Going Bicoastal

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Author(s)

Dahlia Adler

Publisher

Wednesday Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

June 13, 2023

ISBN

978-1250871640

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"This is what it looks like when a brilliant high concept is executed to perfection. It’s got all the Dahlia Adler trademarks—romance, wry humor, specificity, and genuine emotional depth." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting and Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

A queer Sliding Doors YA rom-com in which a girl must choose between summer in NYC with her dad (and the girl she's always wanted) or LA with her estranged mom (and the guy she never saw coming).

In Dahlia Adler’s Going Bicoastal, there’s more than one path to happily ever after.

Natalya Fox has twenty-four hours to make the biggest choice of her life: stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad (and finally screw up the courage to talk to the girl she's been crushing on), or spend it with her basically estranged mom in LA (knowing this is the best chance she has to fix their relationship, if she even wants to.) (Does she want to?)

How's a girl supposed to choose?

She can't, and so both summers play out in alternating timelines - one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the girl she's always wanted. And one in which Natalya explores the city, tries to repair things with her mom, works on figuring out her future, and goes for the guy she never saw coming.

Editor review

1 review

intriguing YA contemporary

June 04, 2023

Overall rating

3.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

GOING BICOASTAL is a YA contemporary with an interesting premise. Natalya has to decide what she is going to do over the summer. Her parents are divorced and living on opposite coasts, where both have high-powered careers and a plan for her summer. The story is told in alternating possibilities, one where she stays in New York and begins to get to know the redhead she has had a crush on (Elly) and the other where she goes to LA and meets a cute fellow intern (Adam). Each possibility is transformative in its own way.

What I loved: This was a really unique idea, and the bisexual rep is great and well-executed. The two potentials were given similar weight, though many readers will form their particular favorites. The story really shows how a decision can change everything and inform the future. Natalya was an interesting character, and the story stays pretty light throughout in showing how her summer is shaped by her decision to either stay where she's been or to go somewhere new.

What left me wanting more: While I thought the idea was interesting in principle, I found it tough to manage the switches mentally. As I would start getting into one of the possibilities, it would switch to the other, and it was tough to invest in both with the switching. For me, I found it to be confusing in places and a bit disorienting as well as repetitive at first, since some of the same stuff is repeated for both possibilities. I found her parental relationships a bit challenging as well, as both were a bit neglectful and it could be really tough to see without much addressing.

Final verdict: Overall, GOING BICOASTAL is an intriguing YA contemporary romance that shows how a choice can change everything.