I love the concept of this book so much but the ending is what really sold it for me. I was so surpised and delighted by the choose your own adventure aspect (Obviously I read both despite being team adam) but the was the two stories dovetailed so the final chapter could be either was beautiful. I felt like the LA storyline was a little stronger, a little more hopeful but the duality of the storytelling was super fun and the novelty didn't wane at any point in the book. A great summer read.

I love Dahlia's writing, so I was excited to receive an arc of Going Bicoastal a few months ago. But honestly it took me a long time to finish despite being a short read. I didn't feel the same charm reading this that I felt while reading Home Field Advantage. The "sliding doors" concept is what immediately made me want to read this. That's one of my fave movies! But this was definitely the "romcom" version of that movie. But here I had trouble following the timelines and understanding where I was in the plot. It didn't read as linearly as the movie felt while watching.

I honestly didn't really care for either timeline, nor either MC. Natayla's "like" for Elly never really felt genuine to me. It felt forced. Although I did like her life in NYC, it wasn't my preferred timeline. I did like LA but also it just kind of fell flat for me too because I never liked Adam. I just didn't want to root for either relationship, unlike in the movie "sliding doors". I kind of just wanted there to be a timeline where Natayla was alone and chose herself.... idk.

But all that to say the rep in this was great! Dahlia always does a great job of giving good rep.

Okay, this book was an absolute DELIGHT to read! I thought the way this book was written was so freaking cool. It felt like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. I liked seeing the different ways Natalya grew, depending on her environment and the people she had around her. Also, the way bisexuality was done was top notch. I did feel more connected to her story in L.A. with her mom and Adam (found family AND food trucks!), but her story in New York was also really great. I loved both groups of friends she had in both places, but like I said, the L.A. group just really spoke to me. I also loved the way L.A. was more food focused (do not read this on an empty stomach!) and NYC was more about music. I don’t know, I just loved this book. I haven’t stopped smiling since I finished it. What a cool way to write a story about choices and expanding your horizons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eternal gratitude to Wednesday Books for an arc of this one!

When Natalya has to choose between two options for her summer- stay with Dad in New York City, or visit her estranged mother in LA- it feels impossible to choose. So she chooses both. Cue the split into two possible timelines as Natalya experiences summer in New York with the hot redhead at the same time as summer in LA with the hot intern. All the while, both Natalya's are figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.


This was so good! I knew I would love it because Dahlia Adler is a god, but this was so so good. I don't understand how I could root so hard for two completely different options at the same time! I love both Elly and Adam and how creative and determined they both are. It's so cool to be able to see both possibilities.

I truly love Natalya and her friends and family so much! There are so many interesting characters in this book I just want a spin off for everyone of them. Like please give me a book about Evan and Mateo!!!

I learned a lot about Shabbat dinners from this book which is super cool. I love how confident Nat is in both her bisexuality and her religion! And it was cool to see the way she experienced those things with her parents.

This book is so so good and will sit in a metaphorical place of honor with my other beloved Dahlia Adler books (metaphorical because I have no shelf room for a physical place of honor).


CW: self-harm (past, mentioned), parental abandonment, divorce

This was a cute concept! I really appreciated the Jewish rep, including a Jewish main character who isn't Orthodox but keeps kosher (a rarity in books these days), who also has a Modern Orthodox friend. I would've loved for one of Natalya's love interests to be Jewish, and the writing wasn't my favorite. 3.5 stars.

This was a cute book that I think depicted sexuality and teenagers in a very healthy and interesting way. I do think it read a little young for me but it is a young adult contemporary.

This book was really fun and different. I loved that it had that sort of choose your own adventure vibes. Also the romances were just so sweet and book just in general gives off the best relaxing summer vibes. Put simply this is the perfect relaxing summer read.

I absolutely loved this! The dual timeline idea is so creative, and I found myself rooting for both love interests. The author did a great job at making both outcomes equally desirable and good for Natalya! I loved the sapphic Jewish rep as well. This is going to be such a great summer book, and I can’t wait to recommend it when it comes out!

DNF. Although this book had an interesting premise, I found the narrative style of repeating chapters but changing the location repetitive. I'm sure readers will enjoy Adler's characters and the perspective of a young, bisexual girl, but unfortunately this book was not for me.

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler is a cute summer romance novel that explores the challenges of long-distance relationships. As a reader, I particularly enjoyed the book's Jewish representation and the choose your own adventure ending. Additionally, as a fan of Adler's previous works, such as Homefield Advantage, I appreciated the callback to her earlier book.

However, while the book had its strengths, I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. I found them to be somewhat flat and underdeveloped, which made it challenging to become invested in their journey. In fact, I considered not finishing the book multiple times.

Despite my issues with the characters, I still found Going Bicoastal to be an enjoyable summer read. The story is light and fun, and the Jewish representation and choose your own adventure ending add an extra layer of interest. Overall, if you're looking for a cute summer romance, this book might be worth picking up.

I loved this Sliding Doors retelling from the POV of a bisexual teen—both stories were equally compelling to me, which is a tough feat with a project like this! I was rooting for both romances and both internal character arcs. What a joy to see Adler's work evolve over the years, and what a delight to read this fun, authentic story!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I would give Dahlia my first born at this point. Anything she writes is gold and I obsess over it. She's an auto buy, auto request- what Dahlia writes, I want it. Going Bicoastal was no different. It has that signature heartfelt charm and sweet romance that I've come to know. I got sucked in from page one and couldn't put it down until I finished. It was engrossing and I loved every minute. It made me feel seen and understood. Dahlia- another winner!

Do you want a meet cute sapphic romance with music and concerts? Or do you want a rivals to lovers hetero romance with tacos and food trucks?

Either way, the choice is yours in this incredible YA romance from Dahlia Adler! Natalya is faced with the choice to go visit her mom in LA for the summer or stay in NYC with her dad. Follow along with how both options play out and pick how you want it to end.

Plot: 4/5
So this story has two alternate plot lines based on the choice that Natalya makes. They both follow the same beats and progress at the same pace. I think this whole concept is really clever even though it caused me a lot of stress once I picked a side and had to still go through the other side lol

Characters: 4/5

I loved how we got to see Natalya flourish under each situation and how she had the same kinds of growth on either side of the story. I felt her awkwardness on a spiritual level so that was painful and fun at the same time. I loved seeing the important of her religion, even as a casual practitioner, and how both love interests support her in that.
If you present me with two options; dislike to lovers OR instaloveish/friends to lovers. I will ALWAYS choose dislike to lovers, even if that means I’m rooting for a man.
Adam Rose is hilariously adorable and I loved him for Natalya.
The romance with Elly felt a little too much like infatuation and instalove for me. It really wasn’t, I just like a little tension at the start lmao.

Writing: 4.5/5

The writing style is witty and relatable. I love how Adler balanced the stories. She broke the story up into perfect parts. It takes a special kind of skill to be able to write the two plot line equally IMO

Overall: 4/5

i loved the choose your own adventure vibes. it had no conflict so it the best feel good book. Such a great lesson of no matter the journey, you get the same result.

I could not get into this book. It was a Do Not Finish for me. Personally, I felt that this book was too teenage angsty for me and couldn’t get past it. It was just a little juvenile, even for a YA book.

Natalya Fox has a big choice to make: stay home in New York City for the summer, with her mathematician professor dad and familiar group of friends, or go to LA to stay with her pretty much estranged mom and intern at her mom's company. Natalya is scared of change, but she knows she should fix things with her mom. Unable to decide, her story plays out SLIDING DOORS style: alternating chapters show us her life in NYC and then in LA.

This is an amazing story with tons of bisexual and Jewish rep -- it so awesome to see this book out in the world! It totally cements that I'll read anything Dahlia Adler will write. Once you get into the two timelines, the story flows nearly effortlessly. We see Natalya in LA with her mom, where she meets Adam, a fellow intern struggling to get by. Or she's in NY with her dad, her group of friends, and Elly--the redheaded girl she's long lusted after. Both Adam and Elly are excellent love interests, so we really get two romances in one. Both timelines allow us to see sweet Natalya finding her way and exploring her Jewish identity.

While the two timelines idea could be gimmicky, it's really cute overall and works well here. I loved the Jewish and bisexual representation. This is a fast read with a wonderful cast that will make you smile.

I liked it a lot and thought it was funny and sweet. I enjoyed it a lot. I am grateful I got to read it!

Going Bicoastal is really cute and sweet and I think teen readers will totally connect with Natalya and everything she is going through. The stage of life where you're ending high school and have an eye toward the future is such an interesting time to explore!

This was the first time I've read a sliding doors style novel and I don't think it is for me. The two alternative storylines are both very good, but ultimately left me wanting more. I wish I could have delved into each one fully. I think the back and forth kept me from getting completely invested in either plotline. I liked both Adam and Elly. I liked the settings of LA and NYC. I did at times have a hard time following the extensive friend group in each setting.

Things I loved about this book: Tally growing her relationship with each of her divorced parents. I thought this was done extremely well! My favorite aspect of the book was the Jewish representation. I loved how prevalent Shabbat dinners were. I loved that different types of Jews (in terms of observance level) were highlighted. I loved that somewhat obscure Jewish references were included - for example the varying ways to prep gefilte fish! I think this book really shined when it showcased Jewish life.

Although this isn't my favorite of Dahlia Adler's books (I've now read 4 of her books and Home Field Advantage reigns supreme), I will absolutely continue to read whatever she writes!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy,

3.5 Stars

This was such a cute book, perfect for when you want something full of lightheartedness and fun, without too much conflict or drama...it felt like a breezy, cheerful beach read! I loved the bi rep that included dating both a boy and a girl. I love all the great friendships with lots of LGBTQ+ rep. There are also some complicated family dynamics, and some nice relationship building within families, along with well-written Jewish rep. This is the perfect book for when I just want to escape into a happy world for awhile.

DNF. I got to 57% before I just could not keep going. Everything was resolved and she had already gotten with both of her love interests in both of her different realities, and I saw no reason to go on. I had no interest in going on either, none of the characters were particularly interesting. Honestly, I much preferred Adam over Elly. I feel like he was more developed than she was. But I really liked the bi rep. Everyone else seemed to have loved this book, did I miss something? I much preferred the author’s other book, Cool for the Summer.