When You Get the Chance

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What to expect

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.

Critics Review

  • “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

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