We Didn't Ask for This

I have to admit it was strange reading a book about a lockdown everyone was excited about in the middle of our current situation. This was a readable, entertaining, diverse book with some believability issues. Central International School Home of the See Cucumbers and the world elite’s children. It was kind of like Breakfast Club on steroids. If Molly Ringwald were to chain herself to the doors protesting aqua net destroying the ozone layer. Well and these kids were here by choice not because they were in detention, OK well maybe it’s really not all that much like Breakfast Club. The story does however revolve around a cast of very diverse characters. The party planner, the improv lover, the female athlete, the girl wanting to fit in, The quiet boy, and the activist. The school was international, set in a undisclosed location, so all the students came from different countries with different cultures and different expectations. This was the part of the story I really enjoyed. The narrative bounces around and is told in third person. It was really easy to follow and kept me engaged throughout the book. I liked getting to know each of these characters and found them each to have their own issues, personality, and voice. I would have honestly been just fine if this is what the story was about a bunch of kids enjoying A night of freedom and fun. But NO Marissa had to go chain herself to the doors along with several others and change everything. Marissa was an environmentalist and had a laundry list of items that she wanted met before she would allow people to enter or leave the school. Now I am not against trying to do what’s best for the environment I recycle, I use reusable grocery bags, I carry around a metal straw, and so on. However I’m not certain a high school night of fun is the best place to conduct this act of activism. Also the logistics were a bit problematic. There were windows that could not be opened? Locks that could not be picked? There seem to be no way to get in to the school and a 17-year-old girl had covered every contingency. So while I appreciated the message, I didn’t necessarily like it in this book. I think this book could have stood on its own better without it. A good book that could have been better (in my humble opinion).<br /><br />This book in emojis ? ? ? <br /><br />*** Big thank you to Ink Yard Press for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Giveaway win!<br /><br />Boring. Dull. A chore to read. <br /><br />I'm so extremely happy that I didn't pay for this. Tomorrow I'm donating it to a little library because no one should have to pay for this.

It’s the annual lock-in night at Central International School, the night where students stay at school and enjoy fun events and a legendary secret party planned by a fellow student. It’s a night they look forward to all year, and younger students can’t wait until they’re in high school to experience it.<br /><br />For some students this will be the night—the night they let their crush know what they’re thinking, the night they prove they’re the best athlete in the school regardless of gender, the night they finally feel like they belong. And for one student, this is the night to follow in his dying brother's footsteps and throw an unbelievable party.<br /><br />But for one student, this night is the opportunity to take a stand against climate change. Knowing so many students have powerful parents from around the world, she and her supporters have a plan—they’ll chain themselves to every entrance, swallow the keys, and not move until their demands are met. And these aren’t just superficial demands: in some cases they’re asking for sweeping changes to society, like the ceasing of construction on an island.<br /><br /><b> <i>We Didn't Ask for This</i> </b> follows the aftermath of the students chaining themselves to the doors and how everyone deals with it, from the students and the teachers in the school to those outside. I thought that the original premise of the story was such a good one, but this concept—while I understand the importance of standing up for our climate—just didn’t work. It dragged on way too long and was totally unrealistic, especially when the school had no windows that could open or other things.<br /><br />I enjoy Adi Alsaid’s writing, as I’ve read some of his other books. I loved the way that the students’ sexuality was so matter-of-fact and no one cared, and a number of the characters were really appealing. I just wish the book didn't feel like two stories melded together into one.<br /><br />I was part of the blog tour for this book. Thanks to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!<br /><br />Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at <a href="https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html</a>. <br /><br />Check out my list of the best books of the decade at <a href="https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html" target="”_blank”" rel="nofollow noopener">https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html</a>.<br /><br />See all of my reviews at <a href="http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com</a>.<br /><br />Follow me on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/" target="”_blank”" rel="nofollow noopener"> https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.</a>

Still thinking about my rating. Might change on my final review.

Central International Schools annual lock-in was an event people looked forward to, and a place, where memories were made. <br /><br />One hoped to prove he was the party master.<br />One hoped to spread his love of improv.<br />One hoped to prove that a female athlete was just as talented as a male athlete.<br />One hoped to find connection.<br />While, one hoped to save the reefs, and it seemed, her hopes would come at the cost of all the others. <br /><br />There were things I really liked about this story, and things I didn't like so much, though overall, I have a favorable opinion. <br /><br />What worked for me:<br /><br />Believe it or not, I liked the third person POV narration. There was something about the narrator, that caught my attention and kept it. The story also unfolded at a good pace, frequently flipping between different locations and different characters. <br /><br />This book had a very large cast, and they weren't simply bystanders, but rather fully developed characters. They were very diverse, and each came with their own set of talents and issues. Alsaid made me feel their loneliness, grief, family pressure, and sting of parental disappointment. I found myself interested in getting to know them better, and was invested in them finding some sort of peace with their situations. <br /><br />One of my favorite things, was the wonderful friendship born between these characters, who hailed from different social circles as they bound together to protect "the protester". Though, she sort of torpedoed their plans for the evening, the students still believed in Marisa's cause and her conviction. They rose up to support her, both figuratively and literally. It warmed my heart to see them put aside their wants and needs to come to the aid of Marisa. <br /><br />The not so much for me:<br /> <br />I do admire those with passion for a cause, and Marisa had that in spades. However, the glorification of her approach was off putting for me. I do appreciate, that Alsaid acknowledged her protest walked a fine line between peaceful protest and a hostage situation, it still was difficult for me to condone her behavior. <br /><br />Overall: Though I appreciated the focus on activism and the environment, I found myself much more interested in the friendship aspect of the story, and wanted more of that. <br /><br />*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br /><a href="http://weliveandbreathebooks.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noopener"> BLOG</a> |<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kozbisa/" rel="nofollow noopener"> INSTAGRAM</a> |<a href="https://twitter.com/kozbisa" rel="nofollow noopener">TWITTER</a> |<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/we-live-breathe-books-9665859" rel="nofollow noopener"> BLOGLOVIN</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25774455-sam-kozbial" rel="nofollow noopener">FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS</a>

Activism or terrorism? When a teenager and her friends chain themselves to every exit door in their high school, the "lock-in" night becomes a bit more than they expected. While this was a pretty good book, I don't think it was very believable. Windows that don't open or shatter seem to be a fire marshal disaster. And why would anyone let this go on so long before bringing in the police or even the national guard? I've worked as a high school teacher for 20 years and can tell you that not only do our windows open, no one would be stuck in the building and going to classes after a week of being held captive.

This was one crazy ride into the dynamics of an international school!<br /><br />3.5, rounded up because of so many merits in diversity, ecology and especially all the work for planning this thing. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Regardless of its flaws, I guarantee you won't ever forget this book.<br /><br /><br />Honest review based on an ARC provided for the book tour through Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

<i>i received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all opinions below are my own.</i><br />this was a diverse and unusually hilarious read with characters who complement each other so well! :D full rtc

<blockquote> <i>Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i> </blockquote><br /><br />We Didn't Ask for This started off relatively promising. There's a large cast of characters that are introduced in small bits and pieces, which had me itching to learn more about them and their motivations. Told in a third person omniscient POV that I found a bit refreshing once I got used it, We Didn't Ask for This' narrator was also funny! I found myself chuckling out loud at some of more well-placed jokes:<br /><br /><blockquote> <i>Someone else grabbed the megaphone and begged Ms. Duli to "bcc" everyone or at least for the other parents to not hit reply all, which, of course, many would.</i> </blockquote><br /><br />That said, I spent a lot of We Didn't Ask for This questioning who this book was written for. The jokes I mentioned I found funny? I found funny as an adult with that lived experience. As a teen, I could see myself having just rolled my eyes. But the message behind We Didn't Ask for This, that the youth of today have inherited problems they can't solve alone, was one I couldn't see young adults or adults truly warming to because of how it was handled. I found it a bit insulting that Marisa's demands were so local (like changing the fertilizer the school uses). While she commented often on how she knows these are small fish in comparison to the larger issues, at least it's something. But it felt like a waste of her potential for her to be so narrow in her scope given the influence of the adults in the lives of her and her peers. And if youth with as much power and resources as this school of privileged children - the children of diplomats and ambassadors - can only enact such small change, what hope is there for youth from lesser privileged areas? And as an adult, I felt a sense of indignation toward the parents. They were treated like - and acted as - mere pawns without individual thought. One student told her Dad his company wasn't allowed to use a certain chemical anymore, and he cleared his calendar to ensure he was able to give her what she was asking for. It just felt...obtusely flippant.<br /><br />I also really struggled visualizing the school's layout and how the students were specifically chained to the doors. They were able to change their clothing, sit on stools and stretch, for example. But over and over the narrator mentions how tight the chains are, how sore the protestors ribs are from having the chains dig into them. At one point past the halfway mark, it's noted that they are standing. But once the doors are inevitably opened, a protestor comments on how hard it is to walk, as she is unused to being on her feet. These little discrepancies kept pulling me out of the reading experience, while I tried to reconcile the descriptions with the images I had in my head.<br /><br />But mostly, I found myself being asked to suspend my disbelief too much. The premise of We Didn't Ask for This revolves around 5 teens who have locked the doors to their high school in protest of (ultimately) climate change, which is impacting the coral reefs. Again, as an adult, I had a hard time believing that any administration, community or even local government would allow this type of protest - where hundreds of students are being held inside a school against their will - for over a week. We were asked to believe that because no harm was coming to anyone, no one felt a sense of urgency to find another way into the building (like, having the teachers learn how to remove the doors completely from their inside hinges, or busting through the windows the students used to have their delivered food passed through). As an international school for the wealthy, I also had a hard time believing a school with a rooftop garden and indoor tennis courts, would only have 5 exits.<br /><br />There are other things that nagged at me as I was reading - why did Peejay have so much power over all of his peers? Why were the students so complacent about being stuck inside the school for a week? Why would anyone think classes should continue while this was happening? So despite being a quick read, I can't say I would recommend We Didn't Ask for This.

CIS is an international school for grades K-12. Each year, the high school kids have a lock-in toward the end of the school year. This is an event that everyone looks forward to. This year is no different, during lock-in, magic can happen, people fall in love or out of it and try to change the world. Everyone is enjoying the events of the night when they literally get locked in. Marisa and a few other students chain themselves to the doors, refusing to move until thirty demands are met. Will it happen by the time parents arrive in the morning or will they brush this off as a teenage angst. <br /><br />Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. <br /><br />I feel like kids today are a lot more dedicated to the world then I was with my generation. They are trying to change the world at every turn. Staging protests and demonstrations. I don't think I would have ever done that when I was in high school. This book shows the resilience they have to overcome just about anything in order to get what they want, not for themselves, but for everyone. <br /><br />This book really resonated with me and it gives me hope for my children and their future.