Going Bicoastal by Dahlia AdlerYA contemporary
Wednesday Books
June 13, 2023
A queer Sliding Doors 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).
Confession: I usually hate Sliding Doors-type stories. Something about them, or choose your own adventure, or even anything with mirror universe doubles, makes me extremely anxious. I only read this one because I've loved all Dahlia Adler's other books. And I'm extremely glad I did, because this was great and I actually enjoyed it so much! I don't want to spoil anything, but I think it's helped by the fact that the double timelines and how they wind up are not actually stressful here at all. It's not that the characters don't deal with anything difficult, they do, but, as as it says in the marketing copy, there's more than one path to happily ever ever.
I wound up almost equally invested in both timelines, which was a nice surprise, and in a large part due to the great cast of supporting characters in both, including love interests, friends, and parents. The main character is bi and there's lots of different LGBTQIAP+ rep in her friend groups, and we also get to see the role her Judaism plays in her life - and a ton of delicious-sounding Shabbat dinners, among other mouth-watering food descriptions. Seriously, I wanted both a playlist and a cookbook to go along with this book.
This is a perfect summer read for anyone, but especially for teens (or adults!) who need some reassurance about the fact that their future doesn't necessarily hinge on every small decision and that there are multiple paths in life that can be valid and rewarding and great.
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I received a review copy from NetGalley, and Dahlia is a friend, but I would never tell you I liked something if I didn't.
