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.

Early in the fall of a new school year, a young teacher finds a retired (now substitute) teacher dead on the couch in the faculty lounge. The blurb for this novel makes it sound like the ensuing year is full of twists and turns and wild happenings in the lives of the surviving teachers at the high school.
So, I was thinking;
Was it murder?! Who done it?! Who is next?! What secrets will be revealed in the lives of the remaining teachers?!
The answers are;
No, Nobody, No one, and Nothing exciting.
This well written but ultimately mundane novel is simply a series of vignettes about the lives of the teachers and others at Baldwin High School Each chapter is focused on one those employed by the school system, telling a little story about their personal life, or recounting some event in their past. It is all very tame; nothing one hasn't experienced themselves or knows someone who has experienced it.
Such as;
How a young man decided to be a teacher. Why a young woman switched from teaching to counseling. Two young teachers discovering they are attracted to each other while hiding in a storage room during a (false alarm) lock down drill. An assistant principal dealing with early menopause while coping with the death of her wife 3 years earlier.
All well written stories, but about halfway through each one I found myself skipping ahead. The story is told, the story ends as quietly as it starts. And that's about it.
If you're seeking out a quiet book that contemplates the vagaries of ordinary life, this is a good book for you. The characters are drawn with a deft hand and feel very real. Like your friendly neighbor that you don't hang out with, or a friendly acquaintance that you have nothing in common with. No dramatics, no earth-shattering revelations or confessions. Just life quietly going about its business.
I didn't hate this book, but (probably due to the blurb) it didn't deliver to me what it promised.

This was such a unique story and I loved it. I have not worked in a school but after reading this I felt like I have. Teachers are so under appreciated and do so much. I really liked that each chapter was about a different character and everyone’s story tied together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of this book.

While I may not have been the ideal reader for this book, I did find it to be a decent read. I think if you are a teacher you would relate to the characters more and understand the humor/sadness/etc. of the book. It all took place during the same school year at one school but read more as short, interconnected stories. Each chapter you saw the perspective of another member of the faculty and staff of the school.

It was well written and did keep my interest but it didn't have the impact on me that it would probably have on someone who works/worked in a school setting. I would recommend this book if the premise does interest you, though!

4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5

I really, really enjoyed The Faculty Lounge. It's not the kind of book that's going to change your life or anything like that. But it's highly entertaining and easy to read and made me want to keep turning the pages. It was a serious palate cleanser to me!

The book begins when an elderly substitute teacher who spent years teaching at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. But the book isn't a mystery or a thriller and is definitely more of a combination of comedic and heart-warming moments than anything at all. Each chapter focuses on a different staff member at Baldwin High School, some who are close to retiring and some who are first year teachers and some who are members of top admin and others who are members of the cleaning staff. I feel like Mathieu could write an entire book on each of the characters, but I love how she chose to focus on different elements of each of their lives.

The Faculty Lounge is definitely trying to ride the wave that is Abbot Elementary, though it's obviously a bit different. The book takes place in current times in Texas and I'm sure you can imagine some of the challenges teachers and other administrators are facing there at the moment. I'm not a teacher, but have several friends who are high school teachers and I'll be recommending this to them (although they often like more "escape" books when they're not teaching!). Though everyone's experience working in education is different, I think there's a lot to relate to in this book. Or at least to laugh about!

It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once. In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We meet: a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.

As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. As a retired educator myself, much of this book resonates with me. It reminded me so much of Jane Smiley's classic "MOO" about college faculty life that I read many years ago. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book. I highly recommend this book, especially to educators.

Faculty Lounge in a few words gives a real “The Secret Life of the American Teacher” vibe and I loved it. I truly did not know what to expect going into this book, but I certainly didn’t expect to laugh, cry, and become so invested in each teacher’s story. From start to finish, I found myself absolutely hooked. I will likely give this one a re-read because I just want more from these characters!

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This one was just not for me. The writing was well done, but it felt like a collection of short stories, where each "main character" had a few chapters highlighted about them. There were large jumps in time that didnt blend with what was being told. I found it difficult to keep up with the story.

As a teacher, I found this book such a fun read. While I teach younger children I could absolutely appreciate all aspects of the education system. It gives a VERY honest view of what being a teacher in a modern school is like! Loved the characters featured and the in-depth stories. Definitely more character than plot but a great read!