Natalya must choose between summer in NYC with her dad or LA with her estranged mom, and learns there may be more than one path to happy ever after.

This was such a unique premise with both of Natalya's choices playing out in alternating chapters between life in NYC and LA. Adler pulled off the duality in that the alternating settings were never confusing and I wasn't more invested in one path than the other. Ultimately I was rooting for Natalya as she grew and stepped out of her comfort zone, tried new things, met new people, and repaired her relationship with her mom.

We see Natalya explore her Jewish culture (loved Shabbat dinners with Adam) and own her bisexuality. It's a cute story overall with a great cast of characters and may leave you craving coffee and tacos. Perfect summer read for YA fans.

Thanks NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my advance copy; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital copy for review.

This book was so much fun and the perfect book to kick off the summer season! Main character Natalya has decide which parent she is going too stay with for the summer, the dad she lives with in New York, or the estranged mom who lives in LA. She cannot decide, so each decision plays out in alternating chapters. Both love interests, Elly and Adam, were compelling and interesting to read about. I couldn’t pick a favorite and somehow wanted her to end up with both of them. Because of the dual timelines, however, there were quite a lot of characters to keep track of, but it did not cut down my enjoyment of the novel. The one thing I did not like was the portrayal and little digs at straight white boys/men. With the exception of Adam, for the most part they either were not there at all or were jerks and then never seen again. But again, I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who reads young adult contemporary, romance, and LGBT stories.

I’ve been reading this for 17 days and I’m just at the 45% mark. When I say that that this book is putting me to sleep, I literally mean it puts me to sleep. I read and I’m immediately in nap mode after a chapter or mid-way through because they are lonnnnng chapters.

I was was excited for this book, but realized as I started reading it’s not what I expected - I fully realize I should have read the blurb better, but I jump right into books, especially those with cute covers. I love the teen Bi representation but on one side of the country she likes a guy and the other side of the country she likes a girl - cool. Only these are happening simultaneously - not cool. I didn’t expect this to be a choose your own adventure book for the main character and every other chapter seeing her life live out of choose to live with her dad or mom. And the chapters are very disjointing. You get into moments and it ends and doesn’t pick up where you left off. I’m not feeling attached to anyone, not even Natalya (love this name) who is the one main constant throughout.

It’s just a disappointment because this had huge potential. The writing needs to be smoother and connect better between scenarios on the same coast. I want to feel invested about the characters and root for them to get together romantically and with her mom because she working on getting to know her in both scenarios.

Usually I’m like I will pick that up again given it’s a queer romance with Jewish main characters. I absolutely the love the Jewish representation! The Jewish and Bi rep is why it’s getting two stars because otherwise I find this a big snooze fest of a mess, which makes really sad for a book I was excited about.

If Dahlia Adler writes it, I’m going to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC of Going Bicoastal!

This was the perfect summer read. It was light and fun and quirky. I really love the way we got to get a peek into both of Natalya’s possible summers. It was a unique way to explore her bisexual identity without making it about her bisexuality or making it an issues book. I loved how this was able to be a sweet romance about choosing between two possibilities (where the points of contention were picking between parents and summer destinations) without pitting either relationship against the other. They were presented as both equally valid.

I’m so excited for everyone who still gets to read this for the first time!

Thoughts

I was expecting to be mildly let-down as I have been by Adler's work in the past, but instead, I was incredibly pleased. This is a book of what-ifs, a choose-your-own-adventure for romance fans, and that was an absolutely delightful experience.

Pros
What-Ifs: This is a book full of possibilities. What if she stays in NYC for the summer? What is she heads to LA instead? What if she doesn't have to choose--or, really, what if you as the reader don't have to choose? This book is a choose-your-own-ending without all of the work, all the flipping back and forth to match up the bits and pieces you want. You can have it all, and that's delightful.

Little Echoes: Something that really grounded this enchanting romance was the consistency of the characters. Because it really wouldn't work to have two alternate timelines in two locations with two love interests if the repeating characters didn't feel consistent. But these characters do feel consistent, because in each timeline, little bits of them echo. The same conversations come up. The same snippets are said in different contexts, and that grounds these characters as the same, albeit in different universes. Natalya is the same, no matter what she chooses. Her relationship with her parents, that's also the same. And these little things, these echoes of her experience, help the story come together so well.

No Compromise: This is a book without compromise. Do you want an edgy redhead for the love interest? You've got it. Is a nerdy intern also of interest? You get that here, too. If you like art and music, food trucks and good food, well, all of that makes it into this piece. A little bit of everything you could want from your romcom makes it into that piece. 2023 has been a year of no-compromise romances, and I'm really loving that.


Cons
Confusing Timeline: Especially at the beginning, the jumps and cuts between timelines were jarring. Once I got into the quirky flow here, it was definitely less of an issue reorienting myself in time, place, and plot. But it did still feel like the chapter titles were often deliberately vague, almost as though they were meant to trick the reader into experiencing that timeline disorientation. I felt like I was purposefully getting jerked around, and it wasn't enjoyable. Needless to say, that made for an unhappy reading experience.

Whiny: Natalya definitely settles into herself as the story goes on, but gosh if she isn't annoyingly whiny! Especially in the early chapters, she reads very immature and pouty. It was difficult to read, especially since her narrative and her storyline(s) isn't particularly juvenile. This book is definitely in the middle to upper range for YA content, but the character reads very young.

Mature: I said it above, and it bears repeating here. This book is far from the most mature YA content out there, but the cutesy cover and whimsical premise might mean the content here will surprise readers. Because it definitely isn't for the young end of the YA range. There are glossed-over sex scenes, adult language and banter, and mature themes throughout. It doesn't go too far by any means, but there is a definite mismatch here between the maturity level of the marketing and the actual content of the book.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Emma Lord's When You Get the Chance will love this new city life romance. Those who loved J.C. Peterson's Lola at Last will love this new summer of self-discovery.

This was a really fun YA queer romance that sees Natalia, a Jewish, bisexual teen girl forced to decide which of her divorced parents to spend the summer with: her dad who she lives with all the time in NYC or go to LA and spend some quality time with her mother.

In a twist of fate she somehow gets to live out both scenarios in a magical realism sliding doors situation. I really enjoyed both her summer experiences (but I think LA was my fav). The audio narration was excellent by Mara Wilson and I am OBSESSED with this gorgeous cover too!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

This book is really fun! I really enjoyed that co-existing stories and the implications of seeing what happens depending on what Tal choses to do. The ending is really fun as well, since you get to choose what ending you want to see (though I chose to read both). I was a fan of both Elly and Adam and the different ways they impacted Tal. I also really enjoyed that in both plots she got closer with her Mom, because you can sense the tension at the beginning of the story and sort of see that fade away. I think in both stories Tal does a lot of growing and starts to understand more about her mom which is a really good thing.

My full review can be seen here: https://theweatherwriter.wixsite.com/blog/post/book-review-going-bicoastal-by-dahlia-adler

Remember the books as a kid that you could pick your own adventure. That's kind of how this was.
I do wish that maybe the 2 stories merged where she would have ended up with 1 for real.

this was so cute. i liked the dual timeline, the fact that we avoided a love triangle (god bless), and it was overall full of queer joy! i definitely recommend.

I do wish Adler's latest was marketed as a "choose your own adventure" and was puzzled that the last few chapters were held as such. I found the chapter titles humorous and would've made a great choose where Natayla goes story! Overall, it was a quick read where the main character is already out of the closet and some fun nods to Dahlia's other books.

I love Dahlia Adler’s work and Going Bicoastal is another excellent addition! I immediately loved the cover. In Going Bicoastal, Natalya must choose which parent she wants to spend the summer with- her dad in New York or her mom in LA. There are pros and cons to both, along with two special people that she’ll meet depending on her choice. In a queer YA version of Sliding Doors, Natalya discovers who she is and explores who she wants to be.

Going Bicoastal was such a fun and clever read! I loved the bisexual/LGBTQIA+ rep and the cameos from Cool For the Summer. It was interesting to see what things stayed the same in both versions and what changed based on Natalya’s surroundings. I loved both Elly and Adam! Natalya has a great group of found family among her friends. I enjoyed seeing more about Shabbat dinners (they also made me very hungry!) and seeing how Natalya connected to Judaism. The ending was creative and I loved how all the threads came together. Going Bicoastal would be the perfect book for readers who enjoy Emma Lord and Sophie Gonzales. I can’t wait to see what Dahlia Adler writes next!

Thank you to Dahlia Adler, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

This is a wonderful book to start the summer reading season with! Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler has a fun premise and keeps you entertained from page to page.

Meet Natalya. She has to decide if she wants to spend the summer in New York City (NYC) with her dad or travel to Los Angeles (LA) and spend the summer with her mom. Through alternating chapters, readers are taken on a journey to explore what happens if Natalya stays in NYC or travels to LA. Are you ready for a bi-coastal summer?

My first read from Adler, and I was not disappointed. I had a phenomenal time while reading this story! I didn’t expect to enjoy the alternating plotlines as much as I did, especially because one storyline always seems more compelling. Adler delivered enchanting storylines on both fronts. I found it easy to follow, and the author made this easy with the chapter titles - thank you, Dahlia! I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow. This book was PERFECT. From start to finish I was absolutely enamored with the story. And Natalya. I picked this up right after I finished The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on prime this morning—and it immediately transported me back to the Upper West Side in the most exquisite way.

This is definitely one of my favorite romance books of all-time. It was so unbelievably well-written. From the prose to the characters to the settings and food and romance. Every single character was written with depth. Both of the romances had me absolutely squealing. And her relationships with her parents were so sweet.

I found myself simultaneously hoping Natalya stayed in New York and went to the west coast. I didn’t want this story to end, but when it did end, it ended so beautifully and wonderfully. It was a gem of a read. I cannot recommend it enough.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While the situation-shifting kept me from getting to the point where I was bored (it got so close on so many occasions), I still never found myself particularly interested by either of the plotlines.

I loved that Natalya leaned in to who she was and did not apologize for it. Different aspects of her identity as Jewish, bi, an artist, etc. helped her feel like a well-rounded and real character. While neither of the love interests were especially compelling, they did at least have backgrounds, personalities, and motivations.

Characters outside of Natalya and her love interests...well. They existed. I did not absorb any names, personalities, quirks, or anything else, because with the situation swapping there were just. too. many of them.

I loved/hated this book's descriptions of food (it made me hungry!) and the little bits of Natalya developing her relationship with her mom were great, I wish there had been more.

Overall, not the most compelling but I didn't actively dislike it. 2.5/5 rounded up.

This book was insanely unique! It took me a little bit to fully understand and embrace the format, but I really enjoyed it!

Dahlia Adler is one of my favorite authors, and she once again has delivered a really wonderful queer YA romance. This story was exciting, different, fun and easy to read, and generally very engaging. I loved the representation in this book, and always appreciate this author’s depiction of non-traditional parenting. The Jewish representation was fabulous, and as a gentile I found it both informative and respectful.

While I was always team Adam, I loved this story for showing us both the ways Natalya’s life would’ve played out had she made one decision or another.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

I was unfortunately kind of meh about this book. Modeling it after a Choose Your Own Adventure was cute, but it got a bit confusing as only 1 of the timelines can truly be "real" to a reader. You can alternatively view it as a multiverse experience, where both relationships happen simultaneously (just not to the same version of Natalya). Some moments do occur in both timelines, in a parallel way that almost felt klunky? There isn't much conflict in Ellie's timeline, while the conflict in Adam's felt unnatural. BUT apart from my criticisms, I really enjoyed the bisexual and Jewish rep, as well as getting to explore NYC and LA. I think that the Sliding Doors format just isn't for me, but I'm still a huge fan of Dahlia Adler and can't wait to read her future work.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Natalya Fox has a decision to make about her summer: stay with her dad in New York, or spend time with her mom in Los Angeles. Both have their pros and cons, but with only 24 hours to make the decision, Natalya is struggling.

Since Natalya can't choose, both timelines play out in a choose your own adventure kind of style book. We get to see what happens in LA and in NY, both with different romances and different options for her future. And at the end, you get to decide: which way did Natalya go?

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for an advanced copy of Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler to review! Always a fan of Dahlia Adler, so I was excited to pick this one up! And I am happy to say that I wasn't dissapointed.

I would like to note, I didn't notice the part about both timelines playing out and I was a bit confused at the beginning. But once I got into the groove, it was smooth sailing. This book is a bit like getting two books in one, both with adorable romances to boot. Nat's summer in NY is all about music, and her summer in LA is all about food. What isn't to like about that?

Even though it is two separate stories, they both feel evenly developed, in that I didn't feel like one story suffered at the expense of the other. Both had great side characters, and we get to see Nat's character development in different (but also kind of similar ways). It's actually a good example of excellent writing! And really, I'd recommend it just for that.

If you're looking for a fun, different YA queer romance to read this summer, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out.

The way this book made me ugly cry in public…
I felt seen, i felt empowered and i felt strong.
Thank you so much for this representation.
It means the world to me.
If you haven’t already, read it and give it a chance. You won’t regret it.

Natalya has to make a decision about what she is going to do for the summer. She can stay with her dad in New York, the parent who has always been there for her and the city she knows, and maybe get to know the redhead girl she has been crushing on from afar for months. Or she can visit Los Angeles to try to repair her relationship with her mom, and take on an internship at her mom’s company. The rest of the novel follows Natalya through both timelines, as she goes on different adventures in each, but ultimately learns a lot about herself in both of them.

I really enjoyed Dahlia Adler’s release from last year, Home Field Advantage, so I was more than happy to read an advanced copy of Going Bicoastal. However, I was also a little bit skeptical. As a book that essentially has two different stories in it, I was worried that I might love one story and hate the other, or that with only half the page time, neither of the stories would feel fully developed. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised to find I did not need to worry about either of those things.

I really was truly surprised to find how much I enjoyed both stories. Adler shows there are multiple ways to get to where you need to be. Although Nat’s path is different in each story, in both versions we watch as she falls in love, begins to repair her relationship with her mom, and discovers a potential career path for herself. I legitimately enjoyed both of the romances, so when I got to the final chapters, which offer two different endings depending on which romance you want to play out, I really wanted to read both of them. I was truly impressed that both of them felt fully fleshed out, and neither of them felt rushed.

Another piece of the book I absolutely loved was the representation. I have read plenty of books with Jewish characters, but this is the first one I have read which actively talks about Jewish practices so much. Natalya keeps Shabbat, and discusses extensively how much it means to her. I am not Jewish, but I know how important Shabbat is to my Jewish friends, so I thought it was really cool to see it get such a prominent place in Going Bicoastal. The bisexual representation was also wonderful. In one timeline, Nat ends up with a girl, and in another she is with a guy, but in both timelines she is unapologetically bisexual and her identity is never called into question.

Going Bicoastal is such a fun, summer YA romance, and a great way to travel vicariously this summer! If you are a fan of Adler’s other books, or just like YA romance in general, I would definitely recommend it.

In Going Bicoastal it's hard not to fall in love with Natalya. From the premise alone, I love the idea of Going Bicoastal. Of seeing your life at a crossroads and wondering which direction to go. Adler's recent release is about the differences - and similarities - our lives could go down. For Natalya stuck between her parents and two different paths for her future, she has to take risks. Even if she stays in NYC with her dad, her dad challenges her to take risks, have new experiences, and meet new people.

In Going Bicoastal I adored the family relationships between her and her dad as well as her mostly absent mother. To see the two timelines and we see her relationship with her mother evolving. Going Bicoastal is a fabulous story about the things that change and stay the same. How our lives can take different turns, but some pieces of our lives just end up falling into patterns. It's a fantastic and intriguing idea of fate and choice.