The Faculty Lounge is a sweet, at times sad, loving book about the faculty and staff at a school. Bound together by humor, tragedy, and common interests, the characters have backstories that are cleverly revealed. This is a short, but touching, read that will stay with you long after the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Just finished The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu, and it’s a gem! This novel offers a heartfelt, hilarious, and occasionally chaotic peek behind the curtain of school life at Baldwin High. The death of an elderly substitute teacher sets off a series of events that are wild, poignant, and sometimes absurd.

Mathieu’s characters are so real and relatable—each with their quirks and struggles. From the ex-punk band principal to the rule-bending school nurse, and the disgruntled English teacher, their stories are woven together in a way that made me laugh, cry, and reflect on the challenges educators face today.

I was particularly moved by the way Mathieu captures the essence of human connection and the deep sense of purpose these characters find in their everyday lives. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever been curious about the lives of the people who make our schools run. #BookReview #JenniferMathieu #TheFacultyLounge #MustRead

I was actually sent an email recommending this book to me, this isn’t something I usually read but was pleasantly surprised but how much I enjoyed it! This book will keep you wanting to read more and more! It is told thru multiple POV about the lives of the teachers that work in a high school. The way it was told definitely gave me “the office” vibes which I enjoyed! Would highly recommend this book!

A cute story about the staff at a local high school. I really enjoyed each individual character and their back story. Teachers really go unnoticed and I found this book to be so refreshing! Cute a good and cute read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced reader copy of The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu.
I really enjoyed this book! If you work in the world of education, then this is a must read for your summer break.

This is a strong, character driven novel exploring the day to day life of teachers, administrators, and others working in a Texas high school. At times laugh out loud funny while seriously focusing on issues facing today's educators. Great characters and a well paced plot made this a thoroughly enjoyable read that kept me engaged throughout. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced reader copy

I really liked this book a lot! As a former high school English teacher, I can tell you that all of the scenarios, conversations, and idiocracies of the public school system portrayed in this book are 100% real. There’s no exaggeration. I felt like I knew these characters personally because I did know teachers like them. Truly a wonderful, fun, and sometimes depressing, look at what it’s like to be a public school teacher.

As an educator for the last 10 years, this book hit so close to home. It was compelling and well written but what I really enjoyed is the accurate depiction of school life for teachers and other school employees. I loved that she tackled the many challenges that all school employees face from parents, districts, and legislators. This was so wonderful.

I enjoyed this. It’s not really my kind of book though. It’s a nice slice of life. I’m not sure anyone who isn’t a teacher would love it, but I might be wrong.

I went into this for some reason expecting a cynical humorous book. But its collection of vignettes built a beautiful story and portrait of public school teachers. This was a wonderful read.

I wanted to make sure I read and reviewed this book before its publishing date, but as an educator who just got out for summer vacation, I was hesitant to read a book about school. After all, this is supposed to be a break! I was only a few pages into the story when I realized that my first impression was totally wrong and that I was going to love this book. It made me laugh and text highlights to my coworkers, it had genuine heart, and it offered an insight into public education that people on the outside never experience.

The book begins with a list of the main characters (of which there are many), and I wish I had copied down their names and made notes as I got to know them, because I did find it difficult to keep everyone straight. The chapters focus on different members of the staff, and each story is so personal, so different, and so well-developed.

You don’t have to work in public education to enjoy this story. This book has a lot to say about education in today’s world (while this book is funny, it is NOT satire), but it also has a lot to say about sacrifice, friendship, support, loyalty, grief, and personal growth. Even though it covers a wide breadth of human emotions and experiences, it still is an easy and quick read perfect for summer vacation!

The Faculty Lounge is billed as an ode to educators. And it definitely is that. Teaching is a job I could never handle, so my thanks go out to all those that tackle that vital job. It does a good job of pointing out the difficulties of the job. Like parents who lie to protect their kids’ GPA or think they should be able to dictate the syllabus. And dealing with the bureaucracy of “The Central Office”. But you don’t need to be an educator to enjoy this. Every job has its share of “swooping seagulls” (folks who fly in, sh** all over everything and fly off again). One of the funnier scenes is the mandatory grief counseling after an unfortunate incident involving ashes.
This would be truly funny if at times it wasn’t such a reminder of how off the rails our society is (CRT, anyone?)
Each chapter highlights a different character, so the reader gets the full spectrum of new to old teachers, admin staff, the school nurse, a custodian and a school guidance counselor. I found most of the characters to be fully developed, which is a rare treat when many only really appear in a single chapter.
This is Mathieu’s first adult story. At times the writing still comes across as a little YA, but the subject matter is definitely adult with a capital A. It’s both heartwarming and infuriating. I can’t wait to share this with my daughter, who teaches in junior high and my cousin, the retired principal.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group for an advance copy of this book.

First, thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic and such a delightful surprise. While I realized it would be about teachers at a school and everything that went along with that, I wasn’t expecting it to have so much heart!

We meet a lot of characters in this novel, all of whom have their own story to tell. From administrators to veteran teachers to a custodian and new teachers, this book captures all angles of the school. From their unique vantage points, they provide a full picture of the school. And having been married to a public school teacher for the last 15+ years (plus being a college administrator myself), I can attest to the veracity of these tales.

I loved the sarcasm, I laughed, and I had genuine moments of heartfelt surprise. This book was fantastic and unforgettable. Make sure to check it out when it drops on July 23!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book was so wholesome and cute. I love how it follows the lives of multiple people who shared this school.

This is the first ARC I've ever been sent directly to my email without prior contact with anyone responsible, and it was quite a pleasant surprise!

It's my first time reading something from this author and I honestly didn't think I would be interested, but I was hooked from the first line, which is a great first line. This was so easy to read, pleasant, moving, and insightful about what it's like to be a teacher, particularly a teacher in Texas.

We get to meet a whole cast of different characters and they're all fleshed out so well, they feel like real, normal people. I loved that! It felt very much like being a fly on the wall at this school, peeking into the lives of all the staff, not just the teachers.

I really enjoyed this and it made me laugh as well as tear up. I could see this turned into a drama, comedy, feel-good movie; that's what it felt like. It's a delightful read and I recommend giving it a try even if you kind of doubt you'll be interested in school life.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I opened this book, but I immediately found myself drawn into this world. Mathieu follows the employees of Baldwin High School in the aftermath of the death of a beloved former teacher, who had been serving as a substitute. Each chapter shines a spotlight on one of the employees, from the brand new teacher who found the body to the principal who is trying to keep the district officials off his back. The chapters run the gamut from heartbreaking to hopeful and everywhere in between. I connected with each character and understood their experiences and choices.

If you're looking for a fairly quick read with a cast of motley characters, this is the book for you. Mathieu's experience working as a K-12 educator brings this book to life. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book so much. It's a serendipitous story that shows us how a single person's small actions can connect so many others and how those small connections magnify into even more good. If you are a teacher or have been a teacher or know a teacher please read and recommend this book. It's absolutely brilliant. It will warm your heart over and over again.

This was a super cute book! It would be great for anyone who worked in a school. I loved the in depth characters!

𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲, 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭.

This was not a book that should have made me weepy, but it did, and for a multitude of reasons. As a high school English teacher nearing retirement, there is a fair amount of reflection that comes when you're at the end of something.

The inciting incident was an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School being found dead in the faculty lounge. After figuring out the best way to remove him in the least conspicuous way possible, life at the school returned to normal pretty quickly. But one short week later, the solemn event of spreading the man's ashes on the school grounds turns tragic and comedic all at once.

What I loved and adored so much about it this book was how the author acknowledged the teachers' persona but showed them as actual people. Believe it or not, even high school kids are mildly shocked when they run into you outside of school. No, we don't live at the school and sleep in our classroom. The diverse cast of characters was beautifully constructed, and I laughed out loud at the English teacher's mishap with an e-mail rant.

There is a beautiful surprise waiting for the reader that I'm not even going to mention. It's the thing that brought me to tears. I've always thought that teaching was one of the best jobs in the world; that is was important and noble. This book solidified that. Many thanks to Dutton Books for the early copy. THE FACULTY LOUNGE will publish July 23, 2024.

This is not normally a book I'd pick up unless recommended by someone I knew. But I'm glad I did.

A humanitizing take on a group of high school teachers after a wild start to the year. It takes place over the course of the school year. From the time a retired teacher, now sub dies and ashes are spread.

There was some great humor that I more than appreciated. And a heart wrenching look at the lives teachers have outside of school. Quite refreshing.