ALA Booklist (Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2015)

His mother recently dead from breast cancer, 17-year-old Matt feels his life is backwards and that he has become invisible at school. Then, ironically, he secures a work-study job at the local funeral home, owned by Mr. Ray, a respected fixture in their Bed-Stuy neighborhood, and discovers, to his surprise, that he enjoys attending funerals. "Somehow," he thinks, "it made me feel better knowing my pain isn't only mine." It is at a funeral that he meets a beautiful girl with the improbable name of Lovey and feels an instant attraction. The two become friends and gradually their friendship, rooted in trust, becomes something deeper that may redeem both of them from their losses and loneliness. Though it gets off to a slightly slow start, Reynolds' second novel quickly becomes a superb, character-driven story. His protagonist Matt is a wonderfully sympathetic, multidimensional character whose voice is a perfect match for the material and whose relationships with Lovey and Mr. Ray so a fascinating character e beautifully realized. This quiet story is clearly a winner.

Horn Book

High-school senior Matt has a job at Mr. Ray's funeral home, but he's also in mourning, for his mother who died and his long-on-the-wagon father who's returned to drink. While all this sounds like heavy problem-novel territory, it isn't. Reynolds writes about urban African American kids in a warm and empathetic way that the late Walter Dean Myers would have applauded.

School Library Journal (Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 7 Up-Matt's mother just died, and his dad isn't coping well, hanging out with the local drunk and downing whiskey, which results in his getting hit by a car and landing in the hospital. Matt is also grieving his mom's death and now he's on his own, until he lands a job at the local funeral home: $15 an hour and Mr. Ray as his boss. Attending other people's funerals helps the teen come to grips with his own grief. Hearing mourners express their real thoughts of suffering at each funeral allows Matt to figure out his own feelings. Mr. Ray is wise and shows up at all the right times to help out the struggling young man, and when Mr. Ray's secrets come to light, he appears even cooler in Matt's eyes. Amid all this, Matt meets Lovey, the girl of his dreams, who is smart, funny, gorgeous, and tough. A mystery intersecting Lovey's life and that of Matt's best friend, Chris, deepens the plot. Written in a breezy style with complex characters who have real lives, this is another hit for Reynolds, fresh off the success of his When I Was the Greatest (S. &; S., 2014). The author's seemingly effortless writing shines in this slice-of-life story, which covers a lot of the protagonist's emotional ground. The realistic setting and character-driven tale keeps readers turning the pages of this winner. Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, San Leandro, CA

Voice of Youth Advocates

His classmates wonder why Matt always wears a black suit to school, not knowing that since his mother died he has been working part-time at a funeral home. Reluctant to take the job at first, Matt finds that he is fascinated by the funerals he attends, focusing on the person closest to the deceased and empathizing with them. In the funeral director, Mr. Ray, Matt finds a secondary father figure while his own father deals with the death of his wife. With the help of his best friend, Chris, and a strong and intriguing girl named Lovey, Matt finds the companionship he needs through the grieving process and also helps out others along the way.The Boy in the Black Suit is both realistically and sympathetically written. The reader never feels taken out of Matt's head or the setting of the story. Characters and relationships are well described and developed. Readers who have lost close family members will relate easily to Matt's feelings and observations and will enjoy the straightforward, often rhythmic way the author presents them. This will be popular among fans of realistic fiction and will be enjoyed by many readers in general.Johanna Nation-Vallee.