Thank you for the Arc.

A quick read about the lives of the faculty staff of a High School after the discovery of their Substitute teacher dead in the break room.

Each chapter more or less focuses on 1 of the faculty members lives.

I did find myself skimming a head.

It was an interesting quick read, not my usual read, and I feel that since it don't work in a school setting, this read wasn't 100% for me.

I have just finished my 32nd year of teaching. And I love it. Things have changed, but kids are still kids and they still need us. So when I saw this book on NetGalley I just had to read it. It spans one school year in a high school setting, each chapter from a different persons point of view. And it made me laugh, cry, and get really pissed off. It is so very relatable. If you are someone who doesn’t see public school employees as “the enemy” then please read this book. If you’re not a fan of school personnel, well… maybe pick something else up. 😂 4 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! The death of an elderly teacher in the Baldwin High School faculty lounge sets of a chain of events that impacts the whole school. Throughout the course of the next year, we check in with a variety of wonderful characters, from the beleaguered principal to an undocumented custodial worker. The book has a lot of points to make about teaching and broader issues but does so in an incredibly subtle way--through fully-realized characters who we come to care and root for. The author has built a rich community and given readers a window into the challenges faced by teachers today.

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

I loved this! Unlike anything I’ve read before, The Faculty Lounge is a character study into a group of public high school faculty and staff in Texas, highlighting what we often forget: that teachers and staff are real people who have complete lives outside of the classroom. These characters had so much life and depth, and I loved getting a glimpse into bureaucratic nonsense that public educators in oppressive states deal with, the tumultuous events that characterize a school year and how deeply these events differ from the daily stressors of students, and the humanity and compassion that the best teachers possess.

Teachers and college professors have made an indelible mark on my life and this book was such a lovely way to honor them and their impact. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC!

I really liked this book! It was a light read — great for the summer. Each chapter was a vignette of a different member of the faculty and staff at a school, and reviewed how their lives intertwined and found meaning (or not) from their experiences with the school. I was impressed by the breadth of topics covered.

Thank you to Dutton Books and PRH Audio for the gifted e-book and audiobook.

The Faculty Lounge gave me major Love Actually vibes, except not at Christmas and in a school setting. It’s a character study with each chapter dedicated to a different POV, including teachers, principals, APs, the school nurse, and even the facilities staff. Through their POVs, we watch the school year unfold. There are major events at the school that impact everyone, if differently, and I liked digging into different characters’ headspace while keeping an eye on the overarching plot.

I’m not an educator, not do I work in a school setting. I think if I did, this would have been an unequivocal smash hit. It raises interesting points about the state of our schools and what teaching is like now vs then. It’s filled with human stories and reminds us that everyone is the MC in their own life.

Overall, I liked it. If you’re an educator or you work at a school, read it. Doesn’t matter what types of books you typically like, you’ll love this one. Outside of educators, I’d recommend it to fans of character studies or readers who want to experience what schools are like these days.

Characters: 5/5
Atmosphere/Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Intrigue: 2.5/5
Logic: 4/5
Enjoyment: 3.5/5

This book follows the lives of faculty and staff at Houston’s largest public high school in the aftermath of the death of an elderly substitute teacher. Each chapter more or less followed the life of one character but it didn’t feel disjointed or boring because the characters had a variety life experiences and ages and jobs. Toward the end I was concerned about how everything would wrap up, but the ending made sense and was very sweet. I think a lot of teachers will enjoy this read but I would absolutely understand if they weren’t interested because I’m certain they need an escape from their job during their free time.

There was one thing in particular that came up several times that really annoyed me. The author kept referring to “the local university” and “the large state university.” Just say University of Houston or Rice or whatever you mean. After a few instances of this, I wondered whether the author had ever even been to Houston because she didn’t ever name the part of town the school was in or give any defining details of the city. I was shocked to learn that the author is a teacher at Bellaire High School which is one of the largest and most diverse schools in HISD. I just wanted more detail to help people understand Houston better since it is so large and diverse.

2.5 stars rounded down. Should have had a librarian as one of the characters : )

An ode to the “committed and creative group of people” that show up every day and keep our schools running, under often challenging conditions. Though slight, and often rosy-tinted, this is a heartfelt collection of interconnected stories about the teachers, administrators, and support staff that work at a public high school in Houston.

Bob Lehrer was a beloved English teacher at Baldwin High School, but after many years of retirement, he comes back as a substitute teacher and dies in the faculty lounge. The head of school decides to honor his last request and scatters his ashes on the school grounds, an act which leads to many unintended consequences. Attending the courtyard ceremony are a diverse collection of faculty and staff and each subsequent chapter focuses on one of them, a vignette into their lives in and out of school, past and present.

Maybe as a school librarian (though we aren’t represented in The Faculty Lounge!) I had more interest in the subject matter than most. I certainly enjoyed connecting the author’s themes to my small independent high school in San Francisco, though as far as I’m aware nobody has ever died in the staff lunch room. On the other hand, overbearing parents, classroom management, and teachers with financial worries are themes I recognize.

As with any collection of stories, I enjoyed some more than others and felt that some had more substance than others, but overall it’s a decent portrait of a group of people working towards a common goal under often difficult circumstances.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I’ve been in public ed for 21 years, 19 as a classroom teacher, and I can say that this book is spot on! The teachers, counselors, nurse, and admin all remind me of people I’ve worked with or are friends with….maybe even a little of myself haha. Baldwin High staff have a very challenging year, and the issues they face with Central Office and parent interference ring true to current school conditions- book bans, substance abuse, crumbling schools, stretched budgets, and so on. Really enjoyed this adult debut by a favorite YA author.

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu!

I liked this! In the first few pages, a beloved long-time teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead of natural causes in the faculty lounge. Each chapter follows a different faculty member of the school that recounts their times with the late teacher.

The story was easy to read, but I kept waiting for something to happen. It never really did. I'm not a teacher, so I don't think this book was necessarily written for me - but I think my fellow educators would enjoy this!

Thank you so much to Dutton Books for the ARC!

I'm so torn with this one because it was so highly anticipated for me! The cover and synopsis and even the start of the book are EXACTLY what I LOVE in a book! I don't know what happened after the first few chapters but it just fell off for me.

I loved the instant drama of a death on campus and scattering of the ashes- how bizarre! But after that each chapter started studying one character and while some were very interesting, the plot fell to the wayside as far as I was concerned.

Overall, I think this had great potential but the format didn't end up working for me!

Definitely still give this a shot if you think it could be for you!

It will be available July 23rd.

I liked the idea of this book and how it brought to light some real life issues teachers and school are dealing with. The execution didn't pan out for me. I had a hard time keeping all the different staff straight and it didn't seem to have an overall purpose that seemed solved for me. I believe it is meant to start at the present and work its way back in time to when the person was first hired and all the ways the people in the school were connected to each other and the main person but somewhere in the middle it lost me. I enjoyed the true conflicts and getting to know each character did keep me invested and reading. It just did't all come together for me as I was hoping.

I have been in education for coming up on 15 years, so I feel pretty justified in sharing my thoughts on this novel and the subject of education in general:
Society has a habit of dehumanizing educators. They are loved fondly by some students, hated by others. They are objects of parental ire or parental gratitude, respectively. They are the saviors during early Covid and then the lazy people who don’t want to return to work anytime after early Covid. But they (we!) are human and to be human means to be flawed. It means to have great intentions, but to sometimes fall short. It means having days where all cylinders are firing at top level and days where brain fog has taken over and the best that can be done is to make it through. This is the novel about those humans, about those educators.
This is a work of fiction, but it is written more like non-fiction with each chapter focusing on individual lives of persons involved in an event honoring a teacher who dies on campus and whose last wish was to have his ashes scattered on school grounds – this does not end well.
I put a lot of thought into these pairings as this is a subject very near and dear to my heart.
🎬Pairing: The Freedom Writers (2007)
I chose this movie, not because of Erin Gruwell’s influence on the students, though her example was deeply impactful for me as a first-year teacher, but because much of this movie shows the impact that teaching had on Gruwell’s life. She struggles financially taking a second job to afford to buy books for her students. Her marriage imploded. Her mental and emotional health took a beating. And her students knew nothing about it. The legacy she created that was reflected in her students’ futures was incalculable. There were moments in this novel where that reminder was so stark and so personal for me.
Teaching is a labor of love that goes hand-in-hand with sacrifice.

🎵Pairing: “Humans” by The Killers
I selected this song because the lyrics are so relevant. Just like this selection, there is humanity in the pages of this novel. Nothing short of it. Yes, it is a work of fiction, but it draws so many parallels into the real lives of teachers and administrators who are more than the façade they present at work. We are humans.
“Give my regards to soul and romance/They always did the best they could/And so long to devotion/You taught me everything I know/Wave goodbye, wish me well.” Not all educators are created equal, but in these pages, the good ones shine. No matter what we teach, our job is to impart our knowledge the best way that we can - often in spite of the numerous constrictions and red tape the “Powers-that-be” inevitably throw at us. Then we say, “good-bye” and make room for the next group. The cycle continues.
📖quote: “Mr. Lehrer took it from her and read it. “Little shits,” he said. The response surprised her, but it made her laugh a little, too. “God bless them and everything,” Mr. Lehrer continued, “because their brains are still developing. But sometimes they can really ruin our days.”
I felt this quotation in my soul. That it all.
Final Thoughts
💭 People in education need to read this. It is a beautiful reminder that we are people; we are sometime unjustly stereotyped, but we are also united in this community.
💭 People who are not in education need to read this because reading fosters empathy, and more than anything, this world needs more of that – especially in regard to educators in the current social climate.
💭I highly recommend this novel. Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me a pre-approved copy of this e-galley through Netgalley. It was the perfect summer read and actually made me excited to go back to work.

Note: I am working on cutting this review down for my Instagram post: @thebooksnuggery. It's not read yet, but I will upload it as soon as I post it.

First things first: I adored this novel!

In spite of some serious issues - death, pregnancy of a minor, enforced adoption, abortion, alcohol and alcoholism, book banning, grief, school shooting (mentioned), drug use (mentioned), assault, death of a spouse - this pulled me in immediately and I read eagerly.

Each chapter focuses on a different teacher at Baldwin High School in Texas and the characters read so very realistic. I laughed, teared up, and read this over a weekend, pulling all the characters into my heart.

The Faculty Lounge has a strong recommendation from me, and if you’re a teacher, I’d suggest putting this at the top of your TBR and I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I did. If you’re not a teacher, I’d still recommend this as it’s a fantastic read.


**I especially appreciated the brief shoutout to The Damned - they’re one of my all-time favorite bands ❤️



Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the DRC

The Faculty Lounge is an absolutely lovely book. It reads as interconnected vignettes from the POVs of various teachers, administrators, and other employees of a large Houston-area high school. As the author teaches in such a high school, the reader has absolute faith in the veracity of the story, and that faith is well-deserved. The book tracks across a year in the life of the school, but also delves into the backstories of all the narrators. It hits on some hot button issues in public education, but also captures some of the absurdities of life in a high school and emphasizes the dedication that so many public educators bring to their jobs. The book is well-written and engaging, and I will absolutely be recommending it to the many teachers who frequent our Texas indie bookstore!

What a fun read! I worked in a high school for fifteen years, not as a teacher but in a supporting role in the library. This book was spot on in showing not only how teaching changed through the years (decades for some) but how it is now.

It is very heavy in character development which is exactly the kind of book I enjoy the most. The story starts with the death of a substitute teacher who was a retired English teacher. There are many trials and tribulations during one school year and we see how it effects a small group of the staff members.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely recommend to my retired teacher friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a terrific, warm-hearted read about the staff at fictional Baldwin High School in Texas. The story begins when an elderly substitute teacher passes away on one of the sofas in a staff lounge. There is a lot of humor but it's mostly a look at the intelligent and committed individuals who make up the teaching and admin ranks. Each chapter zeros in on a different character and the overall picture is a bunch of good people trying to do their best for the students.

The anecdotal narrative moves right along as we get to know everyone a bit better. They struggle sometimes with student apathy, parental interference and bureaucratic cluelessness, but they keep trying and we get to know their personal challenges and admire their resolve.

This was an unexpectedly appealing story about people who seem quite real to us. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you are a teacher, you need to read this book!!! Mathieu, a teacher herself, expertly writes about the teacher experience in The Faculty Lounge. When the school year begins with the death of a substitute teacher in the school faculty lounge, everyone is hesitant to be optimistic for the coming school year. While the book tracks the entire school year, each chapter focuses on a different teacher or staff member. Their chapters not only focus on who they are and what they teach, but how they got there. As a former teacher and current teacher librarian at an elementary school, I devoured this book and cannot wait for my coworkers to have the chance to read!

The Faculty Lounge was a fun book that centers on teachers and a mysterious death that occurs in the… you guessed it, faculty lounge! I enjoyed the individual teacher dramas and their recollections of the deceased. It had several funny moments and tongue-in-cheek humor. It was certainly different from any book I have read about teachers. As a teacher myself, I related to this book and enjoyed it! Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read The Faculty Lounge early.

The Faculty Lounge is about a group of high school teachers who actually have a life outside of teaching. Go figure.

The book opens with the death of a substitute teacher (who had been a teacher at the school for a while before retirement). He was found in the Faculty Lounge on the couch by another teacher. He had been an influence on all of the teachers and students that came across him.

This takes a look into the life of high school teachers and how they deal with all the messy parts of their job.