This is a cute story using what I will refer to as the Sliding Doors trope to show how a choice can create two different paths for the main character. The trip unfortunately detracts from both of the plots because both feel rushed by the time you reach the end. That being said, this didn’t feel like a story I’d read before. It was original enough to not feel overdone.

If you like rom-coms this is probably a good choice for you. I’d give it a 3.5 but I’ll round up for Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved following Natalya as a main character! She was so relatable, I found myself in her at so many points throughout the story! Her thought processes were so cute and funny sometimes, it made me laugh. She was relatable and fun, and had a good personality.

I liked that there were references to both lives even though she was doing different things. Like her doing the designs for her mom’s work in both timelines, just in different places. It was a nice touch that brought everything together.

Slight spoiler: I loved the part where she wished she could go to an actually good taco truck in her dad’s timeline, I’m like you did!! It was such a fun nod to the other life she could have lived if she chose differently. I also love how it mentioned how one life was better than the other in her mind when she was happy in both! It was the best of both worlds truly.

I was more invested in her mom’s timeline because I felt like we got more interactions between her and Adam than we got of her and Elly. I loved both love interests so much and was invested in both of them. Her dad’s timeline was boring to me though at parts because most of the time was spent following her doing her different jobs in the beginning than being with Elly.

I feel like even when her and Elly were together, she spent more time talking with Elly’s friends or whoever else was there that we barely got any interactions between them which made me sad. That’s why I was way more invested in Adam because at least they interacted with each other. But when we DID get moments between her and Elly, I really enjoyed their relationship. Elly was so cool, I loved her energy and her passion, I just wish we got more from her. The passion between her and Natalya was THERE. When we did get moments between them it was electric and fiery. But they can also be sweet and caring.

Her and Adam had such easy chemistry, I could gush about it for hours. The light touches, forehead touches, him being so caring and aware of her feelings, it’s just perfect. It was so natural. I was a big big fan. I couldn’t help but love him more and be excited for his chapters. He was very swoon-worthy, and he can cook; what else is there that matters!

Both couples had such good banter, I loved reading their interactions. They both had a light and teasing relationship, you could tell both couples were so comfortable with each other.

The only reason why I gave it four stars instead of five is that a lot of the book was repetitive. It was a lot of the same stuff just different dialogue, like them always eating food or going to an event, but we still got couple interactions so it wasn’t like it was terrible, just not as engaging as it could have been.

I loved the ending though! The blend of timelines was written so well, and I liked before the last chapters you could flip to who you wanted Natalya to see at the door: Adam or Elly. Of course I read both, but that was a really cool addition to the book I wasn’t expecting!

This is a fantastic YA rom-com with a wonderful LGBTQIAP+ cast. We follow Natalya through the summer; both if she chooses to stay in New York City with her Dad, and also if she chooses to spend the time visiting her Mom in Los Angeles. In NYC, she gets to explore a relationship with her long-standing crush, a beautiful redhead named Elly, while going on adventures with Elly's friends and sees a whole new side of NYC. In LA, she she falls for Adam, the other intern at her Mom's office and has adventures with Adam, his brother, and their friends. Both scenarios offer a coming-of-age story and Natalya finishes the summer with ideas about college, a job prospect she's excited about, and she's really happy in her romantic relationship.

Excellent LGBTQIAP+ inclusive YA Contemporary read!

There were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this book. The main character is a jewish, openly bisexual teenager. The story is intriguing because it follows her as she navigates two possible summer experiences, in a Sliding Doors-esque (or, as I thought of it, a Choose Your Own Advanture-esque) reality. In one story, she goes to stay with her mom in California and falls for a boy who shares her internship, and who loves to cook. In another story, she finally meets the redheaded girl who she's been crushing on from afar, and they start dating. There were a lot of touches that I liked, like how she introduces the girl to her family and friends over Shabbat dinner, and has to gently tell her that they don't use cell phones on Shabbat. I liked the friends in both scenarios. At a certain point, I did feel like the constant switching between the two versions of the story made me feel less invested in either one of the stories. But overall, this was an adorable story and I really liked a lot about so many of the characters.

3 stars in a mostly positive way, which is pretty standard for me with Dahlia Adler books: there’s nothing major “wrong” with them, I just usually have the reaction “That was fun but I don’t feel very strongly about it.” (Okay, maybe this one does have some things wrong with it. I guess I have more complaints about this one than about most of the author's other books.)

I would recommend this book if you’re looking for something light to distract you from stress/sadness. Neither timeline has much conflict in it, and one of the timelines hardly has any. It’s not that I think all works of fiction have to have a standard amount of conflict in them, or conform to a narrative template where there’s always a dark night of the soul at the three-quarter mark, but in this case I honestly started to find it a bit irritating how easily everything happens.

Natalya pines after a total stranger who she glimpses in various public places, and said stranger has conveniently also been pining for her. She almost instantly finds a great friend group in a brand-new city. People spontaneously offer to pay for her artwork when she hasn’t even been trying to monetize it. Work-study jobs are a significant plot point, but I don’t think the author understands how they work. You can't just call up a friend and get them to offer a work-study job to someone who has never filled out a FAFSA, has never applied to college, and doesn't even know which school they want to go to! Work-study is just a part-time, often minimum-wage job, but the book basically acts as though it automatically solves the problem of college-related costs in one of the most expensive cities in the world. (The U.S. Department of Education website literally says of work-study, “These earnings are meant to help with the day-to-day expenses that students have and are not meant to cover large costs like tuition and housing.”) I would understand getting some of the details wrong, but this book basically gets the entire concept wrong — and in a way that the plot hinges on.

In short, almost everything Natalya wants pretty much just falls into her lap over the course of one summer. She’s a nice kid, and if she was a real person I’d be happy for her, but in a work of fiction it just felt too easy to be narratively satisfying.

Still, the book is cute, and features a lot of delicious-sounding food. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the traditions (mostly food-related) that Natalya participates in with her friends, family, neighbors, etc., which create a strong sense of community.

I also enjoyed the easter eggs (is there a Jewish version of easter eggs? afikomen?), both from the book’s own timelines (i.e. the NY timeline had easter eggs from the LA timeline, and vice versa), and from the author’s other books (Under the Lights, Cool for the Summer, and Home Field Advantage were the ones I noticed).

This was so good! I can tell some people may not like the choose your own adventure ending but I liked both storylines and was happy to read both ending options and leave it at that. The bi rep was fantastic, from what I know the Jewish rep was great too, and I appreciated the variety of the two settings. Plus, the pun in the title is gold. I also caught the reference to one of her other books and that was great! There may have been more but it's been a while since I read the other.

4.5 stars, review is saved in my IG story highlight ARCReviews @chronically_KD

Natalya Fox has 24 hours to decide to spend the summer in New York with her Father or Los Angeles with her Mother. What follows is both choices playing out in alternating chapters.

This has to be one of the most creative books I’ve read in a long time. I love books that decide to take a chance & do something completely different & this one did!

I love how it let Natalya be both Jewish & Bisexual & in neither timeline were those pushed downs or hidden. She was who she was with no apologies.

I honestly could talk about my love for this book all day but I won’t. I’ll just say Thank You (thank you, thank you!) to NetGalley & the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of the book and that everyone should pick up a copy of this when it’s released June 13th!

(Also if you’ve read & enjoyed Dahlia Adler’s other books you’ll be in for a treat with this one.)

I absolutely loved this book! GOING BICOASTAL follows Natalya Fox, who has only 24 hours to make the biggest decision of her life. Should she stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad or spend it in L.A. with her mom? Natalya can't choose, so readers don't have to either! We see both paths unfold in alternating timelines—one including the pretty redheaded girl she's been crushing on forever, and the other including the cute intern guy she never expected to fall for. In both timelines, Natalya falls in love, grows closer to friends and family both old and new, and takes steps to figure out her future.

I really enjoyed how this book is essentially two rom-coms in one, and both love stories were so well-done! I loved both Elly and Adam, and seeing Natalya's relationships develop with each of them. The Jewish rep in this story was amazing and heartwarming—I loved reading about all of the delicious Shabbat dinners and just Natalya's connection to her Judaism overall. The side characters are also great, from Natalya's parents to her friends living in each city. I would highly recommend GOING BICOASTAL and can't wait to read more of Dahlia Adler's books! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC.

At this point I'm reading everything Dahlia writes! You read the premise, you know what this book's about, you know you want to read it. Simply put, Going Bicoastal is the bisexual dilemma summarized. Aside from the alluring premise, I also found the writing of this book to be quite entertaining and the story is well paced. I highly recommend this to any readers of YA romance!

I think it’s my fave read of 2023! I loved every second of this and I didn’t know the author but now if she has more books I plan on reading them .

I find the characters to be very likable and I loved them

You read the premise, you know what this book's about, you know you want to read it. Simply put, Going Bicoastal is the bisexual dilemma summarized. Aside from the alluring premise, I also found the writing of this book to be quite entertaining and the story is well paced. I highly recommend this to any readers of YA romance!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

**Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the e-arc!!**

Going Bicoastal follows Natalya Fox, who has 24 hours to make a life-changing decision: stay in New York for the summer with her father and finally (hopefully) talk to the Redhead that she's been running into around the city, or spend it in Los Angeles with her practically estranged mom and take a chance on mending their relationship. It's an impossible choice, and both lead to opportunities Natalya never expected, so why choose? Going Bicoastal plays out both storylines in alternating timelines and gives Natalya the best two summers she could have asked for.

I absolutely freaking loved this!!! I don't think I've ever read a book where the character had to make a choice and the author simply went to "No💖" and wrote out both storylines. This worked so much better than I honestly expected it would; going back and forth wasn't confusing at all and both storylines had such wonderful characters that I genuinely enjoyed every single chapter. The two relationships were adorable and I loved how present Natalya's bisexuality was in both stories (gentle reminder that bi people are still bi regardless of who they are dating!). Also loved the cameos of Lara and Jasmine from Cool for the Summer!

This was just a lovely, fluffy, adorable, and surprisingly a little emotional, story that showed regardless of the choice Natalya made, she had a great summer either way because she showed up for herself and for the people around her. She put herself out there and allowed herself to grow - in a new environment and in a familiar environment. I loved that we were able to see her completely leave her comfort zone and stretch her legs in LA, while also seeing that you don't necessarily have to leave home to create the life you want for yourself. Both storylines were equally wonderful in their own right and I'm so glad Dahlia wrote the story this way. 10/10 would recommend!!

Sliding door & queer & coast to coast & YA & divorced parents & Jewish traditions & food & music

Natalya has a choice of where to spend the summer - in NYC with her Dad, a math professor OR in LA with her Mom, a marketing exec.

It took me a minute to catch onto the simultaneous timelines but once I caught on, I loved it!

NYC Tally is obsessed with The Redhead, a girl she keeps seeing around the neighborhood. She helps her Dad with research for his new math textbook, steps in as a summer camp counselor and baby sitter. She consults on a graphic design her Mom sends. But she needs a steady job, and goes to her favorite cafe where she runs into The Redhead again…

LA Tally is mostly alone, but meets a barista while fetching coffee on the first day of her internship. The other intern, Adam, is cute yet annoying and closed off…or is there more to the story?

When there are two possibilities, which path will you take? When one girl’s choice in where she goes in the summer (either NYC or LA) it will also determine who she will fall in love with: the cute intern guy in LA or the pretty goth girl in NYX. In this story you get to read both possibilities! Natalya Fox has 24 hours to decide where she will be staying for the summer: either in NYX with her dad and with the girl she’s been crushing on or to go to LA with her estranged mom and falling for the cute intern guy. The story takes place between two alternating timelines, and you get to see Natalya fall for her perspective love interest in said location as well a how she works on her relationship with said parent that she stays with. this is definitely a queer Sliding Doors and its so interesting that you get to read both possible futures and you essentially get two love stories in one! Both the love interests were cute and I had a fun time reading this!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 i was so happy when i got approved for the arc and it surely did not disappoint! i ended up loving the idea of the dual timeline where both the situations she had to choose from, end up happening :) especially as a bisexual myself, it was nice to see natalya have a romance with more than one gender, as well as seeing how both cities played out! i mean, who REALLY expected a bisexual to choose huh?? ahahaha i definitely found myself loving one couple more than the other but it allowed for me to speed through the book because i kept wanting to get through the chapter with the other couple so i could get back to my favs hehehe this book also had lots of diversity/representation which was really nice to read about! i loved that natalya was also a reader like myself, and that elly was a huge music fan, once again like myself! i loved the kind of found family-ness of adam, his brother and all the food truck friends who have dinner parties all the time! i wish i had something like they did! ALSO THE WAY MY DRAW *DROPPED* WHEN I READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AND SAW ELLY WAS INSPIRED BY ELLIE FROM DEGRASSI! BECAUSE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK I LITERALLY WAS LIKE “wow a redhead named elly who is also a bit punk/goth??? did you mean: ellie nash??” I HAD NO IDEA SHE WOULD ACTUALLY BE BASED OFF HER???? dahlia adler is now for sure a must read author in my books!

It's the summer before senior year, and Natalya has a decision to make: stay in New York with her father throughout the break, or fly out to LA to reconnect with her mother? Follow up on a longstanding crush on a mysterious redhead, or hurdle toward the unknown?

Natalya has to choose—but the reader doesn't.

I would have read this for the cover alone (I'm shallow like that), or the "Sliding Doors" scenario (weirdly, this is one of my pet tropes), but also, while I haven't made it through Adler's entire backlist (either because I'm lazy or because my TBR list just never ends as it is), I've loved every one of her books that I've read. (Observant readers will find calls back to previous books, too.) In this case, I'm here for the non-issue bisexuality, Natalya's ability to be both low-key awkward and willing to put herself out there, and the way there are some similarities in the ways things pan out...but also some key differences. Also, it's really nice to see a Jewish main character who...I'm not sure how to say this. She adheres to something of a middle ground of Judaism: keeps kosher, but not to the extent that every kitchen has to be kashered; chooses to make Shabbat dinners a priority; has ties within both her Jewish and non-Jewish communities. I note this because I've read a few books where the main character is Hasidic or similar and keeps to very strict religious laws, not always by choice, and plenty of books where the main character is culturally Jewish (had a bat or bar mitzvah, eats Chinese food on Christmas, the end), but very few where Judaism is an active but relatively casual part of the character's life. It's nice to see.

Now, back to things working out differently in each storyline: I *love* this aspect. I've read too many books where the "different paths" scenario still comes back to "but she ends up with the same guy at the end because it's Meant to Be!!!" and it always drives me up the wall and around the corner. I keep reading books with this trope precisely because I want something more along the lines of "Going Bicoastal"—where the character is fundamentally the same person regardless of where things go, but where her choices genuinely take her down different paths and with different people. (If anything, I wanted a tiny bit more difference from Natalya's post-summer choices, but you know...quibbles are my character flaw.) I won't spoil the details of Natalya's summer romance(s), but I think...I think she'll be just fine. And now I'm off to figure out how to make the weirdest thing I learned about in the book, which is a limonana—which somehow, despite the name, does not have banana in it.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free review copy through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! The alternate timeline was so fun and unique, I've never read a book like this before. Dahlia Adler writes both queer and Jewish representation so well, it makes my heart happy.

Thank you so much, Dahlia Alder, Wednesday Books, ST. Martin's Press, & NetGalley for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review! 💖💜💙
.
This book is set in two timelines! Natalya, a Jewish bisexual 17-year-old, must choose where to spend her summer. Stay in New York with her dad and friends? Or spend the summer with her distant mom in Los Angles? These two stories are told simultaneously and switch about every other chapter. At first, I was a bit confused and was like ‘Hey didn’t you just choose to stay in NY? Why are you getting on a plane?’. But I figured it out very soon 😅 (it probably helps to read the synopsis of the book, Marybeth!) It was pretty easy to go back and forth between the two as the settings and characters are very different. This being said I did confuse a few of the background characters as there are just so many in both NY and LA, but I don't think it mattered that much. Natalya ends up dating her crush, a girl named Elly, who she previously referred to as the Redhead while in NY. And she interns with a boy named Adam who she ends up dating while in LA. I loved both relationships and honestly can't decide which I love more! It is so interesting to see how different her summers and futures are just based on this one choice made at the beginning of summer! I also really enjoyed how there wasn't too much conflict in this book and was just an easy summer read! I really wish it was summer! Both stories have a happy ending and I just loved it! Another fun thing to mention is that all the chapters have titles! I really enjoy chapter titles! ☺️
.
I also really love how I learned a lot about different Jewish cultures, especially Shabbat dinners. As mentioned in the book, there aren’t a lot of Jewish people in North Carolina (where I live), so it was really awesome that I got to learn about it!
.
Also, I caught a Home Field Advantage reference at the end of the book, even though I haven’t read it yet 😭. (I hope to read it soon!)
.
☀️ Going Bicoastal, by Dahlia Alder comes out on June 13th! It's the perfect summer read!

I LOVED this one so much. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the concept of two timelines from the same characters like alternate universes, but let me tell you, I felt like it was made for me. I want all of the books with multiple possibilities!!! And the bi rep, the Jewish rep!! Ugh it was just so lovely and there was even a fun little hint at our faves from home field advantage if you read and loved that one and some other characters of dahlia’s from previous books. Definitely get this one asap

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Dahlia Adler for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a fun and unique YA book that shows two different ways our main character, Natalya’s, summer could go.

I’ve never read a book that does this, but this book splits up every other chapter into a different story. At the beginning of the book, Natalya is asked whether she wants to stay with her dad in NYC or her mom in Los Angeles for the summer. From there, it shows what would happen with both choices, and you can see how she grows and prospers no matter where she is.

I loved this premise and it was a super fun reading experience. I will say, I thought that the LA chapters were more exciting, but that makes sense because she’s in a new place. I enjoyed both love interests and how it showed her complication relationship with her parents, religion, and location.

Overall, this is a strong YA book and I recommend it!