I absolutely adored this book!! Amazing queer rep and Jewish rep! I loved the dual stories that showed both of Natalya's summer choices- stay in NYC with her dad and finally talk to Redhead, the girl she's been crushing on from afar -or- go to LA and stay with her mom who she doesn't have a great connection with at the moment (and also work with a cute guy intern at her mom's work.) Each chapter goes back and forth with the two choices. While reading, I really could not decide which storyline I liked more which shows how great both were for Natalya! I liked how it all wrapped up in the end too.
The Jewish rep was so, so good to read! I loved the Shabbat dinners and all the talk of kosher eating. All of the food dishes described throughout the book sounded so delicious too!
Highly recommend reading this one! It was just all around a great book!!

Genre: YA, Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like scars and self-harm. Describes the aftermath of the divorce of parents.

“Going Bicoastal” is pretty much about what its title implies—a bisexual teenager having to choose between spending the summer on the East or the West Coast of the United States, both options bringing on their own adventures and challenges. Yes, you’ve heard that right. Natalya Fox is a 17-year-old that could either stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad and pursue the girl she’s been crushing on or spend the summer with her estranged mother in LA. Finding it hard to decide, both summers play out in alternating timelines, with LA bringing an unexpected boy into the picture.

I am absolutely on my knees for this book. It is not often I find books that portray bisexuality the way I’ve felt it and lived it and I was so happy to find Dahlia Adler’s portrayal of bisexuality through Natalya really spoke to me. told through alternating timelines, this book is perfect to read in one sitting (trust me, you’ll want to). I mean, you’re getting two romance stories for the price of one, literally nothing could go wrong.

I would highly recommend “Going Bicoastal”, especially if you’re not afraid of reading about young women who aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality and religious beliefs. These were some beautiful coming-of-age stories, and how I would love to read it all again for the first time.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC of this story!
I haven't been interested in YA as much as I used to be, but once I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I wanted to give it a shot.
Natalya Fox has a huge choice to make. Does she spend her summer at home with her dad in NYC and finally get the courage to talk to the cute girl she's been eyeing for months? Or does she go to LA and spend the summer with her estranged mom and work on their relationship? This story is so fun because it is told in alternating timelines. Instead of reading just one of Natalya's choices, the reader gets both!
The alternating version is probably my favorite part of this story. I really like the decision the author made to tell both stories with some fun easter eggs in each. Slight spoiler, but I did enjoy that the author left it open ended, but still gave each version an ending.
I really enjoyed the bisexual and Jewish representation. I learned a lot about Jewish culture and I appreciated how others in the story didn't see Natalya's food restrictions as a bother and tried to accommodate her. The bisexual representation, in my opinion, was really well done. People tend to forget that bisexual women are attracted to men and women and can have a relationship with either one. The fact that the author chose for Natalya to have a relationship with a guy in one version and a girl in other was my second favorite part of this story.
My only complaint is that there were A LOT of characters. It was a bit hard to remember who was part of which friend group and who Natalya just met compared to who she's known for a while. Some of the characters felt too similar to others which didn't help my confusion.
Overall, I give this one 4 stars and I definitely recommend it!

this book was amazing with tons of Jewish and bisexual representation. At first, I wasn't so sure of the two timelines but I came to really love them, and how easily they flowed together. The combination of the writing and the fast-paced story kept me turning pages. overall this book was so unique and unlike anything I have ever read, I would highly recommend it to any and all romance lovers.
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thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

What's not to love about the idea behind this book? Especially if you identify with the bisexual lead. This is the sort of book that my younger self would have greedily devoured in one sitting back in the day, if representation like this had existed. I will admit that I got nervous about the execution of the two distinct storylines when both plots started to gain some steam. It was a bit difficult for me to keep all the side characters straight, especially with Natalya being introduced to two different friend groups around the same time. Once I got over that hurdle, though, I thought that the premise was pulled off quite well! The ending was especially fun, with the shorter chapter that wrapped everything up for either story before serving as a segue to whichever happily ever after the reader may prefer. I enjoyed both options, but really appreciated that if someone did develop a preference for one love interest over another, they could just read that portion of the book and still get a super satisfying story. Also, bonus points for the Jewish representation. As someone who hasn't had a ton of exposure to the religion, I learned a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

If Dahlia Adler writes it, I"m going to read it. She has become one of my favorite authors and favorites to add to my classroom library if for no other reason than she writes unapologetic positive representation of so many diverse characters. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Jewish faith and traditions in this story. More joy like hers, please!

Going Bicoastal is a very fun book--Natalya must decide whether to spend the summer in NYC with her dad, or LA with her mom. Tough choice, so we get both! The parallel universe/Sliding Doors set up was great, and I loved how we saw her have two very different experiences with different friends, jobs, and of course, love interests.

My only complaint is that this book made me very hungry with all of the food-related plot points and I had no food trucks nearby :)

I gave this a two out of three stars, I enjoyed the story. It was confusing at times. It was hard to tell which part was alternative story and which was the current story. It was so hard to figure it out.

Natalya Fox is Jewish, Bisexual, and unsure of what she wants in life. It is the summer before her senior year, she has a choice in front of her, stay in NYC with her Dad, all her friends in her comfortable bubble, or go to LA to stay with her Mom with their strained relationship, an internship at her company, and do something out of her comfort zone. In a dual timeline we see how each choice would play out, what her summer ends up as, who she ends up dating, and how she comes to a decision on future plans.

This book was fantastic, I stay away from YA as a whole cause I feel I no longer enjoy or relate to the stories. And while that was still true to a degree I can objectively say this is one of the best YA Contemporary novels I have ever read. I love me a good dual timeline story, and this was so unique. It felt like a choice your own adventure in a way and I had the best time. I enjoyed the characters and the exploration of deeper themes. It was still so much fun and the perfect summer novel.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Genre: YA romance, coming of age, queer romance
Quick summary: Natalya has a big choice to make - spend summer in NYC getting to know her beautiful crush, Elly, or head to LA for an internship with her mom. But in this Sliding Doors take-off, she's able to do both, and we'll see her grow and fall in love in both timelines.

I picked this book for Pride Month, and it was a perfect read to celebrate queer joy! I liked that Natalya's bisexuality was well represented in the narrative - she falls in love with a girl in one timeline and a guy in another, but in both storylines, her queerness is emphasized, no "bi erasure" here. I enjoyed the fun and banter in both love stories, with a slight preference for Elly because she was just so cool!

I read YA because I love coming of age elements, and there was plenty to love here as Natalya worked to figure out her next steps after high school and how she could turn her passion for art into a future career.

If you enjoy YA stories, I bet you'll love this one for summer! I wish I could have had a summer of love/self-discovery like Natalya when I was her age.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtepvmTLTfS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

4⭐️

This was so freaking cute!!! If you are looking for a short YA book with lots of queer rep and amazing characters look no further.

We follow the story of Dahlia who is a recent high school graduate and has to make a decision to stay with her dad in NYC for the summer before college or go to LA and stay with her mom who she has not lived with since her parents split. The story follows what would have happened if she chose one or the other, where her life would lead, who she would date, how her career/jobs would go.

I was a tad confused with the plot when Dahlia makes her decision but I quickly came to realize what was happening and I have to say I had never read a book like this and I absolutely loved the idea and concept. It was very well executed to show how both decisions would lead her to happiness and the way there was incredibly good.

I am not normally a person who selects a YA book over Adult but this didn't really feel too YA. The characters were mature and well developed throughout the story, they were very charismatic, funny and had amazing banter and chemistry. I wish I had been this mature when I was Dahlia's age to be honest 😂

There is such good representation in this book and was very well written.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

I don't think it would be fair for me to give this book a rating. I can completely see what the author was trying to do, and I fully appreciate it, but because I'm not the target audience those things fell flat.

It took me a little while to find my groove with the chapters switching back-and-forth between New York and LA. I was taken aback and thought there was an issue with the ARC because the first switch came out of nowhere. Once I was settled, I couldn't help but notice that there was almost a bias between the two stories. It seemed like LA was more fleshed out and descriptive. New York felt stunted and all of the characters blurred together in my head.

I did really love that this was a story of a Jewish, bisexual teen with no compromise. I learned a lot about Shabbat and I think including it as such a big part of the story as well as Nat's identity will be relatable and comforting for those that practice. I really enjoyed that one timeline was Nat with a guy and the other was Nat with a girl because both relationships were treated as normal and felt natural. Nat being bi wasn't a plot point - it was just part of who she was.

Some scenes felt over-explained and the dialogue occasionally felt stilted. However, these are some of the things that can be looked past when you're reading a book targeted for a different age group.

This book wasn't meant for me, and that's okay. I really can't wait to see all the positive reviews for it because I know it's going to be so loved by the right people.

This is my first read by Dahlia Adler and I gotta say… WOW. I loved that we got to see both versions of Natalya’s life. This book offers bisexual representation without feeling gimmicky, which I really really appreciate. I loved the entire cast of characters — they were all very dimensional, and the plot was fabulous. The only thing that could have made it better was a “Why choose?” at the end. I enjoyed that both timelines were distinct and felt separate enough to keep track of. I found Natalya’s characterization very real and relatable, and it gave me the same giddy feeling that I would associate with new love. Fabulous book, and one I need to re-read ASAP.

Dahlia Adler completely gets me in terms of what I want out of books. The way this burrowed it's way into my brain afterwards is top tier. Also Poe puns.

OKAY IT'S OFFICIAL. Dahlia Adler is a genius in queer YA romcoms 😭😂

This book is so so good. The two alternate timelines shouldn't have worked, but it did, and it's an incredible thing to witness. Both timelines connected with the MCs character arc well, and the parallels in specific pivotal scenes are so good! In one timeline music is a big part of her life, in the other, it's food. In both timelines we see her fixing her relationship with her mother, and we see her struggle and realize her passion. In both timelines we see her fall in love and discover two different kinds of romance. The author aced the writing styles in both timelines for sure.

Also loved how this book navigated through being queer and religious at the same time. I also learned a lot about Jewish customs and practices here, which I really appreciated!

Overall this book was just fun and wildly entertaining. Did I hope for some magical twist at the end? Maybe?? Like all of it was a dream and only one timeline is real 😂 But if there's anything this book has taught me is that we make our choices and those choices lead us to exactly where we need to be. This book showed that perfectly well.

I love the idea of Going Bicoastal - the Sliding Doors premise is a fun one, and works so well with the two coasts, two love interests conceit. Unfortunately, I found the execution of that idea so dull. It just spent so much time listing bands and foods and brand names and details at me in moments I didn't care much about at all. There wasn't much going on, as if the dual storyline structure meant each got side of the story only got half as much plot, and it was overall just very low-stakes and surprisingly low energy for this genre. And while I usually avoid this kind of review, especially about books written for demographics I'm not part of (it's been a minute since I was in the YA age group), I found the main character deeply annoying. Not in a realistic, some people (including teens!) are annoying sometimes, flawed people get stories too, kind of way, but as a character. I was just spending so much of the book grumbling under my breath about her choices and actions and every time she was kind of snotty or irritating, and that simply isn't how I want to spend my reading time, you know?

A disappointment, but one I could see others getting much more out of than I did.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the advance review copy.

What a cute, light summer read! This is honestly the epitome of a beach read to me, and I mean that in the best way!
I was NOT expecting the dual timelines (I like to go into my ARCS somewhat blind!) and at first I thought the LA timeline was my favorite, but I honestly wound up loving both equally. I am impressed with how the bisexual representation played out, the diverse cast of characters, and the love interests. I think I adored Adam and Elly more than Nat! I thought the family dynamics were handled deftly and any kid with divorced parents can find Nat’s struggles relatable. I know my students will love this story!

The thing I keep thinking about with this book is how smart it is to show two separate relationships at once, one with a girl and the other with a boy, to represent bisexuality. Showing both relationships side by side really makes the point that both are options and that one identity contains both possibilities at the same time. It is such a cool way to emphasize that point.

I also really liked Nat as a character. She’s artistic and sweet, a little bit of a people pleaser, and she’s in the midst of trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She feels like everyone else has it all figured out, which makes her feel like she’s somehow already behind. She brings her whole heart to a relationship and shows up to help her friends when they’re in need.

Though the story follows two separate timelines, there are things that appear in both stories, which I also thought was cool. It made those moments feel like they were pretty central to what would become Nat’s life story. I liked seeing the way some things played out at different times but often in a similar or the same way.

All in all, I’d definitely say this is a great summer romance to put on your reading list. It’s fun and sweet, with celebrations of music and food, so there’s a lot to love about it.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

What a fun and perfect summer YA read! The sliding door concept of this book was so cool and admittedly the first one I've read. It was a tad confusing at first and I did have to pay a bit more attention if I was listening to it for a while but I loved seeing both sides play out! Both storylines were well written and had cute moments that made me smile, I didn't really have a favourite (OK... maybe I'm a tad jealous of all the tacos in the LA scene 🤤 what can I say? I'm a foodie lol!!) This book also has great LGBTQIA+ and Jewish rep! 🙌

I do think some might have a harder time listening to this one solely on audio due to the sliding door concept - if doing chores or something repetitive that doesn't take a ton of brain power, I think you're fine but if you try to listen while working, like I did, lol don't get surprised if you miss a transition. Reading with your eyes might be easier lol but after a while I got the hang of it by audio and I also enjoyed the narrator.

A huge thanks to Wednesday Books , St-Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for review. All opinions are my own.