DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reader copy (eBook) of We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid from Harlequin and Inkyard Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. We Didn’t Ask for This is part of the Inkyard Press Spring 2020 Blog Tour.

Book Summary

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.

*Summary is courtesy of Inkyard Press

We Didn’t Ask for This

When I think of people protesting to save the environment, I always picture someone tied to a tree. Like for example, say a construction company was going to bulldoze a park and someone tied themselves to one of the trees. The construction company can’t cut down the tree if the person is tied to it, right? I have no clue if that’s ever worked for anyone in real life, but it has in TV shows and movies. In We Didn’t Ask for This, Marisa Cuevas takes tying yourself to a tree to a whole new level.

During Central International School’s annual lock-in, Marisa leads an eco-protest that involves being chained to the school’s doors, keeping everyone locked inside until her list of demands is met. Especially, until her #1 demand is met, which is to suspend the construction project on Lokoloko Island.

“Until this school and its community members commit to take the following steps toward rescuing the reefs from the brink of extinction, especially the ones in our backyard, everyone within this building will remain inside.”

Hard to Follow Format

Besides Marisa, We Didn’t Ask for This revolves around five other CIS students: Amira, Peejay, Kenji, Omar, and Celeste. They each have their own agendas for lock-in night, but of course, Marisa puts a dent in their plans. Amongst the chaos of the eco-protest, I learned about each character’s hopes and dreams for the lock-in, as well as the challenges they faced in their personal lives. I enjoyed hearing each character’s side story, but I struggled to follow along due to the format the book was written in.

Six characters are more than enough characters to keep track of for me. Plus, some other students/side characters that are mentioned throughout the book. With past books I’ve read, I’ve appreciated when each chapter is divided by character, and the chapter is titled as such. Unfortunately, We Didn’t Ask for This, jumped around from character to character without dividers, so I struggled to keep up with who was who and their side stories. The chapters were pretty lengthy too, which did not further help my understanding.

A Diverse Read

We Didn’t Ask for This was a very diverse read, which is something that can definitely be appreciated in books nowadays. Central International School is indeed a school for international students, grades K-12. The main characters were pretty diverse by both their nationality and sexual orientation, which is a double bonus!

Marisa & the Eco-Protest

I had such mixed feelings on the main plot of the story, Marisa and her eco-protest. First of all, I don’t know if I like Marisa’s character or not. I love how passionate she is about saving the environment and how she sees the world in all of its beauty. That’s really awesome! I mean, I don’t know how many teenagers (or people in general) would chain themselves to a door in order to suspend a construction project on an island, or any cause, for the good of the planet – myself included.

“These students started to understand Marisa a little more, feeling dread claw at their chests that so many living things worldwide were dying and they hadn’t cared before. Very few could pay attention to something dying and not care. Now they knew.”

But, at the same time, maybe she took things too far. I don’t want to spoil anything, but so much escalated beyond Marisa’s initial plan. Like realistically, could Marisa really get away with this kind of protest? If I was a student in this situation, I would want to support Marisa because she’s trying to do a good thing. But then, I’d also be super pissed because not only did she ruin my lock-in plans, but I’m also trapped inside for who knows how long until her demands are met. It really makes me think. What cause would I be so passionate about that I would not only sacrifice myself for the cause but also, my fellow peers?

Rating & Review

At the heart of this book, We Didn’t Ask for This, is about a diverse group of people coming together for both a good cause and to help make the best of a situation they were unwillingly thrown into. I definitely think this book had a lot of nice messages. It really made me think about the environment and question myself if I should be doing more to save it. Although this book had dynamic and diverse characters, and covered topics regarding social issues and the environment, it just wasn’t for me.

From start to finish, I had a really hard time following the format of the book and keeping track of the six main characters and their side stories. Especially, since the chapters weren’t titled by character. Overall, I just couldn’t get into the main plot of Marisa and her eco-protest. The whole idea was intriguing, but at the same time, I found it too far-fetched. Throughout the whole book, I battled with myself if I liked Marisa’s character, and if she was taking her eco-protest too far.

Honestly, I liked the whole concept of a lock-in night that follows each character’s hopes and dreams for that night. I hate to say this, but I think if the eco-protest hadn’t been part of the main plot, I would have enjoyed the book better. I give We Didn’t Ask for This 3 out of 5 stars. There are some great elements and messages in this book that make it worth reading, but unfortunately, I wasn’t the right audience.

★★★

Thank You

Thank you, Harlequin and Inkyard Press for inviting me to join the Inkyard Press Spring 2020 Blog Tour, and Netgalley for the digital advanced copy! Check out We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid, which is now available in stores and online!

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♥ Candis