Dahlia never misses and she does what she does best because bisexual charter always eat and this wants the exception

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.
I apologize for how long it took me to get to this story. It was super cute and fun. Adam was okay, Elly was way better. Natalya was adorable as a FMC. The sliding doors take was cool.

I have often used this book for reader's advisory and pride displays since its publication. Going Bicoastal is a well-written and excellent story for any teens looking for a bisexual, interesting protagonist. I loved the alternate timelines plotline, providing two stories in one, with two unique locations and love interests. It provided for a unique, new take on character development.

Going into this book, I honestly had no idea whether it’d be my thing or not. The premise was fascinating to me, but Adler’s books have been either a big miss or a big hit for me, and I couldn’t tell where this one would fall. I was also worried that having two timelines playing out at the same time would lead to two shallowly fleshed out stories running side by side.

In the end, this book was fun though, and I had fun! It won’t be the most memorable book ever, but it was great for what it was and what I wanted it for, and I enjoyed the time I spent with it.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how well the two sides melded together. I definitely had moments where I was more intrigued in one side than the other, but both sides had their strong parts. I also really enjoyed how the same issues were tackled differently in each side, but in a way that really paralleled each other. Sometimes these style stories try too hard to make each side too unique, that it doesn’t feel like it’s the same character living these two lives anymore. In Going Bicoastal, it did really feel like the same character would make these choices on both sides. Even so, there was enough difference in how she grew as a person that really showed the impact of the differing series of events, and it was really fun to see how different each Natalya was by the end. I also enjoyed both of the romances, and was surprised I didn’t really end up preferring either too much.

Overall, this was a fun and pleasant read, and I believe it’s a perfect audiobook to pick up when you just want a short, entertaining read!

I was excited for this book, however it got rather repetitive especially in the beginning and wasn’t keeping my attention as well as I hoped it would. I would still try a different book by this author but this one just wasn’t for me.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at about 25%. I did not realize the format would be exploring 2 alternate timelines. instead of a singular timeline where the person travels between 2 places. Additionally, I found the MC extremely unlikable and entitled. This book just didn't work for me.

A queer YA romance novel? Yes. One that represents bisexuality, rotating between romantic partners chapter by chapter? Heck yes.

Going Bicostal by Dahlia Adler is a great novel about bisexuality and how your life may differ depending on which options you take in life, especially between southern California and the Carolinas.

This sliding door romance was so much fun for a trope that I usually hate! Seriously, I had never been able to get through a sliding door romance before—I have always had to DNF partway through because I hate one of the plotlines.

Here, though, the two plotlines are each unique and so well done! In one, our protagonist goes to intern with her mother in LA for the summer and falls for a boy who's a fellow intern, while in the other she stays with her father in New York and ends up getting together a girl in her neighborhood who she's had a crush on for ages. The parallels between the two timelines are done quite skillfully; it was so interesting to see how different events and decisions occurred between the two.

Both of the romances feel a little truncated because of the book being split between two timelines (giving each pairing half the page time they would have in a usual YA romance), but they're still quite cute—I just wish I could have seen more of them! The sliding door format also meant there were SO many side characters to keep track of, since there was a full cast in each timeline, and it was a lot to keep track of sometimes.

Going Bicoastal is still a super fun summer read and I recommend it, especially to anybody looking for a book with good, casual bi rep. 4 stars.

As a bisexual young adult that did not come out until the very last week of high school to her family, this book is SO important. I know that some reviews might say this read too young, but then they are not realizing the impact this could have on young readers who need something like this in their life.

Dahlia Adler is a joy to read. Her books are delicious and wonderful. This was a fun romp that any YA reader will love.

I will give my full review of Going Bicoastal once a solution has been found for the St. martin's Press Boycott.

I first encountered Dahlia Adler as the editor of anthologies riffing on classic works, which I loved. I also knew her from her work on LGBTQ Reads and other community and bookish work. So I was excited to get this opportunity to read one of her books. We’re close-ish in age, so her humor and writing really work for me, and perfectly capture the queer conundrums of my generation (and others, I’m sure). This one was just super cute and cozy. I still haven’t read Cool for the Summer or Home Advantage, but I’m pretty sure there’s an easter egg/cameo from characters in those books, which I always love. Sliding Doors but make it bisexual teens. For fans of Sophie Gonzales.

I saw that Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler was dubbed a "queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com," and I thought to myself, "say less," Natalya Fox has two potential cities and two potential romantic prospects. It's a book about realizing that there are two roads and there are costs and benefits to each, no matter what Frost thinks.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I thought this was a cute read! I have really liked all of her books thus far this is the lowest on my Adler list though. I think I had wanted to find out if one POV was going to end up being real vs the ending of both timelines. All in all another smash from Dahlia Adler.

Note to self, after this book I will always be reading the synopsis of every book before I start it. Boy was I confused when I first started reading this one. But, all was well and I loved this book. Dahlia Adler's books always leave me feeling like I'm getting a giant hug when I finish them. I loved the main character Natalya and both of her romances, they were absolutely adorable. I loved her relationships with her parents and all her friends, new and old. I loved the dilemma of what to do with her life after high school and feeling like what she wanted wasn't good enough. Dahlia's books are so wholesome and light=hearted while also touching on so many important aspects. I know I'm not the target audience for her genre anymore but even as a 33 year old woman I enjoyed reading this book so much. The religion rep, the LGBTQIA+ rep, everything was just perfect!

Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the review copy!

The draw for this book was the sliding doors element where we get to see how the character's life plays out depending on the character's decision. The setting and character development really made this one enjoyable.

I had high hopes for *Going Bicoastal*, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. While I loved that there was queer representation, I had a hard time connecting with the characters due to their being so many and the pacing of the story.

In this delightful parallel-timelines rom-com reminiscent of the movie "Sliding Doors," seventeen-year-old Natalya Fox faces a summer of choices: stay in New York City with her father or join her mother in Los Angeles. Each option presents its own set of opportunities, from potential romance with a longtime crush in Manhattan to new connections and internships on the West Coast. Split between two timelines, Natalya navigates love, post-graduation plans, and family dynamics in both cities, with the Los Angeles storyline offering deeper complexity and conflict. Bisexual and Jewish, Natalya's identity is sensitively portrayed, with themes of queerness and religious observance skillfully woven into the narrative. Overall, this sweet and joyful Young Adult romance offers readers double the charm and heartwarming moments.

🌆⛱️Book Review:
Title: Going Bicoastal
Author: Dahlia Adler
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars

I really enjoyed this book! It kinda reminded me those Choose Your Adventures books from my younger years. If you had the opportunity to play out your life in two different ways to see which one you like better, would you?
Natalya Fox has 24 hours to choose between spending the summer with her father in New York City or to fly off to LA to reconnect with her estranged mother. Throughout this book, we join her on two parallel timelines as she experiences both. At times, it was just a little confusing to switch back and forth, but it was really, really good! So what does she end up choosing? You gotta read it to find out! No spoilers here!

Published: June 13th, 2023
Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really fun LGBTQIA+/rom-com take on the choose your own adventure stories. It was a lot of fun!