Unfortunately, this book was a bit underwhelming. The premise had potential, but the pacing dragged, and I found myself waiting for something exciting to happen. There were a few “OMG” moments scattered throughout, which kept me from putting it down completely but they weren’t enough to make up for how slow and confusing the rest felt. By the end, I was left wondering what story the author was really trying to tell. It felt a bit all over the place. Not a terrible read, but definitely not one I’d rush to recommend.

The Dream Hotel was a fantastic dystopian novel - that given everything going on in our country currently feels scarily real. The increasing dependence on technology and social media, the overreach of technology companies when it comes to privacy and personal data - the world that Lalami has expertly created is not a future that seems that far away. Sara Hussein was a great character and her anger, helplessness, and fear about her situation and whether she will ever get back to her life and her family is felt full force. The Dream Hotel is a cautionary tale in a lot of ways - incredibly thought-provoking and worth the read. Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

I say wasn’t able to finish this book, and had to DNF it at 14%. I just didn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped to. If I decide to pick it up again, I will come back and update my review.

moments of gorgeous writing and, in trump's america, scarily realistic visions of how surveillance and misuse of the carceral state work hand in hand. that said there was kind of not enough happening in this to keep me gripped- so many dreams, which i guess is to be expected, but dreams are inherently boring to me lol. I actually quite enjoyed the chapter that took place from the POV of an outside character and would've welcomed more of that.

In a near-future, the algorithms have erased our privacy and sense of autonomy. Everything we do is monitored by public surveillance, our phones, and even our own thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Everything has a risk assessment score, and once your risk assessment score reaches a certain number, you are at risk of being "retained".

When Sara returns to the US from a business trip in London, she is flagged as suspicious. She is retained for an initial 21 days, but that quickly turns into 10 months. She is basically being held in a prison where she is written up for any slight infraction, she has lost all autonomy to contact her family, and has a deep loss of all her rights as a citizen.

While this is meant to be dystopian, in Lalami's hands, it feels scarily real. It is not my favorite thing to read a book and feel like it could actually happen. I found myself thinking so much about this reality...and it terrified me! It made me assess my online presence, my use of technology, and how I want to proceed in this world that is increasingly dependent on these things. It made me think about my children and their futures. It made me very uncomfortable.

Additionally, Lalami explored themes of immigration, our justice system, and trauma. There is a lot here to unpack, and there were times I would have loved to follow a thread more. A book club would be able to explore some of this deeper and it would make for a lively discussion.

I enjoyed most of this book, but did find the pace severely slowed down after the first half. For me, I had to force myself to continue reading. It was a bummer because the first half was so propelling.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is a masterfully crafted dystopian novel that delves into the unsettling consequences of surveillance capitalism and predictive policing. Set in a near-future America, the story follows Sara Hussein, a Moroccan American historian who is detained by the Risk Assessment Administration after a dream about harming her husband is flagged by an algorithm. This premise, while speculative, resonates deeply with current societal concerns about privacy and the overreach of technology.

Lalami's narrative is both gripping and thought-provoking, drawing comparisons to the works of Orwell, Kafka, and Atwood. The novel's exploration of themes such as the erosion of civil liberties, the commodification of personal data, and the biases embedded within AI systems is both timely and chilling.

Lalami's ability to create a claustrophobic and disorienting atmosphere that mirrors the protagonist's experience is incredible.

In conclusion, The Dream Hotel is a haunting and essential novel that challenges readers to reflect on the trajectory of our society. Lalami's eloquent prose and profound insights make this a five-star read that is both enlightening and deeply unsettling.

This is a very original novel about a dystopian government that monitors dreams and many other parameters to input into an algorhythm to determine the individual's propensity to commit future crimes. The premise sounds outrageous but the author thoroughly convinced me it could be possible with future technology and with the right mindset in the voting public. The author was very accomplished at describing and conveying the deterioration of one's inner and outer life if you were "detained" indefinitely because you "might" commit a crime. She was also very astute as to the attributes that might help or harm your ability to live under these conditions. I was somewhat cautious about reading this novel, but I enjoyed it much more than I thought that I would. The corporate machinations behind the scenes were very believable. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys reading about the possibilities of future technology and its uses in the creation of a dystopian society if it is used in ways that are unwise. A perfect depiction of people doing the wrong things for what they believe are the right reaons. My sincere thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishing for allowing me read an ARC of this entertaining novel.

The Dream Hotel is exactly the compulsively-readable literary fiction I expect from Laila Lalami (The Other Americans, The Moor’s Account), but with one Sci-Fi twist, it becomes an unsettling dystopian novel. The twist deals with algorithmic / predictive policing: flagging crime potential in order to implement preventative measures. Every citizen is assigned a cumulative risk score given by an algorithm that analyzes data from every part of their lives, including the logs of the “Dreamsaver,” a widely used skull implant that delivers better sleep in fewer hours. If someone has a risk score above 500, they can be detained any time in the name of public safety.

As Sara Hussein returns to Los Angeles from a London conference, the passport agent pulls her aside for additional screening. She has been stopped while traveling all her life– the name “Hussein” and her dark skin like a beacon she can’t shut off. Exhausted and anxious to get home to her husband and infant twins, she’s short-tempered with the agent who flags her for a risk score of 512– surely just a glitch? What could possibly raise her score? The agent insists he’s only doing his job; the algorithm is holistic, so it could be anything, or everything. If she follows the rules at the detention center for three weeks, her score will adjust itself, and she’ll be back to her normal life. She is forced to surrender her belongings and accept a uniform, a schedule, and a cell mate– oops, “roommate”! She’s not a prisoner; it’s just a short stay, for everyone’s safety. But… there are locks, guards, and cameras everywhere. There are walls, fences, and other invisible lines that Sara only sees when she’s crossed them. For example, she is punished for a noncompliant hair style, but they haven’t allowed her any products for her natural hair. Petty infractions and unjust punishments hurt her score.

Eventually Sara learns the original reason her score jumped to 512. She was deemed a risk to her husband because she had a few nightmares about his death, catalogued by her Dreamsaver implant. They can’t actually believe she would kill her husband? Just because of a few nightmares? She was sleep deprived, frustrated, and worried about the future– infant twins, remember?

Sara’s appeals are constantly rescheduled or canceled due to administration errors, like the computer system wrongly showing that she was in the infirmary. The more her appeals are frustrated, the more powerless she (and the reader) feels. She’s stuck in the craw of a system that’s actively working against her, “a place without mercy” and “a place beyond shame.” But, still, they insist she is not a prisoner. She just can’t leave. Everyone keeps telling her to trust the process, keep her head down, and it will all work out. But in Sara’s experience, that’s not true and never will be. When she realizes she has been detained nearly a year, she wonders: Maybe there’s another way to push back?

Lalami skillfully crafts a reading experience that invokes intense physical feelings– fear, anger, grief, helplessness– without being preachy. Detaining someone not for what they have done, but for what they might do, sounds far-fetched, but aside from the “Dreamsaver” technology, this fictional algorithmic policing is not far away from programs operating now. It begs the question: Are we there yet?

With a provocative premise, sharp cultural insight, compelling characters, and excellently crafted prose, this book has a well-deserved spot on the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist. Read this if you still think about 1984 by George Orwell or Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

What a unique, and thought provoking book. The scariest part of this is how this could actually happen in the future. Lalami’s writing is evocative and visceral. Sara’s plight is something that I will think about for quite a while.

This felt a little bit 'too soon' for me, and therefore I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Kind of like how I won't read 'A Handmaid's Tale' any time soon, since we're essentially living it! The premise centers around companies mining data from all our devices, social media and, in this case, dreams, and allow the government to profile us. Basically, in an effort to combat crime before it's even occurred, people who are considered 'high risk' by the algorithm can be legally detained. This seemed to be a 'ripped from the headlines' type of book, and i just wasn't prepared. Sarah was a good protagonist, but the book felt a little too long. I do think some of the other characters could have been a little more fleshed out, as well.

*Mild Spoilers Ahead*

In a dystopian future where technology is pushed to its limits, Sara is sent to a "retention" center after being flagged for having a high-risk score, which predicts she is likely to commit a crime. The reason for her detention? The content of her dreams, which allegedly suggest she might harm her husband. All her data, stored in countless apps and tracked by the system, has come to haunt her, used against her in ways she never anticipated.

At the retention center, the system preys on her data like vultures, constantly circling and scrutinizing every detail, never satisfied. Any refusal to cooperate - like refusing to do work - only increases her risk score, prolonging her stay. Tech surveillance is pervasive, watching her every move, but never offering her the control it once promised. It's ironically technology that tethers her to the outside world inside the center, yet at the same time, it alienates her from it, trapping her in a digital web of constant surveillance. What’s especially heartbreaking is that while Sara and the other inmates are repeatedly told they're not criminals, they are treated as though they are at every turn.

The story unfolds with a sense of claustrophobia, alternating between her stay at the center and flashbacks to her past, interwoven with documents like medical reports, meeting minutes, emails, transcripts of announcements, questionnaires, and terms and conditions, reflecting a digital age where bureaucracy thrives. Sara's story highlights the false comfort technology was supposed to offer, especially for someone like her, often flagged at airports and scrutinized for being an immigrant. Yet, the system she trusted does not give her agency; instead, it uses her past against her. This world is one of techno-feudalism, where the definition of crime keeps shifting, and algorithms shape people's fates.

As the inmates are manipulated into doubting their own stories, seeds of conflict grow among them. Yet, the story is ultimately one of hope - of how, through collective action and solidarity, radical change can occur. It emphasizes the importance of questioning the systems in place and recognizing that while the algorithms may have brought Sara here, they were written by humans and can be undone. The narrative is about reclaiming power, even when your past is weaponized against you, and finding leverage in the fight for freedom.

The book is incredibly readable, and it kept me on the edge of my seat at all times. Lalami has managed to write a dystopian story that eerily feels prescient. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author (Laila Lalami), and the publisher (Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon) for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.

A young working mother returns back home to LA to find herself detained at LAX. Sara is confused, she's done nothing wrong but as she waits she slowly begins to comprehend they are detaining her for possible violence against her husband as seen in her dreams. She is sent to a detainment center full of women in similar circumstances all being held to see if their 'risk factor" numbers can be lowered to a safe level. While at the 'dream hotel', Sara begins to feel like her husband might be blaming her for her situation and he becomes withdrawn and keeps her from seeing her twins. A cautionary tale to the seductiveness of technology and how we have all been lulled into compliance while our right to privacy disappears. Perfect for fans of School for Good mothers by Jessamine Chan.

This was a very thought provoking dystopian novel. I felt like I kept waiting for more the entire time I read which was a bit of a strange feeling.

I know that the hardest struggle for me was just how timely it was. The entire concept hits a bit too close to home in a lot of ways with how AI has grown and how technology just continues to expand.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc

The premise of this book is fantastic and heartbreakingly parallel to things that have actually happened.

A woman is detained at the airport because of her dreams and is transported to a detention center for women who have committed crimes in their dreams or who have suspicious behaviors.
Just drinking alcohol on a casual basis increases your risk of being sent to a detention facility. Reading this content is so scary, but I love it!!!

I enjoyed reading this book, but the ending was anticlimactic. I was sure it was going to end a different way and it didn’t and I was entirely dissatisfied. I would still recommend it to dystopian lovers because the concept is great and unsettling.

this book definitely made me think, even though I think it could have been shorter. What I love about science fiction is how it points to our world and society in a fantastical way, and forces us to think about humanity in a different light. this book accomplished that for me, but it was a trudge. like the main character, I felt trapped in her world and wanted so badly to escape. I think the author did a great job with tying it up at the end while still leaving me with questions.

Horror books don't scare me. I find Stephen King so over the top that his books are funny. What does this have to do with The Dream Hotel? The Dream Hotel scared me. Being judged on your dreams is terrifying. Dreams are subconscious garbage, and killing someone in the dream doesn't mean you want to kill them in real life. The book does address this, but the people in charge of jailing people don't care. There's a feeling of being in quicksand as you read. The more Sara struggles, the more she sinks.

My only problem is that the ending felt like the beginning of a series. However, I couldn't find anything online about more books. As a standalone, this doesn't feel complete. If there's more, this is an excellent start to a nightmare world with the possibility of committing crimes instead of having done anything.

For most of us, our dreams are what our brains do while we are sleeping. We have no control over what we dream, and certainly should not be held liable for what our mind decides to conjure up when we are in the throes of slumber. But what if our dreams held more significance? What if they were considered to be a pre-cursor to our future actions? What if they were believed to be able to predict future crimes? Welcome to Laila Lalami’s new novel The Dream Hotel, an ominous speculative fiction novel about the dangers of the surveillance state.

When Sara Hussein is detained at the airport, she cannot imagine why, aside from perhaps, her name. She soon learns that she has been flagged because it is believed she will soon commit a crime - harming her husband. When Sara learns that it is her DREAMS that have landed her in trouble, she cannot believe it - of course she is not going to act on a figment of her sleeping mind! Nonetheless, Sara finds herself headed to a retention center where she will have to stay until her risk score, a number assigned to each person assessing their chances of committing a crime, lowers to an acceptable level.

While it is continuously stressed that the retention center is not a prison, it is difficult to look at it as being anything but with the retained being treated as if they have already committed and been convicted. As Sara gets to know the other women she is being held with, she discovers that they are there for a variety of reasons, and all are struggling to find purchase in pleading their case for release. Sara finds her stay in the facility being extended time and time again due to unfair circumstances beyond her control, but the extra time in the retention center gives her an opportunity to potentially uncover what’s really going on behind the scenes …

The Dream Hotel should serve as a warning to all of us who breeze past the privacy notice and terms of service when downloading a trending app or purchasing a new device. While most of us click accept without thinking twice, figuring that no one will ever use our data against us, Laila Lalami proves that the opposite could easily become quite true in a world that takes surveillance of its citizens a little too seriously.

The premise of The Dream Hotel is excellent - it is just the sort of book I go for, especially since I like to speculate and perceive our world through an alternate lens. However, the execution of this storyline is unfortunately lacking. I needed a bit more grit, intimacy, and horror to really drive this story home for me and make it feel real.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami follows the story of Sara as she pleads her innocence in a time when you can be punished for your dreams. This novel is a take on technology’s consequences in the near future and the ethics surrounding it.

I really enjoyed reading about the relationships between the dreamers. I wish the novel delved more in to the other characters backstories. I do feel like the ending felt a bit flat. Overall I found The Dream Hotel a captivating read. The concept of The Dream Hotel is so brilliantly original that it makes readers really think about the ethics of the future of technology. I would love to read more of Lalami’s other works.

I’d recommend this book to both science fiction readers and also readers who are looking to branch out into that genre. This book is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs.

In a time where society is tired of violence and crime, prevention becomes the solution. A risk number is attached to everyone where everything they do is monitored and examined, when the risk score gets higher than 500. They can be placed in a secured area where they will be monitored at all times for a short period of 21 days. Only if they do not commit any infractions while also proving to be proper members of society by working with companies affiliated with the facility. This book gave me so much anxiety I had to put the book down multiple times, but I couldn’t stop reading it. I felt claustrophobic reading about Sara’s experience in Madison being that controlled and having no power over their view of her. Placing ridiculous expectations over their behavior and their dreams had me twitchy and frustrated. There was so much here that tore me up, racial profiling, harassment, gender inequality, and corporation abuse. I probably missed some but a lot of these opened my eyes to how easily we can be put into these situations. Corporations buying out information and holding it against us, manipulating our information. I really hope that you give this book a chance it might open you to a perspective you’ve never had before. I had an experience reading this that I do not regret.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon Books I received a ARC for an honest review !

I really wanted to like this. It started out super strong, but the speculative fiction energy petered out really fast, which is what drew me to this read in the first place.