A collection of short stories that inspire deeper thought and empathy for these minority populations. I really enjoyed reading through all these experiences and unique voices. I myself am not an immigrant but my grandparents are, and it is always eye opening to hear immigrant stories... makes you realize all the things we take for granted.

Thank you for the early copy of this book!

YA are rare for me but with this book's synopsis, I was intriguing. The stories in this book were powerful, relevant, and emotional that keep the undertones of hope and positivity with the strong prescience of community. A number of the authors who contributed to this book I knew of and a few I didn't. I do not have a direct connection to immigration but I have close friends whom are very close to the subject. I find it is naturally easy to be empathetic towards this topic as not everyone's situation is the same. Readers of all backgrounds and ages should embrace Come On In for it's insight, honesty and recounts of everyday individuals of the global majority who face racially motivated harassment and hardships ether on a micro or macro scale that all the characters had experience with.

Reading this was so frustrating and emotional. I actually had to take breaks and center myself again because a lot of these stories hit too close to where it hurts. I wonder if stories like this will one day not be needed, if brown people will finally be treated with the love, respect, and humanity that we deserve

Without reviewing each individual story, know that this anthology is an important one with excellent authors and well-written stories. This is excellent reading for YA and adult readers alike and there's lots to appreciate here. While, as with all anthologies, not every story will work for every reader, there is a wide variety of authors so there should be something for everyone.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I find reviews of anthologies a little harder to write because there is so much going on, but this group of stories surrounding immigration were all well written and poignant. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but they all explored the characters deeply.

I’m not going to review each story separately, but I do want to point out a few that hit me a little harder than the others.

When reading The Wedding by Sara Farizan, I cried throughout. This was one of my favorites and shared so much family love and joy, not ignoring the heartache that keeps much of the family apart due to travel bans.

The Trip by Sona Charaipotra was another favorite, but for very different reasons. There is no much fear, heartbreak and injustice in this one. The mistreatment of the main character made me so angry, regardless of whether or not she was a US citizen (she was) or what country she was born in, no 16 year old should ever be treated this way.

And the final story I wanted to highlight is Confessions of an Ecuadorkian by Zoraida Cordova. The author’s choice to share the main character’s culture and experiences through a journal entry is brilliant. While covering serious topics, this story approached them in an approachable way filled with humor and delight.

While there were a couple of stories that were misses for me, overall this is a beautiful collection of stories and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This should be required reading for anyone in a public official capacity. We need to hear these stories, amplify these voices, and support our neighbors.

This collection came to me at the right time. Just as the debate over immigration was reaching a fevered pitch, it felt right to hear from those who have firsthand experience. This is a collection of short stories that are written by YA authors who have all been there, in the trenches of the difficulty of immigrating and all the varied reasons behind it. Hard to read at times due to content but beautifully written and poignant.
Thank you for this opportunity.
#ComeOnIn #NetGalley #InkyardPress

I enjoyed nearly every story in this anthology. They were heartwarming, heartbreaking, and full of love, change, and acceptance. I respect the challenges so many people experience when their migrating, after they've immigrated, and beyond. How the act of immigration and being part of the diaspora changes who you are and your way of navigating the world, and how that experience is unique to all. These stories are just fifteen of the billions of immigration stories out there in the world and I loved that this shares even just a piece of that.

All the Colors of Goodbye by Nafiza Azad
- 4 stars
- Fiji to Canada
- I thought the ways she said goodbye to not just the people, but the moments and the memories associated with her home was really unique and important - the reflection of who and what we leave behind
- The narration was a bit stilted, but I teared up, so it clearly didn't change the weight of the story

The Wedding by Sara Farizan
- 5 stars
- Iran to the US (set in Montreal though)
- I adored this story, how its a story of celebration and togetherness in a world, a couple that could've never been if they hadn't immigrated
- Showed the pain of leaving your loved ones behind, the generational divide, and the fear and restrictions the travel bans caused within the US

Where I'm From by Misa Sugiura
- 5 stars
- Japan to the US
- Perfect depiction of being part of the diaspora - the idea that you're one thing to some people, and another to others, not enough of this or that
- I liked the use of time to share how the experiences stay the same (TW: racism, alienation), but her views of it change

Salvation and the Sea by Lilliam Rivera
- 4 stars
- Guatemala/Puerto Rico to the US
- shares the experience of an immigrant compared to the experience of someone undocumented - the fear and the anger and the hope to dream bigger
- TW: traffic stop and fear based on race

Volviendome by Alaya Dawn Johnson
- 3 stars
- The US to Mexico
- I connected with this story the least, and it felt fairly disjointed. I understood was the author was going for, but it didn't work for me
- A story about how immigrating out of the US saved her from a toxic relationship (TW)

The Trip by Sona Charaipotra
- 5 stars
- Kashmir to the US
- The MC experiences racial profiling (TW) and the story depicts the fear immigrants from certain countries have while travelling
- This story broke my heart and also had me tearing up, I felt so anxious for her and gosh my heart broke because I know that this happens all the time, even to kids.

The Curandera and the Alchemist by Maria E. Andreu
- 5 stars
- Spain to the US
- I loved the little magical elements and how this story talks through exclusion versus opportunity and what that means - - TW: prison and deportation

A Bigger Tent by Maurene Goo
- 4 stars
- Korea to the US
- Has a bit of that teenage brattiness (relatable, but mildly annoying lol), but I loved the concept of having a home base - no matter how much your family might drive you up the wall, they are your home base (in situations that aren't toxic or problematic at least)

First Words by Varsha Bajaj
- 5 stars
- Bombay to the US
- I loved the way stories build connections for the MC, while also depicting the pains of being in a new place, adjusting to a different culture, language, and even jargon
- TW: bullying
- Rep: Deaf/HOH

Family / Everything by Yamile Saied Mendez
- 5 stars
- Argentina to the US
- A victory for one is a victory for all
- Depicts the fears of starting in a new place, of immigration, and of buckling under familial pressures

When I was White by Justine Larbalestier
- 3 stars
- Australia to the US
- I don't know how to feel about this one, it felt weird, but I also get what they were trying to do?? This just wasn't for me.
- An Irish Australian is taken back to Harlem by her lover to spite his mom
- A reflection of colourization and how profiling can sometimes go both ways - what's too light or too dark, etc.
- TW: racism and discrimination

From Golden State by Isabel Quintero
- 5 stars
- Mexico to the US
- The urge to keep connections as much as possible as the fear of deportation looms over all the time - salvaging connections and trying to ensure familial divides don't occur
- TW: animal death (pig), blood, mention of HP

Hard to Say by Sharon Morse
- 5 stars
- Venezuela to the US
- What's lost when we immigrate and how does that affect our relationship with our loved ones - I loved this one because I connected with the characters well and I truly felt the MC's frustrations
- TW: civil unrest, travel ban

Confessions of an Ecuadorkian by Zoraida Cordova
- 5 stars
- Ecuador to the US
- Cute and nerdy, I loved all the pop culture references
- Related to the closed offness of family and the inability to truly communicate with one another
- Told as a diary entry
- TW: bullying

Fleeing, Leaving, Moving by Ali Alsaid
- 5 stars
- Bulgaria to Israel to Argentina to the US
- My absolute favourite of it - the ebb and flow of migration and that sense of history that comes with existing - carrying your family's history in your blood
- Loved seeing the generational POVs

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I got this as one my first arcs at least 5-7 years ago and I finally completely finished the anthology. Which was also a couple months ago but I did enjoy reading small snippets of it during work breaks or during meals. Some of them were brutal and made me cry and some had me laughing on the floor.

This is an collection of powerful and diverse short stories from different YA authors about their immigration experience. All of these stories will resonate with me for a while. I love how this anthology sheds light from various background. Every story is unique and all faced different hardships. This anthology will educate you and leave you emotional.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Inkyard Press for giving me a copy for.a honest review.

This book is a treasure!! I devoured it and can't wait to read more from each author within the pages. Come On In is a collection of short stories written by 15 different YA authors that revolve around the theme of immigration. I picked up the book because I saw the name Isabel Quintero, and I love everything she's written, but I discovered so many more authors!! We read about leaving one's birth country, growing up first generation in the US, teaching ESL, BP checkpoints, the Muslim Ban, and being detained by airport agents in this collection. We read about learning to love one's family and traditions, attempting to "fit in," and traveling to one's new home from places such as Fiji, Mexico, India, Venezuela, and Korea, to name a few. Each story is unique, but they all revolve around the same theme of immigration and finding one's place in the world, both of which I am intimately familiar with.

What a cover! Come On features many voices who all have something to say about immigration. Just like any anthology, there were stories I enjoyed, and stories I didn’t.

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Come On In is an anthology featuring a very diverse range of authors and stories. Immigration is a heavy subject, so this was not easy to read quickly, and many stories left me feeling irate about the unjust system that allowed for these situations. I could see myself teaching a bunch of these stories. Not all of them were amazing, but all presented a unique viewpoint.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into these stories. I was excited to read an anthology such as this one because of its place in our societal conversations surrounding immigration, overall. However, I wasn't getting all that I hoped for from this book. Maybe that's because it was YA, which is my fault for not understanding that sooner. I think that teenaged me would have enjoyed this more than I could.

Consistent with other anthologies, a 3 star, middle of the road rating, seems the most reflective of my reading experience. There are always some stories in these anthologies that I really love and desperately want more of, and some that I don't enjoy as much. I always love being able to get a taste for new authors and their writing style with these anthologies.

A beautiful and powerful anthology collecting narratives across many different themes of acceptance, self confidence, painful goodbyes, new beginnings, and the importance of family. This was a time where there were too many beautiful passages to highlight. I will be reading many more of the authors’ works.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fantastic So many incredible authors and such an important topic to explore

Anthologies are great for telling a number of different sides to a story, and this topic is particularly suited for an anthological array of stories. Standouts include stories by Misa Sugiura, Maurene Goo, Zoraida Córdova, Sara Farizan, and Isabel Quintero.

I wish I could go back and have the experience of reading all of these stories again. This collection made me feel closer to parts of my family that I wish I knew more about.

What an important collection of stories. This is one that I want to get into the hands of every student.