BOOKS

"Three cheers for J. Dylan Yates in her debut novel, THE BELIEF IN Angels, and for her plucky heroine, Jules Finn, as well. Before going off to college, Jules remembers a tumultuous decade of her life with her irresponsible, drug-addled, free-loving mother; her abusive, selfish father; two brothers who cope with familial dysfunction in their own ways; and her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who lives in the morass of his own past. What could be depressing becomes, with Yates’ skilled narration, a heart-rending but deeply optimistic and appealing story about finding oneself, and the power of love and loss to reshape lives."

Judy Reeves, author, A WRITER'S BOOK OF DAYS-     "In THE BELIEF IN Angels, J.Dylan Yates creates a compelling young narrator who takes us through her troubling past with an understanding that is wise beyond her years. Though we don't want to believe all that has happened to Jules, we know without a doubt that she is telling the truth. I love a novelist who can create g orgeous sentences and make a world come to life with her words;  Yates is such a writer. "  

"A beautiful, compelling literary novel whose heroine -- Jules Finn-- will leave you reeling once you've finished the last page. Interwoven with her own tragic tale of being raised by selfish, self-involved parents, is the heartbreaking story of her grandfather-- a Ukrainian Jew who survived both the Holocaust and the Soviet pogroms-- both at a terrible price. This is a heartbreaking read that proves once again that in all people and in all things it is the sense of loss that ultimately unites us with others and with our true selves." bookstore

Rose Summers, Writing Through Rose-Tinted Glasses Blog-

"Oh my word, this was the best book I've read in a while."

Publishers Weekly-

"A gripping, heart-rending family saga that explores the darkest side of human nature— and the incontrovertible, uplifting power of hope, ​spans more than fifty years, from the Ukranian pogroms in the 1920's to a chaotic Hippie Household in the late 1970's. Vividly drawn and breathtakingly insightful, this story is a beautiful, heartbreaking exploration of human nature at its worst and its best."

​"Author, J. Dylan Yates, doesn't deal in happy outcomes but she does deal in well-developed characters and believable dialogue in an absorbing narrative. THE BELIEF IN Angels is a touching, inspiring read." 

Lucinda, NetGalley / Goodreads Librarian-

"J. Dylan Yates' supremely singular novel is a controversial observation, which explores difficult issues that are challenging in literary fiction. It is a bold narrative full of tenderness, acuteness and exposed rawness that is highly admirable and noteworthy."    

 Kirkus Reviews-

"Yates shows much skill in description, characterization, and dialogue, and she’s insightful about the mental state of abused children, as when Jules learns to compartmentalize: “I began to see my life in parts. When something bad, or weird, or crazy happened, like my father having a gun and threatening my mother, I’d say to myself: This is the part where my father points a gun at my mother’s head. Yates vividly evokes time and place, whether it’s Samuel’s childhood among the apple orchards in Ukraine, the bleakness of a Cape Cod tourist town in winter or Wendy’s psychedelic decorating style. Well-written." IAN BEST BOOK Winner. Readers who enjoyed Running With Scissors, The Book Thief, The Fault in Our Stars and Little Fires Everywhere will enjoy THE BELIEF IN Angels.