Fresh Ink is an anthology that embraces and promotes diversity in writing. These short stories range from same-sex teenage flirtations to a serious look at racial division, all within the scope of the young protagonist.

My bold statement about this collection is that if you want teens to start reading and discussing issues that are present and real in their lives, put the Shakespeare down for a moment and add this to the curriculum. I know the massive backlash that would have because no one believes that their kid has any idea about crucial topics that divide and bring humanity together, but it's still my suggestion.

Overall most of these stories are entertaining and keep you wanting to read. Although there are a couple of stories that didn't hold my interest, the collection has plenty of characters to love and different writing styles to including a play and a comic to keep everyone interested.

I really enjoyed this collection of YA short stories. Some are SFF, some are stories set in the real world, and all feature diverse characters of all kinds by many wonderful authors. I would love to read some full-length books by these authors (and, in fact, I have several of their novels on my TBR list!).

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.

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read an arc copy of this book! Let me start by saying that I love the cover. It very colorful, eye-catching, and it goes well with the title.
This is a book that’s brings up a lot of relevant topics such as race and gender, which is nice. I think it’s important for authors to write about the controversial subjects that are still an issue in society.
Some of my favorites were Malinda Lo’s Meet Cute and Nicola Yoon’s Super Human. I thought the topics they brought up and the way they did it was fantastic. Overall, the writing/story was great. I had a few problems with some of the other stories though. For some, I felt like they just didn’t really go anywhere or that they were meant to be something bigger but was forced to be a few pages long.

<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.

Like any short story collection, this is hit and miss, but most of the stories are pretty good. Good or bad though, they do have one awesome thing in common: diversity. These authors really stepped up their game and created a series of unique and appealing characters that look at our white, cis, straight world and laugh, which is just super refreshing to read.

Hello and happy Monday you guys! Well if it's Monday when you're reading this. If not happy whatever day it is for you!

I'm taking the time today to finally sit down and review Fresh Ink. I had a lot of fun reading this book, which surprised me considering it was a compilation of short stories and frankly me and short stories do not get a long very well (see example: me and every single Neil Gaiman compilation I've ever read). 

Fresh Ink as I said is a collection of short stories, but it goes beyond so much more than that. Each story was written specifically in mind for representation and diversity. It overflows with it, but not in a painful, forced kind of way. We have Indian, African American, trans, LGBT, and so many more. I felt myself smiling at almost every single on of these stories. My personal favorite was about a super hero! 

When it comes to my usual reviewing system I feel like it would be a bit convoluted if I tried to review every single story in this novel. I will say that I only faintly disliked a couple of the stories however. Overall the writing styles for most of them was done so well. I hadn't heard of almost any of these authors and I'm excited to have a taste of what I think will become some of my new favorite authors.

I think this book provides so much more than it's marketed as. I think it's a great collection full of diversity as I stated, but it's also a great way to get a taste for authors you may not have known about that are also a part of a very important group of authors that need more attention. I hear all the time about people who wish they knew where to start to find more diverse reads and I think this collection will give people a great jumping off point. 

I rated this book essentially on enjoyment alone and I ended up giving it a 4 star review. I think that overall most of the stories were written well, they flowed well, and bonus points for the diversity that didn't feel forced or fake. I couldn't give it 5 stars because two of the stories I didn't like at all, not because of plot, but because of writing. 

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book for review. If you'd like to pre-order it you can find it here! Fresh Ink Anthology

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.