Would recommend for fans of…
🍎 Abbott Elementary
🍎 English Teacher
🍎 Moxie

I need everyone to read this book. That’s the review.

When I picked it up, I was expecting something very similar to Abbott Elementary. I figured there would be elements of romance, maybe some heartwarming moments with students, and inspiring scenes of educators advocating for their kids. The Faculty Lounge has all that and more.

The story starts when an elderly substitute passes away in the faculty lounge at the start of the school year. From there, the staff of Baldwin High School is tasked with honoring his final wishes, which sets off an interesting cascade of events that last throughout the school year. While that premise may sound sad, I promise that this story is actually very funny with a sweet and incredibly moving ending.

The way Jennifer Mathieu has structured the story is very unique. The whole book takes place over the course of a school year and each chapter is focused on a specific member of the staff, which makes the book feel almost like a collection of interconnected short stories. With a true ensemble of characters, I was worried there wouldn’t be enough time spent on each, but I feel like this book had the most well-developed set of characters I’ve ever seen. I felt like each of these teachers could have been some of mine in high school. And the humor! I can’t underscore enough how funny this book is. Like truly laugh out loud.

I know a lot of people are compiling their ‘10 Before the End’ lists right now and I’m begging you to include The Faculty Lounge. I promise you won’t regret it! And I’m sure all teachers will enjoy this one.

The Faculty Lounge is out now. Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a former teacher, this was a fun book! All centered around a teacher found dead in the faculty lounge, The Faculty Lounge focuses on each teacher and their relationship to the dead teacher. It's humorous, and so relatable!

This was a good book. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it at first, but then I really enjoyed it. This is a great book for teachers and ex-teachers.
It had a lot of funny moments, but also sad, poignant ones. In all, it was a good read.

I am not a teacher, but I have worked in and around the sphere of education for most of my career. And I have emphasize, teachers and educators are the backbone of our society.

I so enjoyed getting to know the faculty and staff at the fictional Baldwin High School in Houston. I appreciated how their stories were interwoven but not so much that we didn't get to know each person separately. I was moved by so many of the stories and by how many of them were somehow connected to Mr. Lehrer. His passion for teaching and love for the school was so admirable. I think many of us remember those teachers that made such a positive impression on us and the community.

I also appreciated the overall hopeful energy that each of the characters had by the end of their chapters or the end of the book. Many of them were going through difficult personal situations as well as facing frustrations and restrictions that we know are all too common in public schools. But their love for the work and their students ultimately kept them going. It's relatable!

I'd say The Faculty Lounge is required reading not just for teachers, but for parents, taxpayers, or anyone who has ever gone to public school.

This book is a comedic love letter to the people who make a school more than a building. I loved my time with each character, getting to see their view of the situation and learn their secrets. The comedy was spot on, and if you've ever worked in a school you will recognize the humor and scenarios from your time teaching. Some things are universal in public education, and Mathieu has captured the heart and soul of why we laugh so we don't cry. And why it's beautiful even in the dumpster fire.

At Baldwin High School, in the Houston suburbs, substitute teacher Mr. Lehrer has died. In the faculty lounge. His colleagues are saddened - some more than others - as he worked at the school in some full-time and then as a substitute for over forty years. His son lets the principal know that he wished to have his ashes spread at the school - which results in one of the first of many scandals that happen throughout the school year. We’r given glimpses into the lives of the faculty and staff at Baldwin High and the ordeals they go through during the remainder of the school year. Often the stories are tied back to Mr. Lehrer, but not always. In one case, we enter the world of a student. In each case, we’re given a wonderful story.

I was totally caught off guard by how much I absolutely loved this book. I am not a teacher and have never worked in a school, but I went through the public school system as a kid and now have a child in it. This felt like a timely read with the school year beginning. I am always astounded by what my daughter’s teachers make happen on a daily basis. This book expanded on that, and made me think of not just the faculty but the staff as well. There were so many heartwarming little stories mixed in throughout this book. There’s no main plot line - it’s very much character driven and I absolutely love that. This was well-written - funny in all the right places, and compassionate in all the others. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read this book and absolutely recommend it.

I finished this book last weekend at the pool, and it felt like the perfect way to start Back to School SZN!

This is the story of the folks who make Baldwin High in Texas function. The teachers, the administration and the support staff. We meet them during a surreal moment - a longtime Baldwin teacher turned substitute is found dead in the Faculty Lounge. At his request, his ashes are scattered on the school lawn. though an ill-timed gust of wind lands some of them on some of the most over-involved (and not in a good way...) parents. This leads to all eyes being put on Baldwin High - for better and for worse...

This is a quirky, heart-warming and deeply enjoyable look at the folks who work their hardest to make the lives our youth as good as possible. It is a reminder that these folks are real people too - in addition to their stressful jobs they are trying to balance all the other hardships of life.Author Jennifer Mathieu does a masterful job of also weaving in timely topics that these folks have to deal with on a daily basis - book bans! abortion bans! We see how these aren't just public policy debates - but how their impacts trickle down to our schools.

The character development here was excellent - and I found myself becoming deeply invested in the staff of Baldwin High. They aren't perfect - none of us are!! But they are doing their damnest every day. A very timely reminder that teachers are heroes who we do not appreciate or celebrate nearly enough.

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Mathieu but will certainly not be the last! Big thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC.

Plot
This delightful story follows a set of teachers across an academic year – each narrating a different story as the year progresses. It opens with a first-year teacher finding a substitute teacher dead of old age in the faculty lounge.

From meddling PTA moms to personal issues impacting faculty performance, from district overstepping to parents challenging curriculum, this story truly covers all the highs and lows of being a teacher in the world today.

Why Kirsten loves it
Both hilarious and poignant, this story reminds me of Abbott Elementary in the best way. I felt deeply for the teachers and their struggles while laughing along with their missteps and flaws.

I am normally not a reader that enjoys books that revolve around teachers especially as of lately they tend to involve illicit relationships between teachers and students. However, this was thankfully not like this.

Jennifer Mathieu shows the humanity that exists in a school building. These teachers had depth and humor in their lives trying to do best by their students but also do the best in themselves. Each chapter focuses on a different teacher and how the death of one of their own has effected them. Not only before his death but after his death when the departed teachers wishes also involved the spreading of his ashes on school grounds which put the principals job in jeopardy.

I don't know if this will appeal to all readers BUT it certainly appealed to THIS reader. Very enjoyable!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin House Dutton for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own

For anyone working in the public school system, I see you and this book sees you. I already knew I did not envy those in the industry and <i>The Faculty Lounde</I> pretty much soldified that. The line between sarcasm and truth is very dim because stranger than life things really do happen.
The book is written like short stories of high school staff experiences that all meld together to form one school year. One school year that started off with a substitute dying on the facutly lounge couch. Every one lives the same situations differently and this book was not afraid to show all of the sides.
There was an email exchange forwarding mistake between an educator and a parent that I related to personally. Something similar happened to me as an unsuspecting parent and the educator was beside themselves with regret. There were examples of those teachers who go above and beyond to help students in need. There were teachers that were just doing this job because they didn't know what else to do. There was a red tape, there were angry parents, there were professional training days and everything else in the middle.
This book is not for the faint of heart. We need more respect for our teachers and admins and this book shines the light on what they go through on a daily basis.

I enjoyed this one.. It was interesting learning so much about each of the staff members, as each section began with an excerpt from someone else's past. Some of it was ad - the teachers who are burnt out or under appreciated, the lonely people, the silent struggles. The author did a good job making the characters relatable and making their story make sense.

This is a good look at the inner lives and daily turmoils of public teachers, which may be valuable for many.

I appreciated the dark humor. I did find the storyline slow at times.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased for my library and shared with my reading group.

I loved this book. This is a character-driven novel that reads almost like a series of interconnected short stories following the faculty and staff of a large public high school. I enjoyed meeting each of the characters and following their storylines throughout the book. I especially think anymore who works in the public school system would find this novel relatable and enjoyable.

Were I still teaching, this would be the book I re-read at the end of every summer.

There are already so many wonderful reviews that address the poignancy and humor of The Faculty Lounge, so I'll add one aspect I sincerely appreciated as I read—the structure.

Mathieu chose to tell this story through the shifting perspectives of faculty and staff members of a fictional Texas high school, where the school year began with a death in the teachers' lounge. I was struck by how these interconnected stories, each of which included a lot of backstory, mimicked the sense of isolation and overlap that I remember from my years in the classroom, where I worked primarily alone, my life intersecting with the other school employees only incidentally and primarily (you guessed it) in the faculty lounge.

I was likewise impressed with how a novel that could make me laugh aloud in one scene could evoke deep contemplation in another, how it never shied away from the complex realities—from racism and xenophobia to alcoholism and reproductive rights— that school workers face daily (sometimes expectedly, but more often not).

Whether or not you've worked in an education setting, The Faculty Lounge is worth reading.

This was such a thought provoking and intriguing read for me. I am not an educator or know much about being a teacher in society today, but I still found it enthralling. I thought it was super interesting that all the chapters highlighted individuals within the school system of a fictional school in the Houston area. We follow these teachers, custodians, counselors, and school nurse to name a few of the stories highlighted through a school year that begins with the death of a college in the faculty lounge. While this isn't the focus of the book, it is slightly woven through this character study. I found it to be a very interesting way to connect the stories of these very different individuals who have a commonality- they're all an important part of the school system. This was certainly character driven, very little plot occurs, but I could not put it down. I found each story almost like a vignette or short story itself. While this might turn some people off, I found it quite entertaining. Teachers are obviously some of the most important people in this country, and learning about the struggles that they go through not only in their careers but them as humans as well was very thought provoking and had me coming back to this book for more. While my only complaint is that the chapters were a bit lengthy at times and the reader gets in the weeds sometimes a bit more than other, I did find it very enjoyable and appreciated this book so much. I give it 4.5/5 Stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Character driven storyline rather than plot driven, with each chapter devoted to a different character and how they became the people they are. Endearing characters from the young janitor to the curmudgeonly veteran teacher, who all want the best for their students and co-workers as they fight against a school system more concerned with test scores than education. Even if you're not in the education field, you'll appreciate the camaraderie and sarcasm. Recommended for readers of contemporary fiction.

You know the year won't be like any other when a retired teacher dies in the title's place. Hence, the premise of The Faculty Lounge, which tells the stories of the faculty: the English teacher who was mentored by the teacher who died; the nurse who tries to help girls when a court decision changes everything; the principal who finds himself in the middle of several dramas plus has to fight an attraction to another woman; and the teacher who is trying to teach during the post-pandemic period of 2021-2022. Mathieu builds a world where teachers try to get their students to not go up the down staircase and how they succeed.

A huge thank you to Dutton and PRH Audio for granting me access to this title. I read and listened to The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu. When I read, I often have a hard time putting down my books, so for me, it's best when I can switch between the text and the audiobook so I can just keep myself immersed in the story. I have worked in education for over a decade and The Faculty Lounge caught my eye from its title, the spilled coffee, and the brief teaser on the back of the cover. The Faculty Lounge is about the different personalities at a school and their intertwining stories. It displays the beauty of how educators persevere amidst chaos and how work-life balance looks so different for each of us. I must give an extra shoutout to the audiobook, because the narration was stellar. I genuinely found myself chuckling along with the book. I also read this as teachers were returning from their summer breaks and it hit home for me while I was tangled in the beginning of year chaos tornado that somehow occurs every single year.

⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️ / 5

THE FACULTY LOUNGE by Jennifer Mathieu

thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

quick thoughts:
👩🏻‍🏫 stories of faculty/staff at a small Texas high school
🌷 contemporary/literary fiction
✍🏼 multiple POVs, short chapters, mixed media
🫨 sarcastic, funny, heartwarming, emotional
👍🏼 would recommend to everyone!

okay, i loved this book! i had no idea what to expect from this, but i was pleasantly surprised—i truly loved it all 🥺

🎶 “teacher, i need you”

i’d say this story is considered literary fiction or contemporary fiction with a hint of a few other genres. i thought it was maybe a mystery at first because it starts out with a suspicious death, but nope. this is a combination of several beautiful stories of the lives of different faculty and staff members of a little high school in Texas. it’s hilarious, but it’s also so sweet and heartwarming as well as heartbreaking 🤍

if you are a teacher, work in a school, have friends/family who do, or were heavily influenced by teachers, i think you’ll love this book. i grew up wanting to be a teacher and kind of do that now, as i work with professionals on their resumes, and i help students apply to college. my MIL is a 5th grade teacher in north Texas, and i had already told her i wanted her to read this one when i was only like 20% in. i highly recommend checking this one out!

The Faculty Lounge begins with big drama as a dedicated substitute teacher passes away in the teachers' lounge at school. Throughout the book we are introduced to the lives and challenges of the school staff at school and home. Complex, heartfelt and realistic, the staff are shown facing the complications of education today with students and parents and adminstration demands while connecting with each other in supportive ways. This engaging book set in a high school hits hard for educators and people willing to look deeper than the surface of each person.

Clever fun read. As the daughter of two teachers there was a lot I could relate to I really enjoyed it but I think it will resonate best with teachers and those that love them.

Quick read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy to enjoy!