Normally, I'm not a huge fan of litfic. And even with more scifi-leaning litfic, I hesitate to pick them up. But I decided to give this a try because I love a good dystopian story and I love supporting talented authors of color.

The Dream Hotel definitely subverted my expectations!

This was a well-written, extremely thematically relevant novel that mixes a concept from Minority Report (pre-crime), writing in fears that every immigrant has (being detained at the airport, being profiled, etc.), uses our current society's reliance on flawed algorithms, and incorporates the use of dreams as a factor to determine whether you're at risk to commit crime.

It all sounds like a lot, but the author weaves all of these ideas into a story that reads so eerily relevant to today's focus on the capabilities of algorithms to determine whether someone receives healthcare or not (Estate of Gene B. Lokken et al. v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc. et al.). She also uses the post-9/11 security apparatus to really solidify the worldbuilding, letting readers understand how Sara and her fellow not-inmates are truly suffering under the guise of being protected from themselves and from society.

Add in a heavy dose of federal bureaucracy and the lose applicability of due process, and you can see how this novel is truly a dystopian nightmare rooted in a possible future United States. And that's what's scary about this book.

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley/Pantheon for the e-ARC!

Reading this at the start of 2025... yikes, man. I got to the chapters with the fire on the same day the LA fire started spreading and it felt a little too real. It's one of the bleakest books I've read recently because it isn't a far future dystopian. This feels real, like it could happen within my lifetime. And that really freaked me out. Part of me dreaded having to pick it up each time I went to read, which is just a huge compliment to the author for really nailing that atmosphere.

It's a story about Sara's unjust detainment after the algorithm considers her a risk for a future crime after analyzing her dreams. But, like most dystopian novels, it's more than that. Lalami is showing us a future where privacy doesn't exist and society accepts that as fact. It is a future where the government relies on tech companies to the point of using algorithm as rule of law. We do not know the details of the algorithm, but we do not question it.

Sara questions it. She's a good protagonist to follow because she is complex and fallible, and she struggles to choose between her desire for freedom and her individuality within the system. She's not the most likable person, but she's very sympathetic.

For as depressing but thoughtful this book was, it was a little slow to get going. There was also a section in the middle that felt almost out of place, though that might be because the rest of the story takes place almost exclusively in one building. The idea posed in that section fits into the theme of the novel, but I'm not sure it was a seamless addition to the narrative, if that makes sense. And there wasn't much of a conclusion with that arc. Other than what the reader should extrapolate, I guess.

Overall, I think this would be a really good book club read because there are a ton of themes to pull out of it that would make for great discussions. It's certainly given me a lot to think about.

What happens when Kafka's "Trial" meets Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"? A heckuva reader ride..especially if you sprinkle in AI and technology. Sara Hussein is returning home to California from a routine London business trip when she is detained at the airport on suspicion of perhaps wanting to murder her husband. These suspicions are a result of data that has been collected from her dreams. A nightmarish journey ensues as she is placed as a "detainee" in a repurposed elementary school and endures degradation, deprivations, and humiliation all while trying to prove her innocence.
As a person who is not sold on the concept of AI and the degree to which technology is ingrained into our lives, I found the story uncomfortable at times but very much wanting the characters to get their lives back.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this eARC.

➳ 2.5/5 stars

This book had a strong start and managed to hook me right from the first page. However, as the story progressed, I felt like it wasn’t really going anywhere, which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. I still pushed myself to finish it, hoping for something that would redeem the slow pace. The dream analysis aspect, though, was intriguing and definitely a unique angle that stood out. I can see how someone interested in that subject might find this book captivating, but for me, it just didn’t fully click. It had potential, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for me!

A truly excellent novel. Following themes of policing and motherhood along the lines of THE HANDMAID'S TALE and THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS, with its own unique element of surveilling the subconscious. An eerie and timely read. Thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for the ARC.

Wow what a book. I literally could not put this down. A rehab of sorts that deals with dream sequencing of a sense. The one place that should be private, protected is being analyzed at all angles. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved this one! If you’re a fan of post-capitalist dystopian novels… this one if your you. This is the first book by Lalami, and it was a treat. Although there are many characters, this book was easy to follow and very hard to put down. If you’re a fan like The School For Good Mothers, you might like this one.

What a great book!
The tech oligarchy meets the prison industrial complex. A must read as we continue to lose our privacy to corporations.

#NetGalley

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is a captivating dystopian novel about a young professional mother who is taken into government custody. In this future world of extreme surveillance everyone is given risk assessment scores based on the probability that they may commit a crime in the future. Sara, the protagonist of this book is flagged for a high risk score based on a several factors outside of her control including her dreams. In this Kafkaesque world, technology exists to monitor dreams. The book follows Sara's incarceration under strict, arbitrary and constantly changing rules.

The setting for the novel is Los Angeles of the future and it was chilling to read this book as fires envelop the city in January of 2025.

This book is outstanding. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Using AI to assess the risk of someone committing a crime sounds fantastic in theory and I love when sci-fi thrillers are able to turn that on its head and show just how that could go terribly wrong. It's an atmospheric read that was really fun but also felt slow in a lot of places. To be fair, it is a slow paced book that needs that pace for the atmosphere. There are a lot of conversation starters within the book, such as how we tend to easily trade our privacy for what we assume to be safety.

(3.75)
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me access to the ARC of this novel.
The Dream House is a speculative fiction set in a world in which everyone is given a risk score based on a variety of factors (including dreams) which are beholden to an algorithm. Those with higher scores are at risk of being sent to detention centers even when they have committed no crime. It examines the reality and consequences of imperfect algorithms, radical surveillance, racial profiling and the prison industrial complex.

When an exhausted new mom Sara's risk assessment score goes over 500 she told she will detained for at least 21 days. As this "sentence" keeps getting extended Sara grows increasingly frustrated and eventually hopeless.

I found the premise of this novel to be interesting and intriguing to read. I liked learning about this new world Sara had found herself in. I found myself so angry and frustrated by what I was reading which was obviously the point. Where I think this booked lacked a bit was the pacing. The middle dragged a bit for me and was repetitive. However, that also could of been the point. As Sara was being set back again and again and becoming resigned to her circumstance we were also getting a bit tired and frustrated. I also think I would have liked to feel a bit more about the relationships in the book. While I was interested in the events I didn't feel much for the individual characters. Accept the asshole safely officers. I would like to slap them!

"The Dream Hotel" by Laila Lalami is a thought-provoking piece of speculative fiction that, while intriguing, may not fully capture the hearts of all readers. The book explores a unique concept that is both captivating and thought-provoking, but some may find it difficult to fully immerse themselves in the story.

Despite this, it's important to note that "The Dream Hotel" is still a well-crafted and engaging read that is worthy of attention. Lalami's writing is vivid and descriptive, painting a rich tapestry of characters and settings that will transport readers to another world.

Ultimately, "The Dream Hotel" is a solid addition to the speculative fiction genre and a book that is worth checking out, even if it doesn't quite hit the mark for all readers. It's a four-star read that will leave you pondering long after the final page is turned.

The DOJ and US Department of State are already deeply immersed in using predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI to make decisions. The premise of The Dream Hotel therefore doesn’t require a huge leap to imagine a fictional future where every piece of data, including data from dreams, is used to analyze every person for any future risk to commit a crime. This data is used to assign an individual a corresponding risk score. If your risk score goes above 500, you can be involuntarily “retained” and sent to a retainment center to further assess if you are a danger to society. The Dream Hotel had many aspects that I enjoyed: a dystopian future, a strong female lead, excellent plot pacing and character development, a malevolent company (or three) to root against. Lalami demonstrates the inherent cruelty of involuntary institutionalization, where an individual’s liberties are in perpetual legal limbo.

I was really intrigued by the blurb here, but the story just didn't resonate with me at all. I struggled from the beginning unfortunately, and never found my way into the story. The writing felt unnecessarily dry and the book just wasn't for me.

This was a compelling and stressful read as this “near future” scenario of dream monitoring and citizen scores doesn’t seem as improbable as it should. I was captivated by Sara and her inner turmoil as she tries to make sense of her life as a retainee. The writing is powerful and while not all of the various threads come together or are fully explored, I think the flow and conclusion makes sense for the story. Recommended to anyone looking for a smart, tense read. 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

First and foremost I received an e-arc from NetGalley.

The Dream Hotel has an interesting concept but falls short of my expectation. The end of the book feels rushed with too many plot holes. It’s definitely missing something that is needed to fulfill the story. Hopefully, the final version will be better.

I was incredibly intrigued by the premise of this book, and for the most part, it did not disappoint. It is (unfortunately) a very timely book, and it is one that will make anyone second guess how they operate in the world, even in private. I was very interested in the environment of the book and the world that the characters lived in, but the characters themselves, other than Sara and Hinton, fell a bit flat for me. I wanted to know more about all of them, and was left with more questions than answers.

Overall, I really loved the writing in this book, and I applaud Laila Lalami for creating such a beautiful and thought-provoking piece of work. I just selfishly wanted to know more at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC!

3.5 stars

We've all experienced moments when life seems like a waking nightmare, but what about when your nightmares are responsible for drastically altering the course of your life?

Sara heads off to an international conference for work, and upon her return, she is detained at LAX. Anyone who has ever flown in or out of LAX and especially those who do it regularly know there are few better locations on the planet for a scene of frustration and despair and a sense of being at the mercy of bureaucracy. What a genius choice!

Sara has been flagged because her dreams and behaviors have the Risk Assessment Agency convinced that she poses a threat. This results in her disturbing (because it seems extremely realistic) incarceration in a facility that makes her life worse in all of the expected ways. The general ineptitude, slow and dysfunctional processes, and the dehumanization present in this and related systems comes through so clearly here, and it really does add to the sense of a waking nightmare both for Sara and for readers who can so easily imagine themselves in a society and even situation like this.

I love _The Other Americans_ so much that coming into any new Lalami read has me hopeful. While I enjoyed this one, I wanted more depth in Sara's characterization, more tying up of loose ends, and perhaps even a bit more expansive cultural commentary (this last part is what I thought was accomplished best in this list - I still wanted more, though).

I remain a devoted fan of Lalami's and look forward to what we get to read next!

This was a very interesting story, especially considering the political climate we are living in. It really made me stop, look around, and appropriate the freedoms I have while also making it clear that there is a fine line between our country today and the situation described in the book. I thought the author captured the struggle of whether to go along with the flow or fight for freedom regardless of the consequences very poignantly. A great story with a powerful message!