Julian is a twenty something, plays drums in a rock band, lives in Portland, has a solid group of friends with whom he has many things in common. The exception of course is that his friends are all white and Julian is black. As the band inches towards success, Julian flails in a way that is uniquely his own as he navigates work, relationships, and reckoning with his religious upbringing’s effect on his decidedly not religious adulthood as a black man in a predominantly white city.

The Weight is a phenomenal character study that still manages to have an interesting plot and does not drag on too long. It’s full of interesting scenarios and even more interesting people. This is the type of book that stays with you after you’re done. Not quite book hangover territory but I find myself thinking about it throughout the day, days after having finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read the book early. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

4.5 stars out of 5 rounded up to 5.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy of The Weight. Some might be surprised that this is marketed as a “coming of age” novel, but I think for our homeschooled, Evangelical taught, “child bride” Julian, it is.

Julian is a Black 20-something living in the predominantly white city of Portland. He’s a cool drummer of a cool band with a lot of anxiety and life lessons to learn. His musings of the culture and community around him give him a Holden Caulfield vibe. We follow him as he meanders through moments, meeting potential lovers, making friends with a teenage neighbor, jamming out with his band, and finding himself in predicaments that are largely race related.

I thought it was a good insight into a slice of Black culture and what it feels like to be the minority of the group all the time, even if everyone is “open and accepting”.

This is presented as a “coming-of-age” novel, but I am not certain that is the correct category for a 26-year-old divorced man who is trying to figure out life. I guess ... maybe.

Julian Strickland is pretty much the only Black man in Portland, working for a sales company and playing drums in a band. His credit cards verge on being maxed out, and he is behind on his rent. Even so, he never seems to be short when it comes to buying drinks or drugs.

Maybe more than anything, this seems to be a story of being wronged and then thinking that accepting the pain is the same as granting forgiveness. Perhaps in real life there are some instances where there should be no reconciliation and no forgiveness. (Or maybe forgiveness can be granted, but that does not mean that everything is again just fine.)

All in all, I fear that Julian really has not changed at all over the course of this novel. He is not a better person. He is not a worse person. He simply remains adrift.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an early copy of THE WEIGHT. This one publishes on April 11.

It was easy to get swept up in Julian's life in THE WEIGHT. The characters were well developed and I felt like I was there with them in Portland. This story is quiet and intriguing though a little monotonous at times. I really enjoyed the friendships, romance and growing pains through the lens of Julian experiencing life after his sheltered and religious upbringing.

I have conflicting feelings about this book. On the one hand, the story of a lone black man in a band during the hipster era, having to deal with his conservative Christian upbringing and early marriage and divorce whilst facing subtle racism from everyone he knows is a compelling read. But the storylines don't draw you in and feel directionless most of the time. By the end of the story, I don't even know how much of the situations the protagonist gets into change the outcome.

He's surrounded by toxic people who he can't or doesn't want to really get rid of which doesn't help with his character development. There are some significant and meaningful parts in the story, like the feeling of Julian being a musician and getting into the zone, like his having to confront his toxic bandmates and relationships but it gets overshadowed by the fact that nothing around him changes for the better. The supporting characters feel a little two-dimensional and the pacing is probably the reason why I couldn't immerse into the story. And Ida, his crush is pretty much a manic pixie dream girl and a fake deep artist with who I felt Julian had the least chemistry within the story yet he pursues her.

I really feel for Julian as a character and the things he has gone through at a young age but throughout the book, he sometimes takes decisions that'll complicate his life further even though you'd think at that point he'd know better.

This is a book that makes you pause to think. You are following a few weeks of the life of Julian, who is a Black guy trying to make his way in very white Portland, Oregon. He's rolling through his twenties and taking life as it hits him, but seemingly not doing much to improve things. He's pedaling hard, but he's on a stationary bike. He's learning from the other people in his life how to cope, manage, breathe, function, and comparing it to the rather sheltered but Black life in which he was raised in Chicago.
I like him. I think he drinks and smokes too much, but dang, my wild oats are long sown and with age comes wisdom. I have no doubt that Julian will find his way. I'm rooting for him. He has his identity in there, he just needs to get comfy with it and let it out. Good read.
I read an ebook ARC of The Weight and have provided my honest review.

Julian is the lone black member in his band, a talented drummer. Raised in a strict Christian family, he marries and divorces young, moving to a predominantly white neighborhood in Portland. Jeff Boyd takes us on Julian’s quest to find answers in his novel. He admires his bandmates but they wear on his nerves. His neighbors respect him yet he still experiences racism. He finds love but on a temporary basis; he spends much time drinking and taking drugs. He works for a religious-sounding boss and hates his job. He has abandoned his parents’ God and is seeking his own, questioning His existence most of the time. He seeks companionship but makes immature choices. All these factors contribute to the weight he carries. Despite a handful of crises, the pace is slow and I found it difficult to stay engaged in Justin’s journey.

This book took me a bit to really get into, but I couldn't help but root for Julian. The commentary about being the only black guy in most of his life situations was interesting and a unique way to talk about race without it really being about that. His homeschooling and very Christian upbringing makes for a humorous take on where he is now. I also loved his relationship with Ida. It is crazy that this was his first black girlfriend, but also understandable with his upbringing. Some of the eccentric characters we meet along the way stood out to me. I love Suzanne and Reggie the most. Most of the band characters were not my favorite and really did not feel vested in their success. Julian's job is terrible, but so spot on for a Christian workplace. Hysterically awful. The Weight was enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A black man in a white man’s world. 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. An enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more from Jeff Boyd. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

Rounded up from 4.5- I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Loved the writing, storylines, the pace, characters, and everything.

There’s a part describing what it feels like to be in the zone (for lack of a better term) with band mates on stage in front of a crowd and it was so well done people who have no musical experience whatsoever (me) can feel it humming through them. Gold.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest debut.

This is an interesting debut novel about music, sex, religion and racial identity. These are, of course, heady topics for a debut novel, but I feel Mr. Boyd handles them deftly. The main character, Julian, feels remarkably vulnerable and real, and Mr. Boyd creates an interesting, awkward and poignant world.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the copy of The Weight by Jeff Boyd. I love debuts because I get to learn about the author. Boyd is a remarkable author and is able to bring his characters to life. The dialogue and situations felt realistic. Julian is an interesting main character and I really cared about him and was concerned that something terrible was going to happen to him, a Black man in a predominantly white city. This was a quiet, lyrical story of Julian growing into himself. Beautifully written, it will keep you engaged until the end. I can't waitt osee what Boyd writes next! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

The Weight by Jeff Boyd was a remarkable novel.
Boyd’s writing captured me from the beginning.
The story unfolds at a satisfying pace and kept me engaged till the very end.
I’ve never been so captivated by a character before.
But following Julian’s story was a wonderful journey!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC.

Excellent debut. This book has a bit of everything: romance, friendship (especially good on male friendship), race relations, religion, music, lovable main character. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I really enjoyed reading about Julian, his struggles, and his resolve to make the best of some bad situations. The writing was well-done and kept me engrossed in the story.

The Weight was a great story about a twenty-something Black musician named Julian who is trying to find himself. He is recently out of a relationship which has him kind of bitter and he is working a job he really does not like. His band seems to be the one thing he really has a passion for other than partying. He grew up in a religious home and the book looks at his faith and he reflects on it from time to time. At some point, he meets a girl he is really into named Ida. She is not a huge part of the story other than to showcase how sometimes relationships with friends can be tricky. He has a massive run of bad luck and you really feel for him. At one point I thought the story was going to take a dark turn when he was homeless and was caught sleeping in a car. I really, really liked Julian and found myself totally entranced in the book. I easily could have gone on reading for another several hundred pages. This is a great book and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to read more by this author.