The Weight was phenomenally written and I was pulled into the story from page 1. I could not put this book down! This book touches on a lot of really important, real life topics and I enjoyed reading this authors perspective! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

It is such a gift when I receive an unrequested ARC from the publisher and end up really liking it! The Weight is about Julian, a 20-something divorced Black musician in Portland, Oregon trying to find his way. It took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I was in, I was rooting for Julian. It made me feel like I was going through “days in the life” of Julian in a way that I, a white woman, will never experience.
I highly recommend it to those who love a music scene setting and a coming-of-age story of someone very different from themselves.
Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In this novel, we follow a young black man named Julian as he struggles to fit into his new life situation. He moved to Portland from Chicago to play drums for an indie rock band. He is passionate about his music.

This journey of self discovery is insightful as the reader is pulled into Julian’s thoughts on his day to day life as he wrestles with his feelings of disconnectedness and loneliness. Although he has friends (bandmates) who support him, he finds himself in situations were we has self-doubt and often makes poor decisions. He is a sympathetic character and he struggles to find his way in life- work and relationships. He somewhat rebuked his religious past, an important part of his upbringing and current worldview that could’ve been explored more. Also, as a young divorced man, we only know that it happened. He tried to start up a relationship with a talented artist named Ida but hasn’t really reconciled his feelings he had with another woman that broke his heart.

He doesn’t quite feel settled. He feels like everywhere he went, he was the only black guy. I enjoyed the overall tone of the book but would’ve liked more development of the plot and themes.

Jeff Boyd's THE WEIGHT is the story of Julian, a young man finding himself amid the wreckage of a marriage, harsh religious upbringing, and breaking into the music business. Set in Portland, Oregon, the story offers a unique view into an extraordinary man working his way through a promising romance that ends badly, complications with bandmates, and enormous distance between the man he has been, the one everyone thinks he is, and who he ultimately becomes. At times, I felt events were predictable, but overall, it was a good read. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

The Weight by Jeff Boyd is a story of a Black man in a white man's world. It is marketed as a coming-of-age story, but I'm not sure that fully encapsulates Julian's story. He is a twenty-something Black man living in Portland, Oregon, working an administrative job, but has a passion project where he plays drum in a rock band. He came from a strict, religious family in Chicago, he married young and divorced shortly after, and is trying to find his way in life. Dabbling with this and that, he meets a woman who intrigues him, but finds that a series of unfortunate events turn his world on end. "The weight" is a metaphor for all that Julian carries; the expectations of his family, the wants and needs of his friends, finding a career calling, and looking for a connection with women in the Portland scene.

I liked this story, but I expected more. I wanted more of Julian's backstory with his upbringing and his marriage to fully understand him. I felt like the surface was barely scratched and I didn't have a good understanding of what was holding him back in life. The storyline of Ida felt unnecessary. She was there, but she wasn't. There was a lot of potential here, but it didn't come to fruition. I wanted to like this book more than I did.

A really great debut. The story itself lacked development in some areas, but overall really evoked that feeling of not belonging, how a loss of faith can affect every area of your life and how hard it is to regain any sense of both belief or belonging. I'll definitely watch for more from this author as he has a great narrative voice.

Wow this book was good. This book flawlessly weaves together issues of race, class, religion, and art. Julian is admittedly flawed. He is trying to find his own identity after walking away from the life and identity his parents created for him. But he also surrounds himself with friends who are as unsure of who they are. Things get complicated and twisted as Julian and the people in his life just try to figure things out.

The Weight centers around Julian, seemingly the only Black man in his Portland, Oregon neighborhood. He's working at a sales job, answering phones and editing the newsletter, plays drums in a band, and is trying to find his footing in the world after his divorce and fleeing Chicago from his deeply Evangelical parents. He then meets Ida Blair, a Black aspiring painter just starting her career. They start a tentative relationship before his band goes on a tour, during which she stops answering her texts. On the way home, he learns his house has burned down, his best friend turns on him for unknown reasons, and the band nearly breaks up. Just when Julian thought he had things figured out, the weight of everything comes crashing down.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I expected. It took forever to get to when the house burns down, and even then, I felt like the book never really got off the ground and running. Julian never seems to have enough money but always has some for booze or drugs, a big crutch in this book and mentioned way too often, Something going wrong? Get a drink and drugs. Don't understand something? Get some drugs. I felt like the author stunted the character development by always turning to one or the other in any situation. I get it, he's having a hard time, but instead of the character contemplating and trying to figure out what went wrong, he gets drunk and wakes up in the same situation - with no resolution.

The book took forever, and then when it finally felt like there was going to be some growth, it sped up to conclude the story and just end.

Not my favorite but I feel like the author can learn from this book and his next one might show progress.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own,

This was not at all what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a character driven, relationship novel with almost a "fish-out-of-water" premise of a young black man in a rock band in an all white area of Oregon. The characters were well developed and the plot followed the relationships between the band members as well as a revolving door of romantic and platonic relationships. Although for what was marketed as a coming of age story, no one seemed to come of age or change much during the course of the novel. That said, it held my interest throughout and I enjoyed it. Strongly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy.

This is well-written. I just didn't connect with it, so I think I'm the wrong audience for it. Well-formed characters and good plot. I suspect this will receive mixed reviews.

Thanks for the free ARC for review!!

I’m not sure how I feel about this. It’s a coming of age story for a man in his mid twenties, but at no point does he ever really come of age; I never witnessed any maturing. Julian’s story is shrouded in white toxicity (from his bandmates, to his neighbors, love interests, even co-workers) which he has acknowledged but doesn’t seem to do anything about…maybe Reggie (a black teenage neighbor) and Ida (a black painter) are his way out.

Another thing that bothered me is Reggie’s relationship with his parents….it was just weird. His parents were weird. He was a teenager but they treated him as if he was a 6 year old. Just weird.

Overall, the story is solidly written, but I never encountered any “come to Jesus” moments. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters or what they were going through. I feel like Julian’s problems could have been eliminated had he simply gone back home and just hit the reset button.

⭐️⭐️⭐️and1/2, rounded up.

The Weight is the debut novel by Jeff Boyd, telling the story of a young Black man struggling to belong in Portland, Oregon. Julian is a drummer in an up and coming band, trying to make ends meet while breaking into the music scene. He left his home town after a two year marriage and has also left his family and church behind.

This is a fast read with some hard hitting descriptions of Julian’s loneliness and wanting to belong in a town of very few people of color. More character-driven than plot driven, I would have liked to known more about his childhood and also more about the music scene. This is a good debut and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Boyd.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

This was a compelling read that follows Julian, his friends, and Julian’s personal baggage. Julian was raised a sheltered Christian, married, and divorced at an early age, and is currently a drummer in an all-white band, living in a white city. This chronicle of Julian’s journey is thoughtfully written and at times, made me fear for his life, but mostly made me root for Julian to find his way in life and be successful.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this e-arc.*

Powerful. Boyd manages to infuse authentic emotion into the reader. Julian is a multifaceted, flawed and utterly endearing character. I was constantly rooting for him and many times scared for him. What a home run debut novel!

Julian is a black man living in Portland after leaving Chicago, his marriage, and his religion behind. Uncertain where or what he believes in or wants, he opted for a fresh start, joining a band as a drummer, getting a roommate, and a job he hates but has to have as he lives on credit cards. The book follows him through his low points as he navigates romance, friendships, finances, his job, and his beliefs.

This book is pretty slow and character driven - there’s not much that moves the plot along besides Julian. He can be a hard character to root for as he doesn’t always make great decisions, however he is relatable through his struggles. The book also delves deep into racism in today’s world and what it’s like to be the only black man in a city.

I wasn’t sure what to expect regarding the topic of religion in this book - Julian is raised in an Evangelical household where non-Christian music isn’t allowed and any bad luck is a sign of God’s anger. One of the central tenets of the books is how he reconciles his faith and I’m really glad it was resolved the way it was. As someone who was also raised in a strict religious home, I was hesitant going in - I really appreciated how the author handled the topic.

My only issue is that this book is very very slow paced and not much goes on. It was recommended to me as a comparative of Opal and Nev, however I didn’t draw that connection. While Julian is a musician, it really didn’t feel like that big of a plot point. The band goes on tour but it felt very secondary to everything else.

Overall I enjoyed the book and the lessons, however I think it could benefit from a better comparison book/description.

ARC was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julian is adrift and directionless in a sea of white people. Homeschooled in a strict evangelical home, married and divorced before 25, he struggles to find his way. A drummer in a rock and roll band, spends his days at a dead end job and his nights binge drinking and dabbling in all drugs. I enjoyed this first third of the book. But then the work- band-,get bombed at night .. rinse and repeat .. it all became repetitive and I lost interest. I did like the insight of what it is like to often be the only person of color among white folks, but I also was left wondering if Portland really lacked that much diversity. The directionless of the main character rolled over into the story and didn't feel like it really went anywhere. I wanted more growth from the main character. The book was very modern day Catcher in the Rye.. with a lot less angst. It was well written.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

"The Weight" by Jeff Boyd is both a coming-of-age novel (can one still be coming-of-age in his or her mid-20s?) and the story of a black man in a white man's world. It's beautifully written and gives insight into how it is to live as a young black man in a mostly white city, even when that city is more progressive than most. At times, the storyline felt directionless, but I think it's because Julian's life was so directionless. My heart really went out to Julian; it seemed like he was trying so hard to find a place where he could belong. I would have given this debut five stats if the ending hadn't felt so abrupt. It left me feeling unsatisfied and wanting more.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Jeff Boyd for the privilege of reading advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It's an introspective story about a man trying to make his way in a world where he is the odd one out: a black man in a white community, a musician in sales job, raised Christian but doubts his beliefs, believes in love but has difficulty in relationships. I found the pace to be a bit slow but the book was still enjoyable.

3.5 upped to 4
Even if it's the story of a divorce 26 man it's also a story of coming of age.
Julian is a contradictory character, a young man trying to find his way and leave behing toxic people and bad choices.
This is his story and there's something circular because, even after his internal travel, nothing changes.
It's an intriguing and irratating read.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I decided to DNF this after I got about halfway through it. I can see why people might like it and would still recommend it, but I just couldn't get into it and could tell that it was just going to feel average to me all the way through the end.