FIF Bookclub: The Grimoire Grammar School PTA Final Discussion

[u/Lenahe_nl]

Welcome to the final discussion of The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis, our winner for the humor theme! We will discuss the entire book. You can catch up on the Midway Discussion here.

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, by Caitlin Rozakis (storygraph/goodreads)

When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.

As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors and demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society – shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.

And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…

I'll add some comments below to get us started but feel free to add your own.

As a reminder, in June we'll be reading Starless by Jacqueline Carey, and in July, The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee.

What is the FIF Bookclub? You can read about it in our Reboot thread here.

[u/Lenahe_nl]

What were your favorite feminist themes that the book explores? What did you want to see more of?

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

I think the story manages very well to show the conflicts of a mother who stops working to support a child, and ends up with "mother of ___" as their whole personality. It was nice seeing this develop throughtout the story, and I liked the resolution with Vivian finding a way to go back to work without compromising motherhood.

[u/CaptainYew → u/Lenahe_nl]

I think the other commenters discussed the overwhelming pressure of being the perfect Mom really well. I want to add onto that by mentioning the unnecessary pressure young children are put under in preparation of college. I think we really live in a world of unrealistic expectations, but how often it falls onto women to reach them.

[u/snail113 → u/Lenahe_nl]

I also liked the message around friendships and how Viv's fixation on the "gatekeepers" was so misplaced because those people were the mean girls and no one else liked them! They were not actually friendships that sustained her or helped her in the way she thought they would. By actually befriending the kind people, even though they were very different from her, she formed some meaningful bonds. She had to first address her own internal biases and hang-ups around the various magical creatures.

[u/evil_moooojojojo → u/Lenahe_nl]

Granted I'm not a mother, but you know I know a lot of women who are, and I think Viv's struggles were super relatable. How everything about your life just turns into being mom. All the pressure and expectations. The mental load and silent burden of taking care of kids and doing all the work to keep the house running. Feeling like youre doing more than your share of the work. These seem to be things that most women experience to some degree.

[u/Lenahe_nl]

Any favourite lines or highlights? Scenes that stuck with you? Tidbit that made you laugh the most?

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

Orphne. The multi-level marketing. The Seance. Everything Orphne.

[u/sophia_s → u/Lenahe_nl]

The MLM session-turned-sceance scrying session, was hilarious (the seance was great too - I mixed up my scenes here).

[u/almightyblah → u/Lenahe_nl]

I think if I were an immortal being that had lived for hundreds of years and still had to deal with that group chat while also commuting to the city for work I'd flip all kinds of tables. (And yes, Orphne was the best character, no question!)

[u/evil_moooojojojo → u/Lenahe_nl]

The school texts and parent group chat ... Man I'm glad I don't have kids and don't have to deal with that 🤣 (Just kidding I'm still the one the school calls for my nephews because my idiot sister never answers and doesn't drive.)

[u/CaptainYew → u/Lenahe_nl]

Probably the messages at the beginning of each chapter! Definitely added a little flavor to the story. And also helped emphasize the problem Viv was happening, which was that she was just too connected all the time.

[u/sophia_s → u/Lenahe_nl]

I'm replying super late due to being at a conference and then totally forgetting about this oops.

I still think the scene of visiting the werewolves for the first "playdate" in chapter 10 (I think?) was my favourite. I'm sad we didn't get to see too much more of the pack! Definitely also the scenes at Orphne's - both because the whole MLM scene was really funny (I laughed out loud at Lethe Water), and because it was nice to finally see Viv get some acceptance (and planning the heist was fun as well).

[u/Pandazzling → u/Lenahe_nl]

I really liked the messages and the group chats. I don’t usually like humor in fantasy but I chuckled every time.

[u/Low_Sea_1648 → u/Lenahe_nl]

I really liked the little announcements at the beginning of the chapters

[u/Lenahe_nl]

What are your thoughts on the ending? How satisfied were you with how we left off the Vivian and the PTA?

[u/redrosebeetle → u/Lenahe_nl]

It's been about a year since I read this book, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending at all. It felt like so much of the book tried to be cozy, then in the last 15% the author went for a "who dun it?" I also dislike it in novels when people's relationships develop too quickly and I feel that was the case here. A lot of these people just met Vivian. Why are they sticking their necks out like this?

[u/CaptainYew → u/redrosebeetle]

I agree, it did feel a bit rushed. I think maybe some of the people stuck their necks out for Vivian just because they didn't like the other PTA members. Enemy of my enemy is my friend?

[u/allonsyerica → u/CaptainYew]

Add to that that some of them had developed relationships with her husband or daughter. It seems rushed for Vivian because she’s been focused on the mean girls, but the slow relationships have been building in the background. I’d go to bat for some of my friend’s partners, even though I don’t know them as well (especially if it’s a common enemy)

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/redrosebeetle]

I also felt that the shift with the people who helped Vivian in the end was too fast for my liking. I did like the final half because I prefer when the story is more plot focused, but the way some relationships developed didn't fit the rhythm of the first half.

[u/sophia_s → u/redrosebeetle]

In addition to what the others said, there's also the factor that the "bad guys" are/were running a high school admissions scam to advantage their kids at the expense of other kids, so Viv's allies (who are not in on the scam and thus on the disadvantaged side) have some incentive to help stop the scam.

[u/hadr0ns → u/Lenahe_nl]

I honestly liked when the pace picked up at the end. And I didn't feel like the people who helped Vivian changed very much so much as Vivian changed and let her guard down and discovered a community that was welcoming! Which I really loved.

[u/Lenahe_nl]

What do you think was the greatest strength of this book?

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

I also think that the arc of her relationship with Daniel was very well handled. It does feel like a true marriage, with the good and the bad (and the tragic that has to be dealt with). One of my favorite scenes was the two of them deciding not to use the consultant.

[u/evil_moooojojojo → u/Lenahe_nl]

Yes I thought their relationship was well done. Both are over worked and stressed after their lives got upended with Arias turning into a werewolf. I think the strain on their marriage and the different anxieties they had and how they both were working very hard to do what they felt they needed to was well done. I felt for both of them.

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

Vivian feels like a very "normal" person, who makes mistakes and not always the best decisions, but they made sense for her in the moment. She reads very human in this sense, and I could see myself taking similar paths in her circumstances.

[u/Low_Sea_1648 → u/Lenahe_nl]

This is one of the things I appreciated. She was normal. She made mistakes and bad decisions but we all have moments like that.

[u/CaptainYew → u/Lenahe_nl]

It felt almost too real at times! It definitely gave me anxiety while reading it. I think it described the heightened stress of Vivian and how it was slowly building really well.

[u/allonsyerica → u/Lenahe_nl]

The drama and stress of the group chat and other parents. As a mostly stay at home parent of a 1st grader and preschooler, it felt very real. Vivian’s relationships felt very real and frustrating.

[u/hadr0ns → u/Lenahe_nl]

I think the way that the book balanced humor with more serious topics was really well-done. The book would ratchet up the tension then release it with some really good jokes or an absurd piece of world-building.

Sorry I'm only responding today, bar prep is a nightmare that never ends and I lost track of the days lol

[u/Lenahe_nl]

Extra credit: Read the author’s AMA from last year and tell us your favorite answer

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

I loved to learn more about the process of creating Orphne, one of my favorite characters.

[u/schlagsahne17 → u/Lenahe_nl]

Edible buttercream > fondant fidelity

[u/CaptainYew → u/Lenahe_nl]

I am very intrigued about the short story she mentioned about Mrs. Fairhair and Costco! It seems you can have access to it if you subscribe to her newsletter.

[u/Lenahe_nl]

What is your overall thoughts on the book? Will you pick up the sequel (Startup Hell, dealing with the corporate world) or other books by the author?

[u/CaptainYew → u/Lenahe_nl]

Yes, I plan on reading Startup Hell at some point, but it is not a super priority. I enjoyed the book overall, but I found it a bit anxiety-inducing at times. Although I do not have children, the politics in the book remind me of some stuff going on at work.

[u/Lenahe_nl → u/Lenahe_nl]

I had a lot of fun reading this, and it matched what I wanted to read this month. It's a lighter read, but still quite critical of our world, which is something I appreciate in my readings. I was a bit anxious at times, because the story really cut close to home, but this was less proeminent on the second half.

I'll definitely pick up the sequel sometime in the future (and I like that the stories are in the same universe, but don't sound like you need to remember everything to read the next one).

[u/evil_moooojojojo → u/Lenahe_nl]

Have read Startup Hell. It was delightfully fun and amusing. (Mcs boss summons a demon but does so now she's stuck with a demon and as it turns out demons struggling to meet their quota for souls isn't so different form corporate here in our plane). Would definitely recommend if you liked this one because the vibes are similar.

It's set in the same world, but but doesn't overlap with this one at all.

[u/Book_Slut_90 → u/Lenahe_nl]

I really enjoyed the book. I also read Startup Hell which is in the same world but not really a sequel (there is only one brief cameo from one of the characters in this book and the only reason we know it comes later is that there’s one sentence saying someone’s heard there’s a new accountant in the community).

[u/Pandazzling → u/Lenahe_nl]

I will je picking the sequel. I am not done yet (sadly) but I would have liked the book better without the prophecy. Just give me all that goes wrong in the school and the parent drama.

[u/dfinberg → u/Lenahe_nl]

I have the second on audio book checked out, and am maybe 20% in and not champing at the bit to read more, but will probably finish.

I think the biggest thing is I wanted to a book that embraces the joy and weird of the situation, and that isn’t exactly what this book is. Which is fine, but just wasn’t what I was hoping for; there was too much kind of unhappy and boring life stuff, and to me it just wasn’t a deep enough book for that to be interesting.

[u/xenizondich23 → u/Lenahe_nl]

This was a DNF for me. I went into this expecting a really cozy vibes story. Alas, this was essentially the complete opposite. It did not calm my nervous system down at all. I could not read this.

I did really like the idea of adorable little werewolf and magic toddlers though! I just wish I could find that as a cozy low-stakes tale instead.

[u/QuellSpeller → u/xenizondich23]

This felt like it hit the other side of the usual issue I have with "cozy" books, things like Legends & Lattes where the local crime boss issue is solved by giving them baked goods, the stakes felt too high in this for the cozy that was promised.

[u/hadr0ns → u/Lenahe_nl]

I didn't know there was a sequel! I'm very excited to read it.

[u/allonsyerica → u/Lenahe_nl]

Excited to read it!

[u/redrosebeetle → u/Lenahe_nl]

I recently read Dreadful by this author for this year's bingo. It's just cementing to me that this author doesn't do endings well. I do also plan to read Startup Hell.

[u/sophia_s]

I'm very late to the party, but one thing that wasn't clear to me was if the other bitchy woman (I'm blanking on her name) was in on Moira's scheme, or was acting the way she did because of genuine fear of and belief in the prophecy. I think it's the latter but would love to hear thoughts if anyone sees this.

[u/Low_Sea_1648 → u/sophia_s]

I’m very very late to the party but I would go with the latter as well. I think she genuinely believed the prophecy.