In Miriam Parker’s new novel, Room and Board, Gillian’s career as a publicist for high-profile celebrities has imploded. She’s jobless and drifting, unsure of what to do–friends she thought she had aren’t calling. When she receives an offer to become a “dorm mom” at Glen Ellen Academy, the prestigious Sonoma boarding school she attended two decades earlier on scholarship, she leaps at the opportunity. Gillian actually finds herself enjoying her new role and even runs into an old crush. And then a scandal breaks and Gillian isn’t sure what’s going to happen next.

Here’s what worked for me: I liked the campus setting, especially in such a beautiful part of California. I love a redemption/figuring yourself out story. I also loved “at work” Gillian – whether as a kind and firm dorm mom or as a woman using her publicist skills to help teenagers and the school. She was awesome.

Here’s what didn’t work for me: “In a relationship” Gillian. I felt that she was too obsessed with the crush from high school who treated her terribly back then and honestly seems kind of iffy now. For such a strong woman, her neediness in any kind of relationship felt so frustrating. I think I was supposed to empathize with her, but I just couldn’t.

This story of second chances follows Gillian who had an amazing job until she loses it all and accepts an offer as “dorm mom” at the boarding academy she attended on scholarship. This time back at the academy is good for her until something is threatening it all.
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I really rooted for Gillian as she tries to figure out her life.
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Thank you #dutton and #netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Gillian is back at the boarding school she went to as a scholarship student. She is now the dorm mom and licking her wounds after losing her business as a publicist to the stars due to a scandal. She finds that there are a lot of things that haven't changed from years ago and yet things are different too. She runs into her high school crush who is now a single parent of one of her boarding students, so there is a little second chance romance as well.

While I liked the idea of this story, I wasn't blown away by any of it. Not that I HAVE to be blown away, but I really feel the story could have been a lot more. 3 stars

Parker writes a solid story about a woman having to reinvent herself, sort of. Gillian’s dreams and career combusted in NYC so she moves to California to become a dorm mom at her Alma mater. She enjoys a rapport with her girls and makes news friends. The book also does throw back chapters to acclimate readers to what happened Gillian’s senior year.
A scandal erupts at the school and it’s tossed into Gillian’s lap to deal with.
The one person I didn’t care for was Aiden. I thought he was self absorbed, disingenuous, and ready to dismiss Gillian too readily, I thought Gillian could do much better.

I started out liking this book and then…..it just didn’t grab my interest enough.
The main character, Gillian, is so immature for such a mature lady…does that make sense??????
Overall, it was a ok read but sorry to say not a favorite for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was super excited about this one - I love a boarding school setting - but it just missed the mark for me. The characters, plot and dialogue all just fell a little flat and I struggled to stay engaged with this one. I appreciate the advance copy!

This is a story about second chances.  Gillian attended an elite boarding school in Sonoma in the 1990s as a scholarship student.  She was part of a close group of three friends, with her roomate Miranda and their friend Aiden, but otherwise often felt like she did not fit in.  After a difficult last few months at the school, Gillian has not been back though she has often thought about her experiences at Glen Ellen Academy.  Following college, Gillian launches a very successful career as a publicist to the stars, finally feeling comfortable among her elite clients.  

Then, her career implodes in a very public fashion, and Gillian is left without a job or any friends.  So when the chair of the board of Glen Ellen Academy offers her a position as a "dorm mom" at the school, Gillian accepts, figuring it will be a temporary pit stop while she figures out her next steps.  Back on campus, Gillian is surprised to find how much she takes to the role, serving as a mentor to the students, finding new uses for her old skills as a publicist, and developing new, authentic friendships.  Even more surprising, the parent of one of her charges is an old friend from school -- and he happens to live in the nearby town.  But just as Gillian is feeling like she may have found a new home, she is pulled into a scandal that may undermine the new life she has built for herself -- and presents the type of controversy she had hoped she had left behind.

I enjoyed this book.  The book captures well the dynamic of someone trying to start over after a public scandal in the modern times, where the details of what happens are only a google search away for anyone that you encounter -- and the ways that can shape first impressions and the ability to move on.  The author also did a great job of capturing how formative friendships and first loves are when one is a teenager and how the impact of those relationships -- how they developed and how they end -- can last long into adulthood.  This book is an excellent combination of a boarding school novel and a mediation on scandal, social media, and second changes.  

Highly recommended!

This was 2.5 stars for me because the writing was very clunky and the conversation seemed stilted. It was like one big after school special about scandal that had no real pizazz to it. It was like a bunch of robotic characters that were set in 2018 but spoke like they were in the 80s all got together to show us how life should be. Gillian was supposed to have a big redemption arc and I’m a sucker for second chances but there were so many plot holes.

A new start. A new beginning far from her New York life. That’s what Gillian needs.
A place where no one knows her. Well, some people do, but no one cares about what happened.
After quitting her job as a publicist because of an implosion of her career, Gillian moves back into her old boarding school where she has been asked to be a dorm mother.
As a teenager, Gillian was the scholarship student at Glen Ellen Academy, and had her fair bit of drama with her friend and Adam. Now she left her firm and the celebrity clients she wished for as a teenager and is given an unexpected second chance. (Highly unexpected as she has no experience and it is just handed to her, but let’s our disbelief aside for a moment.)
She becomes a dorm mother, builds relationships with the quirky, elitist students in her care, gets a second chance with her old flame Adam, now a father at Glen Ellen Academy, and as it happens, this is the year the school has to navigate a number of big PR emergencies; both positive and negative. How handy that they recently hired an ex-publicist so she can shine and really take her place at the school!
I admit, it isn’t quite believable and Gillian certainly doesn’t take her job quite seriously enough, but surprisingly, I didn’t mind. We don’t always need reality; we need a feel-good moment. A book that you can read in a sitting or two, that will warm your heart without being too mushy (there is some school drama after all) and just let us enjoy the activity of reading.
Room and Board does just that: It lets you read and relish it, feel like sometimes things work out, and has some sweet, some unconventional characters to entertain you. Enjoy!

This is an interesting and perceptive novel about going home again. Gillian is a highly succesfuly publicist to the stars in New York City, far from where she grew up in Northern California. When her career falls apart falling a public scandal, she finds herself alone and without a job. So when Gillian is offered a position as a "dorm mom" at the elite boarding school in Sonoma she left under less that ideal circumstances two decades before, she decides to accept. Returning to the school, she finds it has both not changed in some ways and, in other ways, is entirely different. Despite her misgivings, Gillian finds she is both good at and enjoys her new role, as she develops strong relationships with the students, makes new friends, and even rekindles an old flame. But when she learns of a scandal that could shake the whole school, her carefully constructed second chance seems precarious -- and Gillian wonders whether her life is about to fall apart for the second time in as many years.

This is an intriguing concept for a novel that is well executed by the author. Gillian is a thoughtful and introspective character, and her journey makes for a very engaging story.

Highly recommended!

A former publicist takes a job as dorm mom at the boarding school that she has attended as a teenager, and finds that she enjoys helping the young women, and enjoys working with the school staff.

Hmm. There's a lot of hate for this in the reviews so far so I went into reading it with a healthy dose of skepticism. And I discovered that there's more here than most reviewers have given it. It's very much a second chance story about Gillian, who has lost her business in New York and finds herself back in Sonoma working as a dorm monitor at her old boarding school. THere's a shadow of darkness from her own time there, when she was the scholarship student but know that her secret is light. She also gets a second chance with Aiden, who I didn't particularly like. The young women at the school take Gillian in more than I would expected and she makes good use of her own talents to help them when they need publicity. There's a subplot involving financial shenanigans at the school as well. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the boarding school novel might enjoy this more.

Room and Board by Miriam Parker is the perfect cure for insomnia. I struggled to finish this book. The disgraced publicist becomes a dorm mom at the boarding school she attended for high school. We are left to wonder how she got this this job for which she is not qualified. The other dorm moms must do double duty by teaching and chaperoning a building full of students. Gillian neglects her job from the beginning. The first night she is too tired to check on her charges and is just shocked when she discovers evidence of partying in the building the next day including the requisite sick teenager from overindulging in alcohol. This will not be the last time Gillian neglects her duties (dating before duties seems to be Gillian’s motto). I was surprised when a pampered princess named Bunny (a senior) befriends Gillian. Bunny and her clique frequently hang out in Gillian’s suite. The students just love Gillian, and they trust her from the beginning (is anyone buying this). Gillian pays more attention to her love life than the students she is responsible for. Gillian’s crush from high school is now the father of Rainbow who happens to live in Gillian’s dorm (what a coincidence). Here is Gillian’s chance for the man she has been unable to get out of her thoughts for twenty years. She is willing to overlook what he did back in high school. The students are your stereotypical pampered rich kids who expect the best and enjoy torturing the scholarship students. I believe the author has spent too much time watching Gossip Girl (both versions) and Gilmore Girls. I can see details from both shows in the book. I had to roll my eyes at some of the scenes. When you put out a sign stating that you can ask me anything, what do you expect. People are going to ask you some ridiculous questions. Gillian gets annoyed when a child shows up at her door asking for help. This means taking time away from getting ready for a date or stalking her crush on social media. The author is detail oriented. I really did not need to know what Gillian wore down to her shoes or that she spends an hour doing her face care routine (or all the items she used to keep her skin looking youthful). There are many contradictions in the book. If the headmaster’s assistant does the accounting for the school, why is there a finance department? Gillian tells the girls that accepting freebies will make you beholden to others, but readers are told in great detail how the majority of Gillian’s wardrobe is from freebies (clients and from companies). The dialogue is awkward and unrealistic (the author should have spent some time talking to teenagers). There were some plot points started in the book that were never revisited while others were left unresolved. I found the ending to be unrealistic. Room and Board is one of those books that left me feeling like I had just wasted a few hours of my time.

I unfortunately did not love this book, and ended up DNFing half way through.

I was hoping for a second chance story and the plot seemed promising but it just fell flat for me and I couldn’t finish it.

Room and Board by Miriam Parker

A charming novel about second chances. A publicist, after the sudden implosion of her career,takes a job as a dorm mom at a boarding school that happens to be her alma mater.

This is a light, emotional cosy. No murders involved. It was enjoyable. There were many friendly characters. An old love is ignited. Well-plotted and well-written.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

This wasn't my favorite - a little to "girlboss" for me - and I need a character to relate to in order to enjoy a book and it just wasn't it.

Thanks for the advanced copy!

I love a second chance book but this one just did not do it for me. The book and the plot sounded so promising, but the characters and plot both fell flat for me.

This sounded so fun in theory, but in practice it felt like the author may be too far out of high school to be riting about the modern day experience. High schoolers are absolutely ruthless and there is no way Gillian's arrival would have been that smooth. She just immediately became the popular girl overnight, with no issues. It was giving High School Musical vibes. I sadly did not feel like I could root the for love story, Aiden was such a loser and felt like so untrustworthy for some reason. I just didn;t see the benefit to this story being told.

Overall, I think i would skip this one.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

While not entirely realistic, I found this book to be quite entertaining. There was drama, friendship, unrequited love and second chances. Who doesn't remember the angst of teen years and the first heartbreak? I found the characters, their stories and their relationships interesting. It was an enjoyable read.

I just finished reading Room and Board by Miriam Parker and I quite liked it. It’s set in an area where I have spent some time (Sonoma Valley, CA) and I was delighted by the bond that developed between the adult female protagonist and the young girls in her care.

If you read the synopsis, you can tell that it had a lot going on, but it was perfectly balanced in that it was never too much or too little of anything.

It was fun to contemplate going back to where we came from and how we might fit in differently or not so much so if we tried.

As a light and sweet read, I'd recommend it.