This was a particularly moving anthology. i loved being able to see a mix between authors that I'm already familiar with and ones that I haven't had any experience with before.

This book is a gem!! I devoured it, and can’t wait to discover more from each and every author within the pages. Come On In is a collection of short stories that revolve around the theme of immigration, written by 15 different YA authors. I picked up the book because I saw Isabel Quintero’s name, and I love everything that she has written, but I discovered so many more authors!! In this collection we read about leaving one’ s country of birth, about growing up first generation in the US, about teaching ESL, about BP checkpoints, the Muslim Ban, and being held by agents at the airport. We read about learning to love one’s family and traditions, trying to “fit in”, and about traveling to one’s new home from places like Fiji, Mexico, India, Venezuela, and Korea, among others. Each story is very different, but each story comes back to the same theme of immigration, and finding one’s home, both topics that I am extremely familiar with.

Edited by Adi Alsaid, this collection contains stories by Yamile Saied Méndez, Zoraida Córdova, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Maurene Goo, Justine Larbalestier, Sona Charaipotra, Nafiza Azad, Maria E. Andreu, Misa Sugiura, Sharon Morse, Sara Farizan, Varsha Bajaj, Lilliam Rivera, Isabel Quintero, and the editor himself.

I cried several times reading these stories. While many of us come from different countries, our experiences are often overlapping and similar. In All The Colors Of Goodbye, Nafiza Azad depicts how a family has to leave one of their children behind because he is 21 or over: I was that child who was left behind. “You see, the people who decide who gets to go say he is too old to be considered a dependent of the family, as if age determines the bond a person has with their relatives. The government of this new country we are moving to won’t let him come with us, so my parents decided that he is old enough to be left alone.”

And from The Wedding by Sara Farizan: “I wondered how many people might not find the love of their lives because they were not allowed to live in certain countries.” My partner and I would never have met each other and created our own family if we had both followed the rules imposed on us. I’m glad we didn’t, but at the same time I also wonder how this will all affect our children.

I highlighted so many more areas: phrases I related to, phrases that I want to remember, moments that are important and that we all need to remember. This really is such a rich collection of stories, and one I recommend to everyone (to those who will relate to many of the protagonists, but also to those who would benefit from learning more about what it feels like to constantly be searching for home).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Come on In is an anthology full of immigrant story experiences. You go through each story of pain, happiness and unique journeys. From saying goodbye not knowing it will be your last in your country to a joy ride that causes a stressful emotional roller coaster. Come on In is a book everyone should pick up and read.

While each story has such a powerful plot and message, the story that resonated most with me was Salvation of the Sea by Lilliam Rivera. The story follows two friends and is told through the narrative of Leticia’s friend. Leticia, a proud Guatemalan and a child of immigrant parents, is always worried about her parents. As the raids get closer to home, Leticia mentioned her increased worry in regard to the raids. The narrator, who is Puerto Rican, had moved to California. Although born in the United States, she was still a proud Puerto Rican. After watching Thelma and Louise for the unknown time, the two set eyes towards day trip to Salvation Mountain. The two girls have it all planned out – a 2-hour drive filled with snacks and music. Nothing could make them worry, right?

As the presence of ICE becomes more present in their neighborhood, it becomes increasingly obvious that the police officers will pull over anyone who is brown and who they assume to a ‘person of interest’ in their books. After a saving conversation about being cousins and Puerto Rico being their home, the girls set off home, but not without coming out of that situation as to very different people.

This story was hard to read because it is so present in our lives. As a Puerto Rican, I constantly am reminded that although I am Latina, I am able to walk through the United States without fear of being deported. I acknowledge that everyday and this story reminded me that I should always remember that and do what I can to make sure those who live in fear get to a point of living just as freely as myself. As mentioned before, I resonated most with this story because of how I can relate to being the narrator and understanding that while it may be sometimes a hard pill to swallow, there are people I know who are living each day as fully as possible not knowing if it will be their last in this country [US]. Leticia’s story is important because it reminds us that everyday there are people out there think about this, whose identity is to hide while trying to live a semi-normal life.

I enjoyed the narration of this story because it gave Leticia a platform to show us all the emotions she faces on a daily basis. She expressed her worry towards her parents, her anger towards knowing her friend could easily walk through a street, get stopped and go on about her day because of what she was, who she was. It is a raw and powerful story and one we hear but often forget the impact of each painful tale.

In regard to the characters, I absolutely loved the friendship between Leticia and the narrator. They were not only friends, they were sisters bound by their rich differing cultures, their opposite personalities and their mostly shared lived experiences. The friendship was real and honest – something you don’t see often when addressing important topics like the one the story tells.

Overall, each story is a masterpiece on its own and together a force to be reckoned with. Each story will bring you joy, will cause your tear ducts to malfunction [in a good way] and will make you appreciate each and every person you have met who was comfortable enough to finally share their story. Each story is important and should be respected and cherished in that regard.

Get ready to jump in, you are in for an experience!

Come On In by Adi Alsaid is a great YA book that adults will also enjoy. The collection of short stories in this book provides a variety of experiences and points of view from various authors. The real experiences of immigration and struggles with racial identities presented here will give readers varying perspectives. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anthologies are always so hard to rate. Every single reader will like some stories more than others, and those stories can vary depending on the reader. I loved that this anthology really makes the reader think and feel what it must be like to move to a country other than the one you were born in (or your parents were born in). I think every story can help build empathy for the plight of all immigrants. I do wish I had a firmer grasp on what was fiction, what was nonfiction, and what was fiction based on personal experience. I'd probably rate this 3.5 stars overall.

I'm participating in the pre-publication blog tour for this book, so I'm very grateful to ...Hear Our Voices BT for giving me the chance to be part of this movement and also for allowing me to talk about a book with such important content as this one.

This is a very powerful book that shows you some stories told by authors from around the world who have experienced themselves or their families through immigration due to different factors and they reflect it in each of these fictional stories. I really loved it, I really enjoyed the experience of reading each story and being able to learn more about the immigration experiences of many families from different parts of the world, I think that reading this book is a process that will open your eyes in some way and It really puts you in the shoes of each one of them, being able to feel all the emotions that surround their stories. Such great work!


I've decided to do something different with this review since it's special, so what I'll do is share with you a series of mini-experiences and mini-thoughts of most of the stories, which I wrote as soon as I finished reading each one of them, in this way, I hope I can give you my honest and real thoughts in a brief but clear and above all, super respectful way. Also, I'll share with you several gifs in this review since I promised to do Review in 5 Gifs, but if you've already read my reviews in the past you know that I LOVE adding gifs, so this will not be something new & last but not least, I'll be giving an #ownvoices Reflection on my more detailed thoughts on the story "Family Everything" by Yamile Saied Mendez, since as an Argentine myself, it's the story that I can connect the most and feel identified with.

Before starting, I want to clarify that I've never experienced immigration myself, but some of my family members did, as I think in most Latinx families, so I can give my opinion from that side and also above all, I want to focus on my country as such and in my people, customs and culture.


🌿 "All The Colors of Goodbye" by Nafiza Azad

(Fiji Characters) This story is beautifully written, the author has an almost poetic style, that I love completely and even though it was obviously very short, I could feel each of the feelings that the author tried to convey. From the uncertainty of the trip to the pain of saying goodbye and leaving the people you love behind, above all, you feel the meaning of family. I really loved it.
5/5 🌟


🌿 "The Wedding" by Sara Farizan

(Persian & Turkish Characters) I really liked this story especially because of the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter, which is a factor that will always be a great weakness in me, I think this relationship is portrayed in an adorable way, and like how Grandpa's mind works, it's so sweet to his granddaughter. On the other hand, it's very interesting and important to know more about Iran and how his grandfather must live apart from his family. The wedding factor isn't one of my favorite settings, but still, the characters are wonderful and I was able to enjoy it.
3.5/5 🌟


🌿 "Where I'm From" by Misa Sugiura

(Japanese Characters) I think this story is eye-opening and quite painful to read, but it's also super important to see the point of view of a young girl fighting against the stereotypes imposed by others towards her. I liked exploring how she feels and what things are triggers for her, on the other hand, I don't like the main character very much because of the derogatory way in which she refers to her culture, but at the same time, I don't think I'm the right person to judge this story as such, this is just my perception of it and the truth is that it made me feel quite uncomfortable reading it, which is also positive because it takes me out of my comfort zone and leaves me thinking, and on the other hand negative because it's painful to see the behavior of this girl towards her parents and towards herself.
3/5 🌟


🌿 "Salvation and the Sea" by Lilliam Rivera

(Guatemala & Puerto Rico's Characters) This story fully and honestly shows how hard it is to live in the United States as a Latinx and how this can affect your entire life to the point that you fear for your safety and your family's, It also touches on the issue of the relationship with the police and how conflictive this is. I think it's heartbreaking, but it's also necessary to read and be aware that this is something that happens today. I loved it, especially for the relationship between the two girls and their desire to be free.
4/5 🌟


🌿 "Volviendome" by Dawn Johnson

(DC Character moving to Mexico) This story is probably the one I liked the least, but I don't want to say that it doesn't have a special impact, because it does, especially because of the main character's relationship with men, how she has had to deal with herself and create a new belief system.
3/5 🌟


🌿 "The Trip" by Sona Charaipotra

(Indian Characters) I still feel so bad about everything Sarika, the main character, had to go through just for wanting to take a flight. Seeing how the people who had to defend her mistreated and denigrated her, just because of her birthplace, breaks my heart. This is a story very well told since from the beginning you can put yourself in the place of the character and go through all the emotions with her, from her excitement to take that trip for the first time alone without her parents, to the horror of being imprisoned and deprived of her passport. Such great work by the author that will open your eyes a lot and leaves you something to think about.
5/5 🌟

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🌿 "The Curandera and The Alchemist" by Maria E. Andreu

(Mexican Characters) WOW, this story is really heartbreaking and excellently written, I felt super close to the characters in a very short period of time and I could feel 100% committed to the story. Once again, seeing the hardest and most difficult side of being Latinx in the United States breaks my heart, especially when the police want to take advantage of it. Like the characters in this story, the future of thousands of Latinxs who immigrate to the United States seeking a better life for their families is uncertain. I adore the author's style, so I'll be reading more of her in the future.
5/5 🌟


🌿 "A Bigger Tent" by Maureene Goo

(Korean Characters) This story is so beautiful, and I love how it focuses on the family with everything and its flaws, but with all the love they feel for each other. It's also super realistic and shows both the negative and the strength of parents' struggle to give their children a better life. I love it, I think the author's style is super light, so I would like to try something of her in the future.
4/5 🌟


🌿 "First Words" by Varsha Bajaj

(Indian Characters) Loved this story, it gives us a super real and honest look at immigration and the process of adapting to a new life, a new place, school, and friends. It also shows us the journey of people from India to the United States in search of better medical treatments, which is a highly important approach to discuss. It's very well told from the POV of Priya, the main character, and the truth is that I would continue reading about her and her family, especially about her adorable little brother.
5/5 🌟


🌿 "When I Was White" by Justine Larbalestier

This story doesn't have a clear connection with the others, in fact, it seems to me that it is something completely different, this time we follow a romantic historical fiction, where a young woman from Australia goes to live in Harlem. I didn't feel too close to the characters, but I think it was due to the writing style that didn't resonate with me, because the story itself becomes very interesting, especially it's interesting to explore the life of this young white woman living within a black community and the dynamics of it.
2/5 🌟


🌿 "Hard to Say" by Sharon Morse

(Venezuela's Characters) I loved this story, it's about a girl who came to live in the United States from a small age when she was only 6 years old, so she completely forgot to speak in Spanish, and now she feels frustrated because she cannot communicate with her grandparents, who will now live with them due to the economic situation in Venezuela. I loved the way they began to communicate through the painting which was very nice.
4.5/5 🌟


🌿 "Conffessions of an Ecuadorkian" by Zoraida Cordoba

(Ecuador's Characters) OMG, I love this story, I think it doesn't talk about immigration in a very detailed way, but it does focus on the family and I love that the main character tells her story in the form of a letter to Yoda, it's very funny and original. The author's writing style is wonderful, superfluid, and beautiful, I couldn't stop reading.
5/5 🌟


🌿 "From Golden State" by Isabel Quientero
3/5 🌟

🌿 "Fleeing, Leaving, Moving" by Adi Alsaid
3/5 🌟


🌿 "Family Everything" by Yamile Saied Mendez

(Argentinian Characters) When you belong to the place and live in the culture the character you read belongs to, all of a sudden you can feel incredibly close, and emotional. I liked this story, I think the author has decided to focus more on the family as such and on the dreams of this young girl who moved out to study abroad, along with the possibilities that this brings, but also with the struggles within the family and herself for leaving the place where she grew up. For us Argentines, the family is super important, but I think that's for all Latinxs in general, right? my family has taught me that family is everything and in this story we see how the decision and the opportunity Ayelen have to go live elsewhere to grow and help her family, in fact, it ends up being a topic of debate for everyone, where different types of opinions are raised. Knowing the point of view of Ayelen's godfather about her departure was very interesting for me since I think it's a position that many people here take in front of the possibility of leaving your own country, her godfather thinks it's dangerous and has this mentality that if she would like to work or study, she could do it in her own country where she's safe and closer to her people. And I know many people have this opinion, personally, I think it's something interesting to discuss. I personally, Sofi myself, I think that no matter where you come from or where you go, you'll always take a part of your home with you, and your cultures will always be there, you know? In a deeper conversation, I know that many people think that if you leave your country you're "betraying your country" or something like that, and I don't think so, I would love to travel, it's something I plan to do, and of course, I would live in other places, whatever the case, I'll always be Argentina no matter where I'm and I feel very proud to be a Latina and to have grown up in a chaotic but always loving family that has given me only the best they could. I've grown up in a family of very strong Latinas women who has taught me to dream and believe in what my heart tells me despite what the rest think and it's so important to keep that in mind, so my heart goes out to all my Latinxs who must suffer discrimination living in other countries when they only seek a better life for their family.
We honestly need to give our youth a better education, and that we begin to see people and dreams instead of colors and borders. To sum it up, I feel super proud of this incredible author who has put into words many beautiful things of our culture in such a short story, and above all has shown us that regardless of conflict and differences, family comes first.
5/5 🌟


I hope you decide to give this anthology a chance, I think it's very important to know these perspectives to open our minds and our eyes to the diversity of reality around the world and learn to be more understanding and supportive.

I’m a fan of Adi Alsaid as a novelist. This cemented my fandom. Aside from a year teaching abroad, I’ve basically lived within 250 miles of where I was born for my entire life. My early 20s were littered annual change of address forms, as I moved from shared accommodation to shared accommodation. & I thought that was rough I can’t pretend to fathom the depth of angst and anxiety, sorrow and fear imparted by the immigration experience. This anthology does a good job of helping build empathy & some degree of understanding for outsiders. This would be a perfect anthology to have in a classroom. There are multiple inroads for analysis and building human connection.

There were so many beautiful stories from all different perspectives in this anthology. As someone who is the child of immigrants I found there were so many things relatable in these stories. Especially in these tough times in this country teens need to hear these voices.

"Come On In’, a collection of stories based on the collective human experience of immigration, focusses on every aspect of it- pain, stress, grief and loss of one’s identity. These stories strike a chord because of the themes they represent. While parents make most of the decisions when it comes to immigration (legal or not), it is the children who have to adjust the most, leaving behind the land and the language they were born into. Likewise, kids born to immigrant parents fail to find their identity and struggle to establish a home for themselves.

'Where I’m From’ by Misa Sugiura is all about the stereotypes a child, who has left her land of origin has to face, thus leading them to want to associate themselves with their culture. The dilemma continues as the child is now confused about their current citizenship and past life. In ‘When I Was White’ by Justine Larbalestier an Irish girl is tricked into marrying a Black man and relocate to Harlem Street. She is them asked to start living like a respectable Negro woman, in exchange for acceptance in society.

‘The Curandera & the Alchemist’ by Maria E. Andreu highlights the yearnings and hopelessness of a child, now living in America without valid papers. She loses her motivation to go about her life because one wrong decision might lead to detention and jail. ‘The Wedding’ by Sara Farizan is a bright and sunny tale of a marriage between an American man and a Persian woman, and that the acceptance of one another’s future is of utmost importance for harmony and happiness.

As an #OwnVoices reader, I was deeply affected by two stories from Indian-American authors- ‘The Trip’ by Sona Charaipotra and ‘First Words’ by Varsha Bajaj. ‘The Trip’ is the story of a teenager in an airport, with an American passport. The intense scrutiny and psychological torture she undergoes is because of her place of birth- Kashmir, an area flagged by most countries. ‘First Words’ hits home with its description of the typical Indian mentality- America will solve all problems. This family leaves everything behind in order to give a better life to their deaf son, but it is their firstborn daughter who is affected most by the migration, eventually losing her will to speak unless absolutely necessary.

‘Come On In’ is all about strength and courage, the immensity of it when the family in question is an immigrant. There’s so much to lose, proportionate to their desire to adopt this new land as their own. With unique voices, this collection holds a plethora of experiences, to be read and understood and to work on ourselves and the society to give these families a better and loving future.

“They clung to this land, mixing their blood and their sweat with the soil, wanting to belong to it and wanting it to belong to them.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the copy of Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home in exchange for my review!


Come On In is a brilliant anthology featuring stories about immigrants and their families. This is a beautiful #ownvoices collection that brought me to tears, filled me with laughter, and reignited hope within me. In these pages you’ll find so many different, unique stories that are just a glimpse into the varied experiences of immigrants from around the globe. I had high hopes for this book and it still blew me away.

Writing a specific review for an anthology can be difficult since so many different styles and stories come into play, so I’m just going to say that you should absolutely pick this one up when it comes out on October 13th! I know I’ll be getting my own physical copy then!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Hear Our Voices Book Tours, Netgalley, and Inkyard Press for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Usually I review an anthology as a whole, and my rating is an average of how I felt about all the stories together, but for this one I would like to focus more on a specific story. I decided to do this because I had the opportunity to interview Misa Sugiura, and this story had a special connection to me as someone part-Japanese.

The one thing about the short stories in anthologies is that: THEY ARE TOO SHORT! Yes, that’s is the point of anthologies, and yes, we all know that it’s going to be full of short stories from your favorite and new-to-you authors, but man if I wasn’t craving more from Misa Sugiura after reading WHERE I’M FROM. There were so many experiences in that story that I’ve either experienced firsthand, or have heard my family go through. I could feel the emotion in each scene, and there was a part of me that almost felt ashamed. No, it was full shame, because there were instances where the main character Eriko would have a blunt, almost harsh opinion about her Japanese classmate in 8th grade that it just broke my heart. I can’t lie and say that there wasn’t a time where I agreed with Eriko, and thought that it was okay to not be “that kind” of Japanese, the “kind” that was born and raised there, that recently moved to the United States and had to assimilate into American life or risk being lost in the shuffle. Like being “that kind” of Japanese was wrong, or not as good.

“But I felt even sorrier for myself. Miho was exactly the kind of person that I feared everyone saw when they looked at me: weird, awkward, foreign. Japanese.”

Guardian Angel
It hurts that Eriko and Miho were made to believe that being Japanese was wrong. That it was not desirable or worth being treated like a human being.

To think that I was ever ignorant enough to think that makes me extremely disappointed in my younger self. But it also makes me proud that I was able to mature and grow and realize that nothing is wrong with being who you are, where you’re from. Absolutely nothing. And for those that aim to make you feel worthless because of it, they aren’t worth your time or energy. It’s hard to ignore hurtful things that people say about you, whether they are valid or completely unfounded, but it’s the way that we react to those things, and how we carry ourselves moving forward that will determine the kind of people we are. People pay attention to how you treat others, and as long as you know that you treat people with respect and dignity, even if they don’t extend that same courtesy to you, then you are doing the right thing. You are going to be okay.

I cried while reading this story, and by the time this was over, I was proud to be Japanese again. I like to think that I was always proud to be what I am, all ethnicities, all races, everything about me. But then I remember that people made me feel inadequate, stupid, wrong because of what I am. Because I wasn’t like them. I don’t ever want to feel that way again. I don’t ever want anyone to make me feel that way again. And I never want anyone else to feel that way, and even though I can’t stop the world, I can still do what I can to make sure that those around me are always proud to be who they are. Unapologetically them.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

These stories were so beautifully told. Each author gave a piece about how being in a new country shaped a character, a relative, or themselves. I enjoyed reading each piece and the feelings that were going through to either be accepted by family or friends. I think this would be a great anthology to add to any library collection. I will certainly add it to mine.

I received an electronic ARC from Inkyard Press through NetGalley.
Powerful anthology of short stories that share the immigrant experience in the US. Each author has a story to tell from their own immigrant voice. A wide variety of writing styles and messages all uniting to share how important each person's life story is.

love anthologies and this one from YA authors about the immigration experience hit very close to home, as someone who immigrated with my family when I was 2. In "All the colors of Goodbye" and "First Words", we read about the act of putting all of your belongings in one (or if you're lucky, two) bags to move to another country entirely. In my family, we even had a name for this type of bag, that you could zip up to make 3-4 ft tall - the "immigration bag" is what we fondly called it. I used that bag to go back and forth to college all 4 years. I shed tears while reading "The Wedding", where a grandchild acknowledges the work and sacrifice of a grandparent in front of a wedding gathering. And I LOVED reading Maureen Goo's story, "A Bigger Tent" that starts with a popular Korean saying about laughing and crying at the same time and a hair growing out of your butt (now you really have to read it, right?). My kids might not speak a lot of Korean but they both know that saying! Her story definitely had laughs and tears. It's a story about family and recognizing where and what home means, even if your heart desires someplace else at times. Going on the camping trip with Goo's family felt like I was camping with my own. And I saw my own attitudes mirrored in this story - one of impatience at times but ultimately, loving the family I have and appreciating their craziness at times! What I love about anthologies is that it gives such a snapshot of stories in one place and one book I highly recommend is Charlie Chan is Dead, an anthology of Asian American fiction. It's the first book in high school I read by Asian Americans, in English! That may not sound earth shattering now but it was a life changing moment for me when I found the collection of stories. And to read that there were many authors, not just one, made me feel like I was part of a community. That's something I really love about anthologies. Another anthology I love to recommend is This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Another life changing moment, this time in college, as I read from women of color. I didn't know if feminism was for me as I started my studies in women's studies. But after reading this anthology, I found voices like mine, who considered topics the way I did, and it brought me such comfort. I think Come On In is also that type of anthology and because it is written by YA authors, it will appeal to so many different readers. I can see this as a wonderful addition to the high schools I work for, that have large immigrant populations. To read stories and to feel seen is such a powerful moment, as I've experienced myself.

Thank you @hearourvoicestours for the #gifted eARC of this book, coming out Oct. 13

You know a book is going to be good when you start SOBBING while reading chapter one. 😅 And that was me reading Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Hope, a powerful anthology that explores all the struggle, grief and success of immigrant stories.

I was just a couple pages in, reading the first story, when I started sobbing uncontrollably. And that was NOT the only time I cried. I ended up bawling my eyes out in SEVEN different occasions (and tearing up a lot more). So to say I that I loved the book and that I was touched is a massive understatement.

I adored the book. I felt seen, heard, represented. I saw my family reflected in those pages. I saw my story. My culture. My struggles. My people. And I really wish everyone could read it.

Some of my favorite stories were:

1. All the Colors of Goodbye, by Nafiza Azad – A story about goodbyes and leaving behind your land and your people with the hope of finding a better future. When I tell you I SOBBED while reading this story... Well, I literally SOBBED. I felt the longing, the pain, the grief, all of it. Now I want to read everything that Nafiza Azad puts out.

2. The Trip, by Sona Charaipotra – Here I was, sobbing again, my heart broken, reading about the experience of Sarika Shah, a student detained at an airport, humiliated and practically accused of being a terrorist because of how she looks and where her family is from. I felt all the fear and anger along with her.

3. The Curandera and the Alchemist, by Maria E. Andreu – A story of how ICE destroys dreams and families, targeting people that are trying to learn English. It’s a story about the fear of never knowing if you’ll be next.  

4. A Bigger Tent, by Maurene Goo –When I say I saw my family reflected here … I mean… It’s a Korean family, but I felt SEEN. Just read it and you’ve met my family. 🤣 I laughed out loud.

5. First Words, by Varsha Bajaj – This is a celebration of books and fictional characters and how real they are to bookworms, how they help us, and how they make sure we’re never alone.

6. Family Everything, by Yamile Saied Méndez – Also cried here. But for different reasons. When  I read the words “come on in”, with an immigrant having an actual positive and welcoming experience of coming to the US… I broke down crying, because in this book (and in the actual real world we’re living), that’s something rare. This story felt like a refreshing gulp of water in the desert. I couldn’t get enough of it.

7. Hard to Say, by Sharon Morse – How about when youre Latinx but can’t speak Spanish? And what if that’s the only language your grandparents and other family members speak? And what really makes you Latinx? This story was heart breaking and heart mending at the same time, showing me a way of communication that requires of no words.

And my favorite story? Of course, Salvation and the Sea, the story written by Lilliam Rivera, a Puerto Rican author.

I’m not gonna lie, I was curious and a little bit skeptical about how the story of a Puerto Rican living in mainland US was going to fit with the rest of the book... Because, the thing is, Puerto Ricans in USA are not immigrants. We’re American citizens. All of us. But oh boy, the story really delivered. Salvation and the Sea captured perfectly our eternal dichotomy.

Puerto Ricans are part of the Latinx community. We do encounter the same racism the rest of our brown brothers and sisters face. But there’s a big difference.

Puerto Ricans may feel the same racism, but will never experience the same fear. Puerto Ricans won’t ever face deportation, and won’t experience the paralyzing fear of the what if?

So the truth is, there’s privilege. And that’s what this story so masterfully presents though the tale of two friends, one Puerto Rican a one Guatemalan, getting stoped by ICE. The Puerto Rican tries to use her privilege to help her friend. The Guatemalan feels hurt and alone, because her friend will never really understand what she goes through every day. It is heartbreaking. And it is a wake up call. So what am I doing with my privilage?

The story is so well crafted, and in just a few pages captures the essence of being Puerto Rican, of living between two worlds. It was definitely my favorite story from the anthology.

In conclusion, Come On In is a book were immigrants and people of color will see themselves, and the rest of readers will learn so so much (and discover some of the most brilliant writers of our times).

Come On In is definitely a 5 star read, (and maybe the best book I’ve read so far this year). Highly recommended.

The thing I appreciate most about this book was being exposed to so many authors that were new to me. I ended up visiting a couple of their author sites and adding some other other stories to my wish list. The thing that surprised me about this book was that many of the short stories were fiction. When I first requested this book from net galley, I thought I would be reading a collection of short autobiographical tales of immigration.

This compilation is a great text for classrooms or even a staple for homes. Being able to understand someone's differences and the struggles or experiences they have been through is very important, and is something that is highlighted in this collection. I would recommend this anthology to any age.

*Review will be posted on my Blog, Goodreads, and Amazon on October 5th, 2020*

Hello Fellow Readers,

Ever read an anthology where each story caused an impact you felt in your chest? Reading Come on in was like that. Honestly, I'm not sure if I am going to be able to adequately write how this book made me feel, I am afraid that whatever I saw won't do this book justice, but I am going to try.

The first adjective that I would use is powerful. The pen is supposedly mightier than the sword but there are not a lot of books that can display this. However, the stories in this book have the ability to showcase just that. The second adjective would be magical. Each story was written in a way where I felt I was transported there right along beside the characters.

I know I will never truly be able to know what any of these characters really feel considering I was born in the U.S. but my mother wasn't and it really puts into perspective of what she must have felt and gone through. it makes me feel closer to her. One of the things this anthology does, is give you information about each author after the story and since I absolutely loved each one (which is a rarity for me), so I now have a list of authors to add to my must read list.

Overall, this book is a must read to me.

COME ON IN is an empowering, honest, compassionate look into the lives of a diverse group of authors who have shared short stories about their lives or characters whose lives they relate to. They are stories of family relationships, friendships, young romance, of trying to figure out who we are and hoping people will see us and accept us for it. The stories tackle the complex and layered identities of immigrants, moving away from home, micro-aggressions and their effects on young people's identities, and so many more situations that young folx experience. COME ON IN truly lets us into the authors' worlds so that the reader can feel less alone and can see a way forward if they are struggling to find acceptance - from others or from themselves.

These stories have stuck with me in ways I didn't expect. I am not a BIPOC or an immigrant, so while I cannot claim that my experiences mirror those described in this collection, I do think these stories will resonate universally with an age group that can feel so lonely and isolating. For own-voices readers, this collection will provide representation of diverse experiences that are not always represented in literature and that is an empowering thing. Non-OV readers will also get that sense of being less alone, since there are universal truths about adolescence, but it will also encourage those readers to think about other adolescents' perspectives and experiences.

The nature of teenagers that can sometimes come across as being self-absorption is really beautifully illustrated within COME ON IN. It gets at the heart of the struggles and also the gifts of being a teen, and does a remarkable job of situating those experiences within the context of diverse identities. I didn't see any stories from disabled or trans/two-spirit folx, which would have been a nice inclusion, but my research could also have missed that. If not, I'd love to see the next collection like this include even more inclusive voices.

I would recommend COME ON IN not only to anyone who is a YA reader but also to adults. It's a very readable short-story collection, includes information about each author, and a lot of the stories tapped right into all of the things I remember feeling as a YA myself. This collection will also prompt some really important and rich conversations about identity and acceptance - the layers of identities we carry with us, people's reactions to and expectations of us based on their perception of those identities, how our friendships and relationships are impacted by our own acceptance of our identities - and I can see this being incredibly useful in a classroom setting.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy. I look forward to purchasing a physical copy so I can come back to these stories. I'm also excited to look up other works by these authors; each of them is a brilliant storyteller. My review is posted on my blog (linked below) and will appear on my Instagram account, The Bookish Feminist, in August.

#ComeOnIn is without question one of the best anthologies I have read in a long time. It is educational and informative while also being engaging and full of emotion. Young adults will recognize some of their favorite authors in this book as well as some they may not yet be familiar with. Each story comes with a brief author bio, so young adults can read more by the authors. This book is one teachers should consider purchasing for their classes as well as school libraries. Thank you to #NetGalley a the publisher for this advanced copy.