Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was entertained, and I always enjoyed themes of second chances. Gillian was returning to the scene of the crime after falling from her pedestal. Being back in this place where she was betrayed by her two closest friends had her reexamining her past. She recognizes some of her hang ups and shortcomings and makes progress in moving forward. She also begins to recognize how she wasn't that scholarship girl any longer. She was older, wiser, and had acquired some skills that set her apart from others. The setting was amazing. As if boarding school wasn't enough. This was a boarding school in Sonoma. Lots of wine and picturesque backdrops. Her trio of fans were sometimes silly, but again, entertaining.

This book turned out to be a little disappointing. I wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into any of the characters at all. Very sad because the premise was so good. A lot of it was just very annoying.

This was only ok for me. I didn't connect with the characters and I felt the story moved very slowly. If readers enjoy stories about boarding school and high school students, they might find this entertaining.

I read about 10% of this story and I just was not interested in going further. I did not connect with the characters and don't think that I would later on in the story.

2.5 stars rounded up.

The thing about this book is, it went fast enough, but i kept waiting for something to happen. Things happened, i guess, but it didn't feel like there was any emotional valence to them so at some point i looked down and i was like 75% through the book and just realized, "oh, i guess the plot is already going." But it didn't FEEL like it was going. It FELT like the plot was about to start. But that never happened! It was fine! Everything was fine! But there wasn't enough character to be a character study, or enough setting to be a world exploration, or enough plot to be like a regular book. Condensed to like 10% of its length, this might be a great short story? But as it was, it was just a not-regrettable, not-memorable novel.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the book in return for a review.

While reading this book the main character Gillian gets a new job after having to give up her other job in New York. She works at her alma matter as a “dorm mom” to a group of girls. While working as a "dorm mom," she found a few people and noticed a scandal going on.

In this book, there’s also mention about “rich girls”, expensive things that the students have and other things. Also Gillian’s past.

This one sounded so good and the plot so interesting (Jose bunny vibes maybe?) but while the plot sounded interesting I just did not end up loving this one as much as I initially hoped to.

The characters did not feel truly fleshed out and mature to the point they should have been for this plot as outlined.

There were also a lot of plot points that felt off or unrealistic and it was hard to enjoy and feel invested with this one.

I wanted to love this one but it was just too fake sweet. The dialogue was unrealistic and I stopped reading after 30%. I’m sure this will be a favorite for others but it just wasn’t the book for me.

This story was okay…light, superficial, airy…fun summer reading, but nothing of substance, similar to most of the characters in this story. It felt like they were just a bunch of “poor little rich girls” trying to fabricate problems where they didn’t exist. Not really my thing, but it was okay.

Parker’s The Shortest Way Home is one of my favorite books so I was so excited to finally have another book of her’s to read. While I did like Room and Board, I felt like something was missing from the book. Maybe I set my hopes too high for the book, but I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen to blow me away or really make me root for characters who were a little too self-absorbed, but that never happened.

Loved this story- a great beach read- chic book. the characters are interesting and brought back memories of my high school days- some good and some not so good
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I would like to thank Netgalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Miriam Parker for the E ARC of this book.
Gillian has almost lost it all, her job and her lovely New York apartment, clients and friends when her career implodes and she has nowhere to go, until she receives an email from her Alma Mater asking if she would consider becoming a House Mom in her old boarding house. Gillian has mixed thoughts about her old school, she has great memories and sad memories, so is going back a good idea?
She soon settles in to her new job, begins making friends and enjoying being a mentor to the girls in her care. She also rekindles a friendship with one of her close friends whilst she was at school.
There are two instances during this book where Gillian’s previous experience as publicist really comes to the fore. It was nice to see that she hadn’t left that side of her life behind.
The teenagers in this book were privileged and they did show it and for me were a bit too familiar with Gillian. I did like how she listened to them and advised them but left them to make their own decisions. When things happened that they had caused she was there as a sounding board, which helped the girls grow.
I liked the growth and understanding of her past that Gillian had, it was nice to see her become part of the staff at the school and really find her place.
An enjoyable read with believable situations and characters.

Engulfed in a scandal that has left her jobless, Gillian has been thrown a bone to become a Dorm Mother at the exclusive boarding school she once attended. Without pause, she takes the job and leaves New York for Sonoma, California. There were several aspects to this book that did not fall under my "Can't put this down" category and rather fit better with "I'm going to finish this book because I have to see it through" column.

What would be logged under my "I'm going to finish this book because I have to see it through" column:
1. It is unfathomable that Gillian jumps ship from one shame and rejection back to her original, in her mind, source of shame and rejection and broken heartedness.
2. This story is suppose to be about redemption. Everyone deserves a second chance, but it needs to be believable. Why would the school, who knows all about the scandal she is going through, offer her this position sight unseen? I wish I could have second chances like that!
3. The reader gets an accurate depiction of the stereotypical teenager, but there could have been more character development.
4. A second scandal occurs, and it could have been a major plot exploitation to bring a lot of intrigue, but it was not made out to be major.

What would be recorded under my "Can't put this down" category:
1. There is a love story, although I wish this had been more of the focus.
2. There were several sweet moments in this book.

Overall, the pace was slow, but it could pass for an enjoyable TV Movie.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

what a cute read about boarding schools and the lives of teenagers. It was a unique perspective and really gave an inside look into what it was like to be both a teenager and an adult living with teenagers

I enjoyed Room and Board by Miriam Parker. It was less a mystery (which I somehow thought the scandal would be) and more of a slow moving drama about Gillian's life. It was not one of my favorite books so far this year, though.

Set in northern California, it centers around Gillian coming back from the bad things that happened to her during her career as a publicist.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is a book written by a white woman for white women who have never spoken to children or teenagers. It felt like Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl met 7th Heaven.

It was just TOO SWEET and TOO CHARMING.

BARF.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

This story had a lot of potential but not so much as a second chance romance. It was an interesting reflection on how we can get stuck in our heads and let our past shape our future, and how it's really in our own control whether we allow that to happen or not.

But there were so many things that were unrealistic. Since many other reviewers have already pointed those out, I won't take a deep dive into them too.

I think the thing that I struggled with was the dichotomy behind how confident Gillian could be when dealing with someone else's problems, but how she second-guessed everything about her own life, even down to the question of whether or not to buy a car. And when she did start making decisions for herself, even then, they felt a bit lukewarm.

If you're looking for a light and entertaining read, this may do the trick. But typically with women's fiction, I look for something with a bit more depth and something easier to connect to.

Thanks to Miriam Parker, Penguin and NetGalley for an advance review copy, though.

This book had so much potential but there were too many plot lines, most of them be unrealistic, and characters that weren’t relatable.

I was really looking forward to reading this and was so excited when I got the ARC but sadly, this just was not for me. I found it hard to relate to a lot of the characters. The author did a great job of setting up a great campus narrative but the plot seemed slightly lost. Thanks for letting me try it and would love to read more works from the author!

I was excited to read this book because I always love a good campus-set story. Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. I didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters. Thanks for letting me give it a try!