As a fan of her last book, Home Field Advantage, I've now come to expect a deft touch with teens navigating sexuality when Dahlia's writing, and this is another win for her. The characters and their dilemmas feel authentic and not story-arbitrary, and their happy endings are all the more deserved. Always a fan of Dahlia's!

This story was such a unique concept for me to read! Natalya has to make a choice between staying in NYC with her father, friends and the girl she's been crushing on or going to LA to visit with her mother and strengthen their relationship. Dahlia Adler takes readers on a journey of exploring both options with alternating chapters. I found myself drawn to a particular storyline while reading. Natalya goes through personal growth in each outcome, along with navigating options for her after high school goals. I enjoyed this story overall! I also enjoyed being introduced to the Jewish representation and learning about the traditions! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

So! This book was such a delight to read!! I absolutely loved both timelines almost equally, something I hadn't expected. My main worry was not being able to tell them apart, or getting confused between them, but that was not an issue at all.

The side characters on both coasts were unique (and there were, as promised, Lara and Jasmine cameos!!). They were surprisingly developed, considering they didn't get a huge amount of page time, since the book is basically split in half. My favorites were probably the parents (loved the little interrogations so much), alllll the friends, and special shoutout to EvanandMateoo<33 (ofc my girl was right).

Now, the similarities. I loved the parallels. I LIVED for the parallels. It felt a bit similar to when the title of a book is used in it, something that makes me so randomly happy for absolutely no reason! There were phrases said, or realizations she made, in both timelines, which really showed, that while the people around her, and the environment, was different, Natalya was still the same person.

On to the love interests! I loved Adam and Elly! Adam and Natalya's relationship started with a bit of enmity, which i always lovee, while Elly and Natalya's was more of a longtime mutual attraction, so also super fun! Both relationships were fleshed out and easy to root for, though they were definitely different so it never felt boring or repetitive.

After this and Cool for the Summer (which i also loved, just not as much!), Dahlia Adler has definitely become one of my instant-add-to-tbr authors!

Also random note: the John Mayer (🤢) hate made me happy<3

Songs i thought of during this book:
'Older' and 'Only Child' by Sasha Alex Sloan (about the divorce and growing up alone, respectively)

4.5 Stars!

One of my most anticipated reads for this year, and it did not disappoint!

It’s a dual timeline story of romance and summer plans and uncertain futures for our lead, Natalya.

One storyline follows Natalya staying in NYC with her father for the summer and going out of her shell to peruse the girl of her dreams.

The other storyline follows Natalya as she heads to LA to live with her estranged mom for the summer and falling for the guy she never saw coming!

Each story is so wonderful and they blend together seamlessly every other chapter. So many parallels and outcomes between the stories that you feel like you got not one, but two incredible summer romances full of self discovery and adventure.

The best part? We even get two HEAs in a choose your own ending style epilogue.

As a late blooming bi, this story made my heart so insanely happy and it was insanely satisfying. I cannot recommend it enough and it’s one I will happily be rereading!!

What's a better summer read than book with a happy ending? A book with TWO happy endings! This was so much fun! I loved both timelines (although it took me a little longer to get into the LA one), and while I was originally apprehensive that they'd both have enough room to feel complete in what's already a relatively short book, they both do.

It was really meaningful to me to see a more observant Jewish main character in a book like this. Shabbat dinners make regular appearances in both timelines, and Natalya keeps kosher. There's also such a variety in observance across the supporting characters who are Jewish, which was also wonderful to see!

CW: divorce, mention of past self-harm

I absolutely loved this book! Dahlia Adler has taken an almost Choose-Your-Own Adventure style approach to this book, without compromising the quality or how enjoyable either path is. GOING BICOASTAL had me hooked from the very beginning and completely surpassed any expectations that I had. It’s undoubtedly a very fun rom-com, but it also has some absolutely incredible character work and relationship building along with that, and this staunch pride in both Natalya’s bisexuality and Jewishness that was so genuine and heartfelt. I will admit, I did have a favourite choice/love interest, but I truly enjoyed seeing Adler explore both options. I completely devoured this book and I could not recommend it enough.

Natalya Fox has a choice. She can stay in New York with her dad, her friends, and the cute redhead she’s been crushing on all year, or go visit her mom in LA with an internship and a cute boy that she doesn’t know yet. And she ultimately decides…both, or at least that’s the story that we get to follow. Natalya’s story unfolds in both NY and LA, with two potential love interests, and with a world of relationship and personal development on both sides. Whichever side she actually picked, the end goal remains largely the same, it’s the journey that changes. It’s a true testament to how well this is written and how fun it is that despite a preference, I never found myself dreading a switch between timelines, but instead excited to see what would happen next.

Despite being a rom-com, GOING BICOASTAL also does some serious heavy lifting in the non-romantic relationship, personal growth, and side character development department. We truly get to see Nat grow as a character, from deepening her relationships with her parents (who also got their own growth in their own ways!) to figuring out her non-romantic future. On both paths, we get a wealth of side characters that I loved seeing Nat interact with (although I do have a particular fondness for the food truck crew).

Although I don’t specifically relate to a lot of aspects of Natalya’s identity (outside of being queer), that didn’t stop the parts of the books that discussed and embraced those facets from being some of my absolute favourite parts. There isn’t ever a question of Nat’s Jewishness or her bisexuality, they’re integral to her character, but they’re still given center stage in her journey, embraced in such a genuinely wonderful way, from learning how to cook Shabbos dinner to the two equivalent love stories with a guy and a girl. Not to mention I really just enjoyed seeing Nat grow and develop as an already strong character.

And of course, I have to talk about the romance. The redhead already in New York and the cute mystery intern that she’d be working with in LA. Both of these romantic paths have such great potential, and I really enjoyed getting to see Nat explore both of them. All that said, I have to admit that I enjoyed her storyline and especially the romance in LA just a little bit more. From my own personal preferences, there was something about getting to see Nat fall from the very beginning instead of acting upon an already established crush that had me that much more on the edge of my seat. In some ways I also thought that LA was the better fit for her overall, but I can see how others might like the NY storyline just as much or more. But I have to say, Adam Rose the man that you are!!

If you’re looking for your next summer read or just your next rom-com in general, this one is an absolutely fantastic choice (my favourite Dahlia Adler book to-date!) And if you haven’t read/planned on reading it already, I would highly recommend adding it to your list!

Thank to you Netgalley and to Dahlia Adler for letting me read this arc. First of all, 5 stars! This book made my queer heart so freaking happy. I figured out that I am bisexual a couple of years ago, and this book just spoke to me. I got very attached to Natalya almost immediately. This book is similar to a choose your own adventure as it has a dual narrative , and I love that so much! The writing is so fun! This is a book that is very hard to put down. My husband had to call me to dinner twice. This is a book I will be recommending to everyone for forever. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer. Seriously, I hope that everyone reads this book!

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.