DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Going Bicoastal is a fantastic YA pick for summer!

I didn't personally love the "choose your own adventure" aspect of the narrative, but it was super unique. I was super entertained by the characters and their interactions, however, and I appreciated the bisexual and Jewish representation is this story, as well.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I really liked the concept of this book with the parallel universes and seeing how both choices play out, but that was about it. It was very insta-lovey, the characters on both sides got together very quickly, and there wasn't much conflict. There was also A LOT of kissing, making out, and sex for a YA. I almost DNF'ed it but kept reading to see how Adler finished the parallel universe thing. Overall, a good book, but definitely not my favorite.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I really enjoy the author's writing style and I was really looking forward to this book! While I understand the stylistic choice for this particular book, it has been hard for me to really get into. The main character is exploring her options between staying with her dad & everything she already knows in NYC for the summer or moving in with her mom in LA. The chapters flip back and forth between what *could* happen if she says in NYC and what *could* happen if she goes to LA.

I really wanted to love this book & I'm sure that I will when I try the book again. But for right now, it just isn't for me.

Really loved this kind of choose your own adventure book about a young adult bisexual woman trying to decide her future. You get to follow what her life would have looked like if she made two different decisions about where to spend her summer and I honestly couldn't decide which path I liked better for her. This could have been annoying and redundant but I feel like Dahlia Adler did a really good job with these parallel timelines, showing different pieces of who Natalya is. Both love interests were swoony and good for her in different ways and I really liked getting to know the relationships she had with her parents and how they were evolving. highly recommend for any young adult romance reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, unique concept for a book and I loved every minute of it! I honestly could not tell you which of the two romances/timelines I liked more, because they were both so well-written and compelling, and I liked (possible small spoiler alert ahead), that no one timeline was ever revealed as the "real" one, and you could almost choose your own adventure for the ending. I also liked that some major non-relationship life beats remained the same throughout both timelines. And that Home Field Advantage shoutout at the end? Amazing!

I definitely need to pick up a hard copy of this book so I can read it again, probably twice (one time for the Elly chapters only, one time for the Adam chapters only, of course). If you're easily confused and want a more straightforward read, this probably won't be for you, but if you're cool with juggling two different storylines, you are in for a fun ride.

Unfortunately, this was a dnf for me. The writing felt clunky and disingenuous.

Giving this book 5 stars because I dnf’d it—I don’t feel good giving a bad rating for something I didn’t finish.

We return to the Dahlia Adler Literary Universe with her newest book, "Going Bicoastal"! This is a YA bisexual summer romance that contains two stories in one. In the summer before her senior year of high school, Natalya is forced to choose between spending the summer with her dad in NYC, where she currently lives, or with her mom in LA. In NYC, she’s got friends, her dad, and the chance to finally get to know the cute redhead girl she keeps running into; in LA, she’s got an internship, the chance to finally reconnect with her mom, and the cute intern boy she shares a desk with.

Natalya’s two options are presented in back-to-back chapters of her living out either choice. Each chapter has a fun title, which also keeps it clear which location it’s set in, as different nicknames are used in the title for both cities: Tal in NYC and Nat in LA. I rooted for both romantic options and liked them equally, and Natalya’s friendships—new and old—feature prominently in both realities. Whether Natalya spends her summer listening to music in NYC with the girl or bonding over food in LA with the boy, I enjoyed every chapter and thought each relationship was well-developed. This is especially impressive as each character only gets half the book, making for a fast-paced plot. Adler completely pulls it off!

The only possible criticism I could have for the book is that every so often it was repetitive. Natalya has a cohesive, unified character arc throughout the book, so regardless of which romantic option and city she chooses, her relationship with her parents, friends, and career aspirations evolve in similar ways. There are of course differences, too, but in order to keep Natalya on the same main page in each version, there are some repeated lines or paragraphs to show her linear development in both chapters. This did not hinder my overall enjoyment of the book, however.

Speaking of career aspirations, I loved that one of the major subplots was Natalya figuring out what she wants to study in college and what career she could potentially be interested in! I thought I knew what I wanted when I was her age, but have quite recently had my own epiphanies about what I really want, and I really appreciated reading about a character on a similar journey. I also like that, due to her cohesive character arc, "Going Bicoastal" supports the idea that there are many different pathways to a positive outcome in your life. Natalya realizes what she’s interested in in two completely different ways, which I think is a great message for any other readers in high school and college. There’s not just one correct pathway to your future.

I’ve only read one of Adler’s other books, "Home Field Advantage," but I caught a number of references to her other works. I love when an author includes easter eggs like that, and if you’ve read HFA, "Cool for the Summer," and/or the Daylight Falls books (and possibly more, those were just the ones I noticed without having read them all), you will enjoy the inclusion of characters and references to those books in Going Bicoastal.

"Going Bicoastal" is the perfect lighthearted romance to read this summer. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Going Bicoastal is a refreshing and engaging coming-of-age novel that explores identity, friendship and love in all shapes and sizes. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a really positive queer read this summer.
The story follows Natalya Fox as she navigates the challenges of new environments and becoming more independent. She must choose between her father (and the girl she’s always wanted) in New York, and her mother in Los Angeles (and a guy that makes her rethink everything).
With reliable characters and witty dialogue, Adler’s writing captures the essence of teenage angst and personal growth. This is a must read for anyone looking for a heartwarming and authentic story and self-discovery and finding one’s place in the world.

What a charming book! I don't read many book descriptions before diving in so I was surprised and delighted by the dual narratives. Our main character Natalya is bi (love the bi rep!) and this summer she has to decide if she's going to live with her dad in NYC and ask out the gorgeous girl at the coffee shop or her mom in LA and the hot new intern at her firm. We get to see both scenarios play out on the page and then, in the end, the reader chooses who she ends up with. Really fun reading experience!

Let me start by saying how much I absolutely LOVE Dahlia Adler. Every book is charming, funny, witty, and so refreshing. There’s so much honesty and rawness in her work that you can tell the author always gives little pieces of herself to her characters and readers. Every story feels like a hug from a bestie and a trusting, safe, accepting environment.

All that said, while this didn’t work for me, I think it will absolutely work for many others! The sliding doors aspect was always going to be a tough sell for me in particular because I was never a fan of the movie or any other application of those trope. It always leaves me feeling like each side of the story, each “choice” or alternate reality is never fully fleshed out, while at the same time often featuring a lot of repetition to rightfully showcase how some aspects of the MC were always true or going to happen no matter what choice they made.

Both of those things felt like they happened here. From some of the conversations with the parents, to some specific dialogue and lines, I just felt like the pages were taken up with a lot of redundant information.

Despite this, I loved seeing how Natalya fell in love with both the girl she was crushing on for forever, and the guy she gets off to the wrong foot on with at work. She’s a loves le bisexual disaster still trying to work out so many things, that it’s impossible not to root for her. Her challenges and strained relationship with her mom, her uncertainty over college and what she wants to study, and her flickering self confidence all feel really grounded in the teen experience. Add to that how she navigates each relationship differently and the specific challenges with each, and Natalya is a character that truly shows a lot of range and depth.

This is a wonderful queer TBR selection that happens to come out during pride but can and should be read and enjoyed at any time of the year! I highly recommend it for those who are fans of the author, the sliding doors trope, or just want to see a wonderful bisexual MC represented. As always, the jewish representation is respectful and lovely to see and overall, this feels really balanced, despite the trope itself being a downer for me.

Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for my galley and finished copy!

Dahlia Adler can do no wrong. Their books are always a great big hug and leave so many readers feeling seen! This book is no different and I devoured it from beginning to end! I highly recommend

When I read the summary, I knew I had to read Going Bicoastal!

I've always loved the idea of following the story through two parallel paths and the various outcomes that each path presents.

I have to say, I'm a foodie at heart, so I'm totally biased to Natalya venturing out to California instead of staying in New York.

But both paths have a great story that will appeal to everyone.

A cute and fast paced romance(s). Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing us the opportunity to read this ARC for our honest review. This was a fun read where you get to see both story lines flesh themselves out without the MC having to “choose” one path. This can some times be a form of story telling where you clearly lean toward one story line or the other and sometimes you can tell which one the author leans toward as well. However both story lines were fun to read. Although low key I am Team NYC.

Super cute and definitely worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love bisexual rep and this book was great at showing that. While Home Field Advantage is still my favorite from Adler, this one was a really strong 2023 showing and I quite enjoyed it. It's so important that we have queer literature out there for our youth - especially for bi babes, like myself - so this so important to have on the shelf! The way this was written was super unique and I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it before, but I wasn't mad about it. In fact, I would love to find more books similar to this one.

I can't wait to see what Adler comes out with next!

Going Bicoastal was a fun read, interweaving two parallel but mutually exclusive narratives that diverge from the same point: the protagonist choosing between her two options for how to spend the summer, a question we have all faced at one point or another in time.

In some ways this book was a breath of fresh air in this sub-genre, leaning more on levity and opportunity rather than the darkness and constraint that often characterizes other similar works like The Midnight Library, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, and This Time Tomorrow. However, due to the fairytale too-good-to-be-true aspects of both of our protagonist's paths, it also lacked the emotional punch that one typically feels from these parallel-worlds works, and each narrative feel hollow and rather dull when looked at individually. The strength of the work comes from the comparison between the two, and how there would be elements in both realities that could be shared and develop regardless of the choice.

Overall, I found it a fun-enough but forgettable narrative with somewhat bland characters, an okay execution for a good premise. While the resolution felt a little too perfect, I thought the moral of the book was a good one that we should all be reminded of from time to time. My thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC!

4.5 rounded up! Going Bicoastal was so cute. I picked this up without reading the summary so when main character Natalya says she’s bi for the first time, I was like ‘ohhhh the title makes sense now!’ From there things just got better. The voice perfectly captured that uncertainty and anxiety that I felt during my late teens- feeling like everyone else has their lives figured out except for you. Then the story splits!! And Natalya gets to live out both options for the summer, complete with two separate romances. I loved seeing her relationships develop. Elly and Adam were very different, but the little parallels between their relationships with Natalya made me so happy when they appeared.

There’s a line that I really liked about possibility, and I think this story did a wonderful job of showing that there’s so much possibility in any choice we make. Sometimes no choice is the clear best choice, but each choice has as much possibility as the other, and that is super reassuring.

Natalya’s parents were hilarious and really grew on me, particularly her mom who I totally disliked in the beginning. I did have a bit of a hard time keeping track of all the friends since there were so many of them in each location.

This one was a bit different for me since it wasn't what I thought it was when I requested to review it. Guess I should have read what the book was about. All reasons aside it was cute enough but still a bit confusing as it jumps back and forth between her two lives and love people. I would give it 2 to 3 stars. Just wasn't crazy about it.

Loved this book! A fun and inventive story with thoughtful characterization. This would be a strong addition to any classroom library.