This was a fun read!

I love (love!) a bisexual romance where it isn't about the character figuring out they're bi! Natalya knows who she is, and we got to see that that doesn't change whether she's dating a girl or a guy. That meant a lot to me. Both settings were a lot of fun, and it was interesting to see what things were different between the two stories and what stayed the same.

Because there are two stories happening concurrently, I wound up reading it pretty slowly, as the momentum kept being interrupted by switching from between LA Natalya and NYC Natalya. I don't think that's a bad thing, but it wasn't a "can't put it down" kind of read for me.

A sweet, straightforward YA book perfect for reading in stolen moments of hot sunshine that follows 17 year old Natalya in her choice between living with her mom in LA for the summer, or staying with her dad in New York. The title a quirky little pun at the expense of her bisexuality, and the cover a nice hint at the two lives she has to choose between. To my surprise and delight, the entire book dances between the two cities, flipping between Natalya's two possibilities and two timelines in a choose-your-own-adventure-style twist.

I can only describe the writing style as kind of quirky, like reading a pop magazine. A stream of consciousness run through Natalya's mind, prattling off every minute detail and every opinion she takes back, including every time she thirsts at the sight of a bare midriff or a buff forearm - to which, it was a lot. I know she's a teenager, who is bisexual, but it felt forced and overwhelming because of the nature of having two separate love interests.

It was a charming read overall, filled with friends and family and delicious food. I'd recommend it as a quick summer read; for anyone looking for a Jewish, artistic, bisexual MC; anyone who's down for a little alternate-timeline flip-flopping.

Really enjoyed this one. The dual timeline was different but it was great.
Felt the characters could have been a little older though.

Natalya is faced with a choice during the summer before her senior year of high school. She can stay in New York, where she lives with her dad, and work part-time as his assistant on his new math textbook. Or she can go across the country to live with her mother and be an intern in the marketing firm where she works. Her parents split up years ago, and her mother had moved to California to take a big promotion at work. Nat can see that there are benefits to both, but she can only pick one. Right?

In a Sliding Doors twist, readers get to see what happens with Natalya in both scenarios.

In New York, Nat tries to find another part-time job for the summer, so she can get out of the college library for a while each week and have something to do while her best friend goes to Puerto Rico for a month. She leaves resumes all over town, but can’t get a job. She decides to try to the Edgar Allen Poe coffeeshop, Nevermore, and that’s where she comes face-to-face with the redheaded girl she’s been crushing on for about a year.

Nat calls her The Redhead, and all her friends and even her father know that she’s seen the other woman all over her favorite haunts—bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants. And now, she is standing in front of Nat, asking for her coffee order. Elly, aka The Redhead, leaves her name on Nat’s coffee cup, and Nat finally knows who she’s had a crush on. An impromptu concert that Nat uploads a video of leads Elly to DM her, and they meet up for the rest of the concert and ice cream.

As that meat=up leads to more, with friends meeting and approving, Nat finds herself falling more and more into like with Elly. But she’s also spending some time talking to her mother—something that hadn’t been a priority since she had moved to L.A.—and exploring her art. But things like “College” and her “Future” still loom over her. Will she be able to figure out ow to make all the different areas of her life come together, or will she end the summer just as confused (although considerably more kissed) than she started it?

In another timeline, Natalya heads out to L.A. to spend the summer getting to know her mother. But when Nat goes to work in her internship, she find out that the company had hired another intern for the summer, and they are sharing a desk. Adam, who had started the day before, has taken over the one desk and doesn’t want to share. She tries to shake off her bad day with a friendly barista and her friends, who hook her up wit the location of some delicious food trucks. Nat goes to get herself some tacos, and finds herself face-to-face with other intern Adam.

Over a delicious dinner, she learns a little more about him and why he was such a pain at work. His parents ditched him on his eighteenth birthday, and after couch surfing with some friends for a while, his brother Evan told him to come move in with him. Evan offered Adam a sofa to sleep on and a taco truck to work in, but Adam wants more for himself. He fought to get the internship, so he could move himself towards college and a future where he can feel safe and settled.

At work, Adam is good with the spreadsheets, but he’s not artistic and doesn’t know much about social media. Nat steps in to help him with some of his tasks, offering some alternate design ideas and hashtag tutelage. As Nat comes to understand why Adam is trying so hard with the internship, she forgives him for the nepotism comments and starts to get to know the guy underneath the attitude.

But Nat still has to figure out wat she wants to do with her life. She’s still trying to make sense of her relationship with her mother. And when it turns out that Adam can cook a Shabbat dinner with the best of them, Nat finds herself falling for him. But at the end of the summer, she’s going back to New York, and Adam is planning on staying in California. Is there a future for Nat’s summer romance, or is it going to be over almost as quickly as it started?

Going Bicoastal is a double timeline queer rom com with larger than life characters and sweet romances that happen on both sides of the country. Natalya is a strong bisexual teenager with a lot of art talent, a love of food, and a willingness to see many different perspectives at once. She is a loyal friend, smart, thoughtful, and easy to fall in love with. As she struggles with her relationships with her parents, her dating life (lives?), and her future, it’s easy to get caught up in her adventures and cheer for her as she goes after what she wants.

Author Dahlia Adler brings these two stories to life in Going Bicoastal, and it’s a pretty amazing ride. The story is effervescent and charming, and I just wanted to keep reading to the end. However, I was worried about what the ending would bring. Adler made it difficult for herself, writing two compelling stories in one, and I wasn’t sure how she was going to bring it all back together. I won’t spoil the end, of course, but I will say that I hoped for more. But there is a lot of happiness in the ending, so it may not be perfect, but it’s still a lot of fun.

Egalleys for Going Bicoastal were provided by Wednesday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I wasn't sure what to expect going in but wow, Dahlia Adler completely blew my mind! This was such an amazing read - I'm only upset it took me so long to pick this one up! When I tell you I was so torn trying to figure out which path to root for, I was stuck and frustrated because I wanted it all to be true and be perfect! Our MC was so endearing and I loved spending all the time with her. Seeing the way her life opened up was amazing and the ending. WOW, THE ENDING. When I tell you I was waiting with bated breath, wow. Incredible. Another amazing book by Dahlia Adler.

Let me start by saying that I love stories like this. I love stories where a person is forced to make a choice and then we see the opportunities that come from those choices. I especially love that this one involved Natalya's sexuality as we see her fall in love with both a boy and a girl.

This book was so sweet and lovely. I enjoyed both perspectives (though there was one couple that I did fall in love with more and found myself rooting for in the end). I loved the look into Jewish culture and life, both with more practicing people and less.

All the characters were well developed and I really enjoyed this book a lot.

I loved the alternating NYC vs LA chapters and how consistent the characters were across both timelines. In terms of the two love interests, I thought I’d prefer Elly but I actually liked Nat with Adam more! I also enjoyed seeing Natalya and her mom’s relationship grow. It was super cute and heartwarming and so was the ending.
The reason I’m not going up to 5 is because I hate books that glorify wealth and use being rich as a personality trait. It’s hard to relate to and not fun to read when the book is a contemporary YA novel but set around penthouses and mansions. Other than that, Going Bicoastal is a fun, lighthearted sapphic rom-com perfect for the summer!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

So this book is about a girl who has to choose between staying in New York with her Dad for the summer and going to LA with her mom. Rather than deciding, the book plays out as a sliding doors romcoms so its really 2 stories in one.

I really liked this book but I didn’t love it. I thought the story was really fun and easy to follow along but I found myself way more interested in one story over the other and getting a bit bored when it would switch over. I also felt like because it was two love stories they both felt a bit shallow. However, I definitely think this is a great summer read for teens/young adults. It was cute and very wholesome and although it wasn’t the perfect story for me I would definitely recommend you give it a try if you really like romcoms or YA.

this was such a fun summer read <3

this book is formatted with two timelines alternating chapters where we get to see what would have happened if the main character chose option A vs option B to her dilemma of where to stay for the summer. i don't think i've ever read a book with this format and it was definitely interesting; i think it worked well for this book.

overall the story flowed pretty well and the alternating settings didn't make it feel choppy. i really enjoyed Natalya as a main character and both of her romances were sweet (i think i'm in love with adam now...). i also enjoyed the Jewish rep - i haven't personally read many books with Jewish main characters so it was nice to see that and learn a bit more about the religion and certain customs/traditions!

Thank you Wednesday books for the #gifted arc.

Whatever Dahlia Adler writes I’m going to read it.
This book was so unique and I absolutely loved it.

Natalya has a big choice to make spend summer in NYC getting to know her crush, Elly, or head to LA for an internship with her mom. The fact that we get to experience both choices is the best thing ever. As someone who is so indecisive about everything, I loved having two alternate endings. I still can’t pick so don’t even ask me to 😂

I loved Natalya and every single character in the book. These are the type of YA characters I adore. The ones trying to figure out life. I love a good coming of age story.

One of my favorite things about Dahlias books is her representation of bisexual people. I always feel so seen when I read them.

This is such a perfect summer read. I highly recommend it!

I absolutely adored this book!! Amazing queer rep and Jewish rep! I loved the dual stories that showed both of Natalya's summer choices- stay in NYC with her dad and finally talk to Redhead, the girl she's been crushing on from afar -or- go to LA and stay with her mom who she doesn't have a great connection with at the moment (and also work with a cute guy intern at her mom's work.) Each chapter goes back and forth with the two choices. While reading, I really could not decide which storyline I liked more which shows how great both were for Natalya! I liked how it all wrapped up in the end too.
The Jewish rep was so, so good to read! I loved the Shabbat dinners and all the talk of kosher eating. All of the food dishes described throughout the book sounded so delicious too!
Highly recommend reading this one! It was just all around a great book!!

Genre: YA, Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like scars and self-harm. Describes the aftermath of the divorce of parents.

“Going Bicoastal” is pretty much about what its title implies—a bisexual teenager having to choose between spending the summer on the East or the West Coast of the United States, both options bringing on their own adventures and challenges. Yes, you’ve heard that right. Natalya Fox is a 17-year-old that could either stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad and pursue the girl she’s been crushing on or spend the summer with her estranged mother in LA. Finding it hard to decide, both summers play out in alternating timelines, with LA bringing an unexpected boy into the picture.

I am absolutely on my knees for this book. It is not often I find books that portray bisexuality the way I’ve felt it and lived it and I was so happy to find Dahlia Adler’s portrayal of bisexuality through Natalya really spoke to me. told through alternating timelines, this book is perfect to read in one sitting (trust me, you’ll want to). I mean, you’re getting two romance stories for the price of one, literally nothing could go wrong.

I would highly recommend “Going Bicoastal”, especially if you’re not afraid of reading about young women who aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality and religious beliefs. These were some beautiful coming-of-age stories, and how I would love to read it all again for the first time.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for the ARC of this story!
I haven't been interested in YA as much as I used to be, but once I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I wanted to give it a shot.
Natalya Fox has a huge choice to make. Does she spend her summer at home with her dad in NYC and finally get the courage to talk to the cute girl she's been eyeing for months? Or does she go to LA and spend the summer with her estranged mom and work on their relationship? This story is so fun because it is told in alternating timelines. Instead of reading just one of Natalya's choices, the reader gets both!
The alternating version is probably my favorite part of this story. I really like the decision the author made to tell both stories with some fun easter eggs in each. Slight spoiler, but I did enjoy that the author left it open ended, but still gave each version an ending.
I really enjoyed the bisexual and Jewish representation. I learned a lot about Jewish culture and I appreciated how others in the story didn't see Natalya's food restrictions as a bother and tried to accommodate her. The bisexual representation, in my opinion, was really well done. People tend to forget that bisexual women are attracted to men and women and can have a relationship with either one. The fact that the author chose for Natalya to have a relationship with a guy in one version and a girl in other was my second favorite part of this story.
My only complaint is that there were A LOT of characters. It was a bit hard to remember who was part of which friend group and who Natalya just met compared to who she's known for a while. Some of the characters felt too similar to others which didn't help my confusion.
Overall, I give this one 4 stars and I definitely recommend it!

this book was amazing with tons of Jewish and bisexual representation. At first, I wasn't so sure of the two timelines but I came to really love them, and how easily they flowed together. The combination of the writing and the fast-paced story kept me turning pages. overall this book was so unique and unlike anything I have ever read, I would highly recommend it to any and all romance lovers.
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thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

What's not to love about the idea behind this book? Especially if you identify with the bisexual lead. This is the sort of book that my younger self would have greedily devoured in one sitting back in the day, if representation like this had existed. I will admit that I got nervous about the execution of the two distinct storylines when both plots started to gain some steam. It was a bit difficult for me to keep all the side characters straight, especially with Natalya being introduced to two different friend groups around the same time. Once I got over that hurdle, though, I thought that the premise was pulled off quite well! The ending was especially fun, with the shorter chapter that wrapped everything up for either story before serving as a segue to whichever happily ever after the reader may prefer. I enjoyed both options, but really appreciated that if someone did develop a preference for one love interest over another, they could just read that portion of the book and still get a super satisfying story. Also, bonus points for the Jewish representation. As someone who hasn't had a ton of exposure to the religion, I learned a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

If Dahlia Adler writes it, I"m going to read it. She has become one of my favorite authors and favorites to add to my classroom library if for no other reason than she writes unapologetic positive representation of so many diverse characters. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Jewish faith and traditions in this story. More joy like hers, please!

Going Bicoastal is a very fun book--Natalya must decide whether to spend the summer in NYC with her dad, or LA with her mom. Tough choice, so we get both! The parallel universe/Sliding Doors set up was great, and I loved how we saw her have two very different experiences with different friends, jobs, and of course, love interests.

My only complaint is that this book made me very hungry with all of the food-related plot points and I had no food trucks nearby :)

I gave this a two out of three stars, I enjoyed the story. It was confusing at times. It was hard to tell which part was alternative story and which was the current story. It was so hard to figure it out.

Natalya Fox is Jewish, Bisexual, and unsure of what she wants in life. It is the summer before her senior year, she has a choice in front of her, stay in NYC with her Dad, all her friends in her comfortable bubble, or go to LA to stay with her Mom with their strained relationship, an internship at her company, and do something out of her comfort zone. In a dual timeline we see how each choice would play out, what her summer ends up as, who she ends up dating, and how she comes to a decision on future plans.

This book was fantastic, I stay away from YA as a whole cause I feel I no longer enjoy or relate to the stories. And while that was still true to a degree I can objectively say this is one of the best YA Contemporary novels I have ever read. I love me a good dual timeline story, and this was so unique. It felt like a choice your own adventure in a way and I had the best time. I enjoyed the characters and the exploration of deeper themes. It was still so much fun and the perfect summer novel.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Genre: YA romance, coming of age, queer romance
Quick summary: Natalya has a big choice to make - spend summer in NYC getting to know her beautiful crush, Elly, or head to LA for an internship with her mom. But in this Sliding Doors take-off, she's able to do both, and we'll see her grow and fall in love in both timelines.

I picked this book for Pride Month, and it was a perfect read to celebrate queer joy! I liked that Natalya's bisexuality was well represented in the narrative - she falls in love with a girl in one timeline and a guy in another, but in both storylines, her queerness is emphasized, no "bi erasure" here. I enjoyed the fun and banter in both love stories, with a slight preference for Elly because she was just so cool!

I read YA because I love coming of age elements, and there was plenty to love here as Natalya worked to figure out her next steps after high school and how she could turn her passion for art into a future career.

If you enjoy YA stories, I bet you'll love this one for summer! I wish I could have had a summer of love/self-discovery like Natalya when I was her age.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.