The Naturals

Written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Narrated by Amber Faith

Cold cases are about to get hot. Don’t miss this exhilarating crime thriller—perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder—from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games. 

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's 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

* "[A] tightly paced suspense novel that will keep readers up until the wee hours to finish." —VOYA (starred review)

"This savvy thriller grabs readers right away." —Kirkus Reviews

"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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Jun 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781668633816

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Jennifer Lynn Barnes es una autora best seller de The New York Times con más de veinte aclamadas novelas young adult, que incluyen Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost y «The Naturals series»: The Naturals, Killer Instinct,All In, Bad Blood, así como la novela electrónica Twelve. Jen también es una becaria Fulbright con títulos avanzados en psicología, psiquiatría y ciencias cognitivas. Recibió su Ph.D. de la Universidad de Yale en 2012 y actualmente es profesora de psicología y redacción profesional en la Universidad de Oklahoma.

Reviews for The Naturals

[Karen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly excellent! Although YA, I finished this book in one listen! I’ve been searching for a series I could really get excited about reading, and JLB hit the mark! Narration was really good. Highly recommend!

[girliebookloverr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“You feel stupid. Doesn't mean you are.”

-5 stars-

Tropes:
-Murder Mystery
-Cold case
-Love Triangle
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Found family

Spice:
1/5

Okay, I'm going to be completely honest! I didn't LOVE The Inheritance Games series, but this book has actually kind of made me like Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Because I'm being totally honest, I'm just going to come out and say it, Dean and Micheal were very hard not to find cute. I love that both of them are so complicated (emotionally and physically) and everything about each of them was cute!
When it comes to the girl characters in this book (Sloan and Lia) I found them very sweet too! I think what I appreciate about this book, is that all of the characters are so uniquely them, and I really appreciate that they have flaws, they have problems they have to deal with, they have emotions. I think those things aren't shows very often in books (especially in murder mystery books).
The book itself was excellently written! The plot was super easy to get sucked into, and I loved the writing! It's pretty complex for a YA novel!
I'm actually going to continue the series, because the mystery lives on (and if you know me, I've got to find out what ends up happening).
Overall, highly suggest reading if you liked the Inheritance Games series, but want some more emotionally complex characters. This book is also great if you want to hear about the inner workings of the mind!

“No expectations, no disappointments.”

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was looking for a book that featured the FBI and came across this young adult novel about a group of teens selected to participate in a “gifted program.” They each have a particular skill, such as profiling, lie detecting, and reading emotions. They are being trained by the FBI to use their gifts to solve cold cases while the FBI continues to tackle active cases. Once the reader suspends disbelief, this is a decent thriller. Though I don’t read many of them, I liked the first three-quarters of this book, before we get to the climax which reveals the perpetrator. At that point, it went way over the top. I could have done without the chapters written from the perspective of the serial killer, and the ending seems far-fetched, but this is an entertaining story, and the characters are well developed.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cassie is a natural at reading people. She's also the daughter of a woman who was murdered and whose body disappeared. Taken in by her father's family, a father she barely knows, she is growing up in Colorado. She's approached to join a FBI unit composed of Naturals - people who are especially good at profiling and other arcane skills.

Thinking that this would be a good opportunity to finally find the person who murdered her mother, she gets moved to Arlington, Virginia, and into a house with four other teens with special gifts. Lia knows if someone is lying. Sloane is talented at numbers, probability, and details. Michael is an expert at reading body language. And Dean is another natural profiler like Cassie.

The program is supervised by FBI Special Agent Briggs and his partner Special Agent Locke who is also a profiler. Locke is the one most involved in Cassie's training. While the kids are getting to know each other and being trained, a serial killer is chalking up victims in the area. The serial killer seems to be mirroring Cassie's mother's death.

Briggs wants to keep the kids out of the case since their mandate is to work on cold cases, but the killer has other ideas. Gifts to Cassie and Sloane all relate to Cassie's mother and draw her into the investigation despite Briggs trying to keep her out.

The story introduces an interesting group of intriguing characters. Besides their unusual skills, all the kids have their own stresses and backstories. I enjoyed watching the characters interact and learning more about them. I could even get behind the love triangle that develops between Cassie, Michael and Dean.

The story is creepy and twisty and compelling.

[bookescapest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Naturals was another fun literacy win for Jennifer Lynn Barnes. After consuming the Inheritence Games series, it was a natural progression to start The Naturals. Teens with higher tuned abilities to detect lies, read emotions, and dissect a person and their personality and decisions all based on a look at them. The teens are put into an FBI program where they are trained to find serial killers. I was kept guessing till the end of the book at who was pulling the strings. It was a fast read and engrossing like all of Ms. Barnes' books are. Now onto the next one in the series!

[spiritedstardust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s very easy to read and like all thrillers you want to know what the truth is.
But other than that the writing and characters were average and I won’t be continuing the series.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Criminal minds for the YA set -- preternaturally talented profilers and behaviorists and math geeks and con artists come together to catch serial killers. Add to that the FBI special school and it's a win.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The audio was excellent, really added to the creepiness.

[ftbooklover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. So many of these teen team books lately have centered around paranormal abilities of the members. Even though I like that kind of book, this was a breath of fresh air because the team members all have natural crime detection abilities that aren't paranormal. I'm anxious to read the next book in the series to see where the characters go as they pursue the limits of what they can do.

[readingbeader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This mystery sucked me in and kept me reading. I’m not a big mystery person, so I didn’t figure out the big reveal in advance, but that’s okay with me. Some suspension of disbelief must be applied here, gifted teens working for, and with the FBI? Not really plausible, but yet, it’s a popular YA sub-genre. (See Anthony Horowitz, Alane Ferguson, Andrew Lane, and others.) This promises to be a bit like CSI, or Cold Case for teens. I will buy for the high school, and the rest of the series. I’m ready to read the second one, now.

[carriewuj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

YA. At last, a teen novel that isn't oversexed or full of gratuitous f-bombs, I initially thought. But then there is the serial killer factor with quite a lot of gory details, like peeling someone's face off with a knife. So maybe not..... Cassie Hobbs is a 17 year old, living in CO with her father's family while he does a tour of duty overseas. Her mother Loralei, we learn early on, is dead, the victim of an unsolved murder. Cassie has a gift -- she is a natural profiler -- and honed this skill with her mother's teaching until she died when Cassie was 12. She gets recruited by the FBI to be part of a youth program of "naturals" who can profile,(Cassie & Dean) read emotions (Michael), process mounds of data instantly (Sloane) and detect -and create - lies (Leah). This houseful of teens lives in DC, so Cassie moves across the country to be part of it. They all practice their skills and learn more from adult agents who are actively investigating a serial killer in the DC area. Cassie has the added incentive of trying to solve her mother's murder, and bizarrely there seems to be a connection to that 9 yr old cold case and the current one. When Cassie become a target, the action really ratchets up. There is the predictable love triangle between Cassie, Michael and Dean -- which one will she choose? (even though she has only known them a couple weeks), but the author does a nice job with some last minute twists and doubts about the killer's identity. This is the first in a trilogy and the set-up for subsequent books is there at the end. Not sure I will keep reading, but the first one was engaging. The plot chapters alternate with chapters that get in the mind of the serial killer, and read out loud, it's pretty creepy to hear.

[melrailey-412132 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. 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.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.0

Loved the concept, and the book itself was a fun, fast and entertaining read. I liked the personality profiling and the author definitely shows her educated knowledge here. I didn’t completely unravel the mystery at the end on my own, which is a plus (and rare). It was still a wee bit far fetched. The tropes are what I wasn’t a fan of. Brooding guy, dude with a secret, potential love triangle that was insta love at that. Couldn’t give higher than a 3, but I do see potential and I want to continue on.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fact: I'm slightly obsessed with books and movies about serial killers. Fact: I love good audio book narrators. Bring these two things together, and you have The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It's likely that I was just in the right frame of mind to appreciate this book, but I loved every minute of it! It's been a long time since a book kept me guessing until the end, but this one did just that. That, in itself, is a win.

Cassie was a stellar protagonist. I loved being inside her head, and seeing the world from the point of view of a case profiler. To Cassie, the world is easy to read. She can see the motivations behind what people do as easily as she can see the clothes they wear. It's an interesting talent, and one that pushes the story forward. Even before she joined up with The Naturals, Cassie was the type of character I love to follow. Strong, intelligent, and a cool head on her shoulders. My kind of girl.

Let's talk romance, shall we? I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not generally a fan of love triangles. I feel like so many books out there believe the only tension a book needs is love triangle based angst. While The Naturals does include this tension, it didn't really bother me. I barely noticed the fact that Cassie was torn between two guys because, honestly, who has time to worry about romance when you're hunting down a killer? I liked Dean. I liked Michael. In my eyes, she could have ended up with either one and I wouldn't have cared. Just catch the killer while you choose, okay Cassie?

Best of all, this book kept me guessing right up until the end. It's brilliant really, how easily the stories dupes you into thinking you know who the killer really is. I probably changed my guess at least twice while reading and, I'm happy to note, I ended up being wrong anyway. That's the kind of tension I love in a story. That's the build up that makes me want to keep reading on. By the time the ending actually came, I was so ready to find out the truth. There wasn't one moment of this story that didn't have me wide eyed and reading on.

It's entirely possible that I'm a little biased right now, since it's been so long since I've experienced a book like The Naturals. Still, I can't deny that it was a really fun ride. If you have the chance, I'd definitely pick up the audio book! The narrator is fantastic, and really brings the characters to life. Five stars from this bookworm. I can't wait for book two!

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the kind of really good YA series where I've already put the other books on hold at the library.

It centers around Cassie, a teenager who is a natural profiler, which makes her prime to be recruited by the FBI for their Naturals group--a collection of teenagers with innate skills who work to solve cold cases. Each have their own past, including Cassie, whose mother was murdered but whose body was never found. When a serial killer comes on their radar, the Naturals realize that this case may hit closer to home than ever before.

This book had me hooked from the start, and I flew through it. The characters are so interesting, as are the cases--and the house they all live in is fascinating, with a basement full of simulated crime scenes for them to practice on. This is a creepy, well-written book with a final twist that blew my mind. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the rest.

[les121 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Is the premise of The Naturals completely unbelievable? Yes. Does it feature a cliche teen love triangle? Yes. Does it read like Criminal Minds fanfic? Yes. Did I like it? Hell yes! Much to my surprise, this fast-paced thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, and I stayed up all night finishing it. I’ll be the first to admit that The Naturals is not for everyone, but I, for one, was totally sucked in and couldn’t get enough. With excitement, mystery, and awesome characters that will rock your socks off, The Naturals is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. I can't wait to dive into the next book!

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cassie is haunted by the memory of her mother's dressing room on the day her mother was attacked and the body never found. When she is recruited for a secret FBI group that trains naturals, her particular talent is as a profiler, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself embroiled in an investigation that turns personal and seems to be related to her mother's cold case.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yay! Another book I thoroughly enjoyed. "The Naturals" was basically a YA version of the tv series "Criminal Minds", which is one of my favourite shows. I liked Cassie and the other teenagers involved in the FBI program. They all had interesting personalities and strengths, and I enjoyed how they worked together as a unit to help solve the crime. I also liked how the author allowed the reader to get inside the mind of the killer as well as seeing how Cassie profiled people. I found the profiling aspect of the novel fascinating.

The love triangle was the weakest part of the book but, thankfully, it never became the main focus of the story. With short chapters, brutal crimes, suspense and chilling revelations, "The Naturals" will appeal to readers who enjoy solving mysteries. Overall, a strong start to a new series.

[shellypya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Cassie, who has a natural ability to read people, joins an elite group of criminal profilers at the FBI in order to help solve cold cases.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cassie is recruited into the FBI to be part of a small team of Naturals, teens with highly attuned abilities in reading emotions, profiling, and interpreting statistics, skills the FBI can use to solve cold cases. Cassie has nothing to lose by joining the team: her mother was murdered and the body never found, her father is away in the military, and although she's been staying with her paternal relatives, she's never felt a part of them. Memories of discovering the aftermath of her mother's murder haunt Cassie's nightmares and add an urgency to her training and need to find the killer. However finding the killer takes a sudden back seat to Cassie saving her own life. Teen fans of thrillers will be kept guessing whodunit in this fast-paced suspense narrative informed by the author's background in psychology. The big whodunit reveal rang a bit shallow to me as I felt there wasn't enough background to make that person convincing as the whodunit. Quibble aside, it's entertaining to have teen characters in unusual leadership roles solving problems. Notes: descriptions of murder scenes and serial killer techniques may unnerve some readers.

[alsparks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cassie is 17 years old. She has a vivid memory of discovering the scene of her mother's murder with blood on the walls, floor, everywhere. The body was never found and the killer was never caught. Cassie has "abilities". Her ability is to be able to read people. Because of this she is recruited for a program called the Naturals. All of these young men & women have an ability that makes them useful to the FBI. Cassie is introduced to Michael, Dean, Lia, and Sloane as she goes to live at a house owned by the FBI. She is taught to use her abilities to look at cold cases and see if she can find clues the other agents missed. She suddenly receives a mysterious gift. She senses this is linked to her mother's murder. The Naturals start to look into the gift and recent crimes and find that someone is reaching out to Cassie. Cassie pushes to be used as bait to lure the serial killer out. Tension, action, suspense, and danger lurk as the story unfolds and Cassie meets the killer. The killer has a surprise identity. Overall a compelling story with twists, turns, & action. Good read. Looking forward to reading book II of the series.

[mrslabraden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. So many of these teen team books lately have centered around paranormal abilities of the members. Even though I like that kind of book, this was a breath of fresh air because the team members all have natural crime detection abilities that aren't paranormal. I'm anxious to read the next book in the series to see where the characters go as they pursue the limits of what they can do.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cassie is recruited by the FBI to be a part of their naturals division. The naturals division is a group of teens that have different abilities--like reading people's emotions, making predictions based on their behavior, recognizing patterns that would be assets to future FBI agents. The kids are being trained and supposed to be working on cold cases. All of the kids are a little strange and broken although we only find out why Cassie (whose mother was murdered) and Dean (whose father was a serial killer) are so fundamentally flawed in what is clearly meant to be a series opener.

I thought this was going to be a paranormal romance with a love triangle in it. I was more than a little bit wrong. There is a love triangle with Cassie torn between Dean, a profiler like her who tries to close himself off from her and Michael who can read emotions but is trying to keep everyone from really reading him. After this it goes into thriller mode. The kids abilities are basically observational skills and deductive reasoning that they are naturally adept at. They inadvertently get wrapped up in a case that seems to have something to do with Cassie's mother, and let me tell you I never saw who the killer was coming. It's been a while since I read a mystery where I didn't know who the killer was half way through the book, which totally thrilled me and scared the pants off me.

[kristymk18-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Actual Rating 3.5

A highly entertaining read. The Naturals premise is similar to Criminal Minds, but without the dark suspense. It follows Cassie, a teenage profiler, who gets recruited to join The Naturals, a FBI secretive program for gifted teens whose duties are akin to the Behavior Analysis Unit. Although they are there to analyze cold cases and solve crime, (in addition to there being a current serial killer on the loose), I didn't find the scenes disturbing at all. Even though not gruesome, suspense and mystery was still present. The Naturals provided a great, fast, lazy day read and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[filialibri-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

Was für ein tolles Buch :D

Allerdings ist es toll auf diese „Ich hatte tierischen Spaß beim Lesen, wenn ich aber zu genau darüber nachdenke oder es nochmal lesen würde, fallen mir zig tausend Sachen ein, die ich eigentlich ziemlich mies fand“. Kennt ihr das? Ihr lest ein Buch, seit völlig gefangen und begeistert von der Story und nachdem ihr das Buch dann zugeklappt habt, denkt ihr euch plötzlich, hm, was genau fand ich jetzt eigentlich so toll an der Geschichte, weil eigentlich ist doch das und das und das und das ziemlich blöd gewesen. So ungefähr war es für mich mit „The Gifted: Vergiss mein nicht“ von Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

Aber erstmal dieses Cover… Das ist so… unglaublich langweilig und nichtssagend. Warum müssen immer und überall irgendwelche komischen Mädels drauf sein, die einem ein Bild der Protagonistin aufzwingen wollen? Da finde ich das Originalcover doch wesentlich besser. Es ist zwar nicht direkt schön, aber es hat zur Abwechslung endlich mal kein doofes Gör drauf, das meiner Vorstellung der Protagonistin voll und ganz widerspricht. Und warum genau wurde der Titel geändert? Wenn schon ein englischer Übertitel, warum dann nicht das Original „The Naturals“ beibehalten? Aber gut… Das ändert ja alles nichts am Inhalt.

Die Idee hinter „The Gifted: Vergiss mein nicht“ hat mir wirklich hervorragend gefallen, die Kids mit den übersinnlichen Fähigkeiten, die vom FBI rekrutiert und trainiert werden, sind einfach ein tolles Konzept. Die vielfältigen Arten, auf die sich die Fähigkeiten der Jugendlichen manifestieren und die, meiner Meinung nach, wirklich gut recherchierten Hintergründe haben mir außerordentlich gut gefallen – hier merkt man auch, dass die Autorin als Psychologieprofessorin die nötigen fachlichen Hintergründe hat.

Allerdings sind die Charaktere im Rückblick verdammt flach. Sieht man mal davon ab, dass es hier eine absolut langweilige und vorhersehbare Dreiecksgeschichte gibt, die ich zwar relativ harmlos fand, aber von der ich trotzdem kein Fan bin, gibt es zusätzlich eben eine ganze Riege unglaublich egozentrischer und klischeehafter Figuren. Dass es da überhaupt zu einer sinnvollen Handlung kommt, ist schon erstaunlich, noch viel erstaunlicher ist es jedoch rückblickend, dass mich das beim Lesen so gar nicht gestört hat.

Alles in allem ist „The Gifted: Vergiss mein nicht“ zwar beim ersten Lesen unglaublich spaßig gewesen, rückblickend hat es jedoch mehr als eine ernsthafte Schwäche. Trotzdem gibt es volle fünf Sterne für dieses Buch, auch in der Hoffnung, dass die Folgebände besser werden.

[allthingschristine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 / 5 stars

Overall I feel like this is a solid book. Good plot, interesting characters, and plenty of twists and turns so it’s not predictable. I look forward to reading more book in this series.

The plot for this book is really interesting. It is like a teenager Criminal Minds meets Mentalist. But when you do it with teenagers with all the teenage angst it just makes it so much better.

So the basis for this book is that there is this group of teenagers who have been recruited by the FBI to form a unit to solve cold cases. The catch is that each of the teenagers is a Natural at something whether it be a Natural lie detector, profiler, encyclopedia or emotion reader. The only problem though is that Cassie the main protagonist has caught the eye of a current serial killer who is intent on making her theirs…..



Cassandra/ Cassie Hobbes is the first of the two teenage profilers and the main protagonist. We get to see her come out of her shell and into her own as she becomes a profiler. Dean Redding is the son of a serial killer with a major chip on his shoulder and the second teenage profiler in the group. Michael Townsend is a Natural at reading emotions, and he’s also the other love interest for Cassie. I don’t like Michael very much. He’s way too arrogant, gets under my skin, and he has way too much fun toying with peoples emotions. As in most young adult novels there is a love triangle. In this book it is between the main protagonist Cassie and two team members, Michael and Dean. I personally ship Team Dean in this book.

Overall the characters are well rounded and fleshed out. They all seem over the top though. But I guess that’s the point when you’re a teenager. Everything is black and white and life and death.

I don’t really have too many dislikes about this book. One of my biggest dislikes is the abilities of the characters themselves. I know they’re supposed to be naturals at what they do but it seemed to be that sometimes their abilities were more supernatural than Natural.

First of all I just love the premise for this story. I know it’s being touted as the teenage Criminal Minds but with all the angst there is being a teenager it makes it so much better. All that’s missing is the banter between Morgan and Garcia. The banter between Cassie and Michael just doesn’t compare. I also really like that the author has a background in psychology cause this book wouldn’t work otherwise. She uses actual profiler concepts and for newbie readers she explains them in a way that makes you feel you’re learning along with Cassie as she becomes a profiler.

****** SPOILERS AHEAD ******

I LOVE the little excerpts from the killer’s POV. It gives the reader insight into the killer, clues to figure out who they are and creates suspense in the story, And it uses the proper YOU which it amazing because at times using the you makes it like the reader is the actual killer. And I also really liked the twist of Lacey being Cassie’s aunt and the serial killer. For the first time in awhile this was one thing I didn’t see coming. In most shows and book I have been able to figure out who is the killer is like a third to halfway through the novel or show, but this totally came out of left field for me.

Right now there are two more books in The Naturals series. Book #2 is Killer Instinct and book #3 is All In.

[mariannelee_0902 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Boricuan Bookworms-Book Reviews.

This summer I’ve been spending the majority of the weekdays watching crime TV shows with my grandfather. This includes, but is not limited to: Law and Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, Bones, Castle, NCIS, & CSI. You could say I’m a fan.

When I started The Naturals, I expected a fluffy, predictable drama. I expected something that would’ve been “good”, but not entirely memorable.

This book blew me away!

Cassie is extremely perceptive. She can tell you what your favorite sport is and what you do on your free time just by looking at you. Her psychic mother taught her well. Now, at 16 years old, the FBI has recruited her to participate in a top-secret program called The Naturals, where they recruit teens with extraordinary skills. Cassie is chosen to be a profiler, and with this she hopes to finally clear up her mother’s disappearance –which has been a FBI cold case for a long time. However, there’s a serial killer on the loose, and is getting closer and closer to home. Can Cassie figure out who it is before it’s too late?

I want to hug this book. What had started just as a quick read while working, turned into something more.

I loved reading about Cassie’s “talent”. One of my favorite tv shows is Sherlock, and I loved seeing her using her powers of deduction. It was so interesting! The explanation wasn’t even necessarily paranormal, but scientific. It was so great seeing the whole team and all their powers.

The mystery, which is actually a huge part of the book was definitely not easy to uncover.

Even when the answer is basically staring at you in the face, you won’t be able to guess it (in my case).

I loved how every single person in the book was an evolved character. All the kids in the Naturals program were three-dimensional, and their personalities where easy to distinguish. They really added to the story.

The audiobook narrator is amazing. She took this story and magnified it. The narrator knew how to give an individual voice to each character, and she really conveyed each emotion perfectly. There was even a certain part in the book where she gave me chills. I could feel myself terrified for the characters, and I could feel the malice and “evil” that she gave to the mysterious serial killer. Her narration was really memorable.

The only thing that dropped a star from my rating was the fact that there was a love triangle here. I don’t mind them if they don’t get in the way, but here it felt like chunks of the book were especially dedicated to that. The book is good enough as it is! It didn’t need a love triangle. The mystery by itself had me hooked and listening intently (to the point that I ignored my work for a couple of hours…) to everything.

Overall this is an amazing book that murder-mystery fans will be sure to enjoy.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[maggie1961-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the concept, a group of gifted teens solving cold cases with their abilities. Cassie has felt out of place in her father's family after being sent there after the unsolved murder of her mother. Now she is thrust into other murders that seem to be patterned after her mother's murder. And she is receiving little gifts that seem to come from the killer. And of course we have that love triangle that so many teen books have.
Was a quick read. After a while I figured out the who, but not the why.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Amazing young adult mystery that was full of wonderful characters, sweet romance, and a very intriguing plot! This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a really long time and I would highly recommend it!

Opening Sentence: You’ve chosen and chosen well.

The Review:

Cassie has always been good at reading people. It was a trait Cassie’s mother taught her at a very young age so Cassie could help her mother with her physic business. But 5 years ago her mother was brutally murdered and the case was never solved. Cassie eventually developed her skills to the point that she could tell a great deal about someone just by studying them and the environment they are in. She never thought it was that big of a deal until the FBI contacts her with a proposition. They have put together a very special unit for teenagers that have very unique talents.

Michael can read emotions and facial express to the point that he can basically tell what you are thinking. Lia is a human lie detector, and then there is Sloane, a girl that has an amazing talent when it comes to numbers and figuring out patterns. Lastly, there is Dean who is a profiler just like Cassie. All the kids come from very different backgrounds and they all have their own secrets as to why they have come to be part of the group known as the Naturals.

The FBI has put together this little team so they can figure out cold cases that were never solved. But soon there is a killing spree right near home and Cassie finds herself drawn to this particular killer. It turns out that there may be a connection to her mother’s murder and Cassie will do anything to solve the case even if it means putting herself in danger. If the Naturals expect to win this very dangerous game they are going to have to work together and use all their gifts in order to survive.

I adored Cassie from the moment I met her. Being inside her head was really fascinating. The type of things she would notice about people and the conclusions she would come to were really extraordinary. But even though she was extremely talented when it came to figuring other people out, she was totally ordinary when it came to figuring herself out. I loved that she was a normal girl with normal insecurities; it made her very easy to relate to. I also loved watching her hone her talents and seeing her grow so much as a character really helped me develop a deep connection with her. She has become one of my new favorite heroines and I can’t wait to read more of her story in the coming books.

I am going to be honest, there is a love triangle and I am completely torn on who I want Cassie to end up with. First you have the charming, confidant, and mysterious Michael, who seems a little too perfect at times. He can read people’s emotions so it is extremely hard to hide anything from him, but he is an expert on hiding his own emotions from others. I feel like we just barely got a glimpse into who Michael really is, so I am very interested to see more of his character. His relationship with Cassie is sweet and I think in many ways they bring out the best in each other.

The next boy is Dean, who is also a profiler. He is very closed off and for the most part you have no idea what he is thinking. He is a character that has a lot of layers and a very sad past. I totally understand why he is so closed off, and his reasons for pushing people away totally make sense. He and Cassie have amazing chemistry, but I wonder if they are a good match. They understand each other really well because they think the same way, but they both have a lot of demons that they have to overcome before they could ever hope to have a chance at a relationship. To be totally honest, I think I am cheering for Dean at this moment, but honestly I can see her ending up with either guy.

The Naturals was a fantastic mystery full of suspense, romance, and intrigue. In most cases when I read a mystery it is very seldom that I am actually surprised by the ending, but this one totally took me by surprise in a very good way. There were little hints as to who the killer was and once you figure everything out it totally makes sense, but I loved that Barnes kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing of the story was a little on the slower side but it worked for me. It made it so you could really catch everything that was going on and I got so engrossed with all the interesting elements that were covered in the story. The idea of having teenagers be naturals at profiling and reading people was very unique. I haven’t ever read a mystery quite like this one and I seriously can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. If you are a YA mystery fan this is a must read for you!!!

Notable Scene:

My gut told me that Agent Locke didn’t want details. She wanted the big picture.

Behavior. Personality. Environment.

I tried to integrate Purple Fleece into her surroundings. She’d chosen a seat near the edge of the food court, even though there were plenty of tables available closer to the restaurant where she’d purchased her meal. There were several people sitting near her, but she stayed focused on her food.

“She’s a student,” I said finally. “Graduate school of some kind—my money’s on med school. She’s not married, but has a serious boyfriend. She comes from an upper middle class family, heavy emphasis on the upper. She’s a runner, but not a health nut. She most likely gets up early, likes doing things that other people find painful, and if she has any siblings, they’re either younger than she is or they’re all boys.”

I waited for Agent Locke to reply. She didn’t. Neither did Dean.

To fill the silence, I added one last observation. “She gets cold really easily.”

There was no other excuse for wearing a fleece—even indoors—in July

FTC Advisory: Disney-Hyperion provided me with a copy of The Naturals. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[gecizzle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very interesting book. It actually took me a couple days to finish it, because there wasn't so much bullshit to skip like there is in many books. Just about every page in this book was part of the compelling story. There was very little filler, which I appreciated.

This book is the story of Cassie, a very observant teenager, who gets recruited into a special FBI agency. People like here are called Naturals, because they have a natural ability to profile people. This agency trains her, and others like her, to use their gifts to help the FBI catch killers.

Cassie's mother had been abducted and/or killed. So, of course this entire novel centers around that original crime. The Naturals team end up following a case where some serial killer is killing women with red hair. Cassie's mother had red hair...

You mean to tell me that, out of all the killers in the United States, Cassie's first goddamn case is about some guy that probably murdered her mother? Seriously? Come on. That's just stupid. Unless... Wait a minute. Maybe Cassie was recruited specifically to catch her mother's killer. Ya think?

Most of this book is pretty much an episode of Criminal Minds. So, it's not particularly original. But it's still a decent story, with actual surprises in the end.