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THE FACULTY LOUNGE by Jennifer Mathieu

thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

quick thoughts:
👩🏻‍🏫 stories of faculty/staff at a small Texas high school
🌷 contemporary/literary fiction
✍🏼 multiple POVs, short chapters, mixed media
🫨 sarcastic, funny, heartwarming, emotional
👍🏼 would recommend to everyone!

okay, i loved this book! i had no idea what to expect from this, but i was pleasantly surprised—i truly loved it all 🥺

🎶 “teacher, i need you”

i’d say this story is considered literary fiction or contemporary fiction with a hint of a few other genres. i thought it was maybe a mystery at first because it starts out with a suspicious death, but nope. this is a combination of several beautiful stories of the lives of different faculty and staff members of a little high school in Texas. it’s hilarious, but it’s also so sweet and heartwarming as well as heartbreaking 🤍

if you are a teacher, work in a school, have friends/family who do, or were heavily influenced by teachers, i think you’ll love this book. i grew up wanting to be a teacher and kind of do that now, as i work with professionals on their resumes, and i help students apply to college. my MIL is a 5th grade teacher in north Texas, and i had already told her i wanted her to read this one when i was only like 20% in. i highly recommend checking this one out!

The Faculty Lounge begins with big drama as a dedicated substitute teacher passes away in the teachers' lounge at school. Throughout the book we are introduced to the lives and challenges of the school staff at school and home. Complex, heartfelt and realistic, the staff are shown facing the complications of education today with students and parents and adminstration demands while connecting with each other in supportive ways. This engaging book set in a high school hits hard for educators and people willing to look deeper than the surface of each person.

Clever fun read. As the daughter of two teachers there was a lot I could relate to I really enjoyed it but I think it will resonate best with teachers and those that love them.

Quick read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy to enjoy!

This book perfectly describes the ups and downs of life as an educator. I often sympathized with the characters and my anxiety would return as I reminisced my experiences of frustration along with the characters. Luckily, we never had anyone die while on campus, but Mr. Lehrer reminded me of an older gentleman sub we had at my school that everyone loved! The author did a great job of making the staff members relatable but there were times I felt the small details were inappropriate and unnecessary. I also felt the chapters were too long by jumping back and forth between the present and past. This made the story chaotic and seem like it was never going to end. I did like that the author included some of the sweet and tender moments that give a sense of fulfillment to educators. It’s those moments that remind you why you became a teacher and gives you motivation to return for another day or school year. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you @netgalley & @duttonbooks for a copy of this book.⁣
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Gosh, I loved it. As a teacher this was wonderful. Mathieu shows that teachers are real people too, because a lot of times people forget that. We have real lives outside of being in the classroom. We all have different “whys” and that’s also okay. I loved all of the stories of how the staff came to be at the school, it really felt like how most staff on a school site is. It’s a true melting pot. ⁣
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It also reminded me how much I love being teacher. Sometimes I feel like there aren’t a lot of us out there that truly enjoy this profession and that’s okay, but it can be so rewarding and so difficult all at the same time. I love the relationships I have built with my students each year. Even with my 5th graders! They visit me, they keep in contact and it’s the best feeling in the world to have made an impact in their lives. I keep a happy binder full of their letters & drawings and I hope one day my kids will be able to look at it and see that their mom made a difference. Thank you Jennifer for this wonderful book.

When a long standing figure of Baldwin high school passes away in the faculty lounge, the staff somewhat hesitantly come together to remember and celebrate his memory. This event sparks reflection in each member of the school staff from the janitorial crew to the principal and a glimpse into their lives beyond the hallways and classrooms.

As a school employee myself I didn’t really find this to be as enlightening as I think it was intended to be. I’m well aware that school staff have diverse lives and histories beyond what they may share with their colleagues. Some of the stories were endearing, others less so. It was a very character driven novel which isn’t generally my favorite and perhaps that affects how I feel about it but as a whole I was underwhelmed.

This one was not as great as I had hoped. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it was just ok for me. The characters were nice but nothing special. I'll see how I feel about her next one.

Based on the description and the opening scene of a dead teacher found in the faculty lounge, I expected this book to have a humorous angle—maybe something about how the teachers have to handle the situation or keep it hidden from the students. But that wasn't the case.

Instead, the book focuses heavily on backstories—how the teachers and administrators ended up where they are and the challenges they face in their roles. While this could be eye-opening for those unfamiliar with the difficulties of the profession, it felt more like a serious commentary than the light, humorous read I was expecting.

Given that my husband is a teacher, much of what I read was already familiar to me. While I appreciate the insights, I kept waiting for something funny or enlightening to happen, but it never did.

This isn’t to say it's a bad book—it just might not have been intended for someone like me. Perhaps it would be better suited for parents or others who might need a reminder to give teachers a break.

4 stars

This book is told by multiple character points of view. Each chapter is a different person that works at this high-school. This book was real and raw. I honestly loved reading it and I bet any teacher or person that works at a school of any kind will totally be able to relate to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this book.

Ｂｏｏｋ ｒｅｖｉｅｗ 📗✏️📖

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 by Jennifer Mathieu
Publish Date: July 23, 2024 by @duttonbooks
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: Kindle ARC [ Gifted via @netgalley and @duttonbooks ]

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
It’s that time of the year — back to school! I don’t know why, but even as an adult, far removed from school years, I still feel the change even though I don’t have kids. It’s such a weird thing to base your entire existence around a school schedule for 20ish years and then have to break the feeling of being connected to it!

This book was the perfect Summer read - it was lighthearted and easy to read, but still had entertaining characters and kept me engaged. It was set up with each chapter having a different character spotlight - and I enjoyed these “mini-stories” or vignettes about each character while still having the underlying plot driving everything forward.

As someone who has never been a teacher, but knows a lot of them, it felt like peeling back the curtain and being a part of their day-to-day for a brief moment. The troublesome parents, the gossip, the stress, the quirky things that happen each day - it was carried more by the characters and interactions than a riveting plot which makes it a perfect beach/pool read before going back to school!

Raised by a teacher and always a fan of workplace comedies (especially Abbott Elementary!!) The Faculty Lounge called to me from the very beginning of it's premise. It ended up being so much more than the school antics I expected though. The story was equal parts funny and touching, the characters were extremely relatable and I was so sad when the book came to an end. I can't wait to see what Mathieu writes next because I will surely be checking it. out.

One of my favourites of the year! I adored the characters and was easily captured by so many people in the large cast! I laughed, I cried, I was so angry for the characters, I was giggling along with them. They were so so human and it warmed my heart.

Jennifer Mathieu's adult debut is funny, bighearted, and totally lives up to the hype! The Faculty Lounge is such a timely peek into a window of today's school issues across the course of one school year and with an unforgettable cast of characters from substitute teachers to administrators to busybody parents. Though it will most resonate with those in education, this book's heart is for everyone!

The Faculty Lounge is a realistic fiction novel that focuses on various people at Baldwin High School following the death of a former teacher who was back substituting at the school.

As a teacher, I can tell that this book was written by someone who is either currently in the field of teaching or has been recently. Some of the events and comments are spot on regarding the teaching world of today. I went into this book blind without expectations, but by the end I felt like I wanted more. Many of the events were wrapped up too nicely and I just didn’t feel like as much happened as I had hoped. However, for someone not in the teaching field, this will possibly open their eyes to what some teachers go through!

As a teacher in Texas this book hits home. The multiple povs from different people involved in the education field rings true. There are some absolutely jaw dropping “that would never happen” moments until you think back to some of the crazier things that have happened at large urban public schools and then they become less “that would never happen” to “actually that tracks”. This was such an enjoyable and refreshing look at the realities of being a public school educator.

There is a certain type of bond you have with your coworkers when you are a teacher. Sometimes it's a trauma bond. Jennifer Mathieu delivers a beautiful tribute to the educators of today in this novel.

As a high school teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I saw myself and my colleagues throughout the cast of characters. I think every teacher would appreciate this novel. It was a great back-to-school read!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i thought this was wonderful, what a love letter to educators and role models in general. i think the teachers in my life will be getting a copy for their christmas gifts.

I really liked this one! I mean, I did binge listen to it in less than one day lol.

A story where each chapter is from a different character's perspective of the 2022-2023 school year at Baldwin High School in Texas. At the beginning of the year, a substitute is found dead in the Faculty Lounge. Bob was an 80 year old sub that had previously taught English at the same school. Throughout the story, you hear about what teachers and faculty go through that school year.

It was an interesting look into high school dynamics. I think that since the author is a high school teacher, you can really see how each topic that has affected students, teachers, and staff can really happen at schools and you get a real feel of it all. There are many topics that may not be everyone's cup of tea to talk about, but I think that they were all needed to really dive into a typical experience.

I think this would be a good book club pick!!

When the long-time teacher turned sub is found dead in the faculty lounge by the first year teacher, the remaining faculty reflect on their connection with the deceased who, in some way, touched each of their lives.

As a veteran educator, I loved this book. It perfectly captured what it is like to work in a public school system which has been "bound and gagged" by misguided policy and red tape. This book humanizes teachers by showing what it feels like to care so much for the job and the toll it takes. Excellent read - highly recommend to those who are faculty, and those who wonder what it is like on the other side of the desk.