I would like to thank NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

This is a laudable debut that I would give 3.5 stars (rounded up). I am not sure that my vocation as a high school teacher was an advantage or disadvantage here, though I am sure that is why I took the widget that was sent to me. It is not every day that I come across a book about high school teachers. Fortunately or unfortunately, I have no experience working in a school with a faculty lounge (it is a luxury that inner city schools do not seem to have).
I do not want to give away details but I will say that the novel opened with a bang. The event grabbed me and pulled me into the book. We learn about various teachers that work in the school who seemed to be good people with foibles. While I liked them and they seemed fairly realistic, they seemed a bit flat. The middle of the book meandered but lost some focus. However, the end, like the beginning, grabbed me.
I think the author shows promise; having a really good beginning and ending is nothing to sneeze it. I would gladly read her next book to see how she progresses and whether she will stick with the school setting or move on.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Dutton for giving me the opportunity to read this debut novel.

4.5⭐️

An exceptionally well-crafted tribute to educators, The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu follows an ensemble cast of characters, members of faculty and staff of (fictional) Baldwin High School in Houston, Texas, through the school year in the aftermath of the sudden death of Bob Lehrer, retired English teacher, who was working as a substitute, in the teacher's lounge. Mr. Lehrer devoted his life to his profession and the school authorities agree to honor his wish that his ashes be scattered on the school grounds. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan, resulting in a mishap, the consequences of which will be felt throughout the school year.

Structured as a series of interconnected stories (each from the perspective of a different character) through the drama in the aftermath of “Ashgate” and their lives and challenges inside and outside of the classroom. Woven into these stories of empathy, kindness and human connection, is also the story of Bob Lehrer, whose life revolved around the classroom and about whom we get to know more from the recollections of those who interacted and worked with him during his tenure.

We meet the faculty and staff of the school – a diverse group of characters – those new to the profession as well as those on the brink of retirement - teachers, the school counselor, the school nurse and the janitor. I loved getting to know the characters, their personal struggles, their dreams and hopes and their reflections on their own respective careers and much more. The author writes with heart and humor but also touches upon several sensitive themes such as the immigrant experience alcoholism, loneliness, grief and teenage pregnancy, with sensitivity and compassion. We also get a glimpse into several timely and relevant issues such as internal politics, underfunding, parental interference and censorship and how these impact operations within the public school system.

This is the kind of book that you want to keep on reading. This book will resonate with those who have been a part of the teaching profession or have worked in educational institutions in any capacity. However, irrespective of whether you have a similar experience, this book will strike a chord with you. Overall, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable, poignant and thought-provoking read that I would not hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy character-driven fiction.

Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A love letter to educators. Mathieu writes so clearly and effectively about how educators change lives, and yet have lives of their own. I loved this! I laughed out loud, and I cried. It’s a great read!

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu is an entertaining and tragic look into staff and faculty at a high school and the things they live through with one another and with their students and parents. She must have been a teacher because this is spot on. Entertaining and maudlin at the same time. It opens and closes with Mr. Lehrer, who had been a teacher for many years and was now elderly, but had returned to substitute. Much of the book was background of and thoughts of various people who had been present when he died, stretched out on a couch in the teacher’s lounge. Especially interesting was the exchange with the mother of a student who objected to a book being taught to students. One which her older son had loved, but now she wanted replaced. The fledgling love story of two people who had hidden in a book room, just for a little peace, when an active shooter drill came upon them. Teachers have lives, something many students and parents alike, forget.

This was a touching homage to teachers everywhere. People who have to respond to customers as in many other situations, but these customers firmly believe they know more than the teacher does. It was plain, in the book, how much teachers influence students for the better and how little victories mean so much. It should be required reading for parents. What a good book. On a topic most people would not have thought to write. Full of interesting and colorful characters who spend their lives teaching children.

I was invited to read The Faculty Lounge by Penguin Group Dutton. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #PenguinGroupDutton #JenniferMathieu #TheFacultyLounge

After a substitute teacher dies in the faculty lounge during his free period, the faculty and staff at Baldwin spend the rest of year trying to keep things running as smoothly as they can in a public school while attempting to honor a beloved former teacher and the fallout after his death on school grounds. This book reminded me of the Wayside School series by Louis Sachar that I read as a child. There is no big overarching plot in this book, instead each chapter is a semi-contained story about one of the faculty members at Baldwin High School. There are few threads that wind throughout the book as the story spans the school year that help to tie the chapters together and transition from one staff member to another. The author's politics were on display in this book and I'm sure that will put off a lot of readers but since they aligned with my personal views and beliefs, I didn't mind it.

A well-written, quick read that is a rollicking good time. If you are looking for a laugh out loud novel, this book is for you!

The Faculty Lounge hit the nail on the head for me even though I haven’t worked directly in public education as a teacher. The workplace dynamic is still very relatable and the issues the teachers face are not foreign. The sarcasm and subtle humor was perfect for the plot and situations this school finds itself in.

This was a great summer read and I highly recommend picking up this book! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Mathieu has written a gem for anyone who has ever been involved in a school system. From teacher, to admin, to PTO, everyone will find a short story that they can relate too. From sweet to poignant, all are worthy of a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Dutton for the digital arc of this book!

The Faculty Lounge at school was always a mysterious and fascinating place as a child. I always wondered what went on in the back room of my schools. What did the teachers talk about? What were the teachers like outside of school? This book opens the curtain to show what really goes on in the lives of teachers every day. Each chapter was a quick but compelling peek at a person who worked at the school and the things they were dealing with in their lives. I ended up listening to this one which might have been a mistake. The narrator did a great job but with the characters switching frequently I sometimes had a difficult time jumping into each new story. Some of the stories were fascinating, compelling and often heartbreaking. Some of the stories didn’t hold my attention as well and were less interesting to me.

I love the concept and it was done well! I just had a difficult time jumping from story to story. Go into this prepared for a collection of short stories and I think you will enjoy it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are mine alone.

"For anyone who has ever worked in a school"
Short stories about various staff in a public high school from the custodian to the counselor to the principal to the teachers are woven together in The Faculty Lounge. As a teacher myself, I absolutely adored this book and think that most others who work in a school will feel the same way. The book touches on the various struggles and expectations that are put on us as teachers and reminds the readers that we are still humans too who have families, health needs to tend to and just general lives outside of school. As in the real world, many of these staff members are dedicated to their students at the expense of their personal lives. I felt all the emotions throughout these chapters: happy, sad, mad, hopeful, discouraged, and so on. My favorite part has to be that (unlike most of our professional development in schools) the book is written by an actual teacher! Jennifer Mathieu is a high school English teacher, so I'm sure has either been through some of these events herself or seen her colleagues go through them. I highly recommend this read to all of my fellow school staff members!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Jennifer Mathieu for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading The Faculty Lounge. It reminded me of the show Abbott Elementary. I currently work as the librarian at a high school campus and everything about this book is the truth. Schools are such a mix of new, experienced staff members, happy and sad times, and everything else portrayed in this book. I am definitely recommending it to coworkers!!

A thoughtful story about teachers and their lives in a semi-anthology style. I didn't expect expect to become invested in the characters, but I was thoroughly moved by the end.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. A friend described it as interconnected short stories, but none of the stories really appealed to me. The book starts with a longtime teacher (now a sub) who dies in the faculty lounger. A younger teacher finds him dead. Then, we learn about each of the teachers’ stories. They were boring.

This was such a warm and funny read. As a former teacher, I felt so seen and appreciated and understood. You follow a rather large cast of characters (I did have some trouble remembering who was who, but there was a character list provided!) who are all involved with Baldin High School. Most of the characters are the faculty and staff, and we get to see their triumphs and troubles as they navigate the school year. We dip in and out of their experiences and memories, and truly realize that the person in front of the classroom, the one assigning all the homework…they are extremely human.

That’s not to say that each vignette is a winner. There were some stories that had no impact whatsoever and seemed to almost be filler. But there were other stories that made up for it- I can’t remember her name, but I loved the story about the school nurse. That was a standout for me.

I really enjoyed this and it was a lovely summer beach read. If you are in any way tied to the educational system, be it teacher, administration, or student, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This is my first time reading Jennifer Matthieu and I'm so glad to discover her through such a heartwarming and relevant novel. The Faculty Lounge is a novel-in-stories/short story cycle that follows the events at Baldin High School in Texas over the course of a school year. Beginning with the death of a long-time substitute teacher in the titular lounge, we see how one event can spiral and affect many individual characters. Each chapter largely follows a singular character, moving chronologically through the school year, and each reveals something new about the dynamics of the school. If you're a fan of Abbott Elementary, then this has a lot of the same vibes. We encounter veteran teachers struggling to adapt to 21st century post-pandemic classrooms, administration dealing with the oversight of Central Office, new teachers doubting themselves, and many other roles who make the school environment what it is. As a novel-in-stories, some chapters are stronger than others, but they're held together well as a whole by a general plot movement and a good emotional tug on readers' heartstrings. It's a bit like the first time you run into your teacher outside of school and realize they have lives of their own.

It did feel like a couple of chapters maybe got cut during revision, because some characters appeared often but never got their own POV. It is also very much a book of its time in the sense of the sociopolitical struggles we have seen since 2020 and how schools, especially in Texas, have had to work under various constraints. At times it is a bit too obvious, but never enough to completely pull you away from the work.

Overall, this was a pleasantly surprising read, and I had a good time with it. I recommended it for anyone who's worked in public education, English majors, and anyone who wants a book that shows the positive impact a single person can have on many. It is a love letter to the highs and lows of education and all of the people who make our schools and childhood memories.

The Faculty Lounge was a series of vignettes focused on different members of staff at Baldwin High School. The stories stem from one incident in the fall of the school year - Mr. Lehrer, a substitute teacher, dying in the faculty lounge during his off-period. From this highly unusual event, we come to learn about Principle Kendricks, the former punk rocker, Luz, the janitorial staff member who was fond of Mr. Lehrer, Mr. Rayfield, whom hates his job, and many more interwoven character studies.

This was an enjoyable book! It was a character-driven comedy-drama that really criticized the American school system in a way that only someone who has worked in the public school system can. Mathieu nails the dynamics of teachers and administration and the PTA all while addressing heavy topics in sensitive and appropriate ways, like abortion, grief, and infidelity.

I would highly recommend this for anyone that has ever wanted to know what their teachers are like outside of school and anyone who enjoys character analysis. Ms. Brennar’s experience at the end was wild but so indicative of a single woman in her late 30s and I enjoyed seeing her very real processing of some very silly events (don’t want to spoil this because it genuinely would make you choke on your latte mid-sentence).

This was a solid read and I think those that work in a school will especially like this. Each chapter is about different staff members and I really enjoyed getting to know each character more. There were some funny moments, relatable moments and some that made you think. I would recommend this to anyone! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The best you can do is show up and hang on."

3.5 - An entertaining read with a lot of insightful commentary about what it is like to work at a school in a state like Texas. However, it's written in a style that doesn't fully resonate with me, but you might love it.

Every chapter focuses on a different member of this school community, wether it's a teacher, the principal, nurse, custodian, counselor, etc. This makes this place come alive and feel real and complex. However, I struggle connecting with a story when it doesn't have a narrator as an anchor. This choice definitely creates a stronger sense of place and community (which is probably what she was going for and succeeded in). My personal preference, however, is that I want to connect with a character (or small number of characters) and see a story through their eyes. Again, this is simply a preference and you might enjoy this style more than I did.

There were so many storylines that I found compelling, charming, or heartbreaking; I guess I just wanted more from some of those stories instead of just getting a little vignette. It's worth mentioning I am not a teacher, but I always wished I had become one. This was a nice window into what that could've looked like (both the good and the bad). If you are a teacher or work at a school in any capacity, I would imagine this hitting even harder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing a review copy of this book. It's out now!

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

This was a very unique book that takes place in a school where, at the beginning of the story, an elderly substitute teacher is found deceased on the couch in the faculty lounge. This teacher had been a member of the faculty for many years and after being retired for a while came back to substitute a few days a week. The book continues with each chapter featuring a different teacher, administrator or staff member. We learn how many of them have been impacted by the teacher who died either directly or indirectly as well as how they are dealing with their role at the school. Some are rookie teachers, some are veterans, some are reluctant teachers, and some have a burning passion for what they do. Some follow the book, others push the envelope, but there is definitely an emphasis on wanting to do what is right even if it is not popular or what is expected.

What I liked most about this book was that it showed the human side of the teacher. I know when I grew up, the teacher was one of the most important authority figures in a young person's life. They were held to different standards and expected to be good examples at all times for the kids entrusted to them 5 days a week. I had teachers I admired, some that I was a little intimidated by, and some definite favorites that I still look up to as an adult. While I knew better, it was sometimes difficult to picture my teachers outside of the school walls. These characters are written very realistically. They are either finding their way or trying to hold on to their way as the world changes around them. They have real problems. They have vulnerabilities. There are lighthearted moments as well as sobering ones.

My sincere thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it. I really enjoyed reading The Faculty Lounge and would love to read more books like this one.