Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Going Bicoastal is the must-read Queer YA Contemporary Romance of the summer! It made me giddy. I loved it!
That may seem like a bold proclamation, but I mean it from the depths of my soul. I absolutely adored it, from the first chapter to the last.
In this story, our main character is Natalya, a bi Jewish girl, who lives with her Dad, a mathematics Professor in NYC. Her estranged Mom works in advertising and lives in L.A.
With summer approaching, Natalya needs to make a big decision. Her Mom wants her to go to L.A. to live with her for the summer.
They’ve barely spoken in years and going to stay with her Mom, means leaving everything she knows and loves behind; including her Dad and the red-headed girl she’s been crushing on.
Natalya can see the other side too though. It could be a chance to repair her relationship with her Mom. Does she want that? And the opportunity to explore new interests and opportunities; to get out of her comfort zone.
It’s such an important choice. How will she ever be able to make it? She has a tough time making regular impact choices on a regular day…
She can’t choose. So then, in the best use of the Sliding Doors plot device since, well, Sliding Doors, we the Reader, get to watch both choices playing out parallel to one another via alternating chapters.
We see Tal in NYC, breaking out of her shell, talking to the girl, taking on new interests and potentially healing things with her Mom through a long-distance option.
We see Nat in L.A., living with her Mom for the first time in years, working at her Mom’s business, meeting an interesting boy who also is working as an intern at her Mom’s office, and befriending others in the L.A. Queer and Foodie communities.
Natalya’s learning so much about herself and the plethora of new experiences are helping her understand what she may want for herself in the future.
Y’all, Adler absolutely crushed the construction of this story. While it may sound confusing, it is so seamless, it makes perfect sense as it’s unfolding.
I never found myself scratching my head or feeling like I was missing something. It’s easy in the moment to just coast along with Natalya on her journey.
It’s also fun developing opinions on which situation you would prefer. I was Team NYC from the start, and pretty much stayed that way throughout, although the LA scene definitely grew on me due to the all the delicious sounding food and super friendly people.
The writing is engaging and keeps you wanting to know more. I desperately wanted to know what was going to ultimately happen. As I got closer to the end, I wondered how Adler was going to be able to wrap it up.
I loved the ending. It was such a great choice in my opinion. I feel like this might not be for everyone, but I fully support the direction Adler went with it. My heart fills with joy even thinking about it.
Honestly, I appreciated so much how unapologetically sweet and hopeful this story is. Everyone deserves a happy ending, and I think everyone can find one here.
I definitely recommend this to YA Romance Readers, or anyone looking for a fun and unique Queer story. Be prepared to smile.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. 10-out-of-10 recommend!
