Name: cj 's review of The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Item: The Naturals
Rating: 5
Author: cj

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Jennifer Lynn Barnes, #1 bestselling author of The Inheritance Games, delivers an exhilarating mystery--perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides--especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals is a gripping novel with killer appeal and a to-die-for romance. Don't miss the other books in the Naturals series: Killer Instinct, All In, and Bad Blood.

The Naturals #1

The Naturals

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides-especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. Think The Mentalist meets Pretty Little Liars-Jennifer Lynn-Barnes' The Naturals is a gripping psychological thriller with killer appeal, a to-die-for romance, and the bones of a gritty and compelling new series. Praise for THE NATURALS:"The Naturals is Criminal Minds for the YA world, and I loved every page." -New York Times best-selling author Ally Carter "This savvy thriller grabs readers right away." -Kirkus Reviews "Barnes shows every card at just the right moment, catching readers off-guard at the final reveal. It's a stay-up-late-to-finish kind of book, and it doesn't disappoint." -Publishers Weekly "In this high-adrenaline series opener ...even a psychic won't anticipate all the twists and turns." -Booklist

Lisette

People were people, but for better or worse, most days, they were just puzzles to me. Easy puzzles, hard puzzels, crosswords, mind-benders, sudoku. 

taci

"So take whatever time you need. Figure out how you feel. Figure out if Dean makes you feel the way I do, if he'll ever let you in, and if you want him to, because the next time my lips touch yours, the next time your hands are buried in my hair the only person you're going to be thinking about is me."

A killer who was still out there. A killer who not even a psychotic, obsessive FBI agent had been able to find. Since joining the program, I'd gained and lost a mentor and seen my mother's only other living relative shot dead. I'd helped take down a killer who'd been re-creating my mother's death for years -but I was still no closer to finding the monster who'd actually killed her. I might never get answers. They might never find her body.

Michael had months of physical rehabilitation ahead of him. The doctors said he might never walk without a limp again. Dean had barely said a word to me. Sloane couldn't talk about anything other than the absolute unlikelihood of a serial killer being able to pass the psych evals and background check necessary to join the FBI, even under an assumed name. And I was dealing with the fact that Lacey Locke, née Hobbes, was my aunt. Her story had checked out. They'd grown up in hell. My mother had gotten out. Lacey hadn't.

"Did you really think you could win?" she asked. "Did you think you Behind her, Michael had the gun in his hand. He rolled onto his side. "I never expected you to believe me," I said. "0r to let me live. I just Her eyes met mine. They widened. A gunshot went off. Then two, could fool me?" He aimed. needed you to listen." then three, four, five. And my aunt Lacey fell to the floor, her body splayed out next to Genevieve. Dead.

numa casa com tantos naturals e ninguém a descobriu? 

"You joined the FBI because you wanted to find my mother's killer." Not because she was upset that my mom was dead. Because she'd wanted to be the one to kill her. "I changed my name. I studied. I planned. I passed the psych exams with flying colors. Even once Briggs andI started working together and he brought me in on the Naturals program, no one really saw me. They only saw what I wanted them to see. Lia never caught me in a lie. Michael never saw a hint of unsavory emotion. And Dean was like family to him." 

We'd known that the UNSUB was fixated on my mother. We just hadn't known why. "She was my sister, and she just left me there. She knew what he was like after Mama left. She knew what he would do to me once she was gone, and she left anyway. Because of you. Because Daddy was right, and Lorelai was a little whore. She did all the wrong things, and when I found out she was pregnant with that air force boy's baby..." Locke was completely caught up in the memory. I eyed her gun on the floor, wondering if I could reach it in time. "I thought that Daddy would kill her if he knew. I wasn't even supposed to know, but I found out, and he found out, and he wasn't even angry! He didn't slit her throat, didn't carve up her pretty little face until the boys didn't want her anymore. She was pregnant, and he was happy. And then she left. In the middle of the night. 

Dean aims his gun at you, but you're not frightened. You've seen inside this boy's head. You know exactly what to say, exactly how to play him. You're the one who told him to bring the gun. You're the one who made sure that no one knew that he and Cassie were leaving the house. You're the one who brought them here. It's all part of the plan-and Dean is just one more body, one more thing standing between you and your heart's desire. Cassie. Lorelai 's daughter. You told her not to do anything stupid. She and Dean were supposed to come alone. You're going to have to punish her for that.

My ears ringing, my gut twisting, bile rising in my throat, I tried to figure out which gun had gone off. Michael's hand was by his side. His mouth opened in a tiny O, and I watched with horror as red blossomed across his pale blue shirt. He'd been hit. Twice. Once in the shoulder. Once in the leg. His eyes rolled back in his head. The gun dropped from his fingertips. He fell. I turned to see Dean with the gun still in his hand. He was aiming at me. No. No no no no no no no. And that was when I hearda voice behind me and realized that Dear sn't the one holding the gun that had gone off. He wasn't aiming at me. He was aiming at the person standing behind me. The one who'd shot Michael. He was aiming at Special Agent Lacey Locke.

Michael's gaze wavered. For the first time, he looked from Dean to me, andI saw it the moment he realized that I wasn't afraid of Dean. That I was afraid of him. "You were gone. Dean was gone. One of Briggs's guns was gone." Michael took a ragged breath. The guarded expression fell from his face, bit by bit, until I was looking at the boy I'd kissed: confused and hurting, longing for me, terrified for me, breakable. "I would never hurt you, Cassie."

What are you doing here?" I asked. Looking at him, at the gun, I felt like the stupid girl in the horror movie, the one who couldn't see what was right in front of her face. The one who went to check on the radiator in the basement when there was a masked murderer on the loose. Michael was here. Michael had a gun. The UNSUB had a source on the inside. No. "Why do you have a gun?" I asked dumbly. I couldn't keep from taking a step toward Michael, even though I couldn't quite read the look on his face. In front of me, Dean raised his right arm, gun in hand. “Put it down, Townsend."

Dean loaded one of the guns and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He left the other one where it was and shut the safe. Two minutes later, we'd made it to the basement, and a minute after that, we were on our way to the safe house.

"Get to Dean and get out of the house, Cassie. Don't let anyone else see you leave. I'll send the coordinates of our DC safe house. Briggs and I will meet you there." I nodded, knowing that she couldn't see me, but unable to form intelligible words. "Stay. Calm." I nodded again and finally managed to say, "Okay." You can do this." Agent Locke said. You and Dean are an incredible team, and I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you."

There was a chance that the UNSUB knew about the program. The only people who would have been able to reconstruct my mother's crime scene so exactly, the only people who would have known about the blood on the light switch, were people who had access to the crime-scene photos. And someone had left a tube of my mother's favorite lipstick on Lia's bed. Inside our house.

The UNSUB responsible for the corpse I'd seen today was meticulous. Methodical. The type who needed to be in control and always had a plan. The person who'd killed my mother was none of those things. How is that even possible? I wondered. "Look at the light switches." "There's a single smear of blood on the light switch and plate in both photos," Sloane said. “But in this one"she gestured to the photo of the scene today"the blood is on the top of the switch. And in this one, it's on the bottom." "And the translation, for those of us who don't spend hours working on physical simulations in the basement?" Lia asked. "In one of the photos, the light switch got smeared with blood when someone with bloody hands turned it off," Sloane said. "But in the other one, it happened when the light was turned on.

Michael grabbed my neck. He pulled me toward him. When Agent Starmans glanced in the room, all he saw was Michael and me. Kissing. The kiss in the pool was nothing compared to this. Then, our lips had barely brushed. Now, my lips were opening. Our mouths were crushed together. His hand traveled from my neck down to my lower back. My lips tingled, and I leaned into the kiss, shifting my body until I could feel the heat from his in my arms, my chest, my stomach.

The UNSUB didn't kill her here." Locke was the first one who said it out loud. "There's virtually no blood pooled around the body. She was killed somewhere else." You killed her. You brought her here. You painted the room in blood. "For a good time, call Lorelai," I murmured. "Cassie?" Agent Locke raised an eyebrow at me. I answered the question that went along with the eyebrow raise. "She's just a prop. This is a set. This entire thing was staged to look like my mother's death. Exactly like it." My stomach twisted sharply.

Something about this didn't feel right. "She's left-handed." I turned to look at Dean, and he continued, “Victim's wearing her watch on her right hand, and her manicure is more chipped on her left hand than her right," he said. "Was your mother left-handed, Cassie?" I shook my head and realized where he was going with this. "They wouldn't have fought off an attacker in the same way," I said.

You don't need to see this, Cassie," he said. I could smell it-not rotten, not yet, but coppery: rust with just a hint of decay. I pushed past Briggs. He let me. The room was rectangular. There was blood smeared across the light switch, blood pooled near the door. The entire left-hand side of the room was lined with miOrs, like a dance studio. Like my mother's dressing room.

Kola and Thorn. "Symbolism?" Dean asked me, following my thoughts exactly. "An anagram?" Sloane had that faraway look in her eye, the same "Kola. Cola. Drinking. Thorn. Rose. Blood.." one she'd gotten the day I met her, kneeling over a pile of glass. "Ankh onto lard. Hot nodal nark. Land rand hook. Oak land north." North Oakland," Dean cut in. "That's in Arlington." For a good time, call Lorelai. Guaranteed plus one. North Oakland.

"Lorelai. What?" The sound of my mother's name was like a bucket of ice water thrown directly into my face. "567-3524 is the telephone number that corresponds to the word Lorelai. It also spells lose-lag, lop-flag, and Jose-jag, but the only seven- letter, single-word possibility "

The UNSUB left us a message," I said, but what I really meant was that he'd left me a message. I scrawled the words onto the page, then handed it to Briggs. "For a good time, call 567-3524. Guaranteed plus one. Kola and Thorn." Briggs lifted his eyes from the page to meet mine. "You're sure this is from the UNSUB?"

It took me a moment to realize that Dean was speaking from the UNSUB's perspective. He took a step toward me, making the small space feel even smaller. I stumbled backward, but there was nowhere to go. "Sorry," he said, holding his hands up. Channeling Genevieve, I felt my lips curl into a loopy smile. After all, this was a club, and he was kind of cute... chloroformed you." his. "You didn't." A second later, Dean had his hand over my mouth. "I could have I twisted out of his hold, all too aware of how close my body was to "No," he agreed, his eyes on mine. "I didn't." This time, he wrapped a hand around my waist. I leaned into him. Maybe I'm not just a little drunk," I said. "Maybe I'm drunker thanI should be."

Take her with you to the club, Briggs," the director grunted. "If anyone asks, she's a witness." He turned to me. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Cassandra." I knew that. I also knew that I did want to

Kaylee Ray

THE PLOT TWISTTT! I love I love I love this!

I genuinely suck at mysteries. I didn't see this one coming from a mile away.

Literally, I found out the mystery before it was revealed only because it was revealed in the next two pages and the author had planted the seeds directly in my face.

Team Dean! I actually hate love triangles, so I hope that this doesn't triangle the whole time.

I loved all of the side characters, and am interested in what direction this series is going to go.

I always love the main characters back story, and the main mystery behind her mother's disappearance.

Sarah Campbell

I genuinely suck at mysteries. I didn't see this one coming from a mile away.
Literally, I found out the mystery before it was revealed only because it was revealed in the next two pages and the author had planted the seeds directly in my face.
Annnnnyways...
Team Dean! I actually hate love triangles, so I hope that this doesn't triangle the whole time.
I loved all of the side characters, and am interested in what direction this series is going to go.
I always love the main characters back story, and the main mystery behind her mother's disappearance.

This book was just a whole lot of nothing. For a book about solving a murder it was really boring. The writing was flat and cringey at times. The plot was interesting in theory, but I just wasn’t invested because I didn’t like the way the book was written.

The characters were all flat and didn’t speak like real people, the dialogue left much to be desired. Lia pissed me off so much, Sloane was cute but the whole spewing stats thing got old quick, Michael gave me performative man vibes, and Dean was your typical grumpy love interest with a Dark Past™️ and daddy issues. Don’t really have anything to say about Cassie because meh.

Including a romance subplot, especially a love triangle, was silly in my opinion. It felt super half baked, and unnecessary. Also I couldn’t figure out how both boys fell in love with Cassie, like I said, everyone was incredibly one note and boring.

All in all, the story lacked a lot of depth, the characters weren’t written well, and all of that made the plot so uninteresting. I also had to suspend my disbelief a lot, which I’ll let slide if a book is good, and this was not. I obviously won’t be reading the rest of the series.

bel 

This book was just a whole lot of nothing. For a book about solving a murder it was really boring. The writing was flat and cringey at times. The plot was interesting in theory, but I just wasn’t invested because I didn’t like the way the book was written.

The characters were all flat and didn’t speak like real people, the dialogue left much to be desired. Lia pissed me off so much, Sloane was cute but the whole spewing stats thing got old quick, Michael gave me performative man vibes, and Dean was your typical grumpy love interest with a Dark Past™️ and daddy issues. Don’t really have anything to say about Cassie because meh.

Including a romance subplot, especially a love triangle, was silly in my opinion. It felt super half baked, and unnecessary. Also I couldn’t figure out how both boys fell in love with Cassie, like I said, everyone was incredibly one note and boring.

All in all, the story lacked a lot of depth, the characters weren’t written well, and all of that made the plot so uninteresting. I also had to suspend my disbelief a lot, which I’ll let slide if a book is good, and this was not. I obviously won’t be reading the rest of the series.

This book wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad??

I honestly don’t know how to feel about it because it didn’t have notably bad traits but it was terribly underwhelming.

My first problem is that I went in expecting a crime/mystery thriller with a found family and maybe romantic subplot but I was met with a romance book centered around a love triangle with a pinch of mystery blended in.

I liked all the characters BUT cassie and I truly can’t explain why? I guess it has to do with her wannabe angsty and complex persona when she’s truly just dry and boring with very badly written emotional constipation (I would know.) She also has a slightly pretentious vibe to her character regarding her profiling skills and is very dismissive of others feelings.

The UNSUB povs fell very flat and felt poorly thought out and badly written (I know it’s cassie talking to them but the voice and words used were very childish and unsmart for a supposed “natural”

The grand reveal was unfortunately less grand than I would have liked since I had guessed who it was a few chapters ago but I did like the way it was dramatically written and I liked the backstory.

The writing itself wasn’t great but it was very easy to read so kudos to that!!

This book wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad??


I honestly don’t know how to feel about it because it didn’t have notably bad traits but it was terribly underwhelming.

My first problem is that I went in expecting a crime/mystery thriller with a found family and maybe romantic subplot but I was met with a romance book centered around a love triangle with a pinch of mystery blended in.

I liked all the characters BUT cassie and I truly can’t explain why? I guess it has to do with her wannabe angsty and complex persona when she’s truly just dry and boring with very badly written emotional constipation (I would know.) She also has a slightly pretentious vibe to her character regarding her profiling skills and is very dismissive of others feelings.

The UNSUB povs fell very flat and felt poorly thought out and badly written (I know it’s cassie talking to them but the voice and words used were very childish and unsmart for a supposed “natural”

The grand reveal was unfortunately less grand than I would have liked since I had guessed who it was a few chapters ago but I did like the way it was dramatically written and I liked the backstory.

The writing itself wasn’t great but it was very easy to read so kudos to that!!

My first five star of the year. This book was both addictive and an insanely easy book to read. The writing flowed well and I had to finish the book as soon as I started reading. The plot twists were unexpected and the chemistry of the characters were chef's kissed. Some chapters were so engaging that it gave me a few chills while reading. I highly recommend this book for those who are in a reading slump and want to start reading! 

Lane Loyola

It was really good but when i was going torwards the end i suspected like who did it sooo yeah but it still, it was REALLY good book!

Axinya

“i looked at dean, and suddenly, i could breathe.”

i HATE the love triangle trope when the fmc is clearly leading them both on. i’m so conflicted on who i want her to choose as well so that doesn’t help. 

but individually i love all the characters and i feel like this plot is perfect as i love criminal minds. but i hope it gets better and the next few books don’t feel so rushed. 

“i looked at dean, and suddenly, i could breathe.”

~ ♡ 3.5/5

i HATE the love triangle trope when the fmc is clearly leading them both on. i’m so conflicted on who i want her to choose as well so that doesn’t help. 

but individually i love all the characters and i feel like this plot is perfect as i love criminal minds. but i hope it gets better and the next few books don’t feel so rushed. 

Nour wael

I was really excited to read this book after seeing it was recommended for people who liked criminal minds and AGGGTM but unfortunately didn’t really hit the mark for me. I found it to be trying too hard to be like Criminal Minds with a weird love triangle plot in between that was so sudden and made no sense to add. 

I did like the aspect of breaking down behavioral analysis not just in killers but practicing on normal everyday people, I think that was probably the most fun rather than the moments the romance was brought in. Adding in a SK son into the mix made it pretty exciting and it did well overall in adding doubt to guess who the killer could be.

The writing itself is really simple and maybe too simple sometimes it was a bit hard to really set the scene before it moved on to something else, and I do get it IS a YA book so I try not to judge too hard…

lily

I was really excited to read this book after seeing it was recommended for people who liked criminal minds and AGGGTM but unfortunately didn’t really hit the mark for me. I found it to be trying too hard to be like Criminal Minds with a weird love triangle plot in between that was so sudden and made no sense to add. 

I did like the aspect of breaking down behavioral analysis not just in killers but practicing on normal everyday people, I think that was probably the most fun rather than the moments the romance was brought in. Adding in a SK son into the mix made it pretty exciting and it did well overall in adding doubt to guess who the killer could be.

The writing itself is really simple and maybe too simple sometimes it was a bit hard to really set the scene before it moved on to something else, and I do get it IS a YA book so I try not to judge too hard…

Fun, unique, easy YA read. I really enjoyed the psychology driven story. Will continue the series.

Jenny Engel

When i saw this i thoyght id like it… but i lovedddd it sm.

 the plot twist plot twisted, the whole concept was AMAZINGG the characters AMAZINGG 

I just REALLY want the next book now however, im broke 😭

It’s basically a bunch of people who have “powers” but their more just really smart/emotionally intelligent and they are all part of like the fbi and stuff

Amelie

When i saw this i thoyght id like it… but i lovedddd it sm.

 the plot twist plot twisted, the whole concept was AMAZINGG the characters AMAZINGG 

I just REALLY want the next book now however, im broke 😭

It’s basically a bunch of people who have “powers” but their more just really smart/emotionally intelligent and they are all part of like the fbi and stuff

Its ALOT better then it sounds omgg

Criminal minds but the cast is a bunch of hormonal teenagers /gen

I was honestly disappointed at the lack of 

 in the books. Everything felt so… clinical? I’m not entirely sure if it was intentional due to Cassie’s own quirks (profiler stuff) but personally felt that this falls into the category of books that would translate better if it was a different type of medium.

While I do get that since this is the first book, Barnes is still laying the foundation for the characters’ motivations, the found family trope this series is slowly building up to, and other plot points but so far, nothing has really endeared the characters to me — not Cassie, not the love triangle she was thrown into, not any of the other side characters that felt like caricatures of beloved characters from existing media (Spencer Reid, the spitfire asian trope, the boy with the dark secrets that everybody’s scared of, the list goes on).

lexi

Criminal minds but the cast is a bunch of hormonal teenagers /gen

I was honestly disappointed at the lack of magic in the books. Everything felt so… clinical? I’m not entirely sure if it was intentional due to Cassie’s own quirks (profiler stuff) but personally felt that this falls into the category of books that would translate better if it was a different type of medium.

While I do get that since this is the first book, Barnes is still laying the foundation for the characters’ motivations, the found family trope this series is slowly building up to, and other plot points but so far, nothing has really endeared the characters to me — not Cassie, not the love triangle she was thrown into, not any of the other side characters that felt like caricatures of beloved characters from existing media (Spencer Reid, the spitfire asian trope, the boy with the dark secrets that everybody’s scared of, the list goes on).

ok ajah guys tp seru kok HAHAHHA. btw gw #TEAMMICHAEL

hana

A pageturner that got me out of my reading slump. I liked it, but would have loved it if it had a little more depth. MC girlie thinks a lot, but does almost nothing thoughout the whole story. 

Truthfully this was a really great book. I didn’t want to put it down (looks like I have to finish the series). I like that it was quick but still kept you engaged.

Lauren Dale

Ende war surprising, aber ansonsten dacht ich aufgrund der Reviews es wär irgendwie innovativer.

Leon

Combining my love for true crime and psychology as well as that special element of The Inheritance Games. I loved this! It was a thriller and a half that I sped through. The clues the psychology behind the motivation of characters was so interesting. I did not see that ending coming and I’m really hoping I don’t have second lead syndrome because I have been burned by Mrs Barnes before #teamgrayson 😭

Definitely one of my favourite books, the plot twists and the clues we get throughout the book makes the book very quick and easy, I loved it, I can’t wait to move onto the rest

Issabelle :)

I loved these characters, and the first half doing all the worldbuilding was my favorite part! The serial killer definitely felt YAified, and the twist and wrap-up were rushed, but I will be starting book two immediately.

Amelia Hruby

This was such a quick, fun, and entertaining read. All the characters are so compelling, and once the pieces of the mystery started falling into place, I was so invested. Also, this is how you do a love triangle because I like them both and have such conflicting feelings. Love how there are still so many stories left untold, and I'm ready to read the rest of the series :D

lena

I really enjoyed this book! I cannot wait for the rest of the series!! 

Brittany Peterson

Julia <3

SIMPLY AMAZING. The story is so captivating that I binged it in practically one day. They are all so intelligent and complex. The sexual tension is imaculate. And the plot twist at the end😱

“So take whatever time you need. Figure out how you feel. Figure out if Dean makes you feel the way I do, if he’ll ever let you in, and if you want him to, because the next time my lips touch yours, the next time your hands are buried in my hair—the only person you’re going to be thinking about is me.”

ASDFGHJKL. i'm dean's girlie but michael is pulling me although it's too soon to decide because there are still 3 books waiting to be read and many things could happen and the fact that this isn't a romance story, i honestly didn't expect this to have a romance subplot and added to that was it's a love triangle, so that makes things much more exciting. 

i will not rate this yet until i finished the entire series and maybe write a proper review but for now this book was pretty good and engaging for a first book, off to the second, i'm so excited !! 

“So take whatever time you need. Figure out how you feel. Figure out if Dean makes you feel the way I do, if he’ll ever let you in, and if you want him to, because the next time my lips touch yours, the next time your hands are buried in my hair—the only person you’re going to be thinking about is me.”

ASDFGHJKL. i'm dean's girlie but michael is pulling me although it's too soon to decide because there are still 3 books waiting to be read and many things could happen and the fact that this isn't a romance story, i honestly didn't expect this to have a romance subplot and added to that was it's a love triangle, so that makes things much more exciting. 

i will not rate this yet until i finished the entire series and maybe write a proper review but for now this book was pretty good and engaging for a first book, off to the second, i'm so excited !! 

Kaylee Ray &
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Kaylee Ray &
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes