***Thank you Netgalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.***

This novel gives you the feeling like you're reading short stories following the lives of different teachers and staff of Baldwin High School. Some stories do connect a little but not all of them do.I can't say that's what being a teacher and working for public schools is exactly like the book says, but being a student I did get to see some of the problematic moms going to teachers and giving them attitude and all that. It was a good book .

This was a pleasant surprise for me. Being an educator and in Texas, the story premise was close to home. A high school where the day to day of teaching happens by teachers and administrators. Normally not something people really think about, and that is this setting until one day the a substitute teacher who is a long-tenure retiree of that school dies in the faculty lounge - hence the title. From there you visit with each of the teachers and learn short snippet of their life both in and out of the classroom. That teachers are human like the rest of us. Sometimes, you laugh, cry or are angry at the choices made by the characters but realize the world the of teaching is complex and nuanced. You learn about an administrator's world, the nurse, new teachers, seasoned teachers. Reading the epilogue, you learn that it was a series of short stories that were pulled together, and it can read like that at times, but they do tie together. I enjoyed it and would recommend it as a palette cleanser after a very intense book where you just get to go along for the short ride in these peoples' lives.

This was okay! I enjoyed the multiple different perspectives and it held my interest. I really enjoyed the different ways everyone intertwined.

When the beginning of the book has someone dying in the teacher lounge it really sets a crazy mood to the story. I loved it. The author did an amazing job setting up the scene, character lives, and just creating a story that bonded together so well. Thank you for the read.

As a high school teacher myself, I freakin' loved this book! It rang so true. I did like certain POVs more than others, but overall, so funny and true. I think any teacher would like it and be able to relate to it.

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy. This was a really great read and I really loved the character building.

I didn't care about this book but I was offered the ARC so I decided I'd try it and give it a fair shot. But since my opinion doesn't really matter, I'm not going to fight through a book I don't enjoy. It's not for me.

I enjoyed this book about teachers and staff at a school. Each chapter focuses on one person who teaches or works at the school. I was at school almost everyday, when my kids were in school, as a volunteer and could see some of the situations that are talked about in the book. Maybe that is why I liked it so much and could relate to certain stories. The narrator, I listened to the audio, did a fantastic job. I will look for other books by Jennifer Mathieu and thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF - I attempted to start this book and it just did not hold my interest. This may be a book I come back to in the future.

“The Faculty Lounge” was a thoughtful, often humorous piece of fiction detailing the experiences of teachers and administrators in a public school. There was behind the scenes drama and a reminder that teachers are people, too. This reminded me of a book version of “Abbott Elementary”, which is an incredibly funny show. The characters and their backstory was interesting in addition to how today’s politics in the educational field has shifted the classroom setting. This was a good, thoughtful book. 4 stars 🌟. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu is a witty, heartfelt glimpse into the chaos, humor, and humanity behind the teachers’ lounge door. When a substitute teacher’s unexpected death sets off a chain of wild events, the novel follows an eclectic cast of educators juggling personal struggles, school politics, and the absurdity of daily life. With sharp humor and genuine warmth, Mathieu brings these characters to life, making you root for them through every mishap and moment of triumph. Being a public school teacher for almost 30 years, I related to so much of this book. I also recognized so many people I have worked with in the characters. I do think since the book kind of highlights a different character with each chapter, that perhaps some readers might feel like it isn't a cohesive story. But for me, the main character in the book is the school. The teachers and admin profiled in the novel are merely orbiting around the school. I really loved this book. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read it as an ARC.

Working in a school, this book spoke to me in a few levels. The building politics, the alliances (whether on purpose or accidental), all of it is pretty standard in a school setting for students and staff alike. Thankfully I work in a building with less drama than happens in this book but it was mostly light and funny while dealing with some serious topics. My biggest critique is the pacing. It was inconsistent going from fast to slow and everywhere in between. I’d have preferred a consistent pace - although the pace of the chapter did seem to match that of the character it was focused on so perhaps this was purposeful.

The Faculty Lounge is a compassionately written slice of life novel by Jennifer Mathieu. Released 23rd July, 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Dutton imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

Warmly written "comfort reading", set around a fictive (but realistically rendered) high school in Texas and the staff who call it home, it's got good bones and the author makes good use of the vignette format to interweave the stories of the large cast of characters.

After the death of a retired elderly substitute teacher on a sofa in the school faculty lounge, the story radiates outward in ripples, tracing the interconnections between the late Mr. Lehrer (10th grade English) and his colleagues, former students, and others... and with the connections between the characters themselves.

Four stars. It would be a good low stress choice for a book club discussion, for public library acquisition, or for home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Fun and breezy book. As somebody who works in a school, it was a spot-on and humorous take on school culture!

This was a fun and enjoyable read! A good palette cleanser from heavier fantasy I’d been reading! If you or someone you know is in education this would be perfect for you!

This was an enjoyable light read. I think if you have ever been a teacher or worked in public education you will appreciate this book!

Here's the thing: parts of this book I really enjoyed and found to be quite charming! Others, not so much. While having chapter be a new character was interesting to me, it was a bummer that some characters ended up making me want to put the book down due to boredom compared to others whose chapters were really engaging. I just wanted more from this book, but in the end I liked it as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC!

Don't let the goodreads star review scare you off! Jennifer typically writes YA and this is her intro into adult fiction and I think she did a fantastic job. It's a wonderful sneak peak into the world of educators and other school staff. It was a warm and heartwarming. I like an academic setting, and if you do too, then I recommend you give this one a whirl!

When you were a student you wondered what went on in your teachers lives. Well this book delves into those lives and what it's like navigating the parents of the students. I enjoyed the ensemble of cast and how each educator loved teaching their students.

Thank you for the advance copy #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu!