I don't know how I got close to pub day without devouring this book! I've become a big fan of Dahlia Adler's YA books and I really enjoyed this one. I feel like the blurb accurately describes this better than I could:
A queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she's always wanted) or LA with her estranged mom (and the guy she never saw coming).
I remember seeing Sliding Doors in the theater and being so confused (which is probably the definition of being a high schooler in the late 90s), both because of the accents and because I was fascinated by the possibility of seeing both sides of a seemingly small decision. As someone who handles life by evaluating all potential outcomes, I was overwhelmed that someone else had understood the crazy way my brain works. I'm feeling the same way about this book, especially since the MC is probably the age I was when I saw Sliding Doors 🤣
I thought the dual choices were covered very well, especially with the variety of love interests. It was a great idea and it was executed well - what more could you want in a book?!
Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Going Bicoastal is now available everywhere. There is great Jewish and bisexual representation in this YA romance - it's a great read for this pride month OR ANYTIME!

Dahlia Adler books are always so fun. And Going Bicoastal was no exception. Told in a unique choose-your-own-adventure format, Going Bicoastal is a queer rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in New York City with her dad (and and the perfect girl) or in Los Angeles with her estranged mom (and a surprising guy). Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make a choice that will change her life forever.

Mara Wilson does a beautiful job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with a review copy.

When I first heard about Going Bicoastal, I knew I had to read it. A queer romance story with a bisexual main character? Count me in! And I think that overall, we were given a cute romance that plays with the idea of how much a choice can affect your story.
First, I have to say I wished for more. Let me be clear; I enjoyed this book. It delivers on the cute romance and kind of coming of age aspect. I think it is a cute book that most readers who are intrigued by the summary will enjoy.
My first issue was that because we follow both stories at the same time, it could feel a little confusing to me as to which details were part of which story.
The second one is the length. It felt so short for a book that follows two stories. I wanted a little more meat to both sides of the stories, to really deepen the process of those two blooming romances.
Still, I think that most readers who are looking for a cute queer romance will enjoy this. This was my first book from Dahlia Adler, and it definitely makes me want to check more of her work.

Wildly inventive storytelling by a wildly talented author.

I've read all of Adler's books and she just keeps on giving us classics.

Bonus points for tying elements of ger previous books in this new work.

Go buy it!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was the book I didn't know I needed to read.

It was so darn perfect.

Natalya (Nat/Tal/Tally) is 17 years old - lives in NYC with her dad. She's forced to decide is she wants to spend her summer in NYC, as per usual - or if she should join her mother in LA (she and her mother are estranged).

And so begins a story that rather than having dual points of view - gives us dual storylines. One that takes Nat to LA and the other that keeps her in NYC. Each chapter jumps back and forth between the two locations.

This book is a sort of literary version of "Sliding Doors" - only, unlike that movie, I genuinely didn't know if I was happier with Nat going to LA or staying in NYC. BOTH choices, both summers were exactly what I wanted her to experience.

In NYC she finally meets "The Redhead"(Elly), she works on improving her relationship with her mother, she makes new friends and learns that her passion can become her career.

In LA she meets Adam and they connect over their love of tacos, Shabbat dinner, "dinner parties". Their friendship blossoms into something so beautiful. And again, her relationship with her mother is vastly improved.

I loved Elly. I loved Adam. I cheered on both love stories - but mostly I loved Nat.

This was my first read by Dahlia Adler and I will definitely read her books again. Well written, well paced, great characters.

Totally a recommended read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Going Bicoastal is a fantastic summer read! I absolutely could not get enough of Natalya’s journey(s) through her choice of a summer in LA or a summer in NY with her dad. I loved that it felt like a true Bisexual story! Both timelines are fun & it’s easy to not get lost going back & forth.

5 stars!

This book was fun but didn't draw me in as much as I hoped it would. I loved the Jewish and bisexual representation but didn't really connect with either of Natalya's love interests. I was really waiting for the moment that the two realities would collide and she'd have to make a choice, and because that never happens, it really felt like the stakes were very low. Which on one hand is a nice change of pace that makes for a lowkey read, but on the other hand, removes the conflict and strife that usually bring about a good climax!

I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit scared about the timelines but I thought they were really well balanced and executed. I'm not going to lie, I did have a prefference in storyline, but I was really invested in both. On top of that I was mainly impressed by the fact that I never got them confused at all. Both felt so clear to me, and I had no way of mixing them up, even though there were a lot of similairities in them. Honestly, that was my favourite part as well. How our main character ended up going through the same kind of developement in both storylines but just got there in very different ways. The little parallels were always so much fun to discover as well. Like I said I did have a favourite storyline (but that's because I'm a sucker for foodcentric storylines in books) but I truly loved them both. I loved getting to see Natalya's relationship with her mother develop. In the LA storyline because they are spending more time together, but also in the New York storyline through their book club. I really loved the cast of side characters in both the storylines as well. The two romances were also incredibly adorable and I strongly shipped them both. Anyway, this book was amazingly executed, and it's a concept that's hard to pull of, and it was also just a very enjoyable read.

Special thank you to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc! I was a little late in getting to this one before it's publishing date, but as soon as I picked it up I could not put it down.

Natalya's story is an 'if/then' situation of what happens if she stays in New York for the summer with her dad and friends, or if she goes to visit her mother in California and works an internship at the company her mother works for. In California, there is a cute boy who shares a desk with her who is a little standoffish. In New York, there is the infamous Redhead, she has been running into for years, but has never had the courage to talk to. All the while, navigating her last summer before her senior year in high school and trying to figure out the path she wants to take for the future.

This book was a super fun and cute read, and definitely a great choice for a summer read! (Some spoilers ahead) I definitely had a favorite storyline, I wish I loved them both the same, but I just didn't. The Redhead, Elly, was outgoing and had me swooning, while Adam had me annoyed most of the time. I got vibes from him of being a childhood boyfriend that would not last more than a year, so it was hard for me to really enjoy their romance. Along with that I was not a big fan of the mother/daughter aspect in that storyline either because overall the entirety of angst within the book came from that side of the plot and there was not much for the other half at all.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend Dahlia Adler's writing over and over again.

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Going Bicoastal was seriously everything I expected and more. I loved it. I have nothing negative to say. I love that you can either pick the ending you want, or read both and imagine that they both happen in alternate universes (because let’s be real here, both are PERFECT)

This book deserves a standing ovation. The characters were well written and the parallel timelines were separate while sharing a few of our main character's quirks, it was a charming romance focused on how important our choices really can be. It's a perfect novel for teens with just enough romance, and not a ton of raunchy details, that I know it'll fly off our middle/high school library shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

I received this Ebook A.R.C. of Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, St, Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books), Dahlia Adler and all applicable parties for the opportunity to read and review this work.



**Trigger Warnings**
Familial Estrangement, Separation/Divorce

Going Bicoastal follows Natalya in a dual reality timeline, as she navigates her summer and the changes and challenges that come along with it. Natalya’s side-by-side timeline let’s you see how her summer would play out if she chose to stay in New York with her dad,versus going to California to spend time with her mother–with whom she doesn’t have the strongest relationship.

In New York, her father gives her some rules: talk to your mother more often, find a job, and take some more chances. In California, her mother has an internship waiting for her upon arrival at the advertising company she works for. As implied by our adorable title, each timeline comes with a romantic love interest, of multiple genders. In New York, the elusive, Redhead, Elly, whom Nat has ogled every time they’ve crossed paths and in Cali, a grumpy boy named Adam, which who she has to share a desk/work space with at her mother’s internship.

This is such a cute, feel-good, YA story about discovering yourself and taking risks. I’m delighted that it debuted during Pride Month, and I can’t wait for this to be added to my collection. 4 stars, without a doubt and I can’t wait to grab my physical copy!!

It was like two stories in one book. I enjoyed reading Natalya’s story, the timelines were great. Such a unique story, the pinning between characters and growth shown in Natalya made a perfect read.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Going Bicoastal (ingeniously pitching as Biding Doors, incredible) by Dahlia Adler follows Natalya as her life diverges down two paths: either spend the summer with her mom in California or stay in New York with her dad. The options each lead to their own love interests, but some things remain the same between the two choices.

This was a really fun exploration of a formative time in a teen girl's life. I found the love interests charming and Natalya's journey was fun to read. This didn't quite click for me the way other Dahlia Adler books have, but it was fun enough. Adler's books are always a good time!

It's not very often we get to explore two sides of the same decision. With a life full of what ifs, Dahlia Adler lets us into a world where it's possible to explore both sides of a single, life changing decision. Natalya Fox has two choices for her summer, spend it in New York with her dad, her friends, and finally track down the elusive redhead she keeps bumping into all over the Upper West Side, or spend the summer interning at her mother's marketing firm in Los Angeles flirting with the hot, new intern who also happens to have a lot of connections in the LA food truck scene. Both options provide their own unique challenges and adventures, giving Natalya a summer to remember before her senior year of high school. But ultimately some lessons and life experiences can't be altered by a single decision. Some adventures are simply fate.

This book gave me the vibes of the musical If/Then. it explores both sides of the choice Natalya must make at the beginning and we see how her life could have been different between each alternating chapter. I loved the stories, the adventures, and the romances that came with each side of the coin. And as a queer New York Jew, I felt a certain kinship with Natalya, even if I'm not quite as observant as she is. And watching her relationships with both Elly and Adam grow was wonderful. Ultimately, each story becomes a little more separate than I would have liked, making it feel a bit like two novellas interwoven together into one longer novel. I would have loved to have seen a little more overlap beside the same conversations happening in each unique universe (which did get a little confusing at the beginning as I thought there was a misprint because I'd definitely read that conversation before). However, both stories were enjoyable to read and we follow Natalya as she spent one fateful summer figuring out who she is, what she wants out of her future, and what she deserves no matter what universe she found herself in.

Queer sliding doors. Need I say more?? This started a little slow for me, but I really liked both storylines, loved the touchpoints between them, and really enjoyed how the author handled the ending. Solid, amazing bi rep!!!

This was a really fun novel to read. I really enjoyed the dual timeline aspect and seeing how her summer would unfold depending on which path she chose. I liked that even though she took different paths, some things were just destined to be. My favorite aspect though was the ending, which became a sort of choose-your-own-adventure type ending. The story indicates which chapter you should go to for which character ending you want. I didn't feel a stronger connection to either love interest because I liked them both for different reasons so I read both! There was also a sneaky little easter egg for home field advantage which is also by Dahlia Adler.

content warning: mentions of past self harm/scars

Nat has to make the biggest choice of her life so far: what does she do for the summer? Does she stay in NYC with her dad and her friends (and maybe get the courage to talk to the hot redhead -the girl she’s been crushing on forever?)? Or does she go to LA to live with her mom, take an internship and try to fix the relationship she has with her mom? In this book, told in alternating realities, we see what happens in each scenario and how it plays out.

I love books that explore the idea of how one decision might change things. I especially appreciated how some pieces didn’t change based on Nat’s decision while others did. I flew through this book and wanted to see how it worked out. The choose your own adventure detail at the end was perfect and such a great way to wrap it up. As with all of Dahlia Adler’s books, there are great details about the Jewish faith that I learned from and I also appreciated the bisexual representation.

I started on audio and at first struggled to tell which reality/city we were in for each chapter. While the narrator was great, I could have used some clear differentiation at the beginning of each chapter in the audio. When I switched to the physical book, it was much easier for me since there were skyline illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that told you which city/reality Nat was in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, OrangeSky Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Going Bicoastal is a parallel timeline, queer, Jewish YA coming of age romance that’s super fun. I adored Cool for the Summer so I was excited to read this and didn’t look up the book, so I wasn’t aware of the different timeline aspect before I started reading. I’m glad I didn’t know because that would have given me second thoughts and it works so well in this book. The small overlapping details between both are knit together so well that the story keeps moving so satisfyingly - it’s expertly done. The ending was such a nice touch too.

The whole book also has chaotic bisexual energy. We love to see it.

These characters have great personality and depth - I felt like I really got to know and enjoy them and I’d read many of their stories.

Bonus points for all the food aspects of this book - it had my mouth watering regularly and was extra fun.

Overall this is a really light and lovely story with a unique premise that unfolds in a super engaging way. I had a hard time putting it down and would definitely recommend it!

TW: Self-harm

A YA Sliding Doors storyline featuring a bisexual teen.
🗽
Our story begins with high school senior Natalya Fox and an important choice she has 24 hours to make: stay in NYC for the summer with her dad or go to LA and spend the summer doing an internship with her estranged mom. In this dual timeline story, we get to see Natalya choose both. If she stays she ends up finally meeting her year-long crush and dating her. If she goes she starts something new with her coworker intern. Both versions of Natalya are struggling with their future and what to do about their passion for art as a career.
🌴
I love the Sliding Door trope as well as the diversity in characters with this book! Adler had me rooting for one love interest in one chapter then switching in the next! I was happy with the ending and would love to see how Natalya’s life plays out. I loved the Jewish representation as well!

CW: divorce, self-harm (discussed from past)