We Didn’t
Ask for This
by Adi
Alsaid
On Sale: April
7, 2020
Inkyard Press
Young Adult
978-1335146762;
1335146768
$18.99 USD
352 pages
About
the Book
From
Adi Alsaid, the acclaimed author of Let's Get Lost, Never
Sometimes Always, and North of Happy
Every
year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world.
Central
International School's annual lock-in is legendary -- and for six students,
this year's lock-in is the answer to their dreams. The chance to finally win
the contest. Kiss the guy. Make a friend. Become the star of a story that will
be passed down from student to student for years to come.
But
then a group of students, led by Marisa Cuevas, stage an eco-protest and chain
themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their
list of demands is met. While some students rally to the cause, others are
devastated as they watch their plans fall apart. And Marisa, once so certain of
her goals, must now decide just how far she'll go to attain them.
Buy Links:
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335146762
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/We-Didnt-Ask-This/Adi-Alsaid/9781335146762?id=7833509719461
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/We_Didn_t_Ask_for_This?id=LGSSDwAAQBAJ&hl=en_USOur Review
This was one crazy ride into the dynamics of an international school!
3.5, rounded up because of so many merits in diversity, ecology and especially all the work for planning this thing.
Marisa wants to protect the environment and save the reefs, for that she joins force with some other student and sabotages the yearly event of lock-in night, when their whole school is supposed to spend the night together in fun activities. Marisa makes it honor the name, though, by locking herself to the exit and preventing anyone from leaving before her demands are met—the most important one, to save the reefs. The students didn't ask for the situation, but a few gradually see themselves align with Marisa, wanting her to succeed.
Not an easy read, but surely it was even harder to write. Marisa isn't the only main character and we happen to get the point of view of a lot of them, actually. In an organized mess, we go rounds through students and teachers, getting to know them and their limitations, getting to see how the real lock-in protest defies their nature and make some grow, others crazy.
To be honest, Marisa was actually among the ones whom I liked less. It's hard to pick my actual favorite, but some were even more pleasing to follow, like the outsider Celeste who just can't find a friend in the new school, or the partier-in-chief Peejay, who just wanted to give a secret party for the students and make his brother proud. Actually, Peejay grew on me; it seemed crazy that all he could think of was the party but then you do say why he's the charismatic leader of that school.
But behind so many different characters and a good number of events lies a very good planning. And I'm a big fan of good planning. It gave me waves of pleasure to feel it. The complex structure of this story is extremely rare in YA, but it also made the narration very long with very few dialogues. I'm also a fan of dialogues. This is not a book you'll read in one sitting, because as entertaining the twists of the plot are, it's just a lot of minds, a lot of personalities, a lot of thoughts to digest.
And yet, the writer achieved to build round characters, to make sure we the reader can keep up with all them, can live through their eyes knowing the differences from one to another. This book demanded a huge work behind it.
Another great point is life in an international school. I have a friend who used to teach at one in China, and though, of course, it never suffered from an almost-ecoterrorist attack, reading this book took me back to her stories. My sole international experience was an exchange program in college, and I can say the portrayed relationships sounded real to me. In fact, it brought me back a little to those days, living the international community life.
It's important to say you could call this "casting" diverse, but they're all basically very rich; their privileged lives are a part of the point. The writer mentions dishes from other cultures but it's not to a level that will erase the feeling of watching Gossip Girl. I should also point out the writer does seem very aware of this. To be honest, I thought Marisa wouldn't be taken seriously in the end because of that, and I wish it were the case.
As I said, this won't be a read for all. There are huge chunks of paragraph, a good number of characters, and we're all for the green cause, but the book becomes an utopia from the half onward. If the fact no one bulldozed those school's walls for the long period they were locked in already didn't make you frown, the way it wraps up will. Which is a pity for a story so well built.
Regardless of its flaws, I guarantee you won't ever forget this book.
Honest review based on an ARC provided for the book tour through Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
3.5, rounded up because of so many merits in diversity, ecology and especially all the work for planning this thing.
Marisa wants to protect the environment and save the reefs, for that she joins force with some other student and sabotages the yearly event of lock-in night, when their whole school is supposed to spend the night together in fun activities. Marisa makes it honor the name, though, by locking herself to the exit and preventing anyone from leaving before her demands are met—the most important one, to save the reefs. The students didn't ask for the situation, but a few gradually see themselves align with Marisa, wanting her to succeed.
Not an easy read, but surely it was even harder to write. Marisa isn't the only main character and we happen to get the point of view of a lot of them, actually. In an organized mess, we go rounds through students and teachers, getting to know them and their limitations, getting to see how the real lock-in protest defies their nature and make some grow, others crazy.
To be honest, Marisa was actually among the ones whom I liked less. It's hard to pick my actual favorite, but some were even more pleasing to follow, like the outsider Celeste who just can't find a friend in the new school, or the partier-in-chief Peejay, who just wanted to give a secret party for the students and make his brother proud. Actually, Peejay grew on me; it seemed crazy that all he could think of was the party but then you do say why he's the charismatic leader of that school.
But behind so many different characters and a good number of events lies a very good planning. And I'm a big fan of good planning. It gave me waves of pleasure to feel it. The complex structure of this story is extremely rare in YA, but it also made the narration very long with very few dialogues. I'm also a fan of dialogues. This is not a book you'll read in one sitting, because as entertaining the twists of the plot are, it's just a lot of minds, a lot of personalities, a lot of thoughts to digest.
And yet, the writer achieved to build round characters, to make sure we the reader can keep up with all them, can live through their eyes knowing the differences from one to another. This book demanded a huge work behind it.
Another great point is life in an international school. I have a friend who used to teach at one in China, and though, of course, it never suffered from an almost-ecoterrorist attack, reading this book took me back to her stories. My sole international experience was an exchange program in college, and I can say the portrayed relationships sounded real to me. In fact, it brought me back a little to those days, living the international community life.
It's important to say you could call this "casting" diverse, but they're all basically very rich; their privileged lives are a part of the point. The writer mentions dishes from other cultures but it's not to a level that will erase the feeling of watching Gossip Girl. I should also point out the writer does seem very aware of this. To be honest, I thought Marisa wouldn't be taken seriously in the end because of that, and I wish it were the case.
As I said, this won't be a read for all. There are huge chunks of paragraph, a good number of characters, and we're all for the green cause, but the book becomes an utopia from the half onward. If the fact no one bulldozed those school's walls for the long period they were locked in already didn't make you frown, the way it wraps up will. Which is a pity for a story so well built.
Regardless of its flaws, I guarantee you won't ever forget this book.
Honest review based on an ARC provided for the book tour through Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
About the Author
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City.
He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He's now back in
Mexico City, where he writes, coaches basketball, and makes every dish he eats
as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas
and Monterey, California. His books include Let's Get Lost, Never Always
Sometimes, and North of Happy. Visit Adi online at www.SomewhereOverTheSun.com,
or on Twitter: @AdiAlsaid.
Social
Links:
Author website: https://www.adialsaid.com/
Facebook: @adialsaidauthor
Twitter: @adialsaid
Instagram: @uhhdee
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