-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
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.
"Through multiple points of view, Alsaid movingly examines characters' home lives, their dreams and crushes, and their changing attitudes, leaving readers to decide whether the protest is a success." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Packed with quips and insights, the wry narrative captures the intense yearnings of young adulthood; the ridiculous spectrum of clueless, controlling, and (sometimes) cooperative adults; and the overwhelming inertia of institutions...A droll, engrossing exploration of privileged teens striving to do better." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Readers may find it hard to keep track of so many main characters, and slow pacing may cause them to lose interest in the outcome. Not recommended for purchase, as there are better choices with diverse characters and stronger story structure." - Student Library Journal
This information about We Didn't Ask for This was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, where he spilled hot sauce on things. He's the author of several young adult books, including Let's Get Lost, a 2015 YALSA Top Ten Selection, Never Always Sometimes, North of Happy, a Kirkus Best Book, Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, and We Didn't Ask For This.
If you liked We Didn't Ask for This, try these:
by Laila Lalami
Published 2026
READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY ● From Laila Lalami—the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and a "maestra of literary fiction" (NPR)—comes a riveting and utterly original novel about one woman's fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.
by Ondjaki
Published 2024
A blackout leads two teens to discover the intimacy and vulnerability that can only be shared in darkness in Our Beautiful Darkness, a fully illustrated YA novella from celebrated Angolan author Ondjaki and illustrator António Jorge Gonçalves.
by Greta Thunberg
Published 2024
We still have time to change the world. From Greta Thunberg, the world's leading climate activist, comes the essential handbook for making it happen.
The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
