Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A retired teacher/current substitute dies in the Teacher’s Lounge. He’s carried out by emergency services and life goes on. This story follows a number of staff members (teachers, administrators, cleaning crew, and nursing) as they move through the following school year. Some are deeply affected by the events in the teacher’s lounge, contemplating a loss of a friend or mentor, and some have to move on to deal with the next crisis.

What ends up unfolding in this book is a look at life in a high school. Most stories about teachers focus more on the teaching, or their life outside of work, rather than what it means to work in a school. The chapters are each dedicated to a new main character and deal with everything from - a parent demanding a book be banned for espousing critical race theory, an administrator mourning the death of their spouse while still having to maintain a professional standard at work (or attempt to), a nurse who’s willing to put everything on the line to help a student, and accidentally scattering a substitute teacher’s ashes in the face of a PTO member.

It’s witty, it’s relevant, and it’s a glimpse into a life that most people don’t see or understand. Working in a public school is a difficult and rewarding job, and this book managed to balance both sides. Much like Moxie, this novel gives a voice to people that chronically go unheard. Being set in modern day Texas allows the novel to showcase the best and worst of what educators are students are facing today.

If you work in a school or know someone who works in a school, or frankly even went to high school and thought your math teacher lived in their classroom, you should read this book.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. The ability to have multiple chapters about multiple people but keeping it all connected was a great way to see so many lives and the struggles and successes. The ability to address current affairs such as book bans, critical race theory, Roe v. Wade and your typical teen behavior all in one, makes it relatable to many generations. And there were a few moments where we know the next moments, but it also allows you to make your own assumption of what their lives could be after the topics discussed.

I wish there was a "yearbook" with the list of staff. Not with pictures, but just at least their name and what they do at the school.

I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it for teachers and teachers at heart.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6585149042

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin for the ARC. This was such a lovely read that took us through the different perspectives of the various people working at Baldwin High School. It was both comedic and heartwarming, and also had some lovely depth.

Very multi-layered POVs from all the different characters. Learning about all the teaching staff and faculty takes on the funny and heartbreaking situations that went on was so interesting. The pacing of the story was just right and the multi pov set up kept invested.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me to read this early! This book was truly stunning. An ode to teachers new and old, the mistakes made, challenges accomplished and struggles that arise with the changing world. This story is true, real and absolutely a must read.

It is a universal truth that every child is mystified by the secret happenings that occur inside the teachers' lounge. After reading The Faculty Lounge, I couldn't help but feel disillusioned.

The Faculty Lounge is a series of stories entwined around the death of an elderly substitute teacher whose final resting place just so happens to be the outdated couch in the equally outdated faculty lounge. Some of the faculty love their jobs, while others hate them. Old teachers struggle with modern changes, while young teachers struggle to be taken seriously by their students. Despite their unique challenges, the faculty are all connected by that fateful day in the faculty lounge, and the subsequent scandal that resulted from it.

Some of these stories were more impactful than others. I really appreciated the two stories in which a veteran teacher took a younger teacher under their wing and helped them work through life and teaching problems. The other stories were either less memorable or had themes that didn't resonate with me. My biggest issue with this story was that I went in thinking it would be more uplifting and comedic, and while there were some moments of that, it had a much more serious and depressing tone. I was hoping that this book would be a lot like Abbott Elementary, but while Abbott deals with serious issues in a comedic way, The Faculty Louge takes itself a bit too seriously. Additionally, because each faculty member only had one chapter, it was harder to connect with most of the characters and many felt a bit one-dimensional.

I think this was a unique concept that dealt with serious themes in a respectful way, but the plot was too loose to really grab my attention, That being said, if you enjoy reading fictionalized accounts about the many challenges that educators face, you may enjoy this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

🛋️🛋️🛋️
3/5 biohazard faculty couches

This novel was such a witty, lighthearted, breath of fresh air. Jennifer Mathieu is able to combine the mishaps and quirky personalities of high school, as well as, give reminders that anyone can be dealing with a heavy situation. I enjoyed this and can’t wait to read more from this author!


I want to thank Jennifer Mathieu and Penguin Group for allowing me to read this novel via NetGalley.

Very sweet. Very touching. Presents teachers as real people.

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Mathieu's The Faculty Lounge is an engaging and heartwarming read. The book is filled with relatable, multifaceted characters and their intricate relationships, making it an enjoyable experience. It tackles challenging topics with a raw and honest perspective, offering deep insights into the lives of educators and their pivotal role in shaping both their students' futures and their own. Thank you Nicole Jarvis from Penguin Random House and NetGalley for my ARC. So happy to have this on my shelf.

“The Faculty Lounge” 4.5/5 ⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book! I read this at a perfect time, as I am currently an education major. I just finished my teaching practicum and this book truly captures what it is like to work in a school. There were so many moments where I was laughing out loud. Also, it was incredibly interesting to see the different perspectives of the various teachers. Overall, this book is incredibly touching and hilarious, while being very human.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of this ARC.

I really didn't understand this book despite the high ratings. I was going into this thinking it was going to be a mystery when once of the substitutes is found dead in the faculty lounge but then it went on giving a backstory of each of the teachers at the school. I really did not like how long the chapters were either. This book was just not for me as it didn't seem to have a plot which was unfortunate.

As a member of faculty at a school. I know that the faculty lounge is a virtual petri dish of unbelievable stories to be told. I was curious to see what strand the The Faculty Lounge would develop. While starting off with an interesting premise - a former faculty member and present substitute teacher dies in the faculty lounge. - it pretty much goes nowhere.
Stories are told from the perspective of multiple teachers, but no real momentum is achieved. I recognize that this is Ms. Mathieu's first foray into adult novels and I do actually look forward to her next book in the genre, but this one just did not hit the spot for me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan for the ARC of this novel.

Hm. I would say the first half of the book I was really flying through and liked, and then the later half things kind of stumbled and grinded to a halt in terms of the fun material. I love a workplace drama, I was thinking throughout the first half this is my new fav subgenre of fiction and was ready for it to be a new part of my personality but now...well maybe not every work place is for me.

I see what the goal sort of was here but I did not like the POVs from the later characters. Maybe it was the flashbacks within the chapters that kind of became tired and formulaic after too many gos at it. Some parts were cringe and I don't know why they were included. These guys lusting after these women? No thank you I don't care how true it may be, it was jarring. Am I supposed to like Mr. Lehrer? I didn't. Was the book supposed to be about him? It wasn't and that was an interesting choice for an epilogue. Tying in every possible political idea about a school in Texas just became too much particularly when these subjects are tackled at times rather anecdotally. School admin politics, Abortion, book banning, critical race theory, school shootings, inappropriate teacher/student relationships, even the immigration status of the cleaning staff.

It just kind of reminded me how truly messed up everything is and I do not like it and I don't have any solutions. But I did not love this book handled those topics either.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this glimpse into a modern public high school in Texas. I loved how the author introduced lots of different characters, although a few of them demand a sequel!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading The Faculty Lounge. It's a collection of stories of the lives of some of Baldwin High School's faculty and staff. Some were LOL funny, some sad. It's a quick read that will have you experiencing all the feels and will transport you back to your high school days and might actually have you thinking differently about the teachers that, for better or for worse, shaped our lives.

This is more of a collection of short stories than an actual book. It is a quick and easy read, and there is some humor for those that are familiar with working in a school, but it is strange. The premise is that a retired substitute teacher (retired teacher who is now a substitute) drops dead in the faculty lounge. The staff are understandable shaken, but the teacher wants his ashes to be spread on the school grounds and they accidentally get all over a parent/PTO president.

It's weird. The book is weird. It's quirky and there are a ton of characters that are hard to keep straight but it doesn't matter because the only "screen time" they get is a chapter. They all work at the school and are loosely connected, but they each get a chapter of their own stories. I love the concept of different people at a school and some of the crazy antics that go on in a school, but I think this wasn't the right blend of morbid/death and humor for me.

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.