This short story collection was amazing! I loved the powerful perspectives of all the different authors that had stories in this collection. The emotion of the experiences was apparent and most of the stories left me wanting more from each of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It a very impactful, and well-written anthology. I always average my ratings of each story to get my overall rating for an anthology.

Come On In created by various authors will definitely be added into our classrooms, both in the English Language Arts department and in the Social Studies department. These strong, well crafted short stories have captured the attention of many students and provided critical conversation starters. We will be including this anthology of short stories into our classroom libraries, and in book club sets.

Y’all, anthologies, compilations of essays or short stories just get me in the gut. Last night, I finished COME ON IN, an anthology about immigration, written by both bestselling and new YA authors - like Yamile Said Mendez (FURIA) and Lillian Rivera (NEVER LOOK BACK).

This collection has 15 unique stories, and you will travel from Australia to Black Harlem, from Argentina to Utah, from Fiji, and more. Characters deal with traffic stops with their undocumented friend in the car, how to answer “where are you from?,” navigating familial relationships with those left behind, and so much more.

It’s a fast, but emotional read that will leave you devastated and hopeful at the same time.

Moving and powerful, Come On In is an excellent novel filled with short stories from various authors that focus on immigration. The book shines in all of its different experiences and viewpoints, and is exactly the kind of book everyone needs to read.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and getting a sampling of lots of authors who I had never read from before. Of course, you can’t love every story, and that was the case here. But I definitely had my eyes opened to issues of immigration that I wasn’t aware of before, and this book helped to broaden my perspective and put myself in others’ shoes. Definitely worth the read.

One of the best parts about reading an Anthology is the fact that you get to read so many different voices. That was one of the distinguishing factors about this Anthology, and one of the best parts about it. I really enjoyed each and every story, which isn't something I can typically say about anthologies as there is usually one or two stories that I don't really enjoy. I thoroughly enjoyed every single story in Come On In! These stories were raw, emotional, passionate, and endearing stories of immigration. Experiences that most of us will never have, but by reading this anthology we can catch a small glimpse into the life of what it's like. Highly recommend this anthology to everyone and would love to see it taught in school. I think it speaks volumes to a subject that is a topic of high sensitivity in the US in current times.

This book right here holds greatness. Power! This book showcased many immigration stories. It showcased the why's, the how's. It was everything and more. Immigration has always been a controversial topic some believe that it's bad some believe it's good. People migrate for different reasons. To make a better life for themselves and I'm so glad that a book showcased that.

Some stories I thought was a little slow paced but that's okay.

4.75

This novel was a compilation of stories written by minority authors in the YA community talking about the process of being an immigrant and what they feel about moving from their home country to a new one. Every minority author was able to showcase how an immigrant feels entering a new country that they have absolutely no clue on how things run.

The majority of these stories resonated with me to the very core because being an immigrant, everything was new to me. New rules, new surroundings, new people to meet, new places to explore, and so much more. I felt the heartache and happiness in each story and was understood what each character was going through.

The authors represented this subject well and it breaks my heart knowing that not a lot of people would be able to read these magnificent stories. The representation was excellent and I really enjoyed every storyline that was in this book. It took almost a year to finish this e-arc and it upsets me why I did not finish it earlier.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc to this wonderful compilation.

Come On In is a collection of short stories by an assortment of authors, most of whom are women. Each story is an account of an immigration experience and all of the stories provide the reader with a realistic appreciation of what it is to leave "home," learn a new language, and struggle to understand how to fit in a new life. I loved this collection and plan to share it with my students, as the narratives are heartfelt and authentic.

This is an excellent collection of short stories focused on immigration. These are touching stories that everyone should read. An excellent addition to YA short story collections.

"Come on In" shares important perspectives that aren't often heard in mainstream society, yet an important group that are apart of our community. We finally hear the voices that have been shouting to be heard and can listen to their experiences of what it's like to come to America. It may or may not be the American dream we used to imagine.

E-ARC provided by NetGalley.
Come On In is an anthology by 15 different authors depicting the immigrant and first-generation experience. This is a wonderful collection of fictional short stories that act as an introduction to the writing style of each author, if you hadn’t read them before. Being first-generation, it was great to read about the experiences immigrants, their children, and those children born here face in a unifying and empathetic way. My rating is an average of each story because there were some that were truly beautiful and poetic and some that I almost didn’t finish.
1. All the Colors of Goodbye by Nafiza Azad 4/5
2. The Wedding by Sara Farizan 5/5
3. Where I’m From by Misa Sigiura 4/5
4. Salvation and the Sea by Lilliam Rivera 5/5
5. Volviendome by Alaya Dawn Johnson 1.5/5
6. The Trip by Sona Charaipotra 5/5
7. The Curandera and the Alchemist by Maria E. Andreu 4/5
8. A Bigger Tent by Maurene Goo 3/5
9. First Words by Varsha Bajaj 5/5
10. Family/Everything by Yamile Saied Mendez 4/5
11. When I Was White by Justine Larbalestier 1.5/5
12. From Golden State by Isabel Quintero 4/5
13. Hard to Say by Shannon Morse 5/5
14. Confessions of an Ecuadorkian by Zoraida Cordova 4/5
15. Fleeing, Leaving, Moving by Adi Alsaid 2.5/5
Average Rating: 57.5/15 = 3.83

As an immigrant, I loved and related to the stories in this anthology. It is def something I will recommend to YA readers.

I was really excited when I saw this one pop up and felt that the subject matter was very timely - especially with certain political issues in the US. This collection contains perspectives from a wide range of cultures and races regarding what immigration looks and feels like for them. It really explores what people are forced to consider, the risks they are forced to take and more when attempting to enter a new country, or when living as an immigrant. Some stories also tackled some race issues which add further layers to the conversation.

I found this collection very poignant, even if I didn't "love" every story. Each one had something important to say and that really was the impact of the collection. My personal ratings of the stories is below - but I want to emphasize that even though each story may not have been for me, I felt all of them were important.

All the Colors of Goodbye by Nafiza Azad - 4 stars
The Wedding by Sara Farizan - 5 stars
Where I'm From by Misa Sugiura - 4 stars
Salvation & the Sea by Lilliam Rivera - 3 stars
Volviemdome by Alaya Dawn Johnson - 3 stars
The Trip by Sona Charaipotra - 4 stars
The Curandera & the Alchemist by Maria E. Andreu - 4 stars
A Bigger Tent by Maurene Goo - 4 stars
First Words by Varsha Bajaj - 4 stars
Family Everything by Yamile Saied Mendez - 5 stars
When I was White by Justine Larbalestier - 3 stars
From Golden State by Isabel Quintero - 2 stars
Hard to Say by Sharon Morse - 5 stars
Confessions of an Ecuadorkian by Zoraida Cordova - 4 stars
Fleeing, Leaving, Moving by Adi Alsaid - 4 stars

Its always hard to fully give feedback on anthology's but i really enjoyed this book. This was a very powerful and emotional book. I'm fortunate to have been born here so I don't have a personal connection but these stories MADE me feel a connection.. The pain, loss, stress is so tough to read at times but its very much needed. Books like this should be required reading.

Come on in is a collection of anthologies of migration and immigration. This collection of stories was personal truths to its core. These authors were exposing their lives in ways that I don't' often see. I have never felt so seen in an anthology and learn so much about other people's journey.

Some bullet points on why you should read:

-one of the best anthologies I’ve read this year. Which, admittedly, would mean more if I had read more than three anthologies in total. BUT if I compile a list of all the anthologies I’ve read in the past, say, six years, this would still rank pretty high. So there

- aesthetically charming scenes including and not limited to donkeys against sunsets, cigars in teacups
a journey through multiple countries, generations, and families that you’ve never met but ring with notes of familiarity

- the wonderful and confounding dichotomy of families, ubiquitous regardless of culture or time. Families driving you insane. Families keeping you sane. Family being your greatest disappointment and your greatest joy. Leaving your family only to return like a rubberbanded slingshot
- not all are feel-good stories about embracing culture and family. Some seep anger and uncertainty–a non-sugarcoated look into hardship and life in the Trump administration. What next? When will it get better?


- Alaya Dawn Johnson having fun with words (“Bones exist not of themselves but as representations of potential, past or future. They are a being reduced to its bleached essence. But it is flesh, so briefly animated, that makes those bones dance, resplendent in gold and jade. It is hope, and then death.”) Her story was, unsurprisingly, one of my favourites

- Tío Reynaldo (Isabel Quintero’s “From Golden State”) and his eternal youth and eyes that see beyond the dark

- tidbit truths about immigrant life that hit you hard (“To have families in two countries is to have part of yourself missing”)

- the fact that, for many readers, the first Korean idiom they’ll learn is one involving butt hairs. All hail Maurene Goo

[review posted on November 9th 2020]

Come On In, 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home, by Adi Alsaid
Inkyard Press
Pub Date 13 Oct 2020

This is an incredibly emotional and engaging set of stories all focusing immigration. Covering a wide variety of experiences, each story is an unflinching look at the excitement, fear, joy, and hope that young people experience when moving to a new country, or, experience as the children of immigrants returning to a country to visit family. Timely, impressive, and beautifully put together, Come On In is a collection that belongs on every Library shelf.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The stories in Come On In are each unique and that is one of the things that makes this collection so important for young readers. The "immigrant experience" is not defined by a single story. Collections like Come On In expose young readers to the diversity that is alive in our communities.