Jennifer Lynn Barnes has, yet again, managed to write a thoroughly engrossing mystery novel. I finished this book in one sitting.

Kira Bennet, lives with her adoptive mom and brother training search-and-rescue dogs. Kira is especially invested in the family business since she, herself, was saved by one of those dogs after being lost (and almost dying) in the woods for months as a young girl. While Kira struggles to maintain relationships with her human companions (she went completely feral during her time in the Sierra Glades), she excels at bonding with and training the SAR dogs.

When a young girl goes missing from her family's campsite in the Sierra Glades National Park, it's up to Kira and her family to find her. But what looks to be a simple search and rescue mission soon turns out to be the latest in a string of disappearances in the area, and memories Kira thought long lost start to come back to haunt her.


I absolutely loved the relationship between Kira and her dogs, especially her rehabilitated husky, Saskia. Each of the dogs has as much personality as the humans. Barnes, as always, does a masterful job of piecing out the clues to solve the mystery, while keeping the pacing just fast enough to keep the reader on the edge of the seat, but no so fast that she sacrifices details or character development.

My only complaint is that the story left off with a SURPRISE! detail, and I'm really hoping that there's a sequel., but there's no word yet if there will be a book #2.

One of the best books of 2019! This book will stay with you long after you've put it down. An absolute must read!

There was something about this book that quickly drew me in. From the quirky kids, that come off flip at first, but later you realize are very deep to the dogs and how the kids work with the dogs. The job alone, search and rescue, leaves the kids doing things most adults never do. Then there is Cady, the one adult that manages to wrangle the kids and dogs, giving them all a safe place. It doesn't matter to her that Jude is only her blood child, Kira and Free are treated like hers too.

When Cady gets manipulated to go back to her home town things seem to spiral out of control. Kira is in a situation that hits a little to close to home, learns things her mind has forgotten/hidden to keep her safe. I was torn here, does she have a right to know, absolutely, but honestly after learning what we did, she was better off in the dark. In the end, it's a good thing Kira is with Cady, Cady who has provided her a safe haven because she will need it to process all she has learned, especially the one thing she thinks happened.

Jude has his life rocked a bit, but being the go with the flow guy he is, will recover and even thrive with the new person in his life.

Free will go on being Free, supporting her friends.

Cady now has all of her secrets out there and has to face what she ran from and why. I have a feeling she will be ok, mostly because she has to, she has the kids to think of and maybe even one more to add to the mix, one who intrigued me greatly.

I would love to see more in this world, to see what happened to them all in the aftermath of this book, but most importantly I want to see all of these characters living their lives and thriving!

This book was not the right one for me. I usually love Jennifer Lynn Barnes's writing, but the plot didn't work for me. Her novels usually catch me from the beginning with a fast pace and intriguing story line. Maybe I just don't like mysteries/people looking for someone in the wilderness. This was a slow start and I ultimately did not finish it.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
This book was so good. The family coons rinks were layered and complicated. Kira’s past was presented in such a way that it was both interesting and not overwhelming .
The rescue dog angle was fascinating. The training, the types of animals they had, and the different goals fit the dogs. I really loved his the dogs were so attuned to their handlers.
Cady was a strong woman who had secrets. She took a traumatized girl in and gave her both family and a purpose.
Jude was my favorite. His outlook and way of looking at life was so amazing. I loved the Miscreant rules and how the three of them were just there for one another.
Free was fantastic. Her desire to belong is so relatable. Her family was disinterested so she made her own.
The story was so well written and readable. It was so easy to fall into this story. I look forward to reading more books by this author and I really hope there are some more books in this world.

This was a quick read, because its many layers kept you wanting to know more. Kira is dealing with her identity as a former "feral" girl, who doesn't know how she got that way. And the rest of her pack - of humans and dogs - all have their own stories and secrets. But they all come together and operate as a team for a search and rescue operation in Kira's foster mom's hometown.

By the end, I not only loved the characters but I was hoping there would be a sequel. I would enjoy seeing what the reconfigured pack is like now.

I started this book thinking I was not going to like...BUT... wrong. I loved the parts with the relationships between the humans and the dogs. I have 3 golden retrievers and this struck home. Cay and her little search and rescue family are broken and need something to fix this family, and they find it on a cold dark mountain.

I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes' writing simple because not only is she an amazing author but she always writes stories that are captivating and unlike most stories in their genre. It doesn't matter what genre, the woman can write it and write it well.

And while this maybe wasn't a favorite of mine, it was well written, engaging and had a story line that stuck out and wasn't the norm, which I absolutely loved. A story that I think both fans of Jennifer's writing and mysteries will really enjoy.

Cady trains dogs to help find and rescue the lost. She's also a mother to her son Jude. She also rescued a small child that had been list in the woods for weeks and weeks. She adopted her. Now Jude, Kira and their friend Free are being trained to handle the search dogs. In another year when they are 18, they will be officially members of the team of search and rescuers with dogs.
Now they are on their way to Cady's home town to look for a nine year old girl that is lost in the forest.
Little do they know that they will find, mystery, intrigue and family history that will set their minds rolling.
Interesting, exciting. Grabs you and pulls you in. Excellent!!

I had no idea what this book would turn out to be like. I was very pleasantly surprised. I haven't quite figured out the Lovely part of the title, but the book was great anyway. The characters were extremely easy to know, visualize, and like.

The Lovely and the Lost is the first book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes that I have read and it was pure joy. I love her writing style, and her character development is well done. The plot is fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns, secrets and deception all of which makes this book hard to put down.



“Bad things happen to bad little girls, a voice whispers
from the dark place.”

The main character, Kira, has a past that she can't remember, a history that plagues her with horrible flashbacks. Throughout the book, the author gives us snippets of Kira’s past, not too much, but just enough to keep me reading and wanting more.



Cady and Silver, one of Cady’s search and rescue dogs, find a wild and broken Kira who has been living alone in the woods for an undetermined amount of time. Even though Kira has lived with Cady and her son Jude, she still struggles with people outside her adopted family. However, Kira has no problems relating to and loving the dogs she helps train for search and rescue. Jude, Kira and their friend Free all aspire to be part of a search and rescue team. Cady is pulled into the rescue effort to find a lost little girl, Bella; the three friends are about to find out first hand how quickly, dangerous and out of control a situation can become in the wilderness.

There were so many levels to this book, not just the missing child aspect, but how the heroine, Kira, relates to the missing child and how she was able to grow and come to terms with what has happened in her past. This book is about love and the sacrifices that are made in the name of love. Romantic love, a mother’s love and the love that friends share. Also, coming to terms that you are worthy of the love your “family” freely gives is a significant theme in this book. Family comes in many forms, and this book explores some of them, whether it is between humans or between dogs and humans. I especially enjoyed the bond that Kira had with her dog Saskia. The author does an excellent job in interweaving the feeling that Kira is experiencing while searching for this child with what is lurking just beneath her subconscious.

I enjoyed this book very much, but I was left with wanting a bit more. I wanted to know more about Kira’s past and how she came to be in the woods. I would have liked a little more “Jude” in this book. Also, there is a little twist at the end of the book, the kind of twist that left an opening for a follow-up book. So, I have to wonder, does the author has a plan for a second book which I would be totally up to reading.

***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

THE LOVELY AND THE LOST was an amazing and engaging story. Kira is the main character. She was lost in the woods for weeks until she was found by Cady Bennett and her search dog. Kira doesn't remember her time before the woods. After being adopted by Cady, she spent years learning how to be around humans, recognizing facial expressions, hating to be touched. It is only her relationship with her brother Jude, their friend Free, and the companionship of the dogs being trained for search and rescue that connect her to humans.

When Cady's estranged father Bales find them and begs for Cady's help in locating a young girl lost in the woods, Cady, Kira, Jude and Free along with their dogs go to help. The search is one thing but none of them expected to be surrounded by family secrets and town secrets too.

They meet Gabriel who is a teen living with Bales and who has secrets of his own. They also meet Mac who was a childhood friend of Cady's but who hasn't seen her for years. The kids learn that Cady, Mac, and Ash had had a close friendship like theirs but Ash was lost while they were on a mission in South America to rescue a kidnapped girl. Ash's disappearance still haunts all who knew him.

I loved Kira, Jude and Free. Each was a quirky, distinctly drawn character. The story is mostly told from Kira's point of view but Jude and Free still shine. I loved that they all had their problems and that they all found different ways to deal with them.

I couldn't put this one down and the characters will haunt my thoughts for quite a while.

The Lovely and the Lost is a story about teenagers, family, and dogs. What drew me to reading it was the dog part of the story, but I had no idea that it would be a story with so much heart. Meeting Kira, Free, Jude and Cady honestly felt like meeting them. I always have a soft spot for YA fiction, and this one tops my list.

Kira is a teenager who was raised by first her foster, but then adoptive, mother Cady. Jude is her brother, Cady’s biological son of unknown origin. Free is the neighbor’s daughter, but for all intents and purposes, could be Cady’s third child. The three teenagers, better known as the Miscreants, are inseparable. Cady is a search and rescue dog handler and trainer. She has raised each of these teens to handle dogs. All three excel in search and rescue games, but when a real search for a little girl comes knocking at their door, will they be able to perform? And will Kira, who once was that missing little girl, be able to put her own demons to rest?

There are books that capture my attention and my heart. This book was one of them. Barnes has written a can’t put down story with a soul. Each of these characters was real, well rounded, and believable. The connection between the teens and their dogs was heartwarming, but also real. Search and rescue dogs are not only beloved pets, but working dogs that have a task to perform. This isn’t a sugar coated, alls well that ends well story. Yet it also isn’t dark and foreboding. It is the perfect blend of suspense and joy. I simply loved every minute of it.


This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this novel as the story is so different from The Naturals, but Jennifer Lynn Barnes sucked me in and kept me reading through the plot twisty end!
Readers who enjoyed Gary Paulsen will like this story as it return them to the wilderness and brings in dogs. *spoiler alert* If you are like me and are a little afraid of reading books with animals, I will just say this one is ok. You will not be ripped to pieces.
If you like a good suspense story + wilderness survial + family drama, pick up The Lovely and the Lost.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me an early peek!

I'll say something that I don't normally find myself saying - this book could really do with a sequel. I enjoyed the story about the young girl being lost in the woods and having to be rescued, and then history repeating itself. However, I felt like I didn't have enough information about a lot of things. How was it that after such a short time, little Kira turned feral while lost? What makes Jude try to be comical so hard he seems to be hiding behind it? Why don't Free's parents care when she up and hitchhikes cross country?

The Lovely and the Lost was a very quick, enticing read. Once I got into the book, I couldn’t put it down. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is really great at layering on the drama and keeping you continually second-guessing your thoughts as you read.
I did find the character interactions quite choppy, even for a character like Kira (found as a semi-feral girl in the woods). I would have liked a bit more character development as well.

A great read about who we are as part of the animal world and as human families. What makes us different from other animals and what traits do we share? Throw in some mystery and suspense and you have a "can't put this down" book.

The Lovely and the Lost is the latest story by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This book is supposed to be for Young Adults. I am far from that age and thoroughly enjoyed it. I hated to see the story end, and am hoping Ms Barnes will decide to do more books using these characters for search and rescue. I was given an early copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers and Netgalley. Thank you. I wrote this review voluntarily.
I really liked most of the book as an interesting story, A mystery to be solved, whether the missing child or Kira's life and how it came to be. Yes there were some problems. The title of the book seemed to have no connection to the story. Thirty years working in libraries says the cover will have little appeal to the YA crowd. And the ending was weird. I felt like it had 2 endings, first when the missing child was found, then again when it did end. Didn't really make sense from the previous interactions of these people.
What I really need to explain is I don't think this should be promoted as a strictly YA book. Over the last few years we receive more and more requests for clean mysteries from many of our adult patrons, books with clean language and no sex, which are getting harder to find. I am sure they will find enjoyment with this book. Yes kids act like kids, suprise, and adults don't always make the best decisions but the story has plenty of action and mystery to keep readers interested. Who could resist working dogs and kidnappings in the same book?

Gripping, intense, and utterly captivating! A little girl lost in the forest brings a family together on a search and rescue mission. For Kira, the search brings back chilling memories before her foster mother Cady found her in the woods as a child -- dirty, feral and unable to speak. Now a teenager nurtured by Cady and her son Jude, Kira works with rescue dogs to search for missing persons.

While the story explores familial relationships and secrets, it's also a glowing tribute to the people and dogs involved in search and rescue as they are a huge component of wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating the lost.

I totally wanted to hug Silver, Saskia, Duchess and NATO just because of JLB's portrayals of these dedicated and lovable canines! It's not lost on the reader that Kira's intuition and close relationship with Silver and Saskia has much to do with her survival in the woods as a child and her honed animal senses.

There are lots of layers to this story, from the relationship between Cady and Kira; Kira and her foster brother Jude and best friend Free; Cady and her dad Bales; Cady and her friend Mac; and Kira and Gabriel, another teen with a mysterious past. Keeping it all straight was actually not that hard, and in fact, it kept this story moving at a fast pace to the inevitable yet still surprising conclusion.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher #Freeform for the advanced reader copy in return for this honest and heartfelt review!