In general this was a solid collection. I enjoyed the majority of stories within the collection and I had a good time reading them. I really liked The Trip by Sona Charaipotra, which is about a girl who's stopped at the airport due to how she looks and what's on her passport. It was truly heartbreaking to go through all the emotions the main character goes through and the way Charaipotra is able to convey that through her writing was amazing. I also liked The Curandera and The Alchemist by Maria E. Andreu, a story about a teenage girl who's an undocumented immigrant and struggling with what that means for her future. Another well told and powerful story.

Unfortunately my least favorite in the collection was When I Was White by Justine Larbalestier. It was about a white Irish Australian who was brought over to Harlem, NY by a Black man. There is a weird (inappropriate?) power dynamic between the main character and her love interest because she is 16 and he is a grown man. The story just felt incredibly out of place and had a heavy focus on Blackness being... a state of mind? It was very weird to me, especially considering who it was written by.

Overall the other stories ranged from okay to great and the story I just mentioned was the only one I straight up disliked so I'd still recommend the collection as a whole and I can definitely see other immigrant kids finding themselves in any one of the stories.

I think short stories are much harder to write well than novels or longer pieces.

You have to accomplish the same goals in far fewer words.This anthology

was a bit uneven but overall each of the stories had an impact.I think every

story can help build empathy for the plight of all immigrants. I am not an

immigrant but these stories helped to show a view I would not otherwise be able to see.

This is such a great warming collection of stories. It has everything like happiness and sadness, joy etc...
This is one good journey and gives so many perspective towards every one story.
Overall I just loved this one!!!

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Indie Bookstore.

Faces with a hostile world full of TSA agents, ICE officials, and xenophobic general population, it's easy to see why the first and second generation teenagers in Adi Al Said's new collection "Come On In" feel overwhelmed. As a first generation immigrant myself, I related so closely to the narratives provided within these stories - tales of children growing up faster than they should, maturing to take care of elderly family members and community. At the same time, I can't help but be struck by the incredible strength of these fierce protagonists. My favorite was Isabel Quintero's piece. Without a guide, without much help, they were making it happen by the sheer force of their will. That, to me, is the ultimate beauty of the immigrant America - by the crook of sheer desire, all things become slowly possible. A deeply moving collection!

This book is packed with heartwarming and touching stories about immigrants. As a first generation immigrant myself, I found that I could relate to nearly every story in this anthology to some degree or another which is rare. Some of these stories hold experiences very close to my own and seeing myself reflected in them is what makes me cherish this book more.

A timely, well-curated anthology, featuring contributions from some of the best voices in YA. All of the contributors are either immigrants or the children of immigrants, making this an Own Voices anthology. Some standouts: "Confessions of an Ecuadorkian" by Zoraida Córdova, "Family Everything" by Yamile Saied Méndez, "The Trip" by Sona Charaipotra.

Trigger Warnings: racism, violence, and mentions of bombing.

“You see, I have been haphazardly saying goodbye to everything-even to the stones in the backyards-but only at this moment do I realize the immensity of goodbye. 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. I don’t know. I haven’t lived long enough or experienced enough to have the answers.”

Come On In immediately drew me in with the premise of anthology by 15 POC authors writing about fictional stories of immigrants and their version of goodbyes and saying hello to a country that is foreign to them. And even though I didn’t overly love Come On In, I still definitely recommend it to everyone and to every kind of reader in any age group. And heres why:

Read it for the incredible writing of the contributors like Sara Farizan and Nafiza Azad. Their lyrical and melancholic short stories from the said authors made the whole reading experience of this book worth it. Read it for the heartbreakingly funny take of Yamile Saied Méndez and Maureen Goo about the joy and and struggles that comes with being a children of immigrant parents.

I wasn’t able to give the anthology a full 5 star rating and that didn’t mean that I hated the book at all, its just there was a lot of stories that felt so unfinished. I understand they are “short” stories, however, if stories by some of the contributors left me with longing (in a good way) and made me relate to their characters even if I’m not an immigrant myself, then that’s saying something. I expect for the other stories to leave me with that feeling too but they didn’t.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this anthology as a whole even with some miss from other contributors. The stories are worth reading and the book is worth recommending. Read it and take a peek at the struggles that immigrants are facing whether they are the kid or the parent. Are you the immigrant in this story? The parent that silently suffers and putting a brave face for your kid? Are you the friend of the immigrant that is trying to see things on their perspective to gain understanding and to be a better friend? Either way, read this book to learn that there isn’t just ONE narrative when it comes to being an immigrant and that every kind of story is worth hearing.

I'm a simple girl - I see a collection of short stories, and I instantly want to read it.

I've been reading YA short story collections since I was about 13 years old and I can safely say, I am insanely happy at how the quality and diversity of them has gone up as the years have gone on. I know that if I'd given this to my younger self, she would've eaten it right up, because the stories in it are truly written beautifully and I'm super grateful to have been given a copy of this to review. Would highly, highly recommend to anyone who loves short stories.

COME ON IN is an anthology of stories by various authors regarding their first or second generation immigrant experience. The one that really stood out to me was the one written by Sona Charaipotra, where the main character is going on a school trip and is detained by TSA for being suspicious (she's Kashmiri).

This one really struck me because it was relatable. Even as a tiny, short teen that looks more like a 12 year old than an almost-adult, somehow TSA deems her a threat just because of her country of origin, where she hasn't ever even visited since she moved to Jersey.

Even in only like ten pages, Charaipotra does a phenomenal job describing the pain of the main character as she's detained in an airport without her passport or any of her luggage. Every page felt like forever as time to her boarding period slowly ticked away. It was so well written and I would love to read more of Charaipotra's works after this.

This is an excellent compilation of great stories of immigration that need to be read and shared over and over. Now is the time.

<i>Come On In</i> is a collection of short, poignant stories focused on diverse immigrant perspectives. I don't typically read short story collections because I find myself frustrated and wanting more just as each story ends, but the selection of authors and the central topic made me eager to pick this book up. I'm glad I did; <i>Come On In</i> is wonderful.

What made <i>Come On In</i> work for me where other short stories have failed? The stories are <i>really</i> short. They are bite-sized glimpses into the protagonists' worlds. I never fell so deeply into a storyline that I was disappointed that it ended; each felt like it was neatly wrapped up to a natural, un-rushed conclusion. And, somehow, each story is written with enough depth that I cared about each character and learned something about each culture. I appreciate that so many perspectives are included, each pulled from the author's personal cultural connection.

This collection is timely. Many of the stories touch on the specific challenges of immigration in the last decade. And while not every story takes place in current day, the experiences are deeply relevant and feel timeless in their telling. Highly recommended.

<b>Favorite quotes:</b>
<i>"'That's my sister, Tara,' I said, nodding in her direction. 'She's allergic to joy but Mom says that's because of something called hormones.'"</i> - Sara Farizan

<i>"She's hopeful too, not American every-problem-has-a-solution hopeful, but I've-seen-worse hopeful."</i> - Sara Farizan

<i>"What a difference the verbs made, Shmuli though, as the plane touched down. Fleeing, leaving, moving. The world seemed to have very different reactions to each, somehow hating people more the less choice they had.
"If you had options and chose the United States, could afford the visas and the tuition, you were the right kind of immigrant. If the only choice you had was to leave or die, to maybe die in the act of leaving, to live a harder life than everyone else in the new country, well, then, you were a scourge."</i> - Adi Alsaid

Reading Come On In, edited by Adi Alsaid, a collection of short stories (anthology) from fifteen YA authors, as an American of privilege has been an unforgettable experience, especially during an election year, where it is clear that there are a multitude of divides and polarization that exist throughout my hometown, county, state, and country. With superb writing examples from stories dealing with the adverse effects of immigration from a wide variety of people of varying cultures and backgrounds, Come On In has the perfect story for every reader, and while there were several short stories that I enjoyed, “The Wedding” by Sara Farizan stood out to me, in particular, with its depiction of a big family wedding and the special relationship between a granddaughter and her grandfather. Another short story that stood out to me was “Where I’m From” by Misa Sugiura, which deals with painful childhood experiences in a manner that questions and celebrates the complex topic, “Where are you really from?” All in all, as an educator, I recommend that teachers encourage the use of discourse, dialogue, and social action when utilizing short stories from Come On In with their students, through a social justice lens.

A warm-hearted and much-appreciated thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy! Please make sure to pick up a copy of Come On In at your local book depository.

Firstly I want to thank hear our voices and Netgalley for sending me a review copy of the ebook!

Come on in is an anthology about the real life struggles of immigration with 15 fictional stories from 15 different authors around the world.

Personally Im not an immigrant but I have relatives who are and this book helped me get a look in to what they might have experienced, thought and felt.
This book is a perfect read if you want to have a look in to the world from other peoples perspectives and widen your understanding of what other people have and is currently going through.

Come on in by Adi Alsaid is the perfect book if you want to pick up a book for a short amount of time and then continue later. Despite this the book will make you want to read and read on until you've finished the book completely.
It will make your emotions go on a rollercoaster in a good way. One second I felt like I wanted to cry and the next I wanted to laugh.
The book also does a good job in making you sympathise with the characters and make you think about how our world is constructed.
It also makes you realize what is happening everyday in our world even when we don't think about it.

So in conclusion if you want to read a hard-hitting book that also makes you laugh and think about the world, Come on in by Adi Alsaid is the right choice!

Thanks again to Hear Our Voices for the E-ARC.

This book is an excellent and diverse collection of moving stories. We are purchasing this text in a small batch for junior grades.

Wonderful anthology that represents what it is like to be an immigrant in the United States and remembering that not every single person shares the same story.

I really enjoyed this short story anthology! So many of the stories used creative writing style choices, and all of them thematically worked really well together. I would definitely recommend picking up this book!

I liked that this was a book of short stories so I got to experience different backgrounds and experiences. The authors did a good job of sucking you in and giving you a hint of the characters personality. In a majority of the stories, I was left in wanting to read more of the story and was disappointed when I got to the end. I think the authors did a good job of writing the characters as more than their immigration status or background but also discussing their feelings with either the regular life events going on like an average person. I think it was important to see the multiple of identity and to see the characters navigate in being "American" while also being their native origin. I liked that I felt the emotions the characters were feeling and the authors made you feel empathetic for the characters regardless of your background. Lastly, I loved to see but was also sadden to the way the authors incorporated the honest feeling of having to do your best in the U.S. to honor the sacrifices that were made to have more available resources. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something that is not the usual read because not does it have the contemporary aspect and the growing pains that every hound adult has but it brings to life what immigrants, first generation, and second generations Americans are going through.

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I began to read, Come On In, but what I found was a compilation of own voices tales that were eye opening, heartfelt, inspiring, and much of the time, far too short. There were several of these short stories that I found myself wishing were complete novels, I didn't want them to end where they did, I longed to see what else lie ahead for the characters within. You will walk away from this book with a list of new authors to check out, and with a new empathy for the journey taken by those immigrating to new countries.

I'm always looking for relevant and recent short stories to bring into my classroom, so when I saw this pop up on NetGalley, I requested it immediately.

Each piece in this collection features a YA protagonist dealing with the immigrant experience. These stories range from characters coming to America and leaving their countries behind, dealing with racial profiling or racial discrimination as immigrant in America, reconciling the cultural expectations with their own cultural identity, and struggling to understand the convoluted and unfair immigration system of the US. All of the pieces are immensely relevant as both windows into the lives of those facing these issues, and mirrors of the experiences so many teenagers in America must face day to day.

[Insert required caveat that anthologies are difficult to rate here]. Yes, they are difficult to rate as a collection, but I'm pretty solidly at a three star rating for the pieces overall. I kept track of my "star rating" for each piece and averaged it to about a three (with only one 1 star review, a whole slew of 3s, and a couple of 4s & 5s). I always tell my students that I think short stories are much harder to write well than novels or longer pieces. You have to accomplish the same goals in far fewer words, and that economy can often lead to sparse character development or an unfinished feeling at the end. While many of these pieces were centered around thematic ideas, I still feel like many of them could have thought more about the ending or created less "plot-driven" stories.

That being said, I can see a number of these stories being great for the classroom or just as a companion piece to a novel or non-fiction text. I really enjoyed "All the Colors of Goodbye" by Nafiza Azad, "A Bigger Tent" by Maurene Goo, and "When I Was White" by Justine Larbalestier. I thought these three pieces were narratively tight/complete, had great prose or clean writing, and good character development.

What works best about this anthology, however, is its ability to educate students (and adults) about the many struggles facing immigrants in this country. I think too often immigration narratives tend to be portrayed or thought of in one way, but this collection dismantles that idea. It has made me reconsider how I expose my students to Latinx perspectives especially -- how many other teachers feel like they treat the entirety of this culture as a single entity and don't know how to represent all the different cultures, countries, and people that the word represents? I'll definitely be putting this on my list for kids to choose on their independent research projects in the future.

Powerful anthology of short stories by YA authors exploring the varied immigrant experience. Each story engages and explores emotions through a teen or YA character's perspective. Thanks to Adi Alsaid, Inkyard Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.