4.5 stars. If you loved reading ‘Choose your own adventure’ books when you were younger, you will love this! The dual timeline was so cool and not something you see very often.

Both stories, her summer in L.A. with her mom and meeting Adam vs. staying in NYC with her dad and meeting Elly, felt so authentic to the character. The Shabbat dinners staying consistent with each version of the timeline, her journey of figuring out what she wants to do with her life, I loved every second of this book. And I love that each love interest gets a mention in the others final chapter!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Like the concept, but it’s VERY hard to follow on-page. Being jerked back and forth between timelines and having to keep everything straight just didn’t work for me here.

ARC: 4.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up

This gave everything I wanted from bisexual representation in a YA romance. I left feeling like we truly got the best of both worlds with a feel good attitude.

Beautifully done bisexual and Jewish representation in a book? Sign me up every time.

I had such a great time reading this book! Natalya was a fun character to follow and the portrayal of her family dynamics felt incredibly real. The sliding doors concept was done so well allowing us to truly see the outcomes of either decision and I loved that the ending honored the reader's investment in the storylines. What really sold me on this book was the LGBTQIA+ representation and the Jewish representation! I felt like the author showed us the wide breadth of diversity in both communities and I especially love seeing that in a YA title. Another thing I loved about this novel was that the story was really focused on Natalya. Many of the outcomes were the same in both timelines showing her growth as a character in the areas that mattered to her like her relationship with her mom improving and figuring out what she'll go to college for. The only difference was who she was dating and that really allowed her character to shine for me, because her identity wasn't wrapped up in who she was with. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and think it's the perfect YA read for the summer!

4.5/5 stars

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

4.5 This was absolutely adorable!

I loved Natalya so much. She's so cute and honestly hilarious, the book had me laughing and giggling throughout both stories. The flirting was super fun, and to my great surprise, I was actually deeply invested in both couples. I was sure I would prefer the NYC plotline over the LA one, because I'm a sucker for a hot mysterious girl crush. But I loved both, honestly, and I really don't think there was an ending that made me happier and giddier than the other.

I was surprised that, despite the fact that "nothing really happens" in the book (something that I know Adler specifically sought out with this novel), I had a lot of fun with it! I'm not big on cozy, slice-of-life stories, and I usually need some kind of emotional turmoil to keep me invested. But I was genuinely really entertained by this, and I'm so glad I picked it up.

On a completely personal note, I still think Home Field Advantage is my preferred Dahlia Adler book. I knew it would be hard to beat, considering it's one of my favourite YA novels out there, and as fun as the slice-of-life, "everything is good and great" energy in Going Bicoastal was, I do prefer some emotional damage in my novels, just to really hit me deep in my soul. But if you're someone who is looking for a book that will make you feel good and at peace, this one is absolutely for you, I 100% recommend it!

Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for an advance reader copy of this novel. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Wednesday Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

This was SO cute and has firmly cemented Dahlia Adler as one of my favorite YA authors 🥰

It's pitched as a queer <i>Sliding Doors</i> rom-com and it delivers on all fronts. Natalya, our main character, has to decide what to do the summer before her senior year of college: spend it, as usual, in NYC with her friends and her dad and (maybe, finally) talk to the cute red-haired girl she keeps seeing around the city; or do the scary new thing and take a 2-month long internship at her mom's company in LA, when she hasn't spent more than a few days with her mom since she left for the west coast a few years ago.

I knew I was going to love this book when we got two Chapter 3's: that's when the storyline splits and we get the beginnings of Nat's adventures in LA and Tally's adventures in NYC (good thing Natalya has, like, 4 nicknames so it's easy to differentiate her chapter titles!).

One of my favorite things is that, no matter which storyline we follow, Natalya ends up learning some of the same things:
1. She discovers that she wants to do graphic design in both timelines. It's through slightly different means, but she comes to the same conclusion that she'd be able to use something she loves (art) in a career.
2. She's able to rekindle a relationship with her mom. That was one thing she wasn't optimistic about at the beginning of the book. She'd never had much in common with her mother, and the distance made things harder. But both when she's with her mom in person and through phone conversations while Natalya stayed in New York, she and her mom are able to reestablish a relationship that worked best for them.
3. She learns how to cook a Shabbos dinner! Natalya mentions MANY times that she needs to ask her neighbor Adira to teach her how to cook a Shabbos dinner since her mom doesn't observer the Sabbath, and her dad doesn't cook, so they rely on Adira's cooking or takeout. In both timelines, Natalya learns how. In NYC from Adira, like she always wanted to, and in LA from Adam, whose amazing cooking skills allow him to be a quick study once Natalya tells him which dishes are traditionally eaten during a Shabbos meal.

I think my highest praise for this book is that I was equally invested in both the romances (although maybe, possibly, slightly leaning towards Elly a teeny bit 😋). Adam and Elly get equal screentime, and I absolutely LOVED how the ending came together because I had no idea how it was going to happen.
(spoiler ahead) I was really on the edge of my seat during the last chapter and I would have been 100% fine not knowing who was on the other side of the door, but the "choose your own adventure" vibes of the follow-up chapters were so cute and I of course read both of them 🥰

Also: not really a spoiler but I very much enjoyed Jasmine and Lara's cameos in the NYC timeline 😌

Anyway, if you're a fan of contemporary YA romance and you haven't read any of Dahlia Adler's books yet, what are you doing?!?!?

I thought this was brilliant. Her writing has gotten better and better. The Easter eggs in each time line were master level. It was bisexual Jewish rep without falling into stereotypes. You just route for EVERYONE

This book is a similar plotline to the broadway If/Then. The main character and the story were both a lot of fun, and the love interests were so cute and genuine the reader couldn't possibly pick between both of them. I in depth Jewish representation was amazing since a lot of contemporary books don't get into conservative Judaism. I also loved that the author was able to show the LA Jewish scene, which I feel like is often overlooked in a lot of media that focuses just on the New York aspect (which is obviously still super important, it's just nice to see LA getting some love too). I will say, I was surprised at the ending and liked the choice the author made with it. Great representation and a fun story!

thank you to netgalley for my advanced copy!

okay, I loved the cover, the concept, both love interests, the Jewish rep, all the food references, all the music references, AND Natalya’s relationship with both parents… so yea I pretty much love this entire book!

I think my only not as positive feedback is the middle lost me a little bit and I was wondering if we would actually get a reality ending to see what choice she actually made- to spend the summer in LA with her mom, Adam and that cast of characters, or if she actually stayed in NY… but the author kind of made it like a choose your own path ending, and left it up to the reader to decide which partner and ending Natalya chose. I think I like that but also still wanted an answer of which path she chose, haha.

I loved that she got to teach both/either romantic partner of hers about Shabbat and other Jewish customs, like keeping Kosher. I loved how casual and accepted it was that Talya was bi, and this wasn’t so much an identity-discovery model in that sense for her, she was already a fully formed person before the story started.

Thank you Dahlia Adler for writing another summer fun, queer, Jewish, and delectable read- I definitely enjoyed this one a lot!

And… as a queer Jew myself, it would be really hard for me to choose between Elly and Adam, so I totally get not wanting OR having to choose one at the end of the book (haha)!

A dual timeline book with a male and a female love interest!!!! omg yes please.
Personally I do not and will not pick between the love interest and I will be treating it as alternate universe versions. It would be too hard to pick a favorite timeline, both are so cute and relationships of all kinds are formed/ strengthened in both so I can't imagine one of the timelines not being true if that makes sense.
Obviously if you read you are welcome to pick but if you're like me then just treat them as separate entities....
I learned a lot about Shabbat which was cool. I wasn't sure on all of the aspects of it so that was fun to learn about.
L.A helps Natalya come out of her shell and explore a new place while also making new friends on her own and growing her relationship with her mom.
N.Y helps her finally meet the girl she's been secretly admiring and helps her start going out and doing more adventurous things as well. She talks to her mom but I think it is different to her L.A life in the sense that strengthening a relationship is way different over the phone as opposed to in person.
It's also hard to pick since so many things are set in motion by her choice that would probably not happen if she had chosen the other option. In both however Natalya still figures out what her future can look like career wise and that makes me happy that it isn't all about the love interest, it's also just about her finding herself.
Both timelines are so cute and make me happy as someone interested in both guys and girls.
Queer love stories are so important and I am so thankful that I got to read this story.
Happy Pride Month!!!

Natalya Fox has been given a choice for the summer: stay home with her dad in NYC or visit her estranged mom in LA. She knows that she has to get out of her routine and explore the city, repair her relationship with her mom, and figure out her future. But is she going to do that while chasing the girl of her dreams or falling for the guy she never saw coming?

This book felt like the perfect depiction of the “why not both?” meme and I absolutely loved every second of it. Going into the story knowing only that it was “a queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com” and not knowing what Sliding Doors was or even having the foresight to look it up, I definitely stumbled a bit in the beginning once the split between the New York and Los Angeles timelines happened, but I caught up really quickly and fell in love with the way in which Dahlia was able to so effortlessly not only flow between the two but to also weave elements of one timeline into the other.

I’ve always been a believer that people have more than one soulmate, that timing really affects who is the right person for you. And that’s exactly the same vibes that I got from this story. Natalya lives out two very different paths, but even though they happen on opposite coasts with different groups of people, they both made sense for the person she was becoming in their respective timelines. There isn't so much a wrong choice as a different choice with a different outcome.

Anyone who lives off vibes or moods will be happy to find that this book’s release is very timely. All the summer vibes are there in both timelines and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this book is going to be one of the books of the summer. I want to pull up a lounger by the pool with a fruity umbrella cocktail in one hand and this book in the other and just relive the experience over again. Oh, and please add in some tacos. Speaking of which, do not go into this book on an empty stomach. All the food talk had me salivating and wishing I was actually living the story instead of just reading it.

Balancing a two different plotlines that jump between every chapter or so is incredibly difficult; I wish I could say this book pulled it off.

I just couldn't get invested. The bland and uninspiring prose doesn't help, either. I'm always looking for good books with good bi rep, but this bored me too much.

3.5 ⭐️s

- Young Adult
- Bi FMCs
- Jewish rep
- Alternating timelines: one set in NY, the other in LA
- All the food & all the music references

What a cute YA book! I had a little trouble in the beginning remembering which details belong to which timeline, but as I read on, the more invested I got into each story. I personally preferred the LA timeline, but both stories were super cute.

I loved Natalya's growth on both timelines. I loved her exploration of her Jewish culture, and the possibilities of her future career-wise. The fun set of side characters rounded out this book very nicely, too.

A great summer read for YA fans!

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for the ARC.

1. There is a casual Empire Records reference and I LOVE that.
2. As an only child who lived through my parents getting a divorce... I felt Natalya's comment about being an only child of divorced parents so much. It's a very different lived experience when you don't have siblings to go through it with.
3. Even now that I'm done reading this book, I still can't decide which version of Natalya's summer I liked more.
4. Obviously I loved the Poe references as well.

I think this is my favorite Adler novel yet and I cannot wait to get this into the hands of some of my teen patrons. It's nice to have an already out teen protagonist so the YA romance can be about romance and not about our main character figuring out their sexuality (not that those types of books aren't great too). There is plenty of queer rep that is allowed to just happily exist and both sets of friends groups are great in their own ways. I also really liked how Adler let the plots play out simultaneously and I LOVED how both East and West Coast characters end up kind of crossing paths at one point in the plot line to tie things all together.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was just a blast all around! “Going Bicoastal” follows the dual storylines of Natalya choosing to either a) stay in NY or b) move to LA for the summer. This was such an engaging way of writing a story and while it definitely was a bit odd at first, I quickly found myself enjoying it! So much so that I’m writing a review right now at 12 am instead of sleeping.

Both of the storylines were fun and fleshed out. I personally enjoyed the LA storyline more but that’s the fun of this book. Both romances are cute and it’s fun to see them both play out instead of potentially being disappointed by a love triangle. The inclusion of food and music in their respective storylines was also a great touch! Seeing adam’s emphasis on food and Elly’s emphasis on music make their way into the story was super fun.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick and entertaining queer summer read, definitely check this out! Thank you so much to Wednesday books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very unique format and it did take a little more focus than some other YA romances might, but I really enjoyed it!

I love the way certain details were woven into each storyline. I also loved the cameo of Lara and Jasmine and a few other callouts to Dahlia Adler's other works.

I found myself unable to pick which storyline I liked better and for that reason I was very happy with the ending.

I would definitely recommend this one to fans of YA romcoms.

I cannot believe this is my first Dahlia Adler book!! I was looking for a cute summer romcom and I am so glad I decided to pick this book up. Natalya Fox has a big decision to make at the start of her summer vacation, go to LA and live with her mom for the summer or stay in New York City with her dad. It's an obviously tough decision and when she can't decide, both timelines play out through the course of the book. I loved this premise and I feel like as a reader, I got two great stories without missing out on Natalya's own growth. Both stories were well developed and I really enjoyed reading both of them.

I really loved Natalya as the main character. I feel like I understood her struggle to figure out what she wanted from her future. The summer before senior year definitely feels like a momentous time and I felt for her as she attempts to try new things while also holding on to what she knows. I really felt like she grew up a lot throughout the book. While she struggled with figuring out what she wanted to do after high school, I'm glad she was able to work through her options and find out what she wanted.

I loved Natalya and Elly's story; the coincidental run ins, the nervousness of figuring out if the other person likes you or not. Their story was very sweet and I loved that they both shared their interests with each other. I also loved Natalya and Adam's relationship. Starting off as rivals, becoming friends, and then finally being together is the perfect YA trope to me. I loved that Natalya had someone she could rely on while she was in LA. Both storylines were so cute and I won't spoil anything but the end was perfect! Besides her romantic relationships, I really liked that Natalya was close with her dad and that she was working to repair her relationship with her mom.

I loved the back and forth between New York and LA and I felt like I got to experience summer in both cities. Definitely do not read this book on an empty stomach! All the food descriptions made me so hungry and although I don't cook that frequently, all the food talk made me want to make a feast so I can try everything!

Overall, I really loved this book, it is a super cute YA romcom! It's a perfect read for this summer! I loved all the characters, the setting, and the romance. I really appreciated the Jewish and LGBTQ rep. I can't wait to read Adler's backlist. I would highly recommend this book, it's out June 13th!

This was such a fun book you guys that I wasn't sure about going into it but I kind of fell in love.
This was quite a different read with the same story playing out but our main character makes a different choice in the beginning that changes the outcome over all. So it's like reading two different stories at once. Idk if I have ever read a book like this and now I want to read so many more like this.

Spoiler******

Though I enjoyed the romance in New York and Nats journey there I was definitely much more invested in the LA story. I kind of fell for Adam and now want one of him for myself. I also liked the growth with her mother in both tales.

I would have loved to have seen a bit more of a cross over at the end though. Like Adam and her really meeting Elly or maybe even Elly and her trying the taco restaurant since I am guessing the boys would have moved to New York anyways.

Overall I loved this book and will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future.

Thanks to OrangeSky Audio and Wednesday Books for the free book.
This was so much fun! Natalya can't decide what to do for the summer - stay in NYC with her dad or go spend it in LA with her mom - and lucky for us, Adler didn't make us choose. The novel explores both decisions in alternating chapters, and I enjoyed it so much. There wasn't one timeline I liked better. Both were full of friends, fun, and food. I liked the exploration of being a queer Jewish woman. Adler had Natalya in so many different experiences that helped her learn and grow, which is what I love about YA. Seeing these characters become more mature in a way that feels natural and authentic to the YA experience. I wanted what was best for her, and both timelines give Nat that. I could've listened to so much more of this story because of how invested I was.
This is the first book I've listened narrated by Mara Wilson, and I immediately went and listened to her narrate another book right after I finished this one. Her performance was impeccable. She captured all of the different friends and love interests, and I had no problem keeping anyone straight. I can't wait to listen to her narrate more.

Going Bicoastal is the story of 17 year old Natalya who has 24 hours to make a huge decision of how she is going to spend her summer between her junior and senior year. She can either stay in NYC with her father who she currently lives with, gets to see her friends that are sticking around and maybe keep running into the red-head girl she has a crush on. OR she can go stay with her mom in LA and intern at her work. It would be a big change and a chance to do something new and to get to know her mom since they rarely see each other or talk to one another. What would be easy and comfortable would be NYC, but she really does need to branch out, right?

I loved the way this story was told. It was almost like a "choose your own adventure book". In some ways, I wish I would have read it that way. All NYC story back to back and then LA, but the way Adler alternated chapters and had Natalya living her NYC life while also living her LA life was perfect! I loved it! I actually had to go back the first time I read when Talya had decided to stay in NYC and then the next chapter has her going to LA. Very clever!

We saw Talya bring her cool, bisexual Jewish girl vibes to both coasts and it worked. 2 love interests that I really enjoyed and friend groups that made it even better. I love the way the Jewish culture along with the LGBTQ community was brought to both 'stories' and how positive it was. Add in the fact that I love music, art as well as food trucks and this was a total winner. It's just a book that makes you feel good. It also made me look forward to summer.

If you've read Dahlia Adler's previous books, you may catch a few surprise guests. But this book totally stands on its own and it was a pleasure to read from beginning to end. I really enjoyed how the relationships developed between Talya and her love interests as well as her friendships and relationships with her parents, especially her mother. This is definitely a book you should put on your TBR if you want something fun and positive and filled with great characters all around. A true joy!

thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books. & Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book