Room and Board

A Novel

By: Miriam Parker

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

A charming and redemptive novel about unexpected second chances, following a publicist who, after the sudden implosion of her career, takes a job as a dorm mom at a Sonoma boarding school that happens to be her alma mater

Gillian thought she had everything she ever wanted—as a successful publicist running her own Manhattan firm and working with a high-profile-celebrity clientele, she finally made herself at home among the elite who eluded her throughout her youth. That is, until her career implodes, leaving her jobless, friendless, and with a googleable reputation that follows her everywhere. So, when she receives an offer to become a “dorm mom” at Glen Ellen Academy, the prestigious Sonoma boarding school she attended two decades earlier on scholarship, she leaps at the opportunity for a change of scene—at least until she can figure out how to rehabilitate her career.

But Gillian is surprised to find herself enjoying her new life: her role as a mentor is unexpectedly fulfilling, she finds a community, and most surprisingly of all she runs into an old flame from her own time at school, who is just as dashing now as he was then. However, just as she begins to feel comfortable, a scandal surfaces on campus that threatens to derail everything, and Gillian must figure out how to save her job, her students, her friends, and her new romance before it’s too late.

high school drama for adults?

I had hope for this book, but all the "drama" surrounding the main character seemed childish and not really dramatic at all. Like watching my daughter go thru her high school dramas, I just rolled my eyes and thought "get over it." Maybe this book is YA? It was like a book about adult things, written for a child. Characters were flat. Reader performed the book like she was smiling the whole time. (SPOILER!) Author missed a huge opportunity for Jillian to grow by not bringing Miranda into the present day story.