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!

3.5 stars

Going Bicoastal is written in a very clever way. Natalya Fox is a “rising senior” in high school living in Manhattan with her dad. Her parents are divorced and her mother lives in Los Angeles. Natalya has to decide how she’s going to spend her summer - at home in NYC with her dad, working part-time jobs like babysitting, or with her mostly-estranged mother in LA, working as an intern at her mother’s marketing firm. Adler gives us both scenarios! Every other chapter takes place in either NYC or LA. In the NYC chapters, we see Natalya finally get the courage to talk to the girl she’s had a crush on. In the LA chapters, she meets the other intern, a young man who really just wants to be a chef.

I found the bouncing back and forth a bit disconcerting at first, but I got used to it. I loved all the Jewish rep in the story, particularly the lovely and loving Friday night Shabbat dinners Natalya shared with her dad and their neighbors in NYC or the ones in LA, where her new friend/boyfriend Adam learned how to cook the traditional menu items for her and her mother/his boss.

So what does Natalya choose? Adler gives us a version of the “choose your own adventure” with this book.

Aimed at the young adult audience, I am definitely not the intended reader for this book, but I enjoyed it anyway. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

going bicoastal is a story that shows what would happen with both choices our Main character has to make at the beginning of the story. We see her get closer to family fall in love and find herself in both situations. The main problem I had with this story I could tell the difference to much between the choices other then that I enjoy the story so with that said I would give it 4 stars

Natalya has to decide where to spend the summer before her senior year. Will she play it safe with her dad in NYC and meet the cute redhead she's been running into? Or will she go off to LA with her mom and take an internship at her company and share a desk with the other intern?

I really loved the format of this book. It was fun to see both choices for Natalya. Very choose your own adventure for the modern day.

Adler never fails to write an engaging protagonist that you can't help but root for. I also found the unique concept of the book interesting, and felt Adler executed it very well.

I thought this book was just vibes, there was no dilemma or development even. Nothing really happens except of course she gets the man and girl of her dreams in each timeline. I wanted a bit more but I’m also not too mad because it was an easy read.

Honestly I read this when I originally got the ARC i have no idea why i never sent feedback but better late than never i guess. i adore dahlia adler and was not disappointed. both storylines were captivating and written in a way that was obviously marketed toward teens but not cringey or childish (which is part of the reason i adore dahlia adler). super excited for what she writes next and sorry i’m so late with this review. thank you to netgalley and wednesday books for the arc!

I LOVE a good sliding doors-esque YA novel! This one was a lot of fun for sure, especially with the main character being bi. Honestly didn't know this was something I needed in my life, but I'm thankful Dahlia Adler gave it to me either way!!

A dual reality with a reader chooses the ending with two equally cute romances to boot! I was sold. With a great narrator who slipped into both realities seamlessly, this one was a hit from the start.

Natalya has to choose between staying with her dad in NYC for the summer, and finally talking to the girl shes been crushing on for months… or go to visit her estranged mother in LA where there may or may not be a very cute boy as her coworker. For the reader, Natalya doesn’t have to choose since the author takes us on a journey through both realities with friendship, romance, and trials for each.

I really liked the premise of this one but i couldn’t connect to one of the storylines as well. I also loved her connection with her mom while she was in LA but felt like there should have been more tension based on how the author described her and her mom’s relationship in the beginning. Overall, it was cute and definitely a fun one for teenagers!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book may have one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen and it is equally dazzling inside.

Going Bicoastal is an absolutely delightful queer rom-com with a unique format. At the beginning, our MC Natalya learns that she must choose between staying in NYC with her dad for the summer or going to stay with her mom in LA. The remainder of the book consists of chapters alternating between the two possibilities to show how each choice would play out. It's almost like a choose your own adventure story. In the NYC timeline she falls for her long time crush, Elly, but in the LA timeline she falls for her coworker, Adam.

There was so much to love about this book, but there are a few things that really stood out to me. I adored both Elly and Adam and thought both romances were so sweet and swoony. As a bisexual woman, I really appreciated the representation in Going Bicoastal and thought it was especially well-done. I also appreciated the Jewish representation and the illustrations of Natalya's culture and traditions.

If you're looking for a sweet, mostly light-hearted romance with excellent LGBTQIAP+ representation, I highly recommend Going Bicoastal.

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for the arc! first and foremost, i'd like to apologize for being so late to reviewing this and didn't have the time to review this when it was released or around the time before. Truly sorry for my thatt. All that said, I really really think this was a delight. charming and fun <3 and I can't wait to read more of the author's works in the future!

A fun, quick, read! i don't think it was the BEST one but it was great and i liked it. I recommend it. :)

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3