the_vegan_bookworm's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This story, told in dual perspectives, is a bisexual dream! One plotline follows Natalya as she stays in New York for the summer and finds love with the girl she's been crushing on from a distance, while the other follows her staying in LA with her mom and romancing her male coworker. Natalya is openly queer and Jewish, and both of these elements of her life are fascinating and make the story a lot richer. Her circle of friends in each location are also a stellar cast.
I will say that Natalya is an incredibly privileged main character. At times, she is aware of her massive wealth but often (such as when she spends time with her very wealthy New York friends), it flies completely under the radar. While I liked Natalya's personality, I found it hard to relate to those elements.
This being said, it's a really fun read and something lighthearted if you're looking for a queer romance (especially if you're looking for two-in-one!).
I will say that Natalya is an incredibly privileged main character. At times, she is aware of her massive wealth but often (such as when she spends time with her very wealthy New York friends), it flies completely under the radar. While I liked Natalya's personality, I found it hard to relate to those elements.
This being said, it's a really fun read and something lighthearted if you're looking for a queer romance (especially if you're looking for two-in-one!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm
tinysierra's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Going Bicoastal was such a fun, light read.
I mean, two love stories in one book? How fun is that? The alternate timelines had some overlapping events but it never felt too repetitive for me. I enjoyed the romances in both sides of the story.
I loved that this wasn’t a coming out novel and there was no bisexual discourse. There were other queer side characters and relationships as well.
Natalya is Jewish, and so are her friends, so we get to see her having Shabbat dinner. I’m not Jewish so it was really nice to learn more about Judaism! There’s a part where she talks about how her religion and her sexuality coexist, which I thought was really cool.
I enjoyed Going BiCoastal more than Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer. But I still liked that we got to see Lara and Jasmine in this book as side characters. I believe there’s also a reference to Home Field Advantage although I haven’t read that one yet.
I mean, two love stories in one book? How fun is that? The alternate timelines had some overlapping events but it never felt too repetitive for me. I enjoyed the romances in both sides of the story.
I loved that this wasn’t a coming out novel and there was no bisexual discourse. There were other queer side characters and relationships as well.
Natalya is Jewish, and so are her friends, so we get to see her having Shabbat dinner. I’m not Jewish so it was really nice to learn more about Judaism! There’s a part where she talks about how her religion and her sexuality coexist, which I thought was really cool.
I enjoyed Going BiCoastal more than Dahlia Adler’s Cool for the Summer. But I still liked that we got to see Lara and Jasmine in this book as side characters. I believe there’s also a reference to Home Field Advantage although I haven’t read that one yet.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm, Abandonment, and Alcohol
danivm's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol
alexandramcgrew's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bisexual jewish representation done beautifully💗💜🩵
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
jourdanicus's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The concept of this story was cute - it's what originally drew me to the book. I can't really comment on the execution because I'm sure there are a lot of different ways to write a "split fate/destiny" story.
To me, there was not nearly enough tension or conflict in the plot... Yeah, I do want stories where queer characters are happy, but I think that's possible even with a little drama.
Maybe my problem is that I'm an adult reading YA... I think this would be a good one for younger people who simply want some lighthearted representation on the page. There's just nothing intellectually challenging here.
To me, there was not nearly enough tension or conflict in the plot... Yeah, I do want stories where queer characters are happy, but I think that's possible even with a little drama.
Maybe my problem is that I'm an adult reading YA... I think this would be a good one for younger people who simply want some lighthearted representation on the page. There's just nothing intellectually challenging here.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Self harm, and Sexual content
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Self harm, and Abandonment
mrmarshall591's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The concept of forking paths has been fascinating to me ever since I saw the musical If/Then and I actually had no idea this book would be about two different paths a single decision can take you, as I had assumed it would be about a bi girl spending half the summer in NYC and the other in LA. So while I am sure that could have been exciting, I absolutely loved everything about this book!
Natalya is a queer and Jewish (sameeee) teen living in NYC with her dad, and does not have much of a relationship with her mom who lives in California.
I HATE making decisions so when I saw Natalya struggling to decide if she should venture out and stay with her mom in LA or stay where she is with her dad in NYC, I related a whole lot. But while we do get the story of her summer in NYC, we ALSO get the story of her summer in LA as some other version of herself indeed did make that decision.
Both paths have so many different experiences but also the author seamlessly incorporates some of the same core moments into both timelines which was super impressive and made me appreciate this writing style even more.
Also, in terms of queer joy and living authentically, this book has plenty, in both versions of Natalya’s summer!!
Natalya is a queer and Jewish (sameeee) teen living in NYC with her dad, and does not have much of a relationship with her mom who lives in California.
I HATE making decisions so when I saw Natalya struggling to decide if she should venture out and stay with her mom in LA or stay where she is with her dad in NYC, I related a whole lot. But while we do get the story of her summer in NYC, we ALSO get the story of her summer in LA as some other version of herself indeed did make that decision.
Both paths have so many different experiences but also the author seamlessly incorporates some of the same core moments into both timelines which was super impressive and made me appreciate this writing style even more.
Also, in terms of queer joy and living authentically, this book has plenty, in both versions of Natalya’s summer!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
obscurepages's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
OKAY IT'S OFFICIAL. Dahlia Adler is a genius in queer YA romcoms 😭😂
This book is so so good. The two alternate timelines shouldn't have worked, but it did, and it's an incredible thing to witness. Both timelines connected with the MCs character arc well, and the parallels in specific pivotal scenes are so good! In one timeline music is a big part of her life, in the other, it's food. In both timelines we see her fixing her relationship with her mother, and we see her struggle and realize her passion. In both timelines we see her fall in love and discover two different kinds of romance. The author aced the writing styles in both timelines for sure.
Also loved how this book navigated through being queer and religious at the same time. I also learned a lot about Jewish customs and practices here, which I really appreciated!
Overall this book was just fun and wildly entertaining. Did I hope for some magical twist at the end? Maybe?? Like all of it was a dream and only one timeline is real 😂 But if there's anything this book has taught me is that we make our choices and those choices lead us to exactly where we need to be. This book showed that perfectly well.
ALSO WAS THAT A CAMEO WITH AMBER AND JACK FROM HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Self harm
rez's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm