Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC for this honest review.

I am a die hard Dahlia Adler fan. Since I listened to Cool for the Summer, Dahlia has been on my list of auto buy authors. This book is just a testimony for that.

In Going Bicoastal, Natayla Fox has to make a decision: spend summer in New York with her dad and have a chance romancing the mysterious redhead girl she has seen for years, or go to LA to live with her mom and end up meeting a guy she never expected. In true Dahlia Adler fashion, you get romance, humor, and a whole lot more.

One thing I loved about this book is the bisexual rep. But then again…I trust Dahlia with my life for this type of representation in books. Nat (that’s one of her many nicknames) is already very out and very proud and open about it. Nat is also Jewish and observes Shabbat dinners. This is a major plot line in both timelines. More Shabbat dinner scenes in books!

As for both love interests in the book, I couldn’t pick which one I liked best. In the end, I wanted Nat to end up with one in particular, but then again there’s two timelines. Two choices. Two decisions. With each timeline, you got to see Nat grow with her relationship with each parent, mainly her mom. She also grew as a person with her friend groups and in love with both Elly and Adam. We as readers get to see how Nat falls for each in different ways.

Overall, I loved this book. It is a perfect summer read that you can easily get lost into.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Dahlia Adler and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Natayla has to choose between staying in NYC for the summer and getting her dream girl or spending much needed time with her mom in LA and meeting a guy that was never on her radar. Since she can't choose the story is told in alternating timelines. One with her in LA and one with her in NYC.
A really fun and engaging YA! I loved the duel timelines and thought both storylines flowed well.

Adler's Going Bicoastal is an excellently executed YA Sliding Doors romance. Natalya's parents are divorced, and this story focuses on the alternating realities of if she were to stay with her mother or if she were to live with her father. In each of these different realities she has a love interest. Elly in New York and Adam in LA. Each reality helps her find happiness in different ways.

This is such a sweet romance, and I found it hard to choose between the two love interests. Highly recommend.

I’ve never seen the movie Sliding Doors, but I’m always so intrigued by stories that show how one decision could end up affecting or changing someone’s whole life. When I read the synopsis for Going Bicoastal, I knew a story like this would be safe in Dahlia Adler’s hands—her stories are always well-told with strong representation and adorable YA romances.

I can’t break this book up like I usually do because I don’t really have much (or anything!) that I didn’t like about it. The Sliding Doors format could have been super cheesy, but it really worked here, and I loved that there was a choose-your-own-adventure-type ending that meant that Natalya really did have an alternate future, depending on which decision she made. I enjoyed both love stories—though I was drawn more to her LA life—and I was surprised that it was actually her relationship with a guy that was the more chaste of the two storylines.

I wish I could be brought back into this world—maybe another book could be about the taco truck? Because I loved the whole chosen-family dynamic there.

I highly recommend Going Bicoastal!

4.5 STARS

Going Bicoastal is an interesting take at parallel timelines, in which the reader is not led to root for one and dislike the other. Usually I dislike these narratives because I feel like authors want me to root for their favorite love interest in a triangle - thus making one of the love interests be significantly and outwardly more romantic and undeniably the choice to go with.

Adler manages to sincerely keep you wondering which of the characters will be the ultimate choice and I enjoyed having a glance at both possibilities in an extensive way.

I read only a few YA books a year and some I love, some fall short for me. This was definitely entertaining but I think I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more a few years ago.

Alas, this is a really fun summer read and I say bravo to Dahlia Adler!

Adler delivers another must read queer YA of the summer!

GOING BICOASTAL is a dual perspective YA: in one story our main character Natalya spends the summer with her mother in LA and falls head over heels for her co-intern and aspiring chef Adam. In the second story, which alternates chapters, Natalya stays in NYC for the summer and is destined for the goth Redhead she has been encountering at all her favorite spots around town for the year.

Adler deftly weaved the storylines, making it clear that each option had its highs and its challenges. I loved seeing what remained true despite the summer Natalya chose, as she carves out her path and comes of age.

By the end, I actually couldn't choose which timeline I enjoyed more.

Grab this YA if you're looking for a sweet low angst book chock-full of summer vibes on both coasts.

This is my first Dahlia Adler book but I can’t wait to read more! It was so cute! I love the dual storyline - two romances, two swoony love interests, and two HEAs in one book! And I honestly loved both routes. Idk if it was purposeful but the message I read in this is that our choices determine the paths we take but there’s not just one right path. I think that’s beautiful. There was also so much great rep in this book and I think there needs to be a companion recipe book with all of the Shabbat and Dinner Party meals!! I can’t wait to go back and read some of Adler’s other books and to read those still to come.

🌮BOOK REVIEW🌆

Going Bicoastal - Dahlia Adler
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

“In Dahlia Adler’s Going Bicoastal, there’s more than one path to happily ever after.

Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she’s been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)

How’s a girl supposed to choose?

She can’t, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines – one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she’s always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.”

Another great #pridemonth read! I loved the dual timeline concept in this one! I’ve seen others comment it was hard to follow but I didn’t think so! I loved that it was a genuine bi story exploring both sides. I enjoyed seeing Natalya’s relationship with her mom play out in both timelines and also was happy not everyone in the story was wealthy/entitled.

The narration by Mara Wilson was fantastic!

Recommend if you like:
- Jewish representation
- Bi rep
- Food and music themes
- Diverse characters
- Coming of age, YA stories
- Dual timelines

Thanks to @netgalley, @orangeskyaudio @missdahlelama, @tlcbooktours, @tlcdiversity for the ARC & ALC.

🌆Would you rather be in NYC or LA?

#orangeskyaudio #goingbicoastal #dahliaadler #LGBTQReads #yalit #pride #queerbooks #bisexualrepresentation #jewishrepresentation #lgbtq #lgbtqbooks #sapphicreads #diversifyyourbookshelf

This was such a fun romance and I’m so glad I waited until pride month to read it! The fact that Natalya was able to get a happily ever after in both timelines was so precious🥹 I personally will be on team Adam, but bravo on making both love interests so likable!

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler was an interesting format for a YA novel. The heroine, Tal or Natalya, is given a choice to go to LA with her mom or to NY with her father. Instead of choosing one over the other, she experiences two timelines in the same summer. In one, she gets to realize her long-time crush on Elly. In the other, Adam who is a new crush. Tal has a relationship with both but it's not a love triangle. I didn't find myself rooting for one person over the other. They were each unique characters that the heroine could see herself with for an indefinite time. Her parents were also very supportive of her bisexuality which was very refreshing and comforting because it brought down any semblance of turmoil or conflict. Sure, there was parental divorce and the nagging emotions of being split between two households, but each parent made the difficult circumstances work for the benefit of Tal. I felt there was a lot more naval gazing—inner thoughts about parent personalities and schedules and plans. There were occasions when the single parent would experience time with Tal and one of the love interests. I enjoyed the religious aspect and the education the explanations brought forth by Tal being Kosher. I respected and appreciated her adamancy at adhering to her religion for the sake of each parent. And it was lovely that Adam cooked Shabbas dinner for her and her mother. I would have liked a little more something. I can't pinpoint if I needed conflicts, twist because this was almost too gentle for my preferences. Yet, I did read this book quickly and I was left satisfied by the happily ever after at the end. Which one? You'll have to read it for yourself.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Going Bicoastal follows Natalya Fox as she struggles to decide what to do with her summer: hang out with her dad and talk to her crush, or go see her mom and try to fix their broken relationship.

Dahlia Adler has quickly become one of my favorite queer YA romcom authors, because she just gets it. The transitions between each possibility are seamless, the way Natalya grows as a character through these scenarios gives me such joy, and all the while you wonder just how it's going to end, because even though you can think of multiple options, and you've formed your opinions about which option is better, the way it all plays out still feels natural yet fresh and exciting and interesting and just the right amount of difficult-to-predict.

Seriously though, I would read Dahlia Adler's grocery list, this book was such a fun time.

4.5

This book was so good. It is the perfect ya queer book to read this summer. The bisexual representation is amazing. The main character was lovable and as someone who is also 18 and bisexual, I found her very relatable. I loved the character development both her and the side characters had. The reason why I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that the first few times where the alternative timelines switched, I got confused but after 2-3 times I got used to it.

I had so much fun reading this book, where the main character is living two different scenarios in her life. Where she can’t choose, whether or not to stay with her father in New York City, or go to LA and spend time with her mother. Nat has the most amazing friends, and the most amazing parents, they are trying the best that they can, and she doesn’t want to let either of them down and also she doesn’t wanna let herself down. Like all teenagers, she’s struggling with what she really wants to do with her life career wise and also when it comes to love especially in NYC. She’s a shy one and she’s finally coming out of her shell. I also love the little surprise, that the author leaves at the end, in which where we are introduced to the ending of the scenarios, and it’s amazing, I really really enjoyed this book, it’s the most amazing summer, romcom, coming-of-age read. Most definitely a book. I wish I read as a young adult.

Thank you Netgalley in the publishers for giving me the opportunity for reading this book.

I really wanted to read this because I enjoyed the idea of being bi and being bicoastal. I had no idea the format of this book would revolve around this as well.

Natalya is trying to make a name for herself but it has been difficult to figure out core parts of her identity since her parents are not only divorced, they also live in different coasts. Her father live in NY with her full-time while her mother is in LA.

Natalya is asked if she wants to spend her summer in LA with her mom and the book goes back to back in each chapter. Chapters start as if she didn't go to LA, then the next chapter literally identical other than the fact that she made a different decision. This was weird and a bit off at first, but as I kept reading I enjoyed the back and forth. In one reality the love interest identifies as female and in the other the love interest identifies as male.

Overall I thought the coming of age story worked really well. To be honest it is not super memorable to me and while i enjoyed the main character, some parts were a little cringy and annoying.

Natalya's parents are divorced and live on opposite sides of the country. For this final summer before her senior year in high school, Natalya gets the choice to stay with her dad in New York or go to spend the summer with her mom in Los Angeles. The book includes the what next with both of her possible futures.

Sliding Doors is one of my favorite movies and part of why I was excited to read this book. Whereas Sliding Doors is about fate and the implications of tiny little changes, this story is about the choices we make and the roads not taken. That makes sense for a YA audience, but I missed some of the deeper meaning that makes Sliding Doors resonate so strongly for me.

This kind of two possibilities setup makes for an interesting version of a love triangle. There's no cheating and no direct competition, but the reader still is choosing which of two possible love interests and cities to prefer. Personally, LA wins for the amazing food (tacos, ghormeh sabzi, and Dinner Party potlucks), but NY wins for the music scene.

The chapters are titled, but the reader still has to do the work of figuring out where each is set. I would have liked a quick little header of New York or Los Angeles for each to help keep track.

I really appreciated the way this book celebrates bisexuality. And as I have come to expect from Dahlia Adler, there's great Jewish representation along with the queer representation. And I loved the quick references to her earlier books. I think this a great book for the young audience.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Rounded up to 4 stars

Natalya has 24 hours to make a decision that will change her summer, and possibly her life.

She could stay in NYC with her father, her friends, and finally work up the courage to talk to the cute girl she’s had a crush on for months (who she calls The Redhead). Or she could go to LA to stay with her estranged mom, maybe fix their relationship, and try new things, including working an internship at her mom’s company, alongside her grumpy but handsome co-intern.

So, which will she choose?

I thought this book was a lot of fun! We get to see both decisions play out in alternating chapters: Nat goes to LA to be with her mom and falls for Adam, while Tal stays in NYC and falls for Elly. It was so interesting to see both of these stories play out and the similarities/differences in Natalya’s growth. In some cases, the same event or conversation would happen in both stories, but the circumstances that led to it were different.

I love a good bi love story, and this one was just unique. Instead of there being a love triangle, both romances play out individually. And regardless of who Natalya is dating, she is a proud bi individual.

I also feel like I learned a lot about Jewish culture. I know I’ve read books featuring Jewish characters before, but I really liked that this one went further into detail about holidays and traditions outside of Hanukkah.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I also really loved it! I think it was pretty perfect for the book.

Overall, this was just a really fun, interesting, and happy queer book!

Ahh! This book was such a fun story!! 4.5 stars!!!

Going Bicoastal is a split-timeline book where our bisexual FMC Natalya must make a choice for the summer – to stay in New York with her dad or travel to LA to stay with her distanced mom – and we get to experience her summer from both choices!

I loved seeing these alternate timelines and watching Natalya grow over the summer from two perspectives. I truly couldn’t tell you which timeline I enjoyed more, but I did love that this story came from a perspective where our main character was already comfortable and confident in her queerness. This book is a treasure and I need to go pick up my own copy! 

Thank you to St. Martins’ Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an E-ARC of this wonderful book.

I loved the dual timelines. One choice can change everything. I just loved Natalya. It was so cool to see both of her choices play out. All the friendships she has were so awesome. The support and all the food! This author is an auto grab for me! I definitely recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler is the queer YA romance that is a summer must read!

This book is brilliant and with all the queer vibes I love ! But its more than a queer romance, the author takes you on an adventure!

Natalya has an important choice to make for her summer plans. NYC with her dad and the cute female she really wants to get to know or LA with her estranged mom and the boy she didn't know she wanted.

Total Sliding doors vibe with alternating chapters between what would have happened in NYC and LA.

I loved the queer and jewish rep in this book. The characters are fun and well written.

This is a fantastic adventure romance (new genre?) that I loved!

🏳️‍🌈Bisexual MC
✡️Jewish representation
⏳Parallel Timelines
💓💜💙YA Romance

This follows Natalya Fox who is struggling with making a pretty big decision about how she will spend her summer. Her options are to stay in the comfort of what she knows in NYC with some potentially exciting new experiences or go to LA to explore a new city full of unknowns, take on an internship, and work on her relationship with her estranged mother. She can’t decide and thus resulting in both summers unfolding in alternating timelines.

This was slow to start, and I was a bit surprised and confused about the alternating timelines at first as I did not read the synopsis, but after I realized that and when the story picked up it was like I was reading two separate books. In a good way!

I’m glad we got a full story from both timelines this allowed for character development and we got to know the MC as she encountered different experiences. Particularly when it came to discovering her path, as she found herself surrounded by individuals who always had a clear sense of their aspirations and goals. I found this extremely relatable as I also found myself in a similar situation when I was younger.

This was a great queer YA romance with plenty of queer joy, Jewish representation, and a beautiful cover. I'm just so happy that these books are out there to be read, experienced, and for younger generations to feel represented.

CW: Divorce, parental abandonment, self-harm (not on page)

Thank you to NetGalley, Dahlia Adler, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.