This book takes place over one summer. Natalya has to make a decision: does she stay in New York with her dad or does she go live with her mom in Los Angeles (who she hasn’t seen in years). It alternates chapters back and forth between each place as if both of those stories happen, and at the end, you get to choose which ending you want her to have! My favorite parts of the book are that I did not mix up any of the plots or characters, and that I loved both stories almost equally. I actually didn’t really prefer one place over the other plotwise, but there were some things I didn’t like about NY.

NEW YORK: Natalya decides to stay in her hometown because she wants to eventually talk to this girl she constantly bumps into. I found this plot interesting, but the one problem I had with it was that it felt a little too much like instalove or love at first sight to me. Apparently they have seen each other so many times coincidentally and mutually found an attraction between them?? It just felt a little unrealistic to me. Besides that, it was very enjoyable! I liked the music references (even though I didn’t actually know most of them), and it was fun to read about Natalya and Elly roaming around NY.

LOS ANGELES: Natalya decides to branch out and visit her mom, where she has to work with another intern Adam. The two of them don’t get along at first, but once she visits his brother’s food truck, they start to work together better than before. Out of the two plots, this was definitely my favorite. It has nothing to do with the actual story and everything to do with my interests. I liked to read about her working at her mom’s marketing firm and her growing passion with graphic design, and I understood more of the food references than the music ones. However, it felt like Natalya and Adam went from being rivals to dating so quickly, but that’s probably due to the book being really fast paced.

I liked how there was no definite ending because I was worried that only one of these summers would be real, but instead, we got both endings! I know I’m only supposed to read one of them, but of course I had to read both! I realllllyyyy realllyyyyy recommend reading this book, and I look forward to finding Dahlia Adler’s next book on NetGalley as well :)

First off, know this book is a split timeline, a what if she goes what is she stays and it plays out like that. Don't be like me and think you are stroking out re-reading the same thing 2 times. It took me until chapter 7, SEVEN, to realize this. BUT once I found that out the book got really good. And sorry NY, I a loving her LA story so much more. This is such a fun YA read about what if you stay what if you go, with a mix of Jewish culture, and you get Going Bicoastal. It was a fun and easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I'm a big believer in not finishing books if it means avoiding a reading slump. So for that reason, I put this one down around the 61% mark.

With that said, I absolutely love the concept of this book and would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading queer YA rom-coms with low stakes.

Content warning (from the author): "there is a mention of past self-harm and scars in one scene. It's not graphic or detailed, but do proceed with caution if this is a trigger for you."

I'm not the biggest fan of the Sliding Doors concept, but I really enjoyed this book anyway! I specifically appreciated it for its good bisexual Jewish representation and as a love letter to NYC and LA.

I was immediately intrigued by the Sliding Doors concept of this novel. It helped that I have lived on both coasts, in LA and in NY, so I enjoyed the dichotomy of the two cities. As someone who continues to wonder if I should move back to where I came from, I also understood being torn and not wanting to make a choice: why can't I have both?

The romance(s) in this were sweet, perhaps less realistic than I would have liked, but I think that suited the plot as well. Each choice she had was not quite realistic (as an adult reader of YA, I recognize that titles for teens are not aimed at me and at my experience but I do try to put myself in the shoes of a younger reader) but that was not what this story was about. It was about realizing what you really want and not being afraid to make a choice. At my advanced age, I need to learn that! lol...

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy to review.

First off, this title and cover is absolutely adorable and so eye catching! Just those drew me in immediately. I had to know more about what the book was about. Then I read the book, it was such a fun ride! I loved our main character and following them was a blast.

An incredibly fun book of what-ifs from Dhalia Adler. This book was cheesy and adorable, showing Nat growing and falling in love in her summer possibilities. Great, loveable but still flawed characters and genuine connection in the romances that didn't require any of the characters to sacrifice themselves or their dreams to reach for their dreams. Super cute, heartwarming, and a really neat format that lets the reader and Nat try both.

This book. THIS book. THIS BOOK! Wow. I wish I had this book as a baby bi who desperately needed to see this beautiful representation in her books as a teenager. Having this book would have changed my life as a teen (but I am glad that I got to have it change my life as an adult, at least!). The dual timelines were so fun to follow and I found myself torn on which one I liked better throughout the whole read. Natalya is a lovely protagonist and I related to her a lot even though I am currently a decade older than her and in a totally different place in my life now than she is in the book. It was so interesting to learn so much about Jewish traditions in such a seamless way as well. I cannot recommend this book enough and I am dying to get my hands on a physical copy as soon as possible. Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley for the ARC!

Very cool concept, even if I do tend to find sliding door stories wildly stressful! The writing is well done and the group of characters are all fun to spend time with, though there are perhaps too many of them for such a short book. Also, Natalya’s relationship with her parents—especially her mom—felt like it needed a bit more explanation.

All in all, a fun read, perfect for fans of What If It’s Us.

I absolutely loved this book! Dahlia Adler's books are wonderful. This book kind of had two storylines, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it but I ended up really, really enjoying it.

So lowkey the vibes of this story reminded me of the movie with Lili Reinhart :Look Both Ways except this was a YA contemporary romance about a girl who is bisexual (which yessssss for the lgbtq+ representation) .so you’ll follow the main character on two different timelines one staying in New York, or two going to LA.
The experiences Natalya lives in both timelines are really cool to experience with her.

This book has some great representation:
Jewish family
Bi sexual main character
Divorced family

I think my biggest complaint is I wish there would have been a bit more development from the main character from the beginning to the end, but overall what a fun story that was pretty solid. I wish there would have been a bit more angst, but I think this book will be loved by many.

I loved this book so much!
It was written in such a different format than what I’m used to.
Natalya has to make a choice between going to L.A for the summer or staying in NYC and guess what? You’re going to get to see how it goes on each coast! You’ll see the friends she meets, the adventures she has and…. 🤫 you’ll have to read and see what else happens.

This book is funny, unique and heartwarming and you might recognize some peeps from Dahlia’s other books.

This book is absolutely adorable. It had me hooked from the first chapter. If you are someone who sometimes wonders what would happen if you made a different choice this book is for you.

Natalya has to make a choice, stay in New York or go to LA for the summer and we get to see what happens however she chooses. Watching Natalya grow into herself in both timelines with her friends and family members shows us how even with different chances we can find what makes us happy and we can find ways to grow and connect with others.

If you love contemporary romance with some solid character growth and LGBTQIA+ reads this book if definitely one I would recommend you pick up.It left me feeling happy in the best way. 4.5/5 Stars!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well paced and entertaining story. If you like YA romance this book is for you! I loved that the main character is already out and there’s no angst to the story. I may not be bi myself but I definitely enjoyed the book!

‘Going Bicoastal’ by Dahlia Adler was amazing! The premise intrigued me greatly and beyond delivered. It was so fun and Natalya is a protagonist you’ll fall in love with. Highly recommend!

I wanted to love this book, but didn't. I would like to give it a 2nd chance so will go back after a few months. There was too much, and it felt like a reach.

Big cheers for the Jewish and bisexual rep in GOING BICOASTAL by Dahlia Adler!

The "Sliding Doors" type concept is well done with Natalya Fox exploring two versions of one summer. In one timeline, she stays home with her dad in NYC and pursues the crush she has on a girl; in the second timeline, she visits her mother in LA and meets a guy. At the beginning of the book, Natalya is faced with the decision of what she wants to do for the summer and she struggles to make a decision. That the story makes it possible for Natalya to avoid making a decision in a teen's dream come true. So many of the high school students in my writing classes struggle to make decisions!

Despite Natalya's dual timeline summer, she doesn't grow or change and she doesn't have to work for things; they are given to her. It detracted from the great story concept. Even "Sliding Doors" had the storylines intersect, leading to significant growth for the protagonist. A missed opportunity for GOING BICOASTAL.

Overall, I will recommend this book as a fun read to students and look forward to discussing the story with them.

This story was incredibly cute and worthwhile. I think that Dahlia Adler will be one of my top YA romance authors for awhile based on her last few books, and I'm so excited to recommend this one!

Going Bicoastal is an adventurous story, in which Natalya has a choice to make for the summer before her senior year: will she visit her estranged mother in LA, where she knows no one and go on the ultimate adventure, or will she stay in NYC with her dad and make new friends here while her best friend is gone for the summer?

This story operates around the premise that sometimes choices seem life-changing and all consuming, but that sometimes we have different routes to end up where we need to be, and I LOVED this message. Of course I also love Adler's by now well-known LGBTQ rep, as well as her discussion of Jewish heritage that is just seamlessly woven throughout this story.

Overall, highly recommend this book!

Going Bicoastal was exactly the fun, summer YA romcom I hoped it would be! As an incredibly indecisive person, the idea of getting to live out both options of your future is a dream. The main character Natalya has to choose between spending the summer in LA with her mom or staying in New York for the summer with her dad, each choice also coming with a different romantic prospect. As someone living in LA who's often curious about how different life would be in New York, this premise had me from the beginning!

If there was any explanation for why Natalya got to live out both of these versions of her life I didn't catch it, and I sometimes wondered about whether this was going to become part of the plot at some point. Looking past that, the sliding doors romance means you get to live two potential romances in one book. I thought it was a really cool examination of what was inherently part of Natalya and her friends and family's character and what could be changed by the decisions around them to see what things turned out to be true in both versions of the story versus what might be completely different. It challenged me to think about how much the decisions we make have an irreversible impact on us.

**Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I can't explain it but my bisexual heart and soul felt so connected to this book. There was something about the double timelines and the differences in the lives Natalya lives both in New York and in LA that really felt like a metaphor for the bisexual experience which I thought was absolutely beautiful.

I loved it, you'll love it, everyone will love it.

This story has so many important forms of representation that is necessary for some of the kids growing up in today's day and age so the fact that these books are finally being written, published, and told is going to make a bunch of little Jewish, queer children of divorce incredibly happy!