The Naturals (The Naturals, 1) Paperback – May 2, 2023

I enjoy this author and this book did not disappoint. Interesting premise and the different character storylines that were woven together was great. The murder case kept me guessing. Insignificant details suddenly became obvious when the killer was revealed.Cassie is a teenager, whose mom is dead and dad is in the military. She moves from her grandmother’s house in Colorado to Washington DC where she becomes involved with the FBI. Through her training, she learns as much about herself as she does the job she will be doing.Parts were page turning. Took a minute to get interested but once I was hooked, I couldn’t put this down!

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.

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.

As a true crime addict, I wasn’t sure if a YA fictional crime book would satisfy me, but this one exceeded my expectations. Sometimes, being wrong feels so good!The book was incredibly addictive, and I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series. The plot was solid, and the characters were even better. There’s just something about ✨short chapters and fast pacing✨ that makes a book so much more enjoyable.

Well, this was quite fun! I really enjoyed the introduction into this world Barnes has created. I'm a massive fan of Blacklist, Blindspot and a few other crime shows, especially about FBI, so this is bound to be a great series for me as it progresses. (Though I've yet to watch Criminal Minds, which Jae, Sue and Almera are probably frowning upon, but this will be a summer of binge-watching, I'm telling ya!)I think the plot could have been a little thicker? The mystery kept me guessing and I actually had another suspect in mind, but the outcome made sense; most of it at least. The characters and their dynamics are a total sweet spot for me, though! My favorite out of the crew has to be Michael, because he managed to make me laugh and smile and his commentary is simply the best. The rest of the team is on their way of being super duper awesome too, so I really hope we get to know them more as the books go on.The romance is pretty subtle regarding the other aspects of the book. I kinda ship Cassie with (view spoiler) but I'm not opposed to the idea of Cassie and [spoilerrr]. I just feel like the last one is a little trope-y, but it makes sense as to why it would/should/could happen and it probably will happen, so it's prime time I get fully on board as well. (Maybe in next book, hah!)As for Cassie, she's a decent main character, though a little lackluster in the "memorable characters" department. The rest of the characters just outshine her a little, I guess. I do like her though! She isn't perfect, but that's not what I'm looking for either. She's bound to make mistakes on her journey of self-discovery (and solving the future cases), but I have a good feeling that with the help of her new-found friends she will be just fine on her path. Really intrigued to find out more and can't wait for when I have time to sit down and explore what happens next!Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5.0