Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Hello bookish babes. I come today bearing not just a book recommendation but an author recommendation! This is most likely not the first time you are hearing the name Jennifer Lyn Barnes, but if it is, you’re in for a treat. She has written so many fantastic books including two series that I want to highlight today. The Naturals is basically Criminal Minds but make it teenagers (which, side note, is an absolutely crazy idea). I flew through this series and it is probably one of my top of all time. The Inheritance Game Trilogy is about a girl who randomly inherits a billionaire’s fortune one day and gets to go live in a mansion with his four hot grandsons. Say less! This series was so fun, and I had the best time reading it. Stick around to hear my in depth review.
I did a little bit of research on Jennifer (or Jen as I now know she likes to be called), and I found way more than I ever could have imagined. This woman has literally done it all. She played sports, was a teen model, researcher, and finished her first book while still in high school. Oh, did I mention she went to Yale and has a Ph. D. in psychology? Jen is such an icon. She is now a #1 New York Times bestselling author and is pretty good at writing if I do say so myself.
Let’s talk about the Naturals a little bit. This series of four books follows Cassie who is selected to be part of a small, specialty group of teenagers tasked to solve cold cases for the FBI. However, things take a new killer turns up that hits a little too close to home for Cassie’s liking. These books were so fast-paced and enjoyable. I love the characters so much and the found family that their little group becomes. There’s also a side romance plot which is so sweet and fun. My favorite character has to be Sloane. She’s quiet but she is so smart and brings so much to their group. I also appreciate that these characters have flaws and I think that heavy topics were written beautifully. Of course a big part of what makes this series so enjoyable is the thriller. All of the books focus on a different mystery but in the end they all tie together. The last book was especially good because everything rounds out so wonderfully. There were also so many plot twists throughout the series but especially in the last book. I was getting total whiplash. I would advise you to know what you’re getting into before you read these books because it does get quite dark and some parts are really challenging to read. Overall, I love this series so much. I think the mix of the character relationships with the thriller makes it so amazing.
The other series that I read and loved by Ms. Barnes is The Inheritance Games Trilogy. This series follows Avery who randomly inherits a billionaire’s fortune. The only condition is that she has to stay in his Texas Estate for a year with his family including his four grandsons. Avery is thrown into navigating her new life with targets on her back. This book convinced me that Jenifer’s love triangles are superior. She is so good at writing complex characters, and it was so hard to pick between the two love interests. I loved the characters in this series but the thing that really stuck out to me was the mystery. Avery and the boys investigate the reason for her inheritance during the book and it leads to some crazy riddles, adventures, and plot twists. Her writing in these books solidified for me what a genius she is. I have no idea how she thought up all of these crazy ideas. I also loved the atmosphere in the books. I could picture the mansion so well, and I would do anything to solve riddles in it with the crew. I love reading about rich people. It’s so fun! There is so much packed into this series that you can only understand by reading it.
Well, that’s it for me today. I know I always say this, but I have been so busy finishing school and some fun other stuff lately. I really wanted to crank out a post by the end of this month, so here this is! I think Jennifer Lynn Barnes is so amazing, and I highly suggest that you go check out some of her books.
xoxo,
taylor
