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A review by jessoehrlein
Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
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.)
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.)
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm