Written by author Miriam Parker, Room and Board: A Novel, is an engaging story of self-discovery, forgiveness, and redemption. It delves deep into Gillian’s transformation from an entitled professional to someone truly mindful of her responsibilities as a teacher and guardian of students, with sharp social commentary throughout. Room and Board: A Novel is a captivating read for those seeking a humorous and heartwarming journey of self-improvement.

Miriam Parker’s book, the Shortest Way Home was one of my favorite books from a few years ago. I was thrilled to find out she had finally written a new book, Room and Board.

Gillian is hiding from her life in NYC after she goes viral. She was working in public relations and needed to get away, so she lands a job with her old boarding school as a Dorm Mom. She basically makes sure the girls are on time for classes, following the rules and being good students. She didn’t have the best time when she was enrolled there, but she’s confident this time will be different.

The girls are all so confident and sure of themselves and it rubs off on Gillian. She has a good community here and even reconnects with an old classmate who is the father of a student. But when her past comes back to haunt her, will she be able to move past it?

The book was cute, but not very memorable. Gillian is kind of boring and she is fascinated by these HS girls who have so much confidence. I did think it was funny that Gillian was obsessed with expensive skincare from her previous life and brought an entire suitcase full of products with her.

Thank you to @duttonbooks for my gifted copy.

I find this book quite hard to review, because I enjoyed the premise and characters, but was often a bit irritated by the narrative voice. Gillian returns to her old boarding school as a ‘dorm mom’, following a scandal in her career as a publicist. This was another aspect of the novel which detracted from my enjoyment - some of the plot contrivances felt unrealistic and underdeveloped. 3.5 stars

📖My Thoughts📖

I chose this book because it seemed like it was going to be a cute and fun read. Unfortunately, for me, it really missed the mark. I just couldn’t get into this one as hard as I tried. The premise was so promising and I thought if I just stuck with it, that I would change my mind. I just couldn’t get over how pushed it seemed. Gillian’s character just seemed very juvenile for that of someone who was 38 and a dorm mother. She just seemed so egocentric, which given the number of times I had to read “we are so lucky to have you”, I guess I can see she would have acted as such. I think maybe if there had been more attention given to one of the plots going on, making the others merely minor themes, it may have been turned out better. I also had a hard time believing much of the storyline. Why would someone acting as a dorm mother have her hands in so many other things going on with the school? Some of them I could see, but to have her act as a spokesperson etc for what was going on? That just seems extremely far fetched in my opinion. This has potential and maybe with some tweaks it could be a cute and fun read.
Thank you Netgalley, Miriam Parker and Dutton books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️

Gillian Brodie didn't have the easiest childhood - it was just her and her mom, until she attended a fancy boarding school on scholarship for high school. Then it was just her.

While it wasn't without struggles, she made it through and ended up as a very successful publicist in New York. But when she did an excellent job planning a defensive strategy to fight metoo accusations against a client, only to find they were wrong, she closed her successful business instead of continuing on with a sullied reputation.

Enter that old boarding school for high school. They reach out to let her know they're looking for a dorm mom to oversee her old home-away-from-home. The job can get her off of everyone's radar, and includes room and board.

The story was a fun little escape to a different life. Gillian quickly discovers that the job may not be as easy as she expected, but also ends up letting her feel good at her job again. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars and would read more cute books from this author.

This was a solid read. If you like books set in boarding schools, second chance romances, or stories about starting over, I would recommend!

Gillian was a publicist who lived in the big city and loved her job, until it went up in smoke.. But then she got the offer of being a dorm mom at her alma mater, Glen Allen Academy. She has no other options so she decides what does it hurt? She enjoys this new life, until everything from the past threatens to rear its ugly head.


I just reviewed Room and Board by Miriam Parker. #RoomandBoard #NetGalley

I was so excited for this one and it totally lived up to expectations. I couldn't get enough and I really loved the story line. it hooked me from the start and I couldn't put it down.

Room and Board by Miriam Parker puts to test the old adage: "you can never go home again." But, for MC Gillian, she's set to go back to her old boarding school to serve as a "dorm mom" when she has to close her successful publicity firm.

Some of the themes are a bit trite and executed without too much originality (e.g., mean girls), but there are some charming elements nonetheless.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

For me to enjoy a novel, I need a setting that' draws me in, characters that I can relate to or root for, and/or a plot that keeps me reading. Unfortunately, this had none of these and I just couldn't get into it.

I tried so hers with this one but I was bored from beginning to end. I hope this one attracts other people as it is a good concept

Having grown up in Sonoma, I was so interested in this premise, but the execution didn’t work for me. The protagonist was flat, and for such a seemingly educated person, she was portrayed as being vapid and boring. I couldn’t get into the book at all, unfortunately.

This book had so much potential, but at the end of the day, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The main character was immature, and the plot was one I’ve seen before. Unfortunately, I won’t be recommending this one to my audience.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly couldn't get into this book. I'm giving it a 3 star because I did like the concept and premise of the story but I just couldn't relate to any of the characters. I think it would interest older teens.

This is not the book for me. The main character seemed more immature than the girls she was supposed to chaperone. I didn't finish this one.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

This is a very pleasant, uplifting story about a woman who becomes a dorm parent at a boarding school and reconnects with her own high school flame from her days as a student at the school. The plot is pretty low-stakes, but I loved the school setting, and the supporting characters, especially the teen students and the president's secretary who is always so kind to protagonist Gillian and who enlists her help with a serious problem. I read so many unkind reviews of this book, and I don't feel they treated the book fairly at all. I hope to read more from Miriam Parker.

Like a cross between Gilmore Girls and Sex Lives of College Girls, this is a breezy campus read set in beautiful California wine country. It's frothy and fun.

Rating: 2/5 Stars

When disgraced #metoo publicist Gillian Brodie finds herself running from her high profile celebrity firm in Manhattan to retreat to the walls of her boarding school alma mater in California, she thinks she has it as well figured out as one could. But quickly she realizes the role that she has accepted as dorm mother is more complex than she realized and that not everything is the same at Glen Ellen as it was 20 years ago. Can Gillian navigate her new surroundings while still figuring out who she is and what she wants in her life?

OOF - This one was rough. I think mainly because Gillian was so unlikable and juvenile. I mean this honestly read like a YA novel between the overly descriptive skincare routines (with brand dropping) to the constant need for acceptance from her coworkers, love interest and even the students she was meant to be watching. The character seemed very out of touch and the story line wasn’t realistic especially with the way the story evolved. There wasn’t enough detail or character development except for Gillian and well, that didn’t end well. I really gave this a chance, but it was unfortunately a miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group / Dutton and Miriam Parker for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I don't know... I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I don't know... The concept, the premise, the plot had everything that would interest me but once I started reading, it wouldn't captivate me.