17 year old Layla Amin is sent to an internment camp in the middle of nowhere of California with her parents because they are Muslims. It happened so fast and their mobile phones were taken away before they were sent to the camp, so she was unable to call or text her boyfriend to let him know what happened.
In the camp, Layla befriends some other Muslim teens and together they organise several actions to rebel against the sadistic camp security guards and camp director. One of the guards turns out to be on the internees’ side and helps Layla wherever he can. He even lets her call her boyfriend, and when he appears at the camp, he smuggles him in.
A few weeks before her 18th birthday, the camp director becomes more focused on Layla, and his sadism increases as well… will he make her disappear after her birthday?
This book was actually quite scary, because I can see this happening. In fact it is happening with foreigners in the United States who are sent to camps in El Salvador. This is only a small step… and it terrifies me for everyone in the States who is not a WASP.
Read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 25: A book where the main character is an immigrant or refugee
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
