When You Get the Chance

by Robin Stevenson and Tom Ryan

[Sam@WLABB]

The death of their grandfather forces a rather uncomfortable family reunion between Mark and Talia's families, but results in renewed and new found friendships, as well as some exploration and discoveries about themselves.

Mark and Talia were like night and day, so different from each other, but they both were part of the LGBTQ community, and both desperately wanted to attend Pride in Toronto. Mark wanted to go, meet boys, and have a good time. While Talia needed to find out where she stood with her partner. Though their objectives were quite different, this trip was an instrumental part of them learning more about themselves and who they were.

Identity is discussed throughout the book, and I thought many of the discussions about sexual and gender identity were integrated well into the story. I especially appreciated how the authors presented the various points of view. Some of the best dialogues were prompted by the break-out star of this book, Paige. Paige was Mark's 10-year old sister, and her youthful, untainted, and precious this-is-how-I-see-it takes on identity were so wonderful. There were also points of view from people outside the community, as well as, older members of the community, which added even more depth to the discussions.

Overall: I had a wonderful time meeting Paige, Mark, and Talia, and enjoyed being part of their personal journeys.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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