This is an insightful look into the lives of a high school's teachers, administrators, and staff in Houston. While this is fiction, it may resonate with teachers as they see bits and pieces of their lives and experiences portrayed in this novel.

Each chapter is told from a different person's perspective. The chapters are longer to capture the storyline and the characters' actions and reactions to the situation at hand. I enjoyed peeking into these characters' lives and learning more about them and how they felt about teaching, the students, and even the parents. There are some funny moments that we could all relate to, such as replying to an email instead of forwarding it and venting about said email.

There are some hard-hitting moments, too. For example, when someone is caught drinking on the job, the end result is not what you might expect.

I was touched by how one teacher, Bob Lehrer, touched many of their lives. Some worked with him for years, some only knew him as a substitute, but the wisdom he imparted was life changing. He made an impact on his students and those around him. Many teachers strive to have that impact on their students. It inspired a young teacher as she learned from his ways.

I felt like this book depicted high school in Texas, from the testing to the politics and the parents. It might represent high schools in other states as well, but definitely Texas, but without the football tie.

If you are a fan of Abbott Elementary, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are a teacher, you might see yourself or fellow teachers within the pages.

We give the book 4 paws up.

I had mixed feelings about this one. It started off strong with the death of a beloved school faculty member and the internal staff e-mails were funny. But around halfway through the book it took a nosedive into the political realm and I usually don’t prefer that in my fiction. It hit on heavy issues like abortion, illegal immigration and resorted to labeling a former president as bigoted. A couple of character stories were one-dimensional and did not resonate with me despite being part of that demographic. I appreciate the attempts at diversity with an inside look into the struggles public schools often face but it read less as a story and more of a soundboard for political beliefs.

Thank you Dutton for my e-copy of Faculty Lounge. I wished I had liked it more but these are in fact my honest opinions and review.

This book is both hilarious and heartwarming, and I really enjoyed it! It starts off with a young teacher discovering the dead body of a substitute teacher in the faculty lounge. We then get the story of the rest of the school year (as well as past events) through the perspective of everyone from the principal to the undocumented custodial worker to the school nurse. I liked how we got so many perspectives and stories, and I loved how the writing style was both matter-of-fact and funny. As the roommate of a teacher, I have heard so many stories of what really goes on behind the scenes at school (both with students and admin), and this book felt like it could have been one of her stories. It was funny and warm and appreciative of educators and all that they do. I loved it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. THE FACULTY LOUNGE is out on July 23!

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ebook arc.
Reading this book is like attending a school wide teacher meeting about information that does not pertain to you. It was interesting but did not keep me invested. I chucked and enjoyed some moments but overall.. it was an okay book.
Here's why YOU should read this book: this book is for the people who would like insight on what teachers experience on a daily. The sense of humor is dry and sarcastic, the diverse characters will make you laugh but most importantly; each story, each character shows you resilience, human connection, and the hurdles educators endure inside and outside of the classroom.
Although this book was not for me, it could be for you!

I went into this one with high hopes, it sounded like a sweet, heartfelt, character driven read. I was disappointed.
The POV is so far removed from the characters that even though I know a lot of information about their lives I don't feel like I know the characters or have any connection to them. Also it alternates between referring to them as Mrs, Ms, or Mr whoever and referring to them by their first names, leaving me unclear which first name goes with which last name.
The plot is buried deep under long winded introspectives and flash backs into the different characters lives, leaving the story moving at a glacial pace. A quarter of the way into the book I should feel like I have a handle on the plot, but I'm still waiting for it to start.
The writing is clearly also trying to be both didactic with its statements about the problems in the school system, and literary in the way it talks about the characters and their lives. But it just left me feeling annoyed and slightly horrified by what Mathieu thinks life is like for people over 30.
I didn't feel any heart in this book, only disappointment and the characters are too lost to be driving the story anywhere but over a cliff.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me a digital ARC of the adult debut by Jennifer Mathieu. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

An elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. That sets off a series of events that cause ripples through the staff at the school.

I loved this book so much! I worked as a public school secretary for many years, and so much of this book rang absolutely true. And it is true because the author is a public school teacher! It covers everything from the teachers to the custodians, school nurses to counselors, to central office, to standardized tests, to parents. I could go on and on, but the best part is getting to meet different staff members and learn the back stories that influence their behavior. This is a must read for anyone involved in education, but also for parents. It's laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, full of heart and hope for our educational system. Highly recommended!

A fun and endearing look at the lives of high school teachers after the bell rings. When a former teacher/substitute dies in the faculty lounge of Baldwin High School at the beginning of the school year, there is a bit of a kerfluffle. However, it's not the craziest thing to ever happen at Baldwin. However, when the spreading of said teacher's ashes reaches the eyes of some busybody PTO parents, the school year becomes one of the most challenging for Baldwin's teachers and administrators.
A lovely (and often funny) look at the humanity of people we usually think of as one-dimensional.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this e-arc.*

When a substitute teacher is found dead in the faculty lounge, it creates quite a stir but life goes on for the faculty of Baldwin High. Until a memorial spirals and creates a year of drama.

While a fast read, I didn’t get much out of this one. I did enjoy meeting all the characters and how we got in-depth character studies of each of them. I liked how the plot and characters revolved around the death of the OG substitute teacher, especially how it ended with his beginning. When it was all said and done, I did not have a conclusive feeling of reading an entertaining book with a solid plot. I do think that anyone who teaches or works in a school would love this one, but I was not the target audience.

“A dead body in the lounge was not, in fact, the most fucked up thing to ever happen at Baldwin High School.”

The Faculty Lounge comes out 7/23.

Wow. As someone who works in a Texas High School. Um. Are there cameras? Do you work with me? How was this so spot on.

The accuracy.

I literally named characters as my coworkers.

But really. I hate that it is way but geez. The world is making it so HARD ago be in education. Especially secondary education. Elementary education, y’all are probably reading this book and thinking WTH? What is this. Let me tell you elementary and secondary are WORLDS apart. Worlds.

Especially in Texas. We are not education first. We are athletics first. We are football first.

And working in a library it is CRUSHING. Devastating.

But with all that well done Jennifer. Keep bringing to light issues in your stories and speaking for those who can’t always.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this book. I am a bit of a "sensitive" reader and some of the content was just not for me. I did appreciate how it felt like some of an educator's experience was really reflected in this book, something I haven't seen/read in any other book. I had a hard time with some of the content though for me personally. Thank you again so much!

I think this book is quirky and fun. Compiled of a bunch of short stories, a tale unfolds about the impact of people. Teachers and those who work together in a building to mold children’s lives. Yet instead of focusing on their impact on the children this book focuses on the impact of people on each other’s lives. How they inspired each other, found friendship, made connections, etc. So many times, when looking at teachers we tend to forget they are people outside of their title. Having a degree in teaching myself, I know sometimes we even forget that. Our kids become the focus, but we are more than that. We still are humans who exist, and the work environment of a school is one where we are separate, yet still a whole. This is a lovely book that will resonate with anyone who has worked in the education field and would be great for book clubs.
Thank you so much to Penguin Group Dutton, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I had a blast reading this book! As a teacher's kid, it was refreshing to see school staff humanized. The Faculty Lounge dives into the lives of Baldwin High's educators, from teachers to the janitor and even the school nurse. It kicks off with a substitute's death in the lounge, creating a trauma bond among the staff. Each chapter offers a different staff member's perspective, showing their personal journeys and the educator they are today. Despite the numerous characters, it’s not overwhelming.

The Faculty Lounge is a book of interconnected stories about the staff at a public high school in Houston Texas.
I am not in the education field and I found this to be funny and sad at times but entertaining as well. I’m sure if you are in education it will be even more fun to read. It was well written. This is the author’s adult debut and she hit the mark.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for the honest review.
4⭐️

3.5⭐️

This was cute but very, very niche. I think it could be an eye opening read for people who don't necessarily have regular interactions with teachers about the struggles and politics involved with being a teacher in 2024. I dind't really have a connection with any of the characters but had fun nonetheless.

This book was so fun! As the child of a teacher, it was refreshing to see school administrators and staff humanized. It reminded me that everyone has a story and there are many roads that can lead people to the same place. Humans are complex and each individual comes with their own baggage. The Faculty Lounge reiterates that and shares the stories of several educators within Baldwin High School's walls--from English teachers and math teachers to the principal, the janitor, and the school nurse! There's even an appearance from a dreaded PTA member haha. This novel kicks off with the death of a substitute in the teacher's lounge that creates a trauma bond between everyone involved and the story meanders on from there with each chapter being told from the perspective of a different staff member from the school. It tells us about the person and educator they are now and gives some insight to how each one got there. While the amount of different characters and stories included in this short book sounds a little overwhelming, I promise it's not. These are characters that you can truly believe are REAL people (did you know that teachers aren't teachers *all the time*?!) and they have their flaws, but you can also tell that they want to contribute in a positive way to their student's lives. This book was well-written and very enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC :)

“A person could color-code and list and organize, but in the end, life sometimes just happened to you.”


The Faculty Lounge is a heartfelt, humorous, endearing, and honest exploration of the teaching experience and I absolutely loved it. All of the teachers work at Baldwin High and you get perspectives, personal stories, and challenges from the Principal to the Nurse to the custodian.
There are more serious topics explored like addiction, grief, and reproductive rights as well as more light-hearted topics like gag end of the year gifts and accidental email chains. All of the teachers are united and related in some way and I really, really loved that.

This story is slower moving and largely focused on character development and if that is your thing I highly, highly recommend this read. It’s not just for teachers but anyone that has ever worked with adolescence or been an adolescent. I can’t stop thinking about it and really really wish it could be a tv series as I want to know what happens as time goes on with all of these characters.

“In this business, we can only focus on what we can do in the moment. We can only focus on the next good choice. It’s been my experience that this is true in life as well. We cannot control other people or their behavior. We can only try to do the next right thing.”

Thank you so much to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the early copy. This one comes out on the 23rd. Pre-order it now!

5 stars

What drew me to The Faculty Lounge was that it is set in a school and the problems, struggles, and triumphs that come with that. You have a lot of characters in the story (as you do in schools), so there is a lot going on in the story. But, the story is so much like working in a school, its scary.

The characters are the main focus of The Faculty Lounge. In a school, you only get by because you support each other. You are trauma bonded. So, I appreciated how well the book showed this to the reader. I also enjoyed the laughs because that is pretty true of working in schools as well. While the stress and worry over the future is always present, each day contains some humor. There isn't really a trope or plot arc-the story is just about school employees trying to make it through the year-one ridiculous event at a time. You don't have to be an educator to enjoy the story-anyone can relate for sure! Because there isn't really a plot arc, it was a little difficult to stick with at times. It reads as more as sort of a "day in the life" type of story. For me, I think I needed more-like a problem, a romance, a villain. Just something a bit more.

Thank you Dutton for this wonderful and charming read... I loved it and was reminded at times of the classic Up the Down Staircase. I am not a school teacher in the sense of this book, I am a college teaching prof, but I could relate to a lot of the feelings, themes, and experiences in here, the love for teaching, the quirky ways that teachers from different depts co-mingle and how we are all in a way our own archetypes... The story was endearing, affectionate, and funny in ways that really captured the behind the scenes experiences with teaching. I also really understood the feeling of unexpected chaos/uncertainty, that little things can become problems and that a lot of what happens in education seems to have... little do to with education and a lot to do with a range of pressures and expectations, some of which might take away from education itself.

Come for the humanity in this book, stay for the laughs and the feeling that this is an author who really understands and celebrates educators, flaws and all.

I loved how this book was written with each chapter from a different POV. This book gave incredible insight into the challenges and stresses of being an educator. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters and how everything was so real. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was so touching and funny! The book is set in a Texas high school after one of the teachers dies in the faculty lounge (of natural causes), and his ashes are spread at the school in a very memorable scene. What follows is an eye-opening and compassionate look at what teachers and school staff deal with daily, from bureaucracy to parent issues to standardized testing to on-campus shenanigans.

A poignant picture emerges through a series of character studies of the ensemble cast that reads a bit like a collection of short stories or a selection of snapshots. Each chapter delves into a school staff member's professional and personal lives and features a layered, nuanced, and vividly portrayed character who feels real. The reader sees each character's humanity and heart, and I came away with an even deeper respect for educators. Complex situations and issues are examined and handled respectfully. The depth is balanced by humor, so the tone stays light. The book is beautifully written and offers a lot of food for thought and a message about connection. I laughed and was on the brink of tears more than once. This was my first time reading this author, and I enjoyed her writing style and found this book's format fairly unique. I enjoyed this and recommend it!

Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for the free book!