One of the most accurate portrayals of life in a modern public high school I've read in a long time. In the first chapter, an 80+ year old substitute teacher dies in the staff lounge. The succeeding chapters explore the reactions to the death and the life history of various members of the staff. By the end of the book, the author has created a realistic (and sometimes hilarious!) picture of various staff members and their relationships to each other. Every character has a tale -- some funny, some sad, but all believable.

I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone that works in a school will relate to these stories. Anyone who reads this will get a realistic picture of the lives of teachers, administrators, school nurses, and custodians. There are moments when the author gets overly detailed explaining the intricacies of state mandates and district policies, but (again) everything is accurate. Some may find the narrative a bit confusing since each chapter focuses on an individual member of the staff, and the timeline jumps back and forth in time. The strength, though, of this book is in the stories of the people. Every character is engaging and relatable. I found it deeply touching and, at times, hilarious. Highly recommended for teachers, of course, but I think even those not involved in public education will find it highly entertaining as well.

NOTE: The focus is on the adults in the school. Although there is one storyline that includes a student, this is really about the adults, so I'm not sure it would appeal to teens.

4 ⭐️

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley!

This is a simply written piece of fiction, set in a high school. It is humorous at times, but is primarily focused on the human behind the title of “Teacher.” It starts with the elderly substitute teacher found dead in the faculty lounge and spirals from there. A very easy, yet somehow profound read.

I was expecting a lighter tale here, with some humorous behind-the-scenes peeks at teacher life. What I found instead was a rather surprisingly in-depth and intense adult drama, told in a series of vignettes tied together by the simple fact that each individual is a teacher at the school where an elderly sub has just died unexpectedly in the eponymous faculty lounge. The book is thoughtful and serious - and not what I expected from something described as "funny, bighearted". It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it so much as that I felt like I had wandered into something I wasn't expecting. The cover and blurb led me to look for a fluffier story, and so I kept waiting for the mood to lighten and the humor to kick in. It never really did for me. This wasn't a great fit - although it was an interesting peek behind the curtain, which largely revealed what I expected it would: that teachers are people, just like everyone else, with the same foibles, weaknesses, quirks, and irritations as all the rest of us!

This novel follows the lives of teachers and principals at Baldwin High School. When retired teacher and current substitute Mr. Leher passes away in the faculty lounge, all of the remaining teachers are given the opportunity to evaluate their lives and legacy. This book is a work of fiction, but knowing several teachers this book exemplifies the everyday thoughts that they have. The struggle of being drawn to work in a field where you enter full of hope for the next generation only to be beaten down year after year is a common one amongst educators. I wish the book had talked more about the challenges that face todays teachers, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook!

I couldn't put this down, and devoured it across every free moment I had over the weekend. Great characterization throughout, and the tone reminds me of Tom Perrotta's works. Enjoyed the Lost-esque flashbacks & flashforwards as well. Highly entertaining and warm-hearted.

Wow. That’s all I can say after reading this beautiful book. As an Elementary School teacher, there were (thankfully) some issues that I don’t have to deal with, but this author obviously knows the beauty and the horrific that goes into being an educator now and forever. This is truly a masterpiece, and I can’t wait to make all of my.coworkers read it so we can talk about it. I laughed and cried in equal measure. I really loved this book.

This book is extremely well written. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were developed in a way that made them feel real and relatable. While there are some very heavy topics and themes in the story I felt that there were all handled with respect and grace.

My only complaint with this book is that at times it became highly political and while I understand that there are lots of politics involved in the school system and that these topics should absolutely be talked about for me reading is an escape from real life.

Overall I think this was an enjoyable read that I would gladly recommend, I was just not the targeted audience for this story.

Thank you to Netgally, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and Jennifer Mathieu for the ARC and for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu was an enjoyable read the kept me interested throughout the novel. I loved how each chapter followed a new character and let the reader onto new information about the school and what was going on. Each staff member had great character development even though they mostly only had one chapter each. I look forward to seeing what Jennifer Mathieu writes next.

While this book was a little slow, once I realized the pacing was more slice of life rather than waiting for a big event to happen, I was able to enjoy it more. I liked all of the individual character developments while bringing their stories back together in small ways. This story felt authentic to the educator experience and was a nice casual read. Thank you for the ARC! :)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! The cover art gave me light-hearted vibes…but…I quickly discovered it is much more. The book opens with an 82 year old former teacher, now substituting at a Texas high school dying in the teacher’s lounge. What follows is a story of the lives and trials of the high school’s staff, students and parents as they all try to navigate the current educational climate. As a former educator I found all the scenarios totally believable. It is a darkly funny ode to educators.

As a teacher for 21 years this book really hit close to home. Following the lives of different school employees and weaving one specific teacher throughout, it was engaging and heart touching. I have never read a book that so accurately described the inside workings of a school, and I could immediately tell that the author was a teacher as well. Definitely grab this one and give it a read. If you’re a teacher, it may just remind you why you went into it. It’s well worth your time!

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook to review. All opinions are mine.

The Faculty Lounge bring us behind the teachers desk, and into the lives of several staff members at Baldwin High School.

Similarly to seeing an old teacher in public, this book shows the human side to teachers.

Heartbreak, awkward moments, and struggles abound, but they've got each other, and a desire to put the students first.

I really enjoyed this one.

A quick, usually-fun read, but with little substance behind it. Those who have been classroom teachers will likely appreciate this but for general readership there’s little of note here. Still, the author has a sharp, quick style that makes this an easy, fast read.

First and foremost, thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

I am happy that I read this book. There is a comfort to it, and a flow to it that allows you to feel as though you're wrapped in a warm blanket while reading it. The Faculty Lounge, at it's core, is just a book about the trials of being a person. Which means it's funny, sad, whimsical, beautiful, and so much more at the same time. All of this provides a feeling of comfort and familiarity as you read.

However, these feelings can be hampered at times by the fact that this book exists in a interesting state of unreality, being close enough to reality but not specific enough to cement it within the world. At times, this works well with the idea of a focus on character, but it also creates some awkward dialogue and writing that feels not quite like the speech and thoughts of real people. This floaty feeling takes a bit away from the stories of the characters in the book, but doesn't always hurt it.

Part of why the unreality is less harmful to the story is the focus on characters, and the vignette format works quite well with this focus. It provides a beautiful analysis of the way that people can be so complex by allowing the characters to exist within their own lives and within the story of this school. I absolutely think this book is worth the read.

I was never able to connect to the characters in this book. I went in without any expectations of where the story would go, but half way through the book I still couldn’t tell what this book wanted to be.

The Faculty Lounge tells the story of several staff members at a Texas high school.

I thought this book was great! I enjoyed the little peeks into teachers, admin and other staff at the high school. I do wish some of the plot points could have gotten more than one chapter, but I understand that wasn't the way the book was written.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 20%

After reading Moxie when it first came out and loving it, I was eager to see that the author put out an adult novel that takes place in a high school and deals with the lives of the teachers. Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. As others have said, this reads like connected short stories instead of a cohesive story. It wasn't keeping my interest, so I put it down. I'm sure those who are teachers will find enjoyment in this as it represents many of the struggles that go along with teaching today-standardized testing, active shooter drills, and dealing with "those" parents.

The Faculty Lounge starts when a retired turned substitute teacher dies in the faculty lounge during an off period, which seemed very fitting for him. Life quickly returns to normal until the principal is notified that the deceased teacher's wishes had been to be cremated and spread around the campus grounds. Deciding to honor his wishes, the principal sends out a memo to the teachers that they will be honoring the deceased after school if they would like to join. Unfortunately, a PTA mom gets involved and the school is suddenly under a microscope of the higher ups.

As I was growing up, my mom was a teacher so the school culture wasn't new to me. The Faculty Lounge was told from multiple teachers'/administrators' POV, making it seem more like a bunch of related short stories. There were some stories that I really enjoyed (the school nurse's stands out for me), but I would have preferred to have fewer faculty members' stories told and done a deeper dive or a revisit to some of the better ones. Based on the book description, I'd also expected there to be more humor. There were a few funny parts, but for the most part I felt frustrated for the teachers who are just trying to do their jobs without a bunch of red tape.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of The Faculty Lounge, by Jennifer Mathieu.

The Faculty Lounge follows a group of teachers at a Texas high school for a year. We get to know all of the various teachers and staff at the school over the course of the book, and how they interact with each other.
There are a diverse group of educators, some there because it’s their calling and some who seem to have just wound up there, but most are dedicated and caring. This is basically a workplace story, and the politics and all the goings on are fun to follow through these glimpses into the staff’s lives.
It is a fun, pretty easy read, but there are definitely some sad parts over the course of the book, which starts with a former teacher turned substitute who dies in the Faculty Lounge. His memorial turns into a drama as he wants his ashes scattered at the school, which isn’t exactly okay with the parents and head office.
Overall I really enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars.

"Faculty Lounge" by Jennifer Mathieu evoked a range of emotions, making me both laugh and cry, while also bringing back a wave of nostalgia as a retired teacher. The novel delves into the lives of the educators at Baldwin High School, highlighting the challenges faced by today's public education system and its teachers. Through the intricate storytelling and character development, the author portrays the undeniable truth of working in a school district.

As I read, I couldn't help but recall the chaos that exists within public education today, as well as the profound camaraderie among teachers that we had to rely on for support. This book, deserving of a solid four-star rating, is highly recommended to fellow middle and high school educators.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dutton Publishing for the ARC to read and review.