The Lovely and the Lost

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2019 • 328 pages

Ratings8

Average rating3.8

Kira Bennett’s earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs found her perfectly. Adopted into the Bennett family, Kira still struggles with human interaction years later, but she excels at the family business: search-and-rescue. Along with Cady’s son, Jude, and their neighbor, Free, Kira works alongside Cady to train the world’s most elite search-and-rescue dogs. Someday, all three teenagers hope to put their skills to use, finding the lost and bringing them home.

But when Cady’s estranged father, the enigmatic Bales Bennett, tracks his daughter down and asks for her help in locating a missing child—one of several visitors who has disappeared in the Sierra Glades National Park in the past twelve months—the teens find themselves on the frontlines sooner than they could have ever expected. As the search through 750,000 acres of unbridled wilderness intensifies, Kira becomes obsessed with finding the missing child. She knows all too well what it’s like to be lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival, alone.

But this case isn’t simple. There is more afoot than a single, missing girl, and Kira’s memories threaten to overwhelm her at every turn. As the danger mounts and long-held family secrets come to light, Kira is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her adopted family, her true nature, and her past.

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Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Shanon

After reading The Naturals series by the same author, I felt like I was destined to love this book, but it wound up being an average read. I will say the end was different than I expected so points for being unpredictable. I just wanted more from the search and rescue part, more action. I loved the dogs and their personalities though. I'm a sucker for a pup!

August 6, 2024

Sarah

This review can also be found on my blog.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.

I blew through this book, which I requested from NetGalley on a whim. It follows a girl named Kira who trains search and rescue dogs with her adoptive family. Kira herself has a mysterious past that slowly comes further to light as the story progresses. While there were a couple of moments that seemed a little overdramatic and pulled me out of the story, I found this to be wildly compelling otherwise. The characters were all distinct in their own ways and I loved seeing their relationships play out on the page. The plot kept me interested, and I didn't predict the twist at the end. Overall a really good read, and I'll definitely be checking out more of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' work.

April 22, 2019

Katrina

I really liked the concept of wild girl being saved and then doing the saving. I also learned a lot about Search and Rescue Dog training! An exciting story, a little scary with a nice dose of mystery and family drama. Recommended for readers who enjoy strong but flawed female characters, love dogs, and can handle stressful scenarios.

July 6, 2019