Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Going Bicoastal

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler

22 reviews

nicolecannon's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted 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? Yes

4.25

If you are expecting a low-stakes, light romance, quick read, it's perfect.

The structure was easy enough to follow but took me a second to understand what was happening. And sometimes down right frustrating (in a fun way--cliff hangers!).

It's not high literature or my favorite book--but good enough for keeping me entertained on a "bicoastal" flight.

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torikate7's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-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? Yes

4.0

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shirarweiss's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

At first I hated this book. It was so cliche and the dialogue reminded me of the bad movies I like to laugh at. It somehow grew on me. I surprised myself by becoming more invested in the story. I LOVED the queer and Jewish rep - the casualness of it, the way they/them pronouns are just used without it being a big deal, the routine of Shabbat dinners and connecting to Judaism through food.

The dual timelines was a cool surprise that I didn’t expect going in. I love anything that fucks with time and space. I loved it the more I read, and it actually really made me reflect on my own life and my own choices. When the timelines overlapped, I thought about fate and destiny, about things that were always meant to happen. It feels oddly comforting to think that some things are just meant to be, even in different timelines; the same conclusion via a totally different path. This book brought me back to my high school senior self.

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jessoehrlein's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I love how much Natalya is the same person going on similar journeys in both of the possible worlds here, with all of her arcs just happening in slightly different ways. In both, she gained confidence, figured out a future path forward that felt promising to her (and even got a start on it in both worlds), and strengthened her relationship with her mom. There were a couple of points where it felt like it was assumed that something had happened in some way in both timelines that we had only seen in one, but that was relatively minor in terms of the flow of things.

I really enjoyed both Elly and Adam as love interests, and I liked how real the communities around them felt! It was a lot of characters, but it never felt overwhelming. (And obviously loved seeing Lara & Jasmine from Cool for the Summer here, along with the other shoutouts to Dahlia's other books.)

My favorite character though, obviously, is Elly's dad Ezra, who is a mathematician. He's delighted by Persian food and the thought of interactive animations for the second edition of his topology textbook, so yes, we would absolutely get along. The fact that this is a YA book in which "homology" and "homotopy" appeared made me squeal, as did the fact that Natalya spent part of "last summer" at a math conference in Philadelphia with her dad, when I was indeed at a math conference in Philly last summer. (Also, did Elly end up at Bridges somehow? I wasn't sure on that one.)

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brittanylee0302's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

I listened to the audiobook version & really enjoyed Mara Wilson's narration! This book was a super cute read. I loved the two different storylines although I didn't like that there wasn't a single ending. Other than that I really enjoyed the characters, the diversity, the challenges that Nat faced, & that this was a really quick read!

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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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!).

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tinysierra's review against another edition

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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.

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