What a refreshing read with appropriate short stories to pique interests and open discussion in the classroom on a variety of topics. I loved the vast array of authors and the unique persepectives they presented.

<b>Average/Overall Rating: 3.42 </b>

I'm a huge sucker for anthologies so I was extremely excited when this became available on NetGalley! Fresh Ink is full of well written short stories from so many amazing authors. The only author from this collection that I've ever read anything from is Nicola Yoon so I was excited to try to find some new voices I liked. Every single story featured a minority of some sort and a majority were written by #OwnVoices authors!

"Eraser Tattoo" by Jason Reynolds: ★★★
• This was cute and sweet, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would have. While I do give credit to the large amount of emotion and character development put into such a short story, I still didn't fully connect to the characters. Regardless, still a very lovely and sad story.

"Meet Cute" by Malinda Lo: ★★
• I definitely didn't mind this story, but it seemed like it dragged on for quite a bit and by the end I was completely over it. I enjoyed the LGBT+ representation and the discussion about not assuming sexual orientation, but again, I was left unconnected to the characters. It was confusing at times and too focused on the characters and not the plot.

"Don’t Pass Me By" by Eric Gansworth: ★★★
• This was about Native American culture in the United States which, while I personally have read a plethora of Indigenous American stories and perspectives, is still less discussed than it should be in my opinion. I didn't find the story all too interesting. It did highlight the devastating reality of whitewashing in Native cultures which is extremely important, but it wasn't written in a voice that read well for me personally. It was uplifting and inspiring though. A good read.

"Be Cool for Once" by Aminah Mae Safi: ★★★★★
• I realllllly liked this one. The voices were hilarious and it was such a refreshing and easy read. It was very cute and actually made me smile multiple times. I added Safi's new upcoming release to my TBR because I loved the writing style SO much. Plus we share a rare middle name so that's an instant connection.

"Tags" by Walter Dean Myers: ★★★★
• I've never read a play in an anthology before so I was excited to see some diversity in, not only characters and authors, but also in mediums. This was extremely short and definitely worth the quick read so DON'T SKIP IT. This made me devastated and really highlighted on violence in inner cities, particularly unnecessary gun violence. An important read.

"Why I Learned to Cook" by Sara Farizan: ★★★★★
• MY FAVORITE OUT OF ALL OF THEM! I cried. Do you know how much it takes me to cry from a book??? Both of my grandmothers have passed so this book hit home for me and made me miss the connections and lessons (particularly in the kitchen) my grandmother gave to me. This was such a sweet story with both, amazing racial/cultural diversity and LGBT+ rep. It also made me very very hungry. So be ready for that.

"A Stranger at the Bochinche" by Daniel José Older: ★
• I'm gonna be honest, I super super quickly skimmed this one after reading the first couple pages because it was NOTHING I knew I'd be into. Not my style whatsoever and I honestly don't even really know how to explain it.

"A Boy’s Duty" by Sharon G. Flake: ★★★★
• This was a bit hard to follow at certain points for me and the ending felt rushed, but overall the themes and characters were amazing. Set in WWII, this story reminds us that racism in the United States was not as long ago as we pretend it to be. Very heartbreaking. While there were some flaws in the writing style in my opinion, I still really enjoyed this story.

"One Voice: A Something in Between Story" by Melissa de la Cruz: ★★★
• This was nicely written and brought up a lot of huge issues minorities are faced with every single day, especially immigrants, but it just wasn't my favorite. The writing style was interesting and unlike anything else I've ever read, but I didn't find the ending as empowering as I would have liked. I enjoyed the MC's voice and perspective a lot though and I think there are quite a few people who could benefit from reading it.

”Paladin/Samurai” by Gene Luen Yang: ★★
• Along with a play, this anthology also included a graphic short. This took me maybe three minutes to flip through and it's not that it's a bad story, I just didn't really get the point. It didn't have a well formed plot almost at all. Cute and quick, but I'm still not really understand the whole idea.

”Catch, Pull, Drive” by Schuyler Bailar: ★★★★★
• OKKKK FIRST OF ALL, this story is fantastic for the fact it's written by Schuyler Bailer, the very first transgender NCAA D1 swimmer. If swimming ever fails, a writing career is in the future, because this story was amazing. A total tearjerker all about a boy's first swim practice after coming out on Facebook as transgender. The perspective was so intense and the sad reality for a lot of people in the MC's shoes. A must read.

"Super Human" by Nicola Yoon: ★★★★
• Quite a bit rushed as a short, but if this was a full length novel, I would have already bought it. This story tackles police brutality toward minorities and gun violence in such a unique and special way. This needs to become a full novel because there is an amazing story to be told here and more people need access to it. I would have given in 5 stars had the plot not seemed so rushed and left behind.

This anthology is amazing and a must read, especially for anyone trying to read more diversely or find new authors. I loved so many of these shorts and highly recommend Fresh Ink!

<i> I received a free ARC of this anthology from NetGalley in exchange for an open and honest review. As always, all opinions are my own. </i>

Great collection of stories. I think my students will love it. I plan on purchasing a few copies for my classroom.

This three stars is based more on my overall impression of this book. This is a collection of short stories. Some of them I LOVED, some of them I was, eh, about. Let me take you through this adventure.

Eraser Tattoo: I really liked this one. It was a great short story, it looks like the beginning or ending of a novel, and one I'd like to read at that. Jason Reynolds has earned acclaim as the author of All American Boys (which I've never gotten around to reading, cringe, don't hate me!) and now I can totally see why. When the story was over I was disappointed, I wanted more! This ranks highly on the lists of stories in this book I enjoyed.

Meet Cute: This is cool if you are into fan fiction and the comic book scene type stuff. It had a little air of danger and mystery to it, but not so much that it was overkill (especially for a short story). It had a awkward vibe that is all too real, in a good way. Real life is awkward, it's not like the movies, this story tells that.

Don't Pass Me By: This one was so-so for me, right until the end. The end was fantastic. What does the average person look like? White? Blonde? Thin? No. That's some people, not nearly all. It takes guts as a teen to stand up to your teacher in a way that's classy. It made me think, how would I have responded if I were this teacher? The teacher in the story doesn't get angry, but he also doesn't seem to understand identity either. It was thought provoking, which is something I love about a book no matter what the topic.

Be Cool for Once: Eh, I liked this, but as the dork in HS, I felt like it was largely unrealistic. If the point is for teens to see themselves in this novel, I did see myself...in a scenario that never would have happened. I'd love for it to be real life, but I just can't see it. It's a cute story for sure, but not indicative of real life, IMO.

Tags: Did not care for this one. The manuscript aspect of it kind of took away from it's overall message because it was distracting to me. If that works for you, cool. As a preference though, it wasn't for me.

Why I Learned to Cook: This one I loved. The story between Hannah and Yasaman was sweet, but the story between Yasaman and her grandmother was so pure.

A Stranger at the Bochinech: This was one I just didn't enjoy. No hard feelings, it just didn't do anything for me.

A Boy's Duty: I liked this one. It's historical fiction and I found myself really wondering what it would be like to have been an African American homeless boy during WWII. It's not something that's widely represented in YA Lit, so it's a very fitting ad to this book.

A Something In Between Story: I liked this and definitely felt the emotion, but it felt like a short story in the vein of The Hate You Give, which was so epic it just can't be redone. I liked it, but as a short story I felt like there wasn't enough on this one for me to give a good opinion.

Paladin/Samurai: I'm not into graphic novels so this didn't do it for me at all. If you are into that kind of thing then you might like this.

Catch, Pull, Drive: This one had great emotion behind it and overall felt very realistic to me. It worked perfectly as a short story.

Superhuman: OMG. I can't. This was amazing. This book bookends with the stories and IMO it definitely saved the best for last. It worked great as a short story, but also I want the whole novel. I'll preorder it. Someone please call Nicola Yoon and tell her THE PEOPLE DEMAND MORE! In the time of Black Panther this story needs to be read. The people want it. Did I mention it was my favorite? Because it is.

I will use Fresh Ink to introduce my reluctant readers to authors. I have done this twice already using my copy of the ARC.

Fresh Ink is a collection of short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play written by some of today’s top YA novelist, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. This compilation offers readers an assorted cast of characters, which may not always be equally represented, in the hopes of connecting the reader with a protagonist or setting they might identify with.
One of the things I loved about this collection is that it offered the reader a chance to explore different genres as well as different styles of writing. Although I did not love every story in the collection there were many that were very moving and several I enjoyed very much. Many of the stories touched on topics that are prevalent in today's society. I really enjoyed reading about the authors as well and seeing how their life experience shaped their writing. I would definitely like to see more collections like this with an even wider range of character representation.

I get a little nervous when starting a short story collection because I find them to be hit or miss.
The reason this anthology exists is simply because we need more diverse books, and thats the biggest reason I wanted to read this collection. Fresh Ink did not disappoint. The characters in these stories all came from unique and interesting backgrounds, and that was amazing. However beyond that the stories them self were a rare blend of different stories, not one even remotely like the others. I often find repeating themes in anthologies stories but this collection allowed each story to stand alone. They were all creative, wonderful and best of all diverse. I seriously think this my favorite collection of short stories that I've read to date, it was just pure magic! I will be telling everyone about this wonderful collection from now till release day and beyond!

Sorry but I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried though, I'm so sorry for my ADD brain.

I only read a few excerpts from this title, but would recommend it to those who enjoy the authors involved. I enjoyed the characters and the flow of the narratives.

Usually with anthologies I always have a disclaimer that stories are hit or miss, but this is a much needed breath of fresh air. The #WeNeedDiverseBooks has grown, but that does not make this collection any less relevant or necessary.

I generally love both short stories and young adult fiction. unfortunately I was unable to connect with this set of stories. Some were written well but none of them really touched me. I really have nothing good or bad to say about Fresh Ink. I am sure there is an audience out there for these stories but to me they were only ok and quickly forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

2.75 out of 5 stars

For the sake of the length of the review I will only go into detail about my four and five star reads.

Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds 2.5 stars
Meet Cute by Malinda Lo 2 star
Don't Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth 4.5 stars
I loved this story I learned several things about native americans of today and reservations. Overall just a very insightful story.
Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi 5 stars
I absolutely adored this one it was an adorable short story of love and there was a band involved so I am always excited when bands are involved especially when they're an all female group named after Queens.
Tags by Walter Dean Meyers 2.5 stars
Why I learned to Cook by Sarah Farizan 1 star
A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older 1 star
A Boys Duty by Sharon G. Flake 3 stars
One Voice: A something in between story by Melissa de la Cruz 2.5 stars
Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang Illustrations by Thein Pham 3 stars
Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar 1 star
Super Human by Nicola Yoon 5 out of 5 stars
I need an entire novel and I need it now. I loved this one. They saved the best for last by far.

Such an important book especially in current times. While I may not personally relate to the stories, I did understand the relevance of the issues explored. We definitely need diversity in ALL areas, but young adult literature, especially. I think people take for granted being able to see themselves in the heroes of their favorite stories. Not everyone has always had that opportunity.

It’s books like this that make waves and cause change.

Loved this, it was fun to read and i really enjoyed it. Anthologies are one of my favorite things to read and this was one of my favorites!!

I immensely enjoyed this anthology! The diverse rep in this book is amazing and I’m so excited for more people to read it. Some stand outs were: Meet Cute, Be Cool for Once, A Boy's Duty, Catch, Pull, Drive, and Super Human.

I liked that all of the stories were very different and covered different subjects. I'm excited for readers who come from a diverse or marginalized background to read this anthology and, hopefully, see themselves represented in one of the stories.

Fresh Ink is a lovely collection of short stories that are fun. fast reads!

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 7/10 Stars

Since this is an anthology, I’ll be writing a short review for each individual story!

As a whole, this was a pretty good anthology. Most of the stories seemed to fit the theme, and there was a variety of characters and stories. While each story did hinge on the idea of diversity, they focused on a variety of other things as well, making the stories much more fleshed out overall. Lastly, the message in each of the stories usually came across quite well, except in some cases where it may have been too hidden or too forced.

Out of the 12 stories, my favorites would have to be “Super Human”, “Catch, Pull, Drive”, and “Eraser Tattoo”!

Eraser Tattoo: I haven't read any if Jason Reynolds full novels (have seen them around though!), but this story makes me want to! It was fairly simple, but in the few short pages it lasted, I was already loving the characters. The message in this one was also fairly obscured, but I think the small references to the unfairness of the situation only added to the overall effect of the story.

Meet Cute: Exactly fits the name! The setting was interesting too, since it's during a con and there's quite a few references! Only issue is, if the reader doesn't automatically know where the characters are from (since it's not revealed until later), parts of the beginning fall a little flat since it is pretty heavy in references

Don’t Pass Me By: I think story fits my expectations for this anthology more than the other two so far. While the beginning it was difficult to follow since I had to orient myself in a culture I didn't necessarily have experience with, that quickly resolved itself. Overall, this story just made me angry (at the white teacher and the white students and ugh)

Be Cool For Once: Overall I thought this was a super cute story, but it didn't seem to fit in the anthology as well as others

Tags: I really liked the format and idea behind the story, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the story myself. It felt a bit short and all over the place, and I only really sympathized with one or two of the characters

Why I Learned to Cook: This story was super cute! I love how it blended both diversity in sexuality and in culture! I especially liked that this story fostered a love both between acceptance and family, as many stories involving sexual diversity focus on the hatred from the parents.

A Stranger at the Bochinche: While I liked the premise, the story felt as if it was trying to accomplish too much in too few pages, and it left me feeling lost at points. However, I did like the stark contrast of ancient gods/an older setting + fancy tech

A Boy’s Duty: I wasn't as big a fan of this story, as I felt it dragged a bit and took a while to get to its point, but I still enjoyed it. If anything, I think I liked the characters the most.

One Voice: Okay, so don't read this if you haven't read Something In Between because this basically spoils the entire book. Also, I'm never really a fan of short stories in anthologies being from other series :/ additionally, the story itself felt too short, and made the message feel forced while also having a fairly abrupt ending. This one would have to be my least favorite.

Paladin/Samurai: I get why the comic book story was so short, but it almost felt waaay too short. However, it still was able to carry a message more subtle than One Voice, so for that I applaud it

Catch, Pull, Drive: I really loved this one! Not only the message, but the way it was written as well! Having it set during the middle of a swimming race heightened the tension dramatically, and the inner thoughts complimented that really well also.

Super Human: I really really enjoyed this one. It seemed one of the only stories that didn't have a positive ending, and the openness of the ending combined with the lack of positivity made it all the more powerful. Overall, it feels as if this story carries the message of the anthology the most.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fresh Ink is everything YA needs. It is a combination of short stories, a graphic novel, and a play that is brought to us by diverse voices. One of the best features of fresh ink is that it encompasses so many unique stories and voices, it would be hard for a teen to not see themselves somewhere in these stories.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of short stories is trying to make a point about how important diversity is and I think it more than did its job.

There were quite a few stories that I thought were wonderful in one way or another.

Eraser Tattoo was a cute love story. When it ended, I was truly upset because I wanted more of it. It was truly precious.

Meet Cute was honestly one of the nerdiest things I ever read and I lived for it. There were parts that dragged and slowed it down, making me lose a little interesting, but I truly loved these nerdy girls.

Don't Pass Me By really dragged for me. It was slow and I lost interest a lot, but it was one of those that I felt could be truly empowering to POC as this Indian boy stands up for his heritage and is proud of it instead of trying to blend in like some of his other peers had.

Be Cool for Once is one I honestly don't remember, so I think that alone speaks for it.

Tags was written as a play and had me quickly intrigued. The ending was incredibly sad and left me a little speechless for a moment.

Why I Learned to Cook was another cute little love story. I loved this one. Yasi's grandmother was adorable. It was an excellent f/f romance.

A Stranger at the Bochinche was a struggle for me to get through and once again I don't remember anything about it.

A Boy's Duty dragged for me a little bit, but overall I enjoyed the story.

One Voice is one I really did enjoy. I thought it was another powerful story. I definitely was proud at the end of this one.

Paladin/Samurai was a little pointless to me. I must have completely missed the point on this one, but the illustrations were cute and it was a fun little read.

Catch, Pull, Drive is the story that I resonated with the most. It made me think and really root for the main character. This one was one of my favorites stories from this collection.

Super Human was a short story that really captures race in America right now. It was heartbreaking and truly a moving story.

This anthology has really made me hungry for more diverse stories. I can't wait to see more of them out there and get my hands on some.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Crown Books for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

This is a fun anthology of 10 short stories, a graphic novel, and a play from some of my favorite YA authors. I was impressed with the diversity of the characters in each work and many marginalized populations are represented. This is an important work to read.