The Faculty Lounge was a fun book that centers on teachers and a mysterious death that occurs in the… you guessed it, faculty lounge! I enjoyed the individual teacher dramas and their recollections of the deceased. It had several funny moments and tongue-in-cheek humor. It was certainly different from any book I have read about teachers. As a teacher myself, I related to this book and enjoyed it! Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read The Faculty Lounge early.

The Faculty Lounge is about a group of high school teachers who actually have a life outside of teaching. Go figure.

The book opens with the death of a substitute teacher (who had been a teacher at the school for a while before retirement). He was found in the Faculty Lounge on the couch by another teacher. He had been an influence on all of the teachers and students that came across him.

This takes a look into the life of high school teachers and how they deal with all the messy parts of their job.

Early in the fall of a new school year, a young teacher finds a retired (now substitute) teacher dead on the couch in the faculty lounge. The blurb for this novel makes it sound like the ensuing year is full of twists and turns and wild happenings in the lives of the surviving teachers at the high school.
So, I was thinking;
Was it murder?! Who done it?! Who is next?! What secrets will be revealed in the lives of the remaining teachers?!
The answers are;
No, Nobody, No one, and Nothing exciting.
This well written but ultimately mundane novel is simply a series of vignettes about the lives of the teachers and others at Baldwin High School Each chapter is focused on one those employed by the school system, telling a little story about their personal life, or recounting some event in their past. It is all very tame; nothing one hasn't experienced themselves or knows someone who has experienced it.
Such as;
How a young man decided to be a teacher. Why a young woman switched from teaching to counseling. Two young teachers discovering they are attracted to each other while hiding in a storage room during a (false alarm) lock down drill. An assistant principal dealing with early menopause while coping with the death of her wife 3 years earlier.
All well written stories, but about halfway through each one I found myself skipping ahead. The story is told, the story ends as quietly as it starts. And that's about it.
If you're seeking out a quiet book that contemplates the vagaries of ordinary life, this is a good book for you. The characters are drawn with a deft hand and feel very real. Like your friendly neighbor that you don't hang out with, or a friendly acquaintance that you have nothing in common with. No dramatics, no earth-shattering revelations or confessions. Just life quietly going about its business.
I didn't hate this book, but (probably due to the blurb) it didn't deliver to me what it promised.

This was such a unique story and I loved it. I have not worked in a school but after reading this I felt like I have. Teachers are so under appreciated and do so much. I really liked that each chapter was about a different character and everyone’s story tied together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of this book.

While I may not have been the ideal reader for this book, I did find it to be a decent read. I think if you are a teacher you would relate to the characters more and understand the humor/sadness/etc. of the book. It all took place during the same school year at one school but read more as short, interconnected stories. Each chapter you saw the perspective of another member of the faculty and staff of the school.

It was well written and did keep my interest but it didn't have the impact on me that it would probably have on someone who works/worked in a school setting. I would recommend this book if the premise does interest you, though!

4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5

I really, really enjoyed The Faculty Lounge. It's not the kind of book that's going to change your life or anything like that. But it's highly entertaining and easy to read and made me want to keep turning the pages. It was a serious palate cleanser to me!

The book begins when an elderly substitute teacher who spent years teaching at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. But the book isn't a mystery or a thriller and is definitely more of a combination of comedic and heart-warming moments than anything at all. Each chapter focuses on a different staff member at Baldwin High School, some who are close to retiring and some who are first year teachers and some who are members of top admin and others who are members of the cleaning staff. I feel like Mathieu could write an entire book on each of the characters, but I love how she chose to focus on different elements of each of their lives.

The Faculty Lounge is definitely trying to ride the wave that is Abbot Elementary, though it's obviously a bit different. The book takes place in current times in Texas and I'm sure you can imagine some of the challenges teachers and other administrators are facing there at the moment. I'm not a teacher, but have several friends who are high school teachers and I'll be recommending this to them (although they often like more "escape" books when they're not teaching!). Though everyone's experience working in education is different, I think there's a lot to relate to in this book. Or at least to laugh about!

It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once. In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We meet: a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.

As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. As a retired educator myself, much of this book resonates with me. It reminded me so much of Jane Smiley's classic "MOO" about college faculty life that I read many years ago. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book. I highly recommend this book, especially to educators.

Faculty Lounge in a few words gives a real “The Secret Life of the American Teacher” vibe and I loved it. I truly did not know what to expect going into this book, but I certainly didn’t expect to laugh, cry, and become so invested in each teacher’s story. From start to finish, I found myself absolutely hooked. I will likely give this one a re-read because I just want more from these characters!

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This one was just not for me. The writing was well done, but it felt like a collection of short stories, where each "main character" had a few chapters highlighted about them. There were large jumps in time that didnt blend with what was being told. I found it difficult to keep up with the story.

As a teacher, I found this book such a fun read. While I teach younger children I could absolutely appreciate all aspects of the education system. It gives a VERY honest view of what being a teacher in a modern school is like! Loved the characters featured and the in-depth stories. Definitely more character than plot but a great read!

You can tell this was written by a teacher - I felt like it perfectly captured the bureaucracy and the difficult parents. This was very light and heartfelt; I enjoyed the weaving together of each character's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. 3.5/5

This book was a collection of short stories about a group of teachers, counselors, custodians, and administrators working at a high school in Texas. Each chapter featured a new character's story.

Overall, it felt like this book was missing something and it's hard to put my finger on exactly what it needed. It was a quick read, but when I finished the book, it felt like there should have been one or two more chapters to tie everything together again, like how the book started with everyone in the faculty lounge. While I appreciated the author featuring a different character in each chapter, there were just a few too many characters to keep track of. Throughout the book, there were several parts I could identify with as a teacher - such as the frustration over the printer in the faculty lounge jamming - making it clear the author took time to research the day-to-day challenges educators face. However, there were so many cringey, borderline inappropriate moments that gave me the ick and overshadowed all of the good moments that I ended up not liking the book at all. The last chapter was absolutely gross. It's tough for me to want to recommend this book to others because it was completely different from what I had expected.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a thoroughly entertaining read, with nuanced characters and emotion. It gives a glimpse into the lives of several faculty members at a prestigious public high school over a year.
It's an ode to the teaching profession in every way, and if you've ever been a high school teacher, which I have been, you'll smile throughout. Even if you've just been a high school student, you'll appreciate that the author "gets" it.
She paints each teacher in a different way; older, younger, just finding love, just loving love, and everything in between. Some characters make bad choices, some make brave ones. Everyone is very real.
I have to note, I found the opening to be extraordinarily crass. A teacher is found dead, and it's not handled very sensitively. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book based on that start, but it does get much better.
The plot is also quite thin, since the purpose of the book it more to give each teacher's back story. There is some general plot, and the thread gets picked up in each new viewpoint, and that's well done. Even though there are many teachers to keep track of, it works.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars.

I love this book. I love the individual stories & how they weave together. I could've happily spent more time with each character. Each individual story had a slight surprise but they all felt like real people. And I’m glad we get to see a variety of faculty members. Poignant and heartwarming.

I could not put this down! To anyone who has worked in education, you will find this book filled with insights and anecdotes that make you realize that this book HAD to have been written by a real-life teacher. It’s just so insightful.

Lots of laughs, a few moments of tears, and a lot of heart. This was exceptional.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book!

The Faculty Lounge addresses a wide variety of issues faced by American educators today and is clearly written by an author who understands their experiences. I especially appreciated Mathieu’s use of multiple perspectives to enrich the story and provide voices to overlooked figures in our society. However, the dialogue and internal character monologues often came across as unrealistically sentimental. I was also confused by the last chapter, which didn’t seem to really fit with the others.

This is a quick read book about the lives of the staff at a large high school. Each chapter gives insight into another staff member's life whether it be personal issues, romantic pursuits, dealing with death, issues with students, or just who they are as people. It all begins when a retired teacher comes back to sub, and is found dead in the lounge. His death reveals some friendships that where unknown to others, as well as some problems for the principal, Overall an enjoyable read. However, it takes a bit to keep all the characters straight I must admit.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am setting this one aside. I am a fan of Mathieu's young adult novels and thought I would enjoy this more as a former teacher. Alas, this book is not for me. I know there are many readers who will enjoy the politics intertwined in the story, but I tire of that with in our hyper-political environment. I do appreciate Mathieu pulling up the shade and allowing readers a look into the teacher profession. Many things rang true from my decade in "the trenches".

This was SO good!! I don’t read a lot of contemporary fiction, but decided to give this one a chance when it was sent to me on NetGalley. This is a very character driven novel and I LOVED each perspective and the segues between them. This novel was so clever and witty and poignant at the same time and I enjoyed every second.

I’m sure I won’t be the first to say it’s a love letter to teachers and school staff.

The book is essentially a series of character studies about different teachers and staff at a large Houston hight school. With each chapter you mainly focus on one person going deep into their lives but the books is also the progress through the school year.

There is so much to love about this book — it’s funny, it’s poignant, it comments on today’s world and the challenges of teaching all while rendering these characters with love and detail. I kept thinking, oh this person is my favorite, only to find myself adoring the next spotlighted teacher even more.