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.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely adored this book, it was everything I anticipated it to be. 5 stars!

I enjoyed this glimpse into the life of high school teachers in The Faculty Lounge. The story starts when a former teacher, who now works as a substitute dies in the faculty lounge. Then his ashes are scattered on the school grounds which leads to some parents getting upset and starts a school year of misadventures and connections. This book has humor and a light tone but the characters were crafted well with depth and complexity which made the story feel real. Will definitely recommend. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

This was the best school-related novel I have read in years. Mathieu does a beautiful job weaving together the ugly parts of being a teacher and the beautiful parts. As a teacher/librarian, I see pieces of my own experiences reflected in each of the characters used for viewpoint. After a particularly difficult year in my 16-year career, this novel has reminded me why I chose this field in the first place, but without sugarcoating.

The Faculty Lounge is a book that intrigued me off of the premise alone. Some of the character chapters are so beautiful and heart-wrenching. I think this book captures the humanity in teaching in a very beautiful way. Some aspects took me some time to get used to, like teachers in casual conversation with other teachers referring to other staff by Mr. or Mrs. last name. The lack of a through line made it challenging for me to really engage with where the story was going. I think if I enjoyed slice of life novels, this one would speak to me more. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with beautiful character work. Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the opportunity to read this in advance.

This was an enjoyable read, set over a year in a high school, focusing solely on the staff. The arc of the story is that a substitute teacher has died (natural causes) in the faculty room, spreading a ripple of consequences. Each chapter focuses on a staff member ranging from the first year teacher who discovered the body to a staff member surveying the days prior to retirement. This is definitely a love letter to teachers, but
realistic one. Teachers aren't presented here as self sacrificing saints (or demons) but as real human beings with frailties: alcoholism, loneliness, feelings of ennui and of elation as they struggle through their lives as educators.

A week later I'm still thinking about this book! As a former substitute teacher, I felt a kinship with every character and their story. Their experiences were funny, real, poignant, shocking and sad. Best of all, they were believable. The pacing was very strong; each chapter was a contained short story about a character, so no one person's storyline was dragged out. In the end, all of the characters had some kind of resolution, and it was satisfying to me as a reader as well. I wholeheartedly recommend this read. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

The Faculty Lounge
by Jennifer Mathieu
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
By the acclaimed author of Moxie, a funny, bighearted adult debut that is at once an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today’s pressing school issues, and a tender character study, following a sprawling cast of teachers, administrators, and staff at a Texas high school
Being a retired schoolteacher, this book reminded me of many things that could happen in my school.
Jennifer Mathieu is clearly a veteran teacher-turned author. Every. Single. story rang true. Some a bit too close to my own truths.
Using flashbacks and linked stories we meet the multitude of staff that make up a high school you are not soon to forget.

Each chapter focuses on one of the staff and Mathieu skillfully peels back the layers to reveal their secret hopes and past experiences. Each chapter is a work of art !
I recommend this book! You can't go wrong with this story -it's insightful, it's beautiful, it's sad and it's hopeful.

3.5 rounded up to 4

I'm not sure what I expected with this book. I'm not a teacher, but I am a librarian, and there is a little overlap between the two, and my assistant librarian is a retired teacher, so much of this book resonated with me. I enjoyed finding out about the lives outside of school of the various teachers and administrators over the course of one school year, a year that had a rather disastrous start. I also liked the dark humor and sarcasm. I decided on 3.5 stars because there are long passages with no dialog, just description, and it got a bit tedious to me. Take this with a grain of salt, though--this is just my personal opinion. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, especially to my teacher friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For a book that centers on the death of a beloved substitute teacher, this was a witty, light, and touching story that read like a tribute to teachers and all that they do. This was a surprisingly quick and easy read with an engaging storyline and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this book.

I received a temporary digital copy of The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu from NetGalley, Dutton and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After a former teacher-turned substitute dies in the faculty lounge, the teachers at Baldwin High School have to grapple with his death and the remainder of the school year.

The first chapters of The Faculty Lounge are laugh-out-loud hilarious. I don't think Mathieu could have strung together a funnier set of circumstances coupled with the reality of working in a high school; it was truly well done. Mathieu has a clear understanding of the educational system and the life of a teacher which was refreshing and easy to relate to. So why the three stars? I just found the rest of the book incredibly depressing. Mathieu dives into the background lives of the faculty at Baldwin and one after the other is heartbreaking. From the Principal comtempating cheating to the undocumented custodian that no one acknowledges, to faculty suffering from alcoholism, the situations are true-to-life but were hard to get through one after the other.

Thank you to Penguin Group- Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I was sent this book as a recommendation from the publisher and thought the synopsis sounded interesting and fun. I am SO glad that I did as I ADORED this book. I picked it up one evening when I felt like I was in a slump and was immediately drawn in by the writing style, the wit and the warmth of the characters. As someone who loved school for the most part and highly valued relationships with teachers who became mentors, this book encapsulates so much of the importance of good, caring teachers. I laughed, I cried, and I rooted these teachers on. Each chapter was a glimpse into another teacher's life and as I read through the book and began to get to know each of them, it made each chapter better and better. I was sad to finish this book simply because I would no longer get to spend time with them. An excellent read! I would give this 10 stars if I could and currently am putting this in my top 5 reads of the year so far. Highly recommend anyone looking for a fun, heartfelt read to pick this up.

Final Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars -- I will be releasing a video review on my YouTube channel, The Literary Apothecary, on day of release.

I received the eARC for this book via NetGalley and what a crazy ride this was! The Faculty Lounge is set to be released by Dutton on July 23, 2024. It is Mathieu's adult debut novel that is funny and bighearted, an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today's pressing school issues, and a tender character study - all with the backdrop of a Texas high school.

Spoiler Free Summary: (Parts of this summary are taken from Goodreads)

The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life - the faculty, staff, and administrators that help make the school run. It starts off with a bang when an elderly substitute teacher is found dead in the 3rd floor Faculty Lounge. From there, we get a moment of rememberance for the subsitute, who once was a regular and beloved faculty member at Baldwin High - the principal, who really is just trying to do his best, decides to honor the deceased's wishes and spreads his ashes on school grounds. Well, all was going well until a huge gust of wind decided to take the ashes and blow them directly in to the PTA President's face as she walked by in search for the principal himself. And this is only the start of Baldwin High's wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful and humorous school year, This book takes us on the journey of Baldwin's school year, while also dipping into poignant and honest character studies of some of the faculty and staff there. One thing that stood out to me was that not only are the faculty and administrators highlighted here, but also staff. And we get both good and bad sides to the characters, as they try to make their way through the school year and life.

CAWPILE Breakdown: (You might notice, I am trying something different with this review - each category will be rated out of 5 instead of 10, I've noticed that I rarely go below a 5 when rating, so I am trying to limit my scope to give a more precise rating. See post about adaptation for more info.)

Characters: 4 - Our characters are diverse, robost, and complex. As mentioned above, not only do we get the good and endearing side to the characters, but we also get not so great sides to some of them that make these characters feel real and relatable. The only thing that kept me from giving this book full score for characters is that we didn't really see a lot of actual development from them, it was more just sketches of who they once were and who they are now.

Atmosphere/Setting: 5 - Mathieu nails the Texas high school setting in this book. It feels like a high school, it looks like a high school, it sounds like a high school. It's a high school!

Writing Style: 3 - This is where I struggled a bit with this book. I thought the pacing was good (maybe a tad long but not too bad) and as I said I loved the characters and the atmosphere. The thing that gives me pause is that while I can see a plot line that was carried throughout, it felt the character studies were the heavier weight in this novel. I would have liked to see that plot line threaded through a little bit more cohesively, other than just these characters all work at the same school and were there on the day that of the "Ashes Incident".

Plot: 2 - The actual plot is about the day to day life of faculty, administrators, and staff at Baldwin High School, and how they manage during the year. It's simple. My main issue, as I stated above, is that it felt like the character studies took on more importance and the plot was kind of just a backdrop, almost a second thought of "Oh yeah, I need something to make this a novel and not short story sketches."

Intrigue: 3.5 - The characters were so diverse, my intrigue was held mainly by them. I wanted to know who we would get to know next and what we would learn about them.

Logic/Relationships: 3.5 - The logic and relationships in this novel were both well done. It all made sense, in its own way. Relationships developed in unlikely pairs and I loved seeing which characters connected with each other on different levels.

Enjoyment: 4 - At the end of the day, I enjoyed reading The Faculty Lounge and getting to know each one of these characters. I think I may have enjoyed it even more if it was just the character studies though and that plot line just came out in the studies and not as an actual novel - if that makes sense.

CAWPILE Total: 25/7 = 3.5 = 3.5 stars

a substitute teacher is found dead in the teachers' lounge, he wants his ashes spread in the school parking lot. told from several points of view., it is a good book, especially if you're a teacher.

"The Faculty Lounge" is a fun, satiric novel set at a school called Baldwin. The tone is satirical and dark, as when a retired teacher dies on the teacher's lounge couch while subbing. Gifting this to my teacher friends once it's released, I know they will love it! Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#TheFacultyLounge
#NetGalley