Review~ Come on In

Come On In
This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by critically acclaimed and bestselling YA authors who are shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home. WELCOME From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah…from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey…from Fiji, America, Mexico and…

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.