Name: Pia 's review of The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Item: The Naturals
Rating: 4
Author: Pia

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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

The Naturals #1

The Naturals

tris

“He was aiming at Special Agent Lacey Locke.”

Michael leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. Then he pulled back and studied my face. Whatever he saw there, he liked.

“Thank you,” he said. “That’s all I needed to know.”

I felt a hand, warm and steady, on the back of my neck. Dean.

“You’re fine,” he said. “It’ll pass.”

“The devil’s in the details, Cassie. I never said that Porsche was my only car.”

lavneet

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.

Katherine

If this guy had an inner Boy Scout, I had an inner flamingo

“Whatever you have to say,” Michael drawled, “you can say in front of me.”

“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of me, unless Cassie wishes to speak to you privately, in which case I completely respect her right to do so,” Michael corrected himself. 

My whole life, we’d been running from something, and I didn’t even know it.

“This encryption is pathetic,” Sloane said. “It’s like they 

Blowing stuff up was surprisingly therapeutic.

Just because he’d offered to show me his scars didn’t mean I had to tear them open.

“I don’t get jealous,” Michael said. “I get even.”

“Hey,” Sloane said defensively, “I’m just saying that statistically, a psychopath is more likely to end up as a CEO than a serial killer.”

She gave a graceful little shrug. “Define normal.”

A girl poked her head out from behind one of the partitions. “Conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern.”

“Low maintenance,” Judd commented. I shrugged. “I try.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything,” I told him. “I have no expectations.”

He gave me a knowing look. “No expectations, no disappointments.”

I was odd—odd-looking, oddly quiet, always the odd one out.

It was warm and safe and happy—but it wasn’t me.

Megan Bouwman

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 heard a voice behind me and realized that Dean wasn’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

My heart started to beat again. And then I saw the gun in Michael’s hand. “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.

To the killer, this was a game—and suddenly, I couldn’t help thinking that the good guys might not win this one.

“Stay in control,” he said, his voice steady and warm. “Every time you go back there, every time you see it—it’s just blood, just a crime scene, just a body.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “That’s all it is, Cassie. That’s all

If this is a prank, it’s a prank that’s going to get someone killed.”

Pia 

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.

Ellie M.

3.75 ⭐️ 

I’ve heard so much about this author’s works and when I heard about this series of hers, I went ahead to try and see the hype, and this was my first time stepping into a murder mystery series that doesn’t incorporate extensive magical realism elements into its world-building so this was surprisingly a fun read! It really delves into the aspects of true crime and it was very fast-paced and engaging. This is definitely a must-read for fans of Criminal Minds and NCIS, but I should point out that the cliché of the character dynamics, found family, and the build up of a potential love triangle were both interesting and annoying at the same time, yet the turns and twists of this story definitely got me hooked! I’m leaning towards a new favorite series of mine.

Monicap

Well. Jennifer Lynn Barnes has done it again. She did it first with Raised by Wolves, which left me quite traumatized. So traumatized, if fact, it took me two years before I picked up another book by her. Every Other Day. Like Raised By Wolves, it took me a little to get into it. But once I was into it, I was into it. And now, she's done it again. 

Parts of this book did not make sense. Mainly, the idea that adults can not be trained to think like these kids do. You go to that many classes, you're that into the world, I bet you can change your natural mode of thinking to that. 

Not that I actually know. I'm not a psychologist or an expert on anything, really. But it doesn't make sense to me. 

Like I said, with Jennifer Lynn Barnes books, it takes me a bit to get into the story and attached to the characters. In this book, it was they started blowing things up. They just clicked for me.

Also, I was totally not expecting (view spoiler)[Locke (hide spoiler)] to be the killer. (view spoiler)[I mean, I was actually leaning towards Dean. He was the obvious answer--the history, the whole profiler "I" thing, the intense connection with Cassie, he'd lived around the same place around the same time, and to top it all off, I liked him. Of COURSE he was the killer. (hide spoiler)] But no. Barnes managed to completely surprise me, and I ALWAYS appreciate that. 

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the next one and I've decided that from this point onwards, I'm just gonna buy Jennifer Lynn Barnes' books, because I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like anything and everything this woman writes.

An easy read and super fast totally captivated me 

esme villanueva

Me gustó mucho la historia y sí que no me espera el plot twist

Valeria 

kait

everyone saying this is criminal minds in a ya book is absolutely correct. it felt like reading one of my favorite tv shows and i can not wait to read more. the twist was so good and creepy and i honestly loved this. i liked the story, the characters, the twist, everything! i already loved jennifer lynn barnes and i am so excited to continue this series so i can read more of her work.

THE LAST QUARTER OF THE BOOK WAS A ROLLERCOASTER IM SO MAD I DIDNT START THIS BOOK EARLIER LIKE WTF WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AGENT LOCKE IM STILL SO WTF 

Very entertaining. As someone who grew up watching Criminal Minds, it definitely felt like a lost episode. All of the characters are well flushed out - you can start to imagine how they would react in situations outside of the book. I was on the right track with the ending but didn’t solve it correctly. I’ll try to figure out the mystery in the next book

Liv N.

** spoiler alert **
           3.75 stars

the romance part was kind of an ick cuz it was so obvious the author was just doing it for the sake of having romantic stuff in the book BUT this is not a criticism it was just what i didn’t liked about the book. i loved the plot and how easy it was for me to read. this is the type if book that’ll excite you to finish the whole series. 

back to the romance part, i’m 90% sure this book is plot driven not romantic driven which i loooove buttt i wished the author would’ve atleast made the romantic side of the book better so it’s not like BAM! they’re kissing, oh you blinked? they’re initiating physical contact with each other now. 

the ending? insaneee. lacey being cassie’s aunt? whiplash. her not being the killer of cassie’s mom? whiplash.

i was enthralled and entertained reading this from start to finish and just like agggtm i didn’t skip through a couple of pages just to keep me entertained. the chokehold these types of books has on me is insane. 

and don’t even get me started what michael last said to cassie ….. i was giggling like a maniac.

”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.”

HWHDISVDIABDJWBDJWBDUBWUDUW BARK BARK BARK BAKE WISVDIWBSBWIXBSJDBJEBSH IM SCREAMIBF

so excited to read the rest of the series

(it wasn’t judd LOL dumbass)

Ximena Calvo

The Myth Echo

** spoiler alert **
           I literally texted this to my friends when I finished this: 

"I COULDN'T FALL ASLEEP SO FROM LIKE 3:30ISH - 6:00ISH I READ THE REST OF A BOOK, AN YGS?!?! IT'S CALLED "THE NATURALS" BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES AND IT WAS JAW DROPPING?!?! I LITERALLY WENT "NO WAY" AT LIKE 5AM. I AUDIBLY SAID THAT WHEN I KNEW IF I MADE A SINGLE NOISE I WOULD BE BUSTED FOR BEING UP. LIKE?!? THE PASSION IN THE CHARACTERS?!? THE DEPTH?!?! THE PLOT TWISTS?!?!


The book is Abt this girl, Cassy, and she gets asked to join the FBI thing called the naturals, where FBI agents try to find out how people like her think. People like her are: 
Natural Profilers: Can easily point out someone's behavior, background, and enviornment with a little bit of information (Like seeing them in a restaurant, or seeing their car, a crime scene, etc)
Natural Emotion Serer (?): Can WITH EASE see your emotions when they see you, even if you don't know your emotions. They use techniques like your shoulders, eyebrows, mannerisms, etc
Natural Statistics: Literally can go "X% of this community died from this cause" Without a 2nd thought. Think of it like me spouting Percy Jackson facts without being asked, that's a statistics girl
Natural Liar: Knows when others are lying & no one knows when they are or are not lying.

TW for the book tho: Murder (Like a lot of it), Kidnappinig, talks of sexual violence, calling people wh*res, c*nts, etc, death of family member, GRAPHIC scenes of violence (Cutting someones face open for example), Crime scenes are HEAVILY described. 

Anyway rlly good guys, def reccomend and all that!!"

And I still stand by it. That plot twist had me literally CRYING.

Ana Wolkenstein

This was a fun start to this series. I know this will be a red flag of me but I haven’t watched Criminal Minds so I’ll take y’all’s word about it. But I had so much fun with this one. It was ominous and thrilling as it went on. I’m excited to continue with it and maybe… maybe watch Criminal Minds.  

Priscilla Stanfield

Catia

this was the best book i have ever read. im speechless. i loved it so fucking much. i know get what people mean when they say a book was a 6 star read because thats the definition of this book.6⭐️

so addicting I couldn’t put it down! I really liked the idea of the naturals and working on solving cold cases. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!!

Hannah Williams

This book had me so invested. Technically I did predict the killer but there were so many other misleadings that I git confused so when it was revealed I literally squealed. Very good! 🩸💙

Sadie Hoffman

2.5. I really wanted to love this book. The premise is right up my alley! But maybe because I listen to so many true crime podcasts and have been genuinely terrified by Criminal Minds, I just couldn’t believe the teenagers meant to hunt serial killers are the same ones who have a Truth or Dare game and create a love triangle over night and have no true complexity outside of their “gifts”. I understand it’s a YA book so maybe I’m expecting too much, but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me plot wise and with characters that I didn’t attach myself to at all (in part because I think they were just so juvenile). I will probably finish the series to see how it ends, so maybe the next ones will be better? Fingers crossed. 

Emily O'Masters

this was fine but not my thing I think. writing was good but almost everything out main character did I was screaming at her like what are you doing!!! this is so stupid!!! and also JLB has a gift for giving me secondhand embarrassment for our main characters I noticed it in the inheritance games but there are times when I have to pause the audiobook bc I’m like girl… what are you saying right now…

that said, what I like about JLB is her characters and I really want to know what happens with them so I’ll probably read the next. I just kind of hate this kind of “true” crime book and I also have to laugh bc this book requires a large suspension of disbelief. 

fris🐝

this was fine but not my thing I think. writing was good but almost everything out main character did I was screaming at her like what are you doing!!! this is so stupid!!! and also JLB has a gift for giving me secondhand embarrassment for our main characters I noticed it in the inheritance games but there are times when I have to pause the audiobook bc I’m like girl… what are you saying right now…

that said, what I like about JLB is her characters and I really want to know what happens with them so I’ll probably read the next. I just kind of hate this kind of “true” crime book and I also have to laugh bc this book requires a large suspension of disbelief. 

issa

4.5 - a delight for Criminal Minds fans everywhere! 

Kate B-L

Wow! This book had me hooked! It is so well written. I’m obsessed with the characters and the plot is amazing. There were so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming. It didn’t quite give me the 5 stars vibes I got from The Inheritance Games but it was still amazing and I am immediately starting the next book! Jennifer Lynn Barnes is definitely one of my favourite authors!

Michaela

nina 

3.75 stars? 4 stars? idk but what i do know is that i was not bored for one moment and i read it very fast

fantastic book! i love every book of hers so far!! they draw you in and keep you on your toes amazingly. can’t wait to read the rest of the series 

jules hill

Jaden Nelson

Wow I really loved this book. On the cover it says a criminal minds for young adults, and I think that explanation fits this book very well. It was suspenseful, mysterious, thrilling, psychological, and WOW THAT PLOT TWIST HAD ME GASPING! Anyway I absolutely loved the characters and just the book as a whole. I would highly recommend to young adults (it does get a little disturbing and creepy so it maybe a little much for some young teens) and I am looking forward to starting the next book!

Pia &
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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