev Rosen, author of Jack of Hearts (and other parts)

“Varying articulations of young queer identity are discussed with aplomb; Talia’s broader awareness of gender diversity and systemic inequity opens Mark’s eyes as a privileged cisgender white boy…A solidly entertaining trip through Canada’s queer history and one family’s difficult secrets.” School Library Journal

“Talia and Mark…seem caught between a queer history that they don’t quite understand and a queer future that they are trying to create…This book is packed full of teaching moments…for example, explaining ‘they/them’ pronouns yet again.” Kirkus Reviews

“While presenting a variety of LGBTQ concepts, including historical context and cultural change, Ryan and Stevenson give their credibly written teens familiar challenges while Paige delves into a family mystery, offering the story a layer of drama and intrigue. A fun, thought-provoking tale.” Publishers Weekly

“The honesty about privilege! The snappy dialogue! The multi-generational queerness and recognition of queer history and culture! The rainbows! I love this Canadian Pride road trip!” Alex Gino, author of George

“A heart-warming story about love and friendship and family. I love this book!” Mason Deaver, author of I Wish You All the Best

Awards

  • BuzzFeed Books Pick
  • Bustle Pick
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