THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT

THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT by Jason Reynolds

Matt Miller has recently lost his mom. She was the glue holding the family together. Now his dad's been in a horrible accident due to his drinking and Matt needs a job. When the local funeral director offers him one at the funeral home helping set up the chairs and flowers, Matt takes it, but it requires the wearing of a suit. So Matt starts wearing his black suit from his mom's funeral, and even though it makes him stand out, he doesn't really care. Then, something really weird happens. He finds out that he's drawn to the funerals he's helping out with. He scans the crowd for the person that is hurting the most and watches for them to explode over their loss, because the truth is, he's still hurting. That's how he really meets Lovey. Oh he knows that she works at the local Cluck Bucket, but now he actually meets her at her grandmother's funeral. Even though Lovey is hurting over the loss, and she's been through some tough stuff in life, she doesn't explode. Matt can't really understand this, but what he does know is that he really wants to get to know her.

Jason Reynolds is a unique author. His books come from the heart of inner city street life, and it's clear he knows about that life. His writing deals with a lot of raw emotions and brokenness. With that comes some issues that you need to be aware of.

HEADS UP- There is a lot of language in this book. There is some mention of sex. Matt has a friend that you know is experienced and when Matt starts spending time with Lovey it is assumed that sex is the goal. It doesn't happen, and there are no details about the friend's intimate relationships. Also Reynolds drops in some anti-police lines at one point.