I wanted to love this book, but didn't. I would like to give it a 2nd chance so will go back after a few months. There was too much, and it felt like a reach.

Big cheers for the Jewish and bisexual rep in GOING BICOASTAL by Dahlia Adler!

The "Sliding Doors" type concept is well done with Natalya Fox exploring two versions of one summer. In one timeline, she stays home with her dad in NYC and pursues the crush she has on a girl; in the second timeline, she visits her mother in LA and meets a guy. At the beginning of the book, Natalya is faced with the decision of what she wants to do for the summer and she struggles to make a decision. That the story makes it possible for Natalya to avoid making a decision in a teen's dream come true. So many of the high school students in my writing classes struggle to make decisions!

Despite Natalya's dual timeline summer, she doesn't grow or change and she doesn't have to work for things; they are given to her. It detracted from the great story concept. Even "Sliding Doors" had the storylines intersect, leading to significant growth for the protagonist. A missed opportunity for GOING BICOASTAL.

Overall, I will recommend this book as a fun read to students and look forward to discussing the story with them.

This story was incredibly cute and worthwhile. I think that Dahlia Adler will be one of my top YA romance authors for awhile based on her last few books, and I'm so excited to recommend this one!

Going Bicoastal is an adventurous story, in which Natalya has a choice to make for the summer before her senior year: will she visit her estranged mother in LA, where she knows no one and go on the ultimate adventure, or will she stay in NYC with her dad and make new friends here while her best friend is gone for the summer?

This story operates around the premise that sometimes choices seem life-changing and all consuming, but that sometimes we have different routes to end up where we need to be, and I LOVED this message. Of course I also love Adler's by now well-known LGBTQ rep, as well as her discussion of Jewish heritage that is just seamlessly woven throughout this story.

Overall, highly recommend this book!

Going Bicoastal was exactly the fun, summer YA romcom I hoped it would be! As an incredibly indecisive person, the idea of getting to live out both options of your future is a dream. The main character Natalya has to choose between spending the summer in LA with her mom or staying in New York for the summer with her dad, each choice also coming with a different romantic prospect. As someone living in LA who's often curious about how different life would be in New York, this premise had me from the beginning!

If there was any explanation for why Natalya got to live out both of these versions of her life I didn't catch it, and I sometimes wondered about whether this was going to become part of the plot at some point. Looking past that, the sliding doors romance means you get to live two potential romances in one book. I thought it was a really cool examination of what was inherently part of Natalya and her friends and family's character and what could be changed by the decisions around them to see what things turned out to be true in both versions of the story versus what might be completely different. It challenged me to think about how much the decisions we make have an irreversible impact on us.

**Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I can't explain it but my bisexual heart and soul felt so connected to this book. There was something about the double timelines and the differences in the lives Natalya lives both in New York and in LA that really felt like a metaphor for the bisexual experience which I thought was absolutely beautiful.

I loved it, you'll love it, everyone will love it.

This story has so many important forms of representation that is necessary for some of the kids growing up in today's day and age so the fact that these books are finally being written, published, and told is going to make a bunch of little Jewish, queer children of divorce incredibly happy!

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press / Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Seventeen year old Natalya Fox has to decide where she is going to spend the summer before senior year. Should she remain at home with her father in New York, or go to Los Angeles to stay with her mom instead?

A little bit of background first about how we got here: Natalya's parents (Ezra Morris Fox and Melissa Rina Farber) are the type of people who should have never married each other, and especially shouldn't have ever had a kid. It's not like Natalya was planned, though; they found out on their honeymoon that Melissa was pregnant. So, they did three years of couples therapy, and then another four years of putting themselves into their work to ignore their problems. Finally, they got divorced when Natalya was seven, and had joint custody of her. Eventually, Melissa accepted a job at a marketing firm in LA called Cooper Frank, and by now Natalya was old enough to choose who she wanted to live with, so she chose New York with Ezra. As a result, she and Melissa drifted apart, and her mother seems more like a stranger now. You will notice that Natalya refers to her as Melissa instead of "my mom/mother." More on my feelings about the parents later.

The book takes place in two timelines -- one where she stays in New York, and one where she goes to LA. The chapters alternate between coasts.
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Timeline 1 -- in which Natalya stays in New York

Natalya decides to stay in New York and she finally talks to the girl that she and her friends refer to as "The Redhead." Her name is Elly Knight and she is a punk girl who loves music. Her aunt owns Nevermore, an Edgar Allan Poe themed cafe, where she works. Natalya helps out her friend by working at her day camp a couple of days. She hangs out with Elly. It's the less interesting storyline for sure.

Timeline 2 -- in which Natalya goes to LA

Melissa got Natalya an internship at Cooper Frank, where she meets Adam. She ends up getting tacos one day and finds out that the owners of the taco truck are his brother Evan, and Evan's friend Mateo. Adam talks about the life he's had and I really felt for him. He wants to go to culinary school, but can't afford it. He doesn't know where his parents are. He's living on Evan's couch for now just to get by. He tries to get her to understand that the internship for him is serious. Natalya has never known struggle though (which will be very apparent in this book just you wait). The only thing she's not sure about is what she wants to do with her life (but because there's no struggle, you know she'll figure it out by the end).
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What I liked:

-There was very diverse cast of characters in the book in terms of religion (main character is Jewish along with her family and some friends and this is highly respected), sexuality (bisexual main character, as well as gay, lesbian, and agender side characters) and socioeconomic status (main character's family is well-off, but not nearly as rich as her twin friends with the realtor dad, and then Adam has nothing at all.

-Adam cooking Shabbat dinner for her and her mother (more than once!) was the sweetest. The fact that he respected her religion and dietary restrictions was chef's kiss (no pun intended).

What I didn't like:

-It seemed creepy to me how Natalya basically stalked Elly for a while before running into her at Nevermore. Then after she finally met her, it's like she had to pretend to be into the things Elly was into so that she would like her. I don't think they made a good match at all.

-I wish the chapters would have just been numbers or an actual title instead of them briefly describing what's going to happen (...in which Natalya...)

-I hated Natalya's parents! All Ezra cares about is math, literally. All he ever talked about was the second edition of his book about algebraic topography (now with ANIMATED DIAGRAMS!!!), and all he ever got excited about was math. Natalya couldn't even talk to him about it because she said you'd need at least an undergraduate degree in math to understand what he's talking about. He only has a couple of friends (approximately four, Natalya says) he hangs out with that Natalya refers to as "The Mathmen." He even asked her friends math questions when they came over. He reminds me of the dad from Laurie Halse Anderson's "Wintergirls" who is a history professor who is never home or there for her. Same guy right here. Can we stop writing professor characters who are fathers that clearly shouldn't be? (Coincidentally, Lia also refers to her mother as "Dr. Marrigan" instead of "my mom/mother" too. So, if you like Going Bicoastal because of the shitty parents, then here's a rec for you.) As for Melissa, I admit she tried slightly harder, but just slightly. Pretty sure they only read one book as part of their book club that was supposed to last the whole summer. Taking Natalya to lunch a few times doesn't really count as being a good parent. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule for me? I am surprised she was around for the weekly Shabbats that Adam helped cook. I bet as soon as Natalya leaves she goes back to never observing them, though. She was sneaky. What's worse: coming to see your mom and she constantly works late and has no time for you so what was the point, or finding out when she was "working late" she was actually dating someone and didn't want to tell you?

-There was absolutely no conflict in this book. No challenges Natalya had to overcome or anything. She just got handed everything she wanted and more. I feel like she didn't develop as a person. She didn't learn anything. She had zero experience with graphic design or marketing and yet she thinks she can do it better than professionals.

-Bros Over Tacos is a weird name for a food truck/business.

-Elly calling Natalya "Foxy" is cringy.
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Some things I thought were going to happen:

I thought in the LA timeline that Natalya was going to end up with a permanent job with her mom because the client was going to really love her design idea, even though she has no graphic design/marketing experience, and I'm glad that didn't happen because it would have been way too unbelievable.

I thought Melissa was going to help Adam pay for culinary school as a way to show Natalya that she cares, but all she does is try to hook him up with her connections.

Going Bicoastal is one of the most unique YA romances I have read. This was also my first Dahlia Adler book, and her voice is one that I will definitely want to read again. I think anyone who enjoys LGBTQIA+ YA romance will have fun reading this book, I know I did.

Summer is approaching, and Natalya must choose between staying in NYC with her dad, or traveling to LA to spend the summer with her estranged mother. This is a tough choice for Natalya, and with not a lot of time to choose, she just simply...can't.

Almost like two books in one, the story plays out in alternating timelines, one where Natalya stays in NYC and one where she goes to LA. In NYC she is determined to introduce herself to a girl she has been crushing on for ages from afar. In LA, she must deal with her new male coworker who she hates (or does she?). Natalya must follow her heart and her head, while trying to navigate romantic relationships and figure out her future.

This book started off really strong, and I instantly fell in love with the format. It felt very fresh and unique and I was excited to keep reading. However, around the halfway mark I began to lose interest. I wanted more from the characters, and some felt a little surface-level. I did quite enjoy the ending though, and it was an interesting read overall.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publishers for giving me this ARC

I just wanted to say there is a scene of Self Harm it isn’t graphic or detailed , they just brought it up.

5 ⭐️
Wow, this is such a fun read! Definitely one of my favorite YA rom coms of this year! It’s a dual timeline of a young girl who has to decide on who she will spend her summer with before going to college. Her mother lives in California who she hasn’t seen in years while she lives with her father in NYC.

I really enjoyed getting the two perspectives of “ what ifs” during the summer and who she falls in loves with and reconnects with people in her life. It’s a sweet coming of age story that answers one of our biggest questions that we keep asking ourselves and it’s “ what if…”

What a fun, informative, and heart warming story! There was so much to love: Jewish representation, Bisexual representation, cooking, music, friendship, rebuilding relationship with mom, coming of age, discussions of it being okay to not know what you want to do at 17, and following the dreams you do have! This is such a good book for high school aged students to read and devour. I caution it for middle school students as there is drinking and sexual content but very closed door. I found it hard to choose team Elly or team Adam cause i loved them both!!!

This was such a cute read!! As a bisexual myself this representation was everything. I loved the FMC and her love interests. It was a quick and easy to read rom com and very hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Natalya is 17, bisexual, Jewish, living in New York, and a child of divorce. She's given a choice: stay in NY for the summer with her dad, or go to LA for the summer and stay with her mom. Both different paths with different results, but which one will bring her happily ever after?

Ugh my heart. Thank you Dahlia Adler. The bisexual rep was perfect, and the Jewish rep was so interesting and informative! Learning through fiction is so satisfying. I found myself wanting to see a happy ending in both timelines because I loved all of the characters. Also, there's a really fun Easter egg in the last chapter for those who have read Adler's other books. So fun!!!

this was such a fun YA romance with a great concept. i don't usually reread the blurb before starting a book so i wasn't sure how Adler would play out both options, but the alternate timelines was a great way to do it. i couldn't even decide which version of Natalya's summer was my favorite, which speaks to how well both of the love interests (and settings) were developed. definitely recommend this to YA lovers!

Going Bicoastal is my new favorite book from Dahlia Adler! The premise is very fun: Natalya has to decide if she’s going to stay in NYC for the summer with her dad or go to LA and spend the summer with her mom. All of her friends are in NYC, along with The Redhead, a cute punk girl that she keeps seeing everywhere. But LA would allow her to reconnect with her mom who moved away years ago. In alternating chapters you get to see what happens if she stays in New York and what happens if she goes to California.

I had an absolute blast reading this! Both storylines were so fleshed out and engaging. With a dual storyline you can sometimes run the risk of one not being as interesting as the other, but I didn’t feel like that happened here. It was fun to see the different versions of Natalya’s summer, and to see how she came to the same conclusion through different means in the separate storylines. There’s a great sapphic romance in the New York storyline as well as a very cute romance with a boy in the California chapters. I also enjoyed seeing the ways that Natalya grew closer to her mom and worked on figuring out what she wants to do for college.

Food and music are extremely important parts of the book. I loved all of the descriptions of the different meals they were eating and cooking, as well as the discussion of different bands. Natalya being Jewish is also an important part of the story. From her sharing Shabbat dinner with her love interests and explaining how being bisexual interacts with her faith. There are a lot of fun references and callbacks to other books by Dahlia Adler, which was fun to see. Also, Degrassi fans might notice who The Redhead is based on.

I highly recommend this book! Definitely check it out if you love queer contemporary YA books with a little bit of a twist.

This was perfection. I actually teared up while reading this which I didn’t expect. Dahlia Adler has a way with her words that continues to keep her seated at the top of my autobuy author list. I can’t wait to rave about it.

I absolutely loved this book. The dual time lines was so fun. I loved all the characters and side characters. this was such a fun cute read.

Natalya has to decide whether she'll spend the summer with her dad she lives with in NYC and possibly, finally talk to the cute redheaded girl she keeps staring at from afar, or take a leap for once and fly to LA to take an internship for a job she's not sure she wants and try to get to know the mother she's lost touch with.. Thankfully readers don't have to make the same choice, as they watch the outcome of Natalya's decision in alternating chapters, one following the what-if of NYC and the other following the what-if of LA. It's an exceptionally clever way to follow alternate realities (and indulge in bi crush possibilities!).This is a fun, clever read and it was fascinating to see the outcomes of the decisions play out. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Going Bicoastal' is a wonderful queer YA romcom made up of an amazing cast of characters. Natalya Fox has to decide which of her parents she wants to spends the summer with. She can stay in New York City with her dad, and she can finally work up the courage to talk to her longtime crush. Natalya has seen 'the redhead' around town for awhile, but she hasn't been able to talk to her yet. Maybe if she stays in NYC, she can finally find out what her real name is. If Natalya goes to LA with her mom, she can work on repairing their strained relationship, and she can seek a new adventure.

The author, Dahlia Adler, did a fantastic job of creating a beautiful world in both NYC and LA. The structure of the book is that every other chapter alternated between NYC and LA. We are able to see how things would go for Natalya in both cities. In NYC, she spends time with her friends, and she meets 'the redhead', who is named Elly. In LA, Natalya has an internship with her mom, and she meets Adam at work. In both cities, Natalya discovers more about herself and what she wants in life. She also becomes closer to her mom, and she finds a connection with someone else in Adam in LA and Elly in NYC. In both cities, Natalya's Jewish background was a focus, and this was so important. I loved how Shabbat dinner was a focal point in both cities.

The book did a great job of focusing on food, and I learned so much about different types of cuisines. I felt hungry as I read through the book.

I liked the friends and relationships that she had in both cities. I was rooting for Natayla in both cities! I liked that Lara and Jasmine from 'Cool for the Summer' appeared in this book! It was so much fun to see how their relationship has grown.

I loved the structure of the book, and it was like a choose your own adventure. I would definitely recommend ths book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

This book has an interesting concept - it's split in two, telling two stories simultaneously (happens at about chapter 3).
Half the book is about Natalya's choice to stay in NYC with her dad for the summer (and her crush!) and the other half about her choice to go to LA with her mom for the summer (and meets a cute coworker).

To help reduce the confusion of which place she's in - Natalya goes by Tal in New York and in LA she's Nat. I found myself enjoying the LA side more, so I could see readers liking different sides of the story more and it might make it harder to finish; however, I think most people will be interested in how the story continues.

4 stars

I loved the representation in this book. I thought the way the story was told was creative.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me and e-ARC of this book!

A dual timeline of a young teen deciding where to spend her summer either in L.A. or N.Y.C.. In both summers she must try to rekindle her relationship with her mother, and finds young love in both scenarios. Although this was a cute story, this was not for me. For me, it took time to decipher the timelines, thinking the MC chose to spend the summer with one parent than the other. I mean both scenarios it ends in a happy one, "best of both worlds". 😉 I loved how each chapter had a title 😍

But if you love dual timeline that go back in forth this is for you.

3.5 stars