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.

When I was given an opportunity to get an arc of this book, I felt immense gratitude, but my heart and mind were full of many wonders at the same time. I thought about how one could write something that encapsulates the emotional scope of a topic like this in a book, let alone a simple review I was meant to write. Come On In by Adi Alsaid is an anthology of immigration stories, where though it’s labeled as fiction, each story is deeply rooted in the authors’ own journeys. Every story holds a little life in themselves I believe, but this collection carefully cradles the very truth of many people’s lives in their entirety.

Come On In. I thought that there is so much warmth in such a simple phrase. It’s a promise of welcome, open doors, a sense of comfort and a new view that will shape in front of you the moment you take your first step into the unfamiliar. Looking back, I wish open arms and a secure embrace was really how trying to find yourself in a new country went. Though love and unity are very essential components of these stories, Come On In shows you all sides of the what it means to move away and move on, and all the storms it conjures within one’s self that are unique to the experience of immigration.

“Only at this moment do I realize the brutality of it. What is goodbye? Does it mean I will see you again? Or perhaps I love you? Or perhaps it means hold on to me and don’t let me go, because I am not certain I will be myself anywhere but here.”
-Nafiza Azad


There is so much grief in this book. It is by no means lacks joy- I can’t count the number of times I nearly busted a lung while laughing, or was so overwhelmed by love and solidarity that I aggressively pressed my reader to my chest and never wanted let go. Yet within that beauty, I could always feel an ache that quietly branched out into the depths of all the characters’ lives. And as you go through these stories, you realize that this sting is something much greater than one person’s feelings of happiness or pain. It is the inherent grief that passes through generations and becomes a part of your identity, and always remains in the backdrop of your life. This collective of these stories show you that it doesn’t matter how many generations have passed: Even if you have planted new roots and lived passed through all the hardships the ones before you endured, the memory of their sacrifice will always be a part of who you are as an immigrant as well as your culture, and such an occurrence is one that births change beyond lifetimes.

“This country takes things from you. It wants to know how bad you want to stay here. There are ultimatums. Es chantaje. If you love me, this country says, you will stay. You will not leave me. If you love me, you will cry. You will work, here. If you love me, this country says, you will let me have my way with you. This country is often a bad lover. Or maybe just a selfish lover.”
-Isabel Quintero


All The Colors of Goodbye by Nafiza Hazab captures the heartache of a seventeen year old Indian Fijian girl as she has to say goodbye to her extended family, her home, brother and life as she knows it. By far the most beautifully written story in the anthology, it reads almost like poetry and truly grasps how where we live shapes who we are in the simplest yet most vibrant ways. The avid use of imagery really allows the melancholy of departure to feel sincere and grounded, as if you could feel the longing growing in your chest like a hibiscus flower. Starting the book in a way that is truly a study in empathy, you can’t help but shed tears as you put yourself in the main character’s shoes and think about what farewell means.

Where I’m From by Misa Suigawara is a collection of snapshots of Eriko‘s life and how she deals with the concept of belonging in a country that is so quick to ostracize the other. I loved going through her childhood decisions, her regrets, the microaggressions she faced and the role they played in her understanding of herself. It hurt to see her trying to detach from her roots and growing up learning up hate to see them, but the slow transformation of her relationship with her identity over time really offered me a lot of comfort as a woman of color, and the format really complimented the narrative of many small moments shaping our perspective in life beautifully.

Salvation And The Sea by Lilliam Rivera was truly an eye opener for me. Though my country is also heavily involved with immigration, I am not from the U.S., so I haven’t had many chances to witness the sheer cruelty of deportation this close. The journey of two friends, Puerto Rican and Guatemalan, that started as uplifting ride turning into a nightmare due to a random immigrant check spot was terrifying. The shattering of the illusion that they could be anyone they wanted, the temporariness of their momentary happiness that could be destroyed any second in face of the bigger threat enclosing their lives felt very raw and honest.

The Curandera And The Alchemist by Maria E. Andreu. I’m not even sure how to start this one and honestly, I don’t think I can in a way that would make sense to anyone else. This is one of those stories that feels a bit too much like your ribcage is being forced open- Your protection is gone, your heart is on display and it just feels too vulnerable, too uncomfortable, and just too much. Growing up and suffering a lot through the crossing of the borders as a Mexican immigrant, the main character has internalized sadness and despair due to all the conditions in her life that is out of her control and it’s hard to witness. The acceptance and the utter feeling of defeat in life hit a bit too close home, and I feel like a lot of readers will resonate with that. Yet the magic of it all: The encounter of magic through different points in her life through different forms, really holds her up through the fluctuations of hope and cruelty she witnesses, and the promise of that silver lining was something I truly cherished.

Fleeing, Leaving, Moving by Adi Alsaid may appear to be quite simple at first, but I couldn’t think of a more meaningful ending to the experience of this anthology. The main character Shmuli reflects on the history of his family and the borders they had to cross as he himself is standing at the airport, waiting to start his life in a new country. The way it talked about how all the times his predecessors had to migrate in different ways, whether it be for survival or hoping for a better tomorrow, made him who he is today felt like a revelation of life’s marvels. Not only did they allow him to come to life as a human being, but the accumulation of all those experiences through time also gave him the traits to be exactly him, without a single match in the world. I held my breath at exploration of how the world treats crossing borders differently according to your conditions, and how they label it as fleeing, leaving or moving depending on their own agenda, where every single one of them gives life. As a Turkish reader I especially teared up reading about Shmuli’s grandmother’s experience as a refugee, but in the end the entire piece felt very human offered closure for all we witnessed throughout this journey.

There are so many more stories that are worth mention and hundreds of words of tribute. Few of them, I found to be a bit underwhelming in terms of the writing style like they were trying to hard to be contemporary and “relatable”, and others a bit out of place at the time such as The Time I Was White , which had a very different tone than the rest of the works, but overall each piece a lot to offer. Other than that, my one disappointment with this anthology was with the variety of the stories, but I think that was more of a problem with the way the book was described and marketed. When I read the synopsis about this book being an anthology of tales of immigration, a part of me was very desperate and hungry to be seen. No, I am not an immigrant myself, so I didn’t want be acknowledged in that way of seeing myself in the pages, but rather the journeys of immigration that take place in my country and many other countries we share a culture, or at least a geographical proximity with. I wanted to read about immigration in Europe, in Middle East, the rest of Asia and all the other countries that have stories that are just as worthy to tell and fights deserving to be recognized. So no, I wouldn’t call this the ultimate anthology of “immigration”, and I don’t think it would be right to promote it as such. What it is, is a beautiful collective about the immigrant experience in America, and a great variety of what that means to different people. Though the effect of the specific time and place in these stories is undeniable and to disregard that certainly wouldn’t account to a meaningful reading, there is also a lot learn and feel connected to in this book that transcends regionality and ties us together. So whether you are here to find solidarity in your experience or witness the extraordinary journeys people lead from all corners of the world, I promise that there is something here for you and I promise it is worth your time.

Feel free to check out my playlist about the entire book here✨ and thank you so much to Hear Our Voices Book Tours from providing me with an e-arc. (less)

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.