The Naturals

I want to start off by saying, I am not a fan of love triangles.. At all, but I loved this book so much, I made an exception. The plot was amazing - there are 5 teenagers with special abilities; Cassie - Profiler, Dean - Profiler, Michael - Can read emotions from someone's face, Lia - Human lie detector, and Sloane - good with numbers/probabilities, etc. These teens are a part of the group called “The Naturals” to help the FBI solve cases. Their main goal is to help with cold cases, until the group discovers there is a murderer loose that is killing women that are very similar to Cassie’s mom, who was also murdered. Now they can’t sit back and watch as things unfold, instead, they get involved. This book is super fast paced which I love, it always kept me guessing, and had my attention from the start; and the ending… crazy. I have already started the second one, and I can’t wait to see what happens. Side note - I don’t know if I am team Dean, or Michael yet, I will update after the second book.

The Naturals hooked me from the very first chapter. Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a gripping blend of teen drama and criminal profiling with a premise that feels like Criminal Minds: Teen Division, and I mean that in the best way possible. Cassie is sharp, intuitive, and easy to root for. Her natural talent for reading people makes her a fascinating narrator, and the concept of a top-secret FBI program training gifted teens to solve cold cases is instantly compelling. The rest of the Naturals team brings plenty of tension and chemistry, with standout dynamics between Cassie, Michael, and Dean, especially Dean, the brooding mystery, I absolutely wanted more of. The plot moves fast, with just the right balance of character development, dark twists, and jaw-clenching suspense. While some of the romance threads felt a bit tropey at times, I was too busy flipping pages to care. The final reveal surprised me, and the stakes felt real throughout. This is a strong start to a series I can’t wait to continue. Recommended for fans of YA thrillers, found-family vibes, and anything with serial killer intrigue and smart female leads.

I enjoyed the book "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I would definitely recommend it to others. I found it entertaining enough to read it in just a few sittings. It is a book about crime and it has a murder mystery in it while also containing a love triangle. These elements make the book interesting so you'll want to keep reading. The main character in the book is Cassie. She is asked to join an FBI program for teens with natural abilities in various areas of the FBI. Cassie is a natural profiler meaning she can look at someone and tell you things about them based on behavior, personality, and environment. For example, she can watch people and tell their occupations and various details about their lives. She joins the program because her mother, Lorelai, was killed a few years prior and she hopes to find her killer. The other naturals in the program are Dean who's also a natural profiler, Michael who's a natural at reading emotions and how someone is feeling, Lia who's a natural at detecting lies, and Sloane who's a natural at statistics. They solve cold cases in the program to help prepare them to possibly become FBI agents. Agent Briggs and Agent Locke are the FBI agents who help and train the naturals. Briggs is the head of the program while Locke works specifically with the profilers: Cassie and Dean. The book is about Cassie's experience in the program. She meets all of the other naturals and the author writes about her experiences with them. However, a big part of the book deals with Cassie's mom, Lorelai. Cassie finds information that she believes pertains to her mother's murder. This leads her to try to solve the case. One reason that I would recommend this book is because of the murder mystery aspect with Cassie trying to find her mom's killer. It adds intrigue since you want to know who did it. Another reason is because the book has a love triangle with Cassie and two of the guys. It makes it more interesting and provides some relief from the intense parts of the book that deal with murderers. I would definitely recommend this book if you like crime shows. It is like CSI and Criminal Minds but you get even more attached to the characters which I think is better. I would recommend this book to ages 15 and up because the book does talk about serial killers a lot with Cassie and Dean trying to think how the murderer thought.

You can't go into The Naturals expecting a chilling serial killer novel that gets your heart racing in fear, characters that will make you sob for hours, or a perfectly crafted plot. But you can expect a quick and enjoyable read with some mystery and plenty of supporting characters with actual depth. (Bear with me for this incredibly short review, considering it's been a few months since I read this.) You definitely have to suspend some disbelief for this novel, but when you do, I think the idea is fantastic. Cassie has a really cool talent - give her just a few seconds and she can know plenty of details about you that you'd never have shared. I love the way Barnes writes this - it appears logical and factual on Cassie's part, not mystical and magical. This, of course, is a very desirable trait for the FBI, who already have a project started with a few other gifted teens. Though I wish we had gotten a better glimpse into the inner workings of the FBI and their investigation, I still say it's a really cool concept, and Barnes certainly writes it well. The Naturals includes short chapters written in the POV of the serial killer, and this was a great addition. Definitely made it creepier and kept me on my toes. This could have been done horribly, but getting a glimpse into the action and the mind of the serial killer was pretty cool. I definitely think it could have been even creepier, but that doesn't really fit with the style of the novel. I think I just wanted to be scared. (My friend and I did an entire project on Jefferey Dahmer and Ted Bundy last year. We watched interviews at midnight in the dark for it. I like the fear, apparently.) We get to watch Cassie adjust to living with other teenagers - Michael, who can read her emotions like a book, Sloane, a bit of an oddball who's a whiz with math and statistics, and Dean, a fellow profiler, albeit an angrier one. Romance aside, Cassie's developing relationships with them was fun to see. Everything felt very natural (ha. ha.) and each character had their own quirks and certainly served a purpose, rather than just being there for decoration like secondary characters in many novels. And, of course, we find two men for potential relationships. I'll tell you that, for the most part, the love triangle didn't annoy me simply because the plot overshadows it most of the time. It's still irritating, though. It always is. I dare you to find me one that doesn't annoy me. Overall: The fact that Barnes was able to completely surprise me with the end of the novel speaks volumes. I enjoyed the concept, the plotline, and the characters immensely. 4 stars.

This book was very entertaining, although hardly a very memorable, thought provoking novel. And that's fine, sometimes you just need a light book to read fast. I liked the premise of a group of teenagers with special profiling abilities like the team from Criminal Minds, although you'll find that for all the praises and celebration these kids' talents receive through the book, they are not as wonderful or natural as they seem to be. Maybe that's unfair of me, but when it came to the big twist at the end, you realize that when it matters they are all pretty useless. The author tries really hard to create complex characters with dark backgrounds. She succeeds at times, and fails at others. Particularly with Cassie, the protagonist. Cassie has a tragic back story and all the elements to be interesting, but she's not. In fact, I'm tempted to describe it as a clear case of a Mary Sue. As soon as she shows up in the house, the two boys in the team are of course interested in her, for no clear reason other than she's the protagonist. Then comes the biggest, annoying problem in this book: a love triangle that will clearly drag through the series with constant "I don't know what I want" from our damsel... Who likes love triangles? I find it hard to care in this case. The twist is very predictable and kind of ridiculous, but at least it opens interesting possibilities for the next book. I won't give up on these kids just yet, but I hope we can see more of their abilities put to good use and less useless teen drama.

Ah this was a solid read, I thought I couldn’t like it but man, it was good, Cassie and Michael has such a good chemistry but if only she finally decided who does she wants to be with, it’s like inheritance games all over again just that this time it’s not a very risky gamble if you know what I mean, I believe this author has an asphyxiation on love triangles which I totally hate, like pick a side but I also understand they are teenagers and teenagers don’t always know what they want I honestly want her to stay with Dean but if she stays with Michael it’s cool tho this guy keeps with Lia on and off and that’s not cool, but at least I’ll be happy if she picks a side! Good plot twist tho, never imagine the serial killer will be a she, and that she will be her aunt, I liked that, very good book as always but stop the triangles! Sheesh you can have a book without triangles, like just have one love interest it won’t kill I promise.

Nothing is more terrifying than a serial killer hunting in your back yard. Well, maybe a horde of zombies, but one is more likely than the other. In Jennifer Lynn Barnes' first book of a new series, The Naturals, she explores the desperation of the FBI to catch these brutal hunters, even if it means she has to enlist the help of some kids. Cassie knows her grandmother loves her, but after her fake-psychic mother was murdered and Cassie was the one to stumble upon the crime scene, living with her grandmother has always left her feeling like an outsider. When she is approached by a boy sent by the FBI to consider entering a special program of other Naturals, she assumes they are just messing with her. But the offer is real. There is a special group of kids who are Natural profilers, genius statisticians, and human lie detectors who can swing the result of any investigation. They aren't allowed into the field, but the agents house them in an old mansion and ask them to review cold cases in the hopes of solving previously unsolvable crimes. Michael brings her around to meet the other kids, but while he is welcoming, the others aren't exactly interested in her presence. They all live in a house with pictures of serial killers on the walls, but that isn't even the strangest thing about the place. Liv can read lies and Sloane is like Rain Man (and a klepto). But mysterious Dean is the unreadable member of the team. The agents want to ease Cassie into the process, but when a serial killer starts hunting in the middle of the city, they get desperate. The kids aren't willing to stay on the sidelines, though, and their meddling gets them, Cassie in particular, the attention of the one person they don't want: the serial killer. The Naturals was my first experience with Barnes, and I have to say it was definitely a good one! The story was a nice mix of slightly paranormal (the kids' "natural talents" feel a little like special abilities) and a crime mystery. The serial killer is a pretty creepy twist with special short chapters between Cassie's chapters where you get inside the killer's head. Creeptastic! Barnes did a good job of building enough suspense that you couldn't put the story down, and better yet, it seems we will have a sequel to look forward to. The one aspect of the story I struggled with was the boys. Michael and Dean are supposed to be the Cassie Love Triangle, but neither really appealed to me. I was more interested in quirky Liv and Sloane than I was the boys, which made it tough to be too invested in the small amount of romance in the story. But Dean has a promising back story that could get interesting. The story can be kind of gruesome at times. Basically, if you would let a kid watch Criminal Minds, they could read this book about these serial killers. The house the kids live in is a little morbid, but it adds to the creep factor of the whole place. The story was fast-paced and incredibly interesting, so it would be good for any reader interested in mysteries or crime writing. I am looking forward to the next story to see what happens to all the Naturals!

The story lures you in with the innocence of the main characters age and the supporting characters and the assumption that you can solve the case and the it has a great twist.

Star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice rating 🌶️ Completing my journey through Jennifer Lynn Barnes' novel, "The Naturals," has left me both intrigued and slightly critical. As a first-time reader of the author’s work, I must admit that her writing style is wonderfully accessible, allowing me to devour the pages with ease. Within the realm of young adult murder mysteries, "The Naturals" certainly ticks off all the expected boxes. The narrative maintains an impressive pace, effectively weaving suspense and mystery throughout. Despite having cracked the identity of "the killer" fairly early in the plot, I still found myself enjoying the story. The inclusion of a love triangle, though intriguing, left me slightly torn. The characters Michael and Dean both have their merits, making it a genuine challenge to predict Cassie's ultimate choice. The incorporation of romance, while subtle, adds a nice extra layer to the story. And I'm actually glad it wasn't center staged, it would've taken the whole plot down. Each participant in the Naturals program displays a unique personality, a feature I found intriguing. Regrettably, my connection with the characters fell somewhat short of the anticipated depth. Despite this, I did find myself drawn to them for the majority, except for Lia. Her portrayal struck me as out of tune, her demeanor appearing annoying and lacking in maturity. The Naturals" has piqued my curiosity enough to consider embarking on the subsequent installments. While the narrative maintains a brisk and engaging quality, I hope for a touch more character development and romance as the series progresses. This novel, while promising, hints at potential for growth that I believe could truly elevate the series to a higher tier of storytelling.

I did not think I would love it as much as I do. I love Judd. But really the dynamic between the characters is so good. The plot was incredible, I had found out who the killer was before starting the book and even so it was so well executed it caught me off guard!

llego en buenas condiciones el libro, pero no tenia el plástico que normalmente envuelven a los libros para protección, de ahi en fuera es una excelente opcion para comenzar a leer en ingles

this book, unlike many I’ve read…ever, was un-put-down able. I’ve never finished a book this quick nor been hooked since the first chapter. I tried guessing the ending but the author managed to completely flip the main characters way of thinking and ergo revealing the plot twist. Highly highly recommend! So excited to read the next one!

A 10/10 read for sure! A great 1st book for an extraordinary series. The characters are explained and have complex back stories which can make anyone gasp. A need for those who feel that profiling came natural to them.Loved it!