Very mixed feelings here. Incredibly cool concept that had a lot of potential. Super interesting take on AI and the amount of data companies collect on individuals. However, after about 1/3 through the book, the plot really stagnated, and the ending left a lot to be desired.

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for the eARC!

The Dream Hotel left me thinking about the quiet, everyday ways we give up our privacy—clicking "accept" on user agreements without reading a word, trusting that our data will be used ethically. This novel takes that idea and turns it into something chilling: what if your dreams could be accessed, manipulated, and used against you?

Laila Lalami builds a polished, unsettling world where risk scores are calculated from your subconscious and ads are inserted into your dreams. The phrase “the data doesn’t lie” is repeated, but the truth is—it doesn’t always tell the whole story either. That theme really resonated with me.
The story has a detached, almost clinical tone that mirrors the surreal experience of dreaming. The story is intriguing and well-crafted, but I did feel a bit removed from the characters emotionally—like watching something meaningful unfold behind glass. That distance was the one thing that kept it from being a full five stars for me.

Still, I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy speculative fiction that makes you question the systems we live in, especially when it comes to technology, justice, and control. It’s a smart, timely read that lingers in your mind.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

In the vein of "The School for Good Mothers", "The Dream Hotel" is a speculative fiction romp that will have you questioning the systems in place in our current world by envisioning what these systems could become in the future. Protagonist Sara is incarcerated at a "retention facility" after having a dream where she kills her husband and a less-than-stellar interaction with a customs agent who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Fantastically written and imagined, it will make you think about the meaning of crime, surveillance, and innocence in the United States. How far is too far to prevent crime? Have we already reached that point?

While "The Dream Hotel" was slightly slow to start, once it got going I couldn't put it down. I thought Sara was an incredibly written protagonist who was immensely relatable and human. All of the women in the facility were. I think the book does an excellent job of portraying these women of victims of an unjust system that works for a select few and punishes others. I hope it makes readers think about how they see people involved in our current carceral system.

There were so many moments in this book that made my jaw drop, though not all of them were that surprising given the context of the novel. Lalami did a great job of portraying the visceral nature of the means many will go to for profit, control, or what they perceive to be "justice".

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Pantheon for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved the first half of the book, but the second half completely lost me, it seemed like it didn’t know where to go or how to conclude. Was bummed because the concept was brilliant

I LOVED this…until the ending.

In this novel, people can have this like chip installed to help them sleep, but as part of that, this organization is able to access their dreams. And also during this time, there’s an algorithm that tracks your “risk” score. If you have a high risk score that determines you could at some point commit a crime (they check like tons of data points, there’s zero privacy) you get taken to a retention center for 21 days, but once you’re there, they find ways to add more time, make sure they keep an eye on you, and profit off the people being there. It’s a business.

Our main character ends up there because of her dreams, which she never knew were used in part of the algorithm, and why would it be? You can’t control your dreams. And everyone seems to be interpreting the dreams literally so shes’s taken in and we enter her story when she’s been there for almost a year.

I was so filled with rage for most of the book, for Sara’s situation, and how all the women are being treated. There’s a whole build up, Sara’s worry that she’s being forgotten by her husband and family, unable to get legal assistance, the organization doing everything they can to keep her there.

But then there’s a reveal about one of the characters that was really interesting but doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. And then just as it ramps up near the end? Like I’m hoping for some sort of revolution or take down, something dramatic? And ends in a way that I personally felt was a little…lazy? Unexpected after everything Sara went through and everything we’re expecting of this RAA group? Like I thought she was dreaming, cause that happens sometimes to throw us off, but no. Like, if felt like the story needed more at the end, Sara’s next steps, where does she go from here with what she started in the retention center? I wanted to see that.

Overall, this was great, but that ending takes it to a 4 star for me. Didn’t love it.

Thank you @netgalley and @pantheonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was scary in the sense that it feels realistic for the near future. Some science fiction is completely out there, but this one is not, which makes it connect. This one will definitely make you think and want to re read it.

What an eery novel! While it could be easily classified as dystopian, the lurking danger feels awfully familiar in our post-pandemic world. I usually struggle with books that have a clear agenda, but Lalami did a wonderful job conveying her message while keeping the reader engrossed in the story. You almost feel as trapped and helpless as the main character who sees no end to her time at the detention center—and that's all by design.

The book shows how unprocessed trauma, discrimination, and authoritarian governments can take something seemingly harmless—like preventing crimes before they happen—and turn it into a terrifying reality, especially for women and POC. It covers everything from female rage and immigration to AI, privacy, surveillance... so many topics! It would be a fantastic book club pick.

However, it lagged a bit in the middle, and I didn't love how often the timeline jumped back and forth, but these are small drawbacks for such an ambitious novel. I highly recommend it for those who can stomach reading it during the current administration. The hype is real! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC copy.

I was excited to read this one as its premise sounded so intriguing, however I just couldn't get into it. The parts about Sara’s “arrest” and pieces of her life were interesting but then I got to something…no idea what it was. A report of some sort? Transcript of an interview? Not sure. At that point I lost all interest.
I wanted to like this book, but it just was not for me. DNF at 20%
Thank you Pantheon Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In a not-so-far-away world where people who are risk of committing crimes are sent to a “retention center.” This book felt like a nightmare as I was reading because it felt like it could really happen. It felt like a Black Mirror episode - almost skin crawling. I really did enjoy this in the end. I didn’t do much research on it before reading and it was slightly unexpected in a good way. A great read about surveillance and the ethics of it. This blends science fiction with the character development of literary fiction and a bit of thriller. Plenty of discussion opportunity for a book club (Hi Jenna’s Book Club!) Really enjoy the abstractness of it.

Thank you to Pantheon Books for the ARC!

Thank you to Pantheon Books and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I absolutely LOVED this book. Sara is a 38 year old new mother who is detained at LAX airport after being told her risk score is too high and that she is a danger to her husband based on the data coming from her dreams. There she starts to learn the ins and outs behind the retention system that has swept the United States in the past 20 years after a televised mass shooting caused legislative change.

This (not so) dystopian novel set in the not so distant future was so powerful and engrossing. I was instantly drawn into the book and the world building that the author creates. She does an amazing job of using multi-media at the end of chapters to move the plot along. This is a powerful commentary on AI, surveillance, and the privatization of prisons. It's a sort of 1984 meets Orange is the New Black. I can not recommend this book more.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was genius, and is my favorite type of book, set in our world but with one or two huge differences that have multiple moral and ethical impacts on society. In this case, the Risk Assessment Administration which assigns a risk score to every citizen based on a very questionable framework, and an unknowingly nefarious brain implant that is supposed to help with insomnia, but ultimately is another way to gather data (and more.) This would be a great book to pick for a book club discussion, there is a lot here to talk about specific to how women are treated in society, data and privacy, and our current systems of incarceration. I loved this and it will likely be on my top list of 2025.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of this book!

I really enjoyed this book, following Sara through her struggle in retention. This book really speaks to things going on in the present, such as AI and how much data companies really have on us. Also important is the things we sign to use a service or join a social media site. This book to me is a crossover of Orange is the New Black with some Handmaids Tale elements... I would definitely recommend this!

DNF @ 52%

The premise for this book sounded so good, but the plot was slow moving and I gave up. There were also a lot of parallels to the US government that I don’t care to read about in fiction books.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

With a title like "The Dream Hotel," you'd think this novel would've focused a little more on the dream aspect...

This novel had a unique and compelling premise, reminiscent to Orwell's "1984": Years into the future, the government has the power to detain people for crimes they MIGHT commit in the future, based on dream analysis, risk scores, and a variety of other factors. So when Sara is detained by the RAA at LAX for a risk score that is just a tad too high, she begins her entry into "The Dream Hotel," a retention center filled with seemingly dangerous women, cruel handlers, and an unyielding set of rules. Set one toe out of line--refuse to sign up for a job, talk back to the handlers, or make friends with the wrong retainees--and the RAA will extend your sentence, upon threat of higher risk, of course. When Sara begins to unravel the seedy goings-on at the retention center, however, she must make a decision: fight back against the system and risk her freedom, or continue following the rules and missing out on her newborn children and husband's lives outside of her reach. Will she choose the debilitating "safety" inside the center, or risk everything for a chance at freedom?

I powered through the first 25% of this novel, and loved every page of it. But then something happened: the narrative began to drag. Though the retention center is advertised as a "dream hotel," implying that retainees are going in AND OUT, almost no one ever leaves--at least, we have no idea if anyone leaves because Sara's perspective is extremely limited. The "dreamer" aspect is hardly discussed, as we only learn about Sara's dreams and not the other retainees', and Sara's dreams are shown once and never talked about again.

The novel's main focus seems to be the daily life of the retainees and their psychological states, though even this is hardly expanded on. I can honestly say I have no idea where half the book went. It seems as if the narrative got carried away on a plethora of side quests and never returned to its original focus.

The beginning was interesting, but the novel never truly engaged me or challenged the technological ideals it set out to.

THE DREAM HOTEL: 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc.

Very solid near-future dystopian premise, executed well. Usually these things strain plausibility and induce some eye-rolling but that's avoided here.

If I could give this book a 6 star review, I would. It is incredibly unsettling, realistic to a degree, and incredibly Orwellian. This is the only book I’ve ever had to put down because I was getting so stressed out while reading it.

Sara is detained at the airport because her risk number is too high, due to the fact she is having dreams about killing her husband. She is thrown in “retention” and needs to stay in retention until her risk number goes down.

The entire time I was reading this book, all I could think about was the thought police. Imagine if the authorities could use your dreams, which are often random, against you and deem you to be unsafe and dangerous.

This book explores the fact that in the modern day, we rely heavily on technology, especially when it makes life easier. We have no qualms about sharing our lives through social media. But as we give up our privacy for convenience, aren’t we losing our freedoms? Imagine your every action, every word uttered, every dream, thrown into an algorithm, which you have no understanding of, and based on that information, determines if you’re a risk.

“In any case, crime is relative, its boundaries shifting in service of the people in power.”

To me, this book is also is a critique of the privatization of prison. Inventing infractions does happen within the prison system as prisons make money by holding criminals for longer periods of time.

I used to think that recording my dreams would be fun, especially so I can show my loved ones the insanity of my brain, but now I’m not so sure I want that. If my dreams and thoughts can be criminalized, then I’m not really free.

While it is set in the future, it didn’t feel far from reality with AI and technology knowing us all too well, it was an eye opening look into surveillance, technology, the prison system, & profiling.

Four stars for the concept and writing. It was not hard for me to enter Sara's world, and I was fascinated by her day-to-day struggles in a "retainment center," along with those of her fellow retainees. The suspense builds the longer they are forced to remain and endure unfair treatment by the guards and frustrating answers from the higher-ups. As good as this novel is for the most part, as I got nearer the end, I feared an anticlimatic ending was coming. It did, and I felt the story deserved more. Still, recommended for the thought-provoking premise and compelling writing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sara gets off the plane, having just flown home from a work event, only to find herself detained at customs... then taken in to custody because her bad dream (that she couldn't even recall!) had put her risk score over an acceptable 500 (and because she mouthed off a little to agents, so, they weren't letting her "slightly over acceptable" score slide.)
So off she goes do jail, oh no it's not jail, its just a retention center, where innocent people are held for 21 days (more like indefinitely) to be observed to be sure they are not at risk of committing a violent crime.
Such is the world Sara lives in, not in the too distant future - I think it was set in around 2035, so only 10 years out. And boy they make it believable, this could totally happen, and some if already does!
So Sarah is caught in the never-ending loop of observation under retention at "the dream hotel" (one of the guards nicknames for the facility that is basically a jail.) The monitor her every move, thought, and dream.
She is in this place for nearly a year before she finally gets more creative and proactive on working to get herself out.
The story can be a little slow at points, secondary characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but all in all this was a pretty good book.
Especially powerful because of how easily this could happen!
I would say this falls under the category of dystopian fiction, although real life is looking more and more like this all the time!
3.5 stars, rounded down to a three due to the unneeded length, the abrubt ending, and the lack of character development for other characters.

The Dream Hotel had a promising premise but the execution did not live up to expectations. The writing is flat and clinical so there was barely any tension or build up to pivotal moment. The jumps between past, present, dreams, and reality all felt the same, blending into one bland moment. The new arrival, which was meant to be the turning point based on the book's summary, was presented with a new POV out of nowhere which ruined the overall reveal. The pacing was monotonous, the stakes were unclear, and whatever the motive is that is moving the story along never really gains traction. Then the second half of the book reads like an entirely different novel, with an entirely different main character, who is suddenly no longer passive and insecure but bursting with rebellion and confidence. Surveillance and corporate control are touched on throughout the book but not enough to make me feel like I should care, or relate it to my current day experiences. I think the writing is partly to blame here because I could not understand Sara's shock at being tracked so deeply when we are already conscious of it in our current reality in 2025. Additionally, the actual "dreams" of the "Dream Hotel" are barely explored, making them feel like fillers rather than having any purpose outside of reminding the reader that the company is, in fact, tracking your dreams. The rebellion arc at the end felt immature and hollow, but that might be the only consistent thing about the book since Sara has been immature and hollow throughout her entire life it seems.

Sara's personality got boring very quickly. She is deeply insecure, impulsive, and goes through a relentless loop of second-guessing every word, action, and thought that crosses her mind or passes through her lips (regardless of if she's feeling confident that day and even prior to being retained). She read like a confused teenager rather than an adult woman reflecting on serious personal and societal crises. Her shift to becoming a revolutionary came out of nowhere and even when she takes action, she is immediately second-guessing her actions which ruins any impact to the overall story and what she is trying to accomplish. Her strained relationships were boring to read through and the secondary characters were equally as flat. I stopped reading the names of the other characters about a third of the way through because it didn't matter who was speaking; they all sounded the same. My biggest issue with the writing of the characters is that in this world centered on surveillance and control, there was no mention of any critical skepticism or suspicion against the technology. It all feels naively thought out since, even in 2025, we are already wary of deepfakes and algorithm manipulation.

I think the book tried to cover too many issues in society (surveillance, corporate greed, the criminal justice system, race, gender, class, and privacy) and didn't give enough of a backstory or focus on any one for longer than a blink of an eye. There was an opportunity to explore the real question about guilt versus innocence in a world where algorithms and fragmented data replace trust and evidence. This is extremely timely in our world of cancel culture and AI bias, but the book presents these deep moral and societal issues with the lightest, briefest touch. The tone feels detached so a book that is meant to make us feel uncomfortable over Sara's incarceration, just feels normal and unremarkable given that we are live with the awareness of data tracking today. It's not a new concept.