What an epic story!!!!!! What can I say about this story? The characters are amazing! Dynamic. Realistic. And relatable. The plot was absolutely amazing! My attention was held the entire time. Twists. Turns. Suspense. I love the entire story!!!! I was sad when I finished. Amparo has an amazing story!!!!

I enjoyed this anthology. It kept my interest from all the different points a view and experiences these characters had in it. Overall favorites are The Wedding by Sara Farizan and Confessions of a Ecuadorkian by Zoraida Cordova.

I really enjoyed this! I've read a few, good YA anthologies that were themed that I really loved (Brave New Love and Tyranny of Petticoats quickly come to mind) and this one is right up there for me! As with all anthologies, there were some I really loved ("The Wedding", "Hard to Say", "The Trip" (which made me so anxious), "First Words", and "Confessions of an Ecuadorkian" especially) and some that were good, and a couple that didn't hit me too strongly, but overall it was really good. I loved the variety of characters and experiences (some were leaving for college, some were in high school, some were older, and some took place in the 00s!) and some were just people living their lives, but the vast majority of the stories dealt with families. Some of the stories were really heartbreaking and make me frustrated with our foreign policy, but others have solid moments of joy too. It's really complex and provides clear windows into different people's lives and experiences, especially when it comes to bridging cultures.
I put a lot of the authors' other works on my TBR already (I really loved that the authors' bios followed each story) and want to pull several of these short stories to have on hand for my independent reading options at school for my students.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves short stories, diverse voices, family stories, or is looking for something that's easy to pick up and put down.

It's a compelling, touching anthology of short stories about immigration and the perspectives of teens who've dealt with it. It tells the stories of different teens all dealing with immigration (past and present) struggles and their own racial identities, as they find a sense of belonging. It's eye-opening to see so many different worldly perspectives through all the essays. Obviously, as it is a collection, some essays were more engaging than others, but they all had unique point-of-views.

What a powerful collection of stories! In the times of the world we're living in right now, I would definitely call this one a must-read. I can't wait to share this with our teens when life someday gets normal again!

This is America. These stories are America. These women are Americans. 15 short stories centering around immigration and what it is like in this country to be an immigrant or decedent of immigrants. These stories are told by brave young women whose stories are stories felt everyday around the country. As a white female these stories expose my reality to the realities of my sisters around the country. I will definitely be using some of these stories in my high school US History class. These women inspire. Pick up this book and you won’t be disappointed.

If I said that I wasn’t drawn to this anthology by the fact that it was an anthology and it covered immigration and home, that would be a lie. It would also be a lie if I said I wasn’t drawn in that this novel included stories from authors like Zoraida Córdova. I’m an easy sell, it seems—but I didn’t regret picking this up, not even for a single page. Every story was different, and every story was the same, and every ache was felt. I haven’t read many anthologies, and so reading short story after short story that weren’t quite the same writing style or technique was unfamiliar for me, but I think that it added to each story having its own voice. While the stories tackle immigration in their own ways, it’s not quite clear cut—there are areas of immigration that those who aren’t familiar wouldn’t have thought of, wouldn’t have imagined or known, and I was certainly one of them. The importance of home, the challenge of that—it was unforgettable in each story, whether that home was a land or a place or a person. It was difficult not to put this story down, and I was sad that it ended.

Come on In, America is Waiting!
Come On In is a collection of fifteen stories, organized around the central theme of immigration. Specifically, about how immigrants feel as they try to fit into life in the United States, which they understand through film, TV, or books…or sometimes, not at all. The anthology is edited by Adi Alsaid, and also includes short stories from Alaya Dawn Johnson, Maureen Goo, Justine Larbalestier, and Maria E. Andreu, among others. Each short story is a work of fiction, but also appears to be based on the lives or family histories of the authors themselves, judging by the origin country of each main character, and the decidedly authentic and nostalgic feelings running through the book.

“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, All the Colors of Goodbye

Lately, I feel like I comment on timeliness each time I review a book. But, this is by far the most timely to date, as the authors offer up commentary on deportations, travel bans, TSA and ICE. They paint pictures of student visa holders, and immigrants fleeing religious oppression or violence, who are so grateful for the opportunities that the U.S. offers, yet terrified at the prospect of giving up their identity, living in constant fear that their loved ones might be deported, or that they may never be able to go home to see elderly relatives. The book touches on how immigrant communities deal with the cultural expectations of male and female roles in the more permissive environment of America, and to what extent homosexuality can be embraced or accepted. And in one surprising addition, readers are transported back in time to Great Depression era New York City, as seen through the eyes of an Irish Australian immigrant, who has no idea what the concepts of white and black are…or why skin color should matter at all.

I’m a white girl, married to a Hispanic man. I count myself lucky to have grown up in a diverse community, with open-minded parents, who impressed upon me the importance of seeking understanding and fairness for all people regardless of race, religion, gender, or any other human characteristic. Because of this I have many different types of friends, and I like to think that I have a well rounded perspective, and yet there were still plenty of times while reading Come On In, that I paused to reflect and think. I cannot recommend this book enough; regardless of age, life experience, or world view, there is a little something for everyone!

I was very interested to read "Come On In" as I thought I might be able to relate to some of the short stories, as I am an immigrant. The anthology gathered together stories from some of YA's best and up and coming writers, each one telling the story of being an immigrant or the child of an immigrant. It was nice to get a little bio on each writer as well.
The anthology was a bit uneven. Some of the stories were compelling and relatable, while others didn't move me and dragged on. Personal stand outs: "All the Colors of Goodbye", " Where I'm From", "A Bigger Tent" and "The Trip."

Come on in takes us into the lives of several young people, telling us their stories of immigration. It captures all of the fear and apprehension, hope and joy, and sense of loss that comes from leaving what one knows. It captures the sense of dislocation, as just how difficult it can be to "be" American in someone else's eyes.

The book is somewhat uneven in terms of interest level. Some of the stories are middle school appropriate, some will be less compelling. The main characters across the stories differ in age, as well as the complexity of their problems and issues. While I can see my students really connecting with some of the stories, finding them full of their own questions and struggles, there are others that are less of a fit.

What I enjoyed about the book, beyond its wonderful writing and characters was the diverse backgrounds of the characters. It demonstrates that there are many immigrant stories, even within the same family. There isn't just one narrative. Each experience is unique to the individual in question, and it is the assumptions we make, and the narratives created by others that color our perspective. Stories like these, from authors that teens recognize, help to strip some of that away.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing collection of short stories! Every single story in this collection was meaningful, important and provocative. It is extremely important, especially now, for young adults (and really people of all ages) to read and understand different people's perspectives, and I think this collection of amazing immigration stories provides so many of those important perspectives. Every story is beautiful, and while there are some moments of extreme heartbreak, there are even more moments of hope. It is amazing to hear so many different voices from so many different parts of the world, all sharing some similar experiences and all having some completely unique experiences. This is a must read for everyone!!

This collection could not be more timely. As a person who doesn't have any history with immigration hearing these stories was honest, eye opening, and unique.

Come On In is an anthology full of stories about immigrants and how they come to their new countries. It deals with the struggles of getting and staying here and the difficulty of overcoming prejudice of 'The other". The collection features so many best selling and some up and coming YA authors and the stories of their families and their histories.

The range of stories within this collection runs the gamut of the stories of immigration we rarely hear on the news. Stories of hope and the inspiration to try and come to a new land and all the issues that follow that. For me, this book was like entering a whole new world, and I am proud to do my part to welcome them. So everyone, if you are new to America I'd like to welcome you home.

I was gift an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Come On In</i> is a collection of fifteen short stories focused on immigration by a diverse group of authors best known for their young adult and middle grade novels. Each story includes at least one character who is a teen or approaching that age. Editor Adi Alsaid includes stories from around the globe highlighting both the commonalities of the immigration experience and the uniqueness of each individual’s circumstances. Some stories focus on leaving behind not just places but family, familiarity, and traditions. Other pieces focus on arrival experiences and how immigrants are welcomed, distrusted, or marginalized. For me, the most searing story is Sona Charaipotra’s “The Trip,” in which a high school girl embarking on an overseas school trip is mistreated by airport security because she was born in Kashmir. This story, like many of the others, is told in the language of today’s young readers but with insightful perspectives that immigrant youth will recognize and othes will find illuminating. Each story provides context for the others, so even though they deal with separate characters, nations, and reasons for emigrating, an understanding emerges of how young immigrants deal with the challenges of leaving and arriving. As with any collection, some selections are more fully realized than others, but taken together <i>Come On In</i> speaks to readers about the courage of those who choose immigration.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance look at this book.

Many thanks to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for my advance review copy of Come On In, an anthology of short stories written by an incredibly talented group of YA authors and compiled by Adi Alsaid.

15 stories, each one unique, but each one the story of immigration. From Mexico. Ecuador. Argentina. Australia. Fiji. India. Korea. No two experiences or stories are the same, but the people in them are all searching for a new home, and grieving what they’ve lost. In Come On In, Alsaid has compiled a powerful, emotive anthology, full of longing and loss, hope and striving.

After the debacle that was American Dirt in January of 2020, as a reader, I knew I needed to seek out more stories of immigrants, and I wanted specifically to listen to #ownvoices, the voices of immigrants, and the children and grandchildren of immigrants. I wanted to hear them tell their own stories.

While most if not all of the stories in this collection are works of fiction (or heavily fictionalized versions of real events), they bring into sharp focus the many fears and pressures experienced by immigrants--ICE, TSA, customs, learning a language, finding a voice--but they also elevate the joys of family, laughter, friendship, and a sense of home.

I inhaled this book in about a day. Many of the stories are told as first person narratives, which makes it easy for the reader to step into the character’s shoes, to feel what they feel, and see what they see. By experiencing their stories so personally, empathy and understanding grew as I realized just how privileged I was to be born an American citizen.

If you are interested in learning more about the stories of immigrants by those who have been shaped by the immigration experience, this collection would be a great place to start. Each story is short and stands alone, but taken together, they build a beautiful picture of the people who make America what she is. We are a nation of immigrants.

I usually love short stories. But this one was just confusing and not well written. I found myself not being able to wait until the book was over because it was truly unbearable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A must read for anyone wanting to understand the joys, losses, and triumphs of immigration, Come On In tells the stories of fifteen different immigrants, from fifteen different countries, by fifteen different authors. This is a book that is terribly needed in the divisive times we live in. Detailing the varied nuances between immigrants' lives and stories, each author shows that immigration is not in itself only one experience, but encompasses the thousands of lives it affects. As with most short story collections with different authors, these stories cover a range of genres/writing styles, which allows the overarching point to follow through, while also adding a bit of a disconnect when jumping from story to story - this, and a few weaker stories, dropped this to a 4 star book. My personal favorites were The Wedding by Sara Farizan, Salvation and the Sea by Lilliam Rivera, and A Bigger Tent by Maurene Goo. I'm hoping this will be one of the bigger YA fall releases, and I can't wait to dig into some of my favorite authors' from the collection's previous works.

This anthology of essays is so pertinent to our time, and so poignant. It's the type of work that should be incorporated into lesson plans and school curriculums. There's a diverse representation of experiences and feelings that underscores the idea that there is beauty in all human experiences. I also appreciated how each essayist didn't shy away from the prejudice and harm that comes from those who would seek to exclude and to cage.

'Come On In' is a must-read, especially right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This is a must read. These essays are fantastic. Immigration to the US is not something I have experienced personally (other than assisting others in obtaining their visas - I do that from time to time as part of my job). But I know it is a complicated and extremely difficult process to navigate - one that is getting more and more complex unfortunately. There is a disproportionate (& discriminatory) approach to immigration to the US - which is touched on explicitly in the last essay and regularly alluded to in the others.

All of the styles are different and I appreciated hearing so many different voices.

I received this book as a free ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, this review is my honest opinion of this book.

I may very well use Come on In as early as Spring 2021 for remedial freshman composition. I was very impressed with the way a book themed around immigration ended up being so intersectional. I think there’s a lot I could do with in terms of assignments, research, etc., and it’s certainly extremely timely.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice anthology of immigration stories. It really gave a good look into the lives of those who come to America and the unique situations and struggles they face.