I love this book. I love the individual stories & how they weave together. I could've happily spent more time with each character. Each individual story had a slight surprise but they all felt like real people. And I’m glad we get to see a variety of faculty members. Poignant and heartwarming.

I could not put this down! To anyone who has worked in education, you will find this book filled with insights and anecdotes that make you realize that this book HAD to have been written by a real-life teacher. It’s just so insightful.

Lots of laughs, a few moments of tears, and a lot of heart. This was exceptional.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book!

The Faculty Lounge addresses a wide variety of issues faced by American educators today and is clearly written by an author who understands their experiences. I especially appreciated Mathieu’s use of multiple perspectives to enrich the story and provide voices to overlooked figures in our society. However, the dialogue and internal character monologues often came across as unrealistically sentimental. I was also confused by the last chapter, which didn’t seem to really fit with the others.

This is a quick read book about the lives of the staff at a large high school. Each chapter gives insight into another staff member's life whether it be personal issues, romantic pursuits, dealing with death, issues with students, or just who they are as people. It all begins when a retired teacher comes back to sub, and is found dead in the lounge. His death reveals some friendships that where unknown to others, as well as some problems for the principal, Overall an enjoyable read. However, it takes a bit to keep all the characters straight I must admit.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am setting this one aside. I am a fan of Mathieu's young adult novels and thought I would enjoy this more as a former teacher. Alas, this book is not for me. I know there are many readers who will enjoy the politics intertwined in the story, but I tire of that with in our hyper-political environment. I do appreciate Mathieu pulling up the shade and allowing readers a look into the teacher profession. Many things rang true from my decade in "the trenches".

This was SO good!! I don’t read a lot of contemporary fiction, but decided to give this one a chance when it was sent to me on NetGalley. This is a very character driven novel and I LOVED each perspective and the segues between them. This novel was so clever and witty and poignant at the same time and I enjoyed every second.

I’m sure I won’t be the first to say it’s a love letter to teachers and school staff.

The book is essentially a series of character studies about different teachers and staff at a large Houston hight school. With each chapter you mainly focus on one person going deep into their lives but the books is also the progress through the school year.

There is so much to love about this book — it’s funny, it’s poignant, it comments on today’s world and the challenges of teaching all while rendering these characters with love and detail. I kept thinking, oh this person is my favorite, only to find myself adoring the next spotlighted teacher even more.

THE FACULTY LOUNGE is delightfully entertaining and am blown away by how much I enjoyed it!!! It’s a brilliantly crafted story filled with endearing characters (and funny though not always trying to be) who find themselves in the most absurd situations (that are fully possible I may add!) after the unexpected passing of an 82 year old substitute teacher.

The author impeccably weaves in and brings attention to darker and heavier subject matters that schools currently face.

I laughed and I cried…I felt so connected to (and fell in love with) Baldwin High School and its faculty that it makes me wish I worked there and I don’t even work in education. So even if you’re not employed at a school, you still must read this!!! 5 glowing stars. Or in this case, I give it an A++.

Much gratitude to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book about the true lives of teachers. While it starts with the death of an octogenarian substitute in the teachers lounge and the aftermath of his memorial service, it’s really a collection of snippets of behind the scenes of different teachers at a high school. I absolutely loved how each chapter was a different teacher in each department and how all of their lives, struggles, backgrounds were so different. Having a kid in high school and being of a similar age to some of the teachers they highlighted I really connected with this book. I laughed out loud, I really got emotional at points. It hit so many emotions. It’s so well written. Each character is different but you feel like you know them all. Highly recommend to anyone.

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

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.