Scan barcode
larryanton22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
debandleo's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, liked the messages and the positivity.
zoot's review against another edition
5.0
I was not ready for this story to be over. I wanted to spend more time with every single one of the characters. This book showed so many different facets of grief and how people move through life after experiencing loss. Matt's was fresh as was his father's and both of them were navigating it very differently. We also got to hear the story of Mr. Ray's loss and of Lovey's loss...and we saw both of them at different stages and living with their pain in different ways. Then there were all of the funerals Matt experienced...I just feel like the biggest takeaway from this book is that there are as many different paths through loss as there are people. This book moved me dearly.
dourelinor's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
scbookgalandfriends's review against another edition
4.0
Meet Matt. He is a teenage boy, whom along with his dad is trying to recover from the death of his mother. Matt is taking the death as most teenagers would but his father is having a rather difficult time and turning to drinking as a means for soothing his pain. Matt starts a job with a local funeral home. His interest on how other's grieve their loss of the love ones helps Matt to little by little overcome the loss of his mother. With is dad in the hospital recovering from a gruesome car accident, matt gains a mentor in Mr. Ray, the owner of the funeral. While working for Mr. Ray, Matt attends the funeral Lovey’s grandmother. He recognized Lovey from the Clucket Bucket. With similar tragedies in each of their lives would bring Lovey and Matt together but that is not the case. What is the connection between Matt’s best friend Chris and Lovey? Will this bring a wall between Lovey and Matt?
With such an ease to read, Jason Reynolds gives Matt the image of any young man that everyone knows. Everyone goes through a lost in their life, with makes this book universal. Nothing never seems to go over the head of the reader and adapted for those in grades 5-8.
Jason Reynolds is a new voice in the world of young adult fiction. His works do not only appeal to those that are of his ethnicity but those of any other race. He is the writer next door and his writing style invites anyone into a place that is familiar. Author of When I Was the Greatest, for which he was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe.
With such an ease to read, Jason Reynolds gives Matt the image of any young man that everyone knows. Everyone goes through a lost in their life, with makes this book universal. Nothing never seems to go over the head of the reader and adapted for those in grades 5-8.
Jason Reynolds is a new voice in the world of young adult fiction. His works do not only appeal to those that are of his ethnicity but those of any other race. He is the writer next door and his writing style invites anyone into a place that is familiar. Author of When I Was the Greatest, for which he was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe.
reading_thefineprint's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This a coming of age that double as a coping with grief journey. The connections Reynolds makes throughout it also beautifully display how intertwined a city can be, regardless of its size.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder and Alcoholism
The main character works in a funeral, this is reveled on the back of the book, so there is a significant amount of death. Some of these occur in more intense ways than others, so be prepared for heavy topics.mbends's review against another edition
emotional
3.0
I'm teaching this novel soon, so I wanted to read it beforehand.
It was very okay? A lot of predictable plot, but the writing itself was engaging and it's a heartwarming ending. I've read remarkable books by Reynolds and I'm not sure if I'd count this among them.
It was very okay? A lot of predictable plot, but the writing itself was engaging and it's a heartwarming ending. I've read remarkable books by Reynolds and I'm not sure if I'd count this among them.
abbystapleton's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
I was worried this was going to be like Kendra, full of ghetto culture and irredeemable/unsympathetic characters, like a literary YA Boyz N Tha Hood/Menace 2 Society, which, while realistic, gave us poor morals and convenient conclusions for the sake of a happy ending.
This is not like that. In fact, this is the first book I've read with a black main character who I could relate to. And he's not just black in name only.
This boy is getting over the death of his mother, and in doing so, takes a job at a funeral parlor. Watching the funerals becomes his way of coping, hence the black suit. But ironically this doesn't have much to do with the story. It's actually more of a romance. At least it turns into one partway through, which is where it loses the initiating thread. It seems like the author started with a high concept and then didn't know how to end it. It's an okay book. It's a quiet and unassuming that won't knock your socks off but gives a few hours of entertainment.
This is not like that. In fact, this is the first book I've read with a black main character who I could relate to. And he's not just black in name only.
This boy is getting over the death of his mother, and in doing so, takes a job at a funeral parlor. Watching the funerals becomes his way of coping, hence the black suit. But ironically this doesn't have much to do with the story. It's actually more of a romance. At least it turns into one partway through, which is where it loses the initiating thread. It seems like the author started with a high concept and then didn't know how to end it. It's an okay book. It's a quiet and unassuming that won't knock your socks off but gives a few hours of entertainment.
erincataldi's review against another edition
4.0
Anything Jason Reynolds writes is gold and The Boy in the Black Suit is no different. Initially it was a little difficult for me to read because it opens up with Matt's mother dying and that hit really close to home for me - but in a way it made me closer to that character. Matt's mother has just died from breast cancer and now it's on him to start his senior year of high school. He's a few weeks late starting so he loses his after school job he had lined up. He considers applying at his favorite greasy spoon, The Cluck Bucket, but is convinced by the local funeral home director, Mr. Ray, to work from him instead. It seems a little morbid working at the place that just helped bury his mom, but Matt finds it a little soothing. He gets comfort in seeing how other people grieve; he knows he isn't alone in his grief. Soon the funeral home is the best part of his day and he's started wearing a black suit every day to school. Then he meets Lovey, she's gone through more heartbreak than anyone he knows and he's drawn to her, she has such a light about her and she doesn't cry. He is at once intrigued and enamored. A wonderful story.