This is a fun, quick read-in-a-day kind of YA, in which a girl ends up being a pseudo private eye around her town for girls who suspect their boyfriends of cheating. It’s not exactly something Marisa wants to be doing, but she gets roped into a longer situation by an old friend and her boyfriend, who Marisa ends up getting close with. It’s cute, has a lot of chemistry, and is pretty silly. I found that towards the end things got kind of confusing – there’s this other storyline playing out that I didn’t fully get at times, and sometimes I’d get characters confused with each other (Jordan, Jason, you get it). Pick this one up when you need a quick lift!

What does it remind me of?
A Lie for a Lie

What is it about?
When our MC Marisa takes a photo of her best friend's BF kissing another girl, she has no idea it's the beginning of her own Private Eye work. She is soon contacting by an old frenemy to track her boyfriend, TJ, who is becoming distant. Reluctantly Marisa agrees to help, but as she gets closer to the truth and TJ, things get complicated.

What is the good news?
I loved that there Marisa and her friend Charlie had a strong female relationship without any cattiness between them.

What is the bad news?
This was so dramatic and angsty...even for YA and a lot of the characters were just unlikeable. I'm not sure if I lived in this story if would be able to hang out/move past the drama and the character's faults - I'd just bail and find new friends. Also, the writing seemed to jump around in places and left me a little confused about what was happening - but this could've just been due to the narration being unclear about time jumps typically notated in paper formats by a line of asterisks.

Overall: D rating
It was too angsty for me and the characters not likable enough.

I really love when I'm completely surprised by a book. And low and behold, this was one of those books! I had this on my radar but was still iffy because not too many people were talkinig about it. But I'm so glad I was able to finally read it because it completely shocked me!

It all started with a cheating boyfriend.... And that's how Marisa became a snoop for hire. And then everyone wants in on it and Marisa gets a job sniffing out all those two timing assholes. But then an old "friend" comes back in the picture and wanting to catch someone. But that's where things begin to get tricky.... Is Marisa falling for him herself?

There was so much about this story that I liked. I really liked that there was a mysetry on top of the two timing losers that Marisa was trying to catch. It gave the story a bit more "oomph" and I loved that. It also wasn't something I was expecting. With their being two different mysteries going on, I was more focused on one and it made it difficult to figure out who had really done either one!

I am a huge fan of mysteries and contemporary romance, so putting the two together was awesome. And it was even better because I couldn't guess who the culprit was. I was kept guessing until the last minute. This isn't usual for me, as I am ALWAYS able to guess whodunit. That made me like it so much more.

I also really liked the characters. Charli and Marisa are friend goals. Like they really did everything for each other. They helped each other, they had fun together, and they held each other accountable. And I loved the supporting characters as well. They all had something about them that made me fall for them.

I just wish I had a bit more of the romance. I loved FINALLY seeing them together, but it was literally for only a split second. I wanted to see more of them together. I know that for the most part this story wasn't about this, but I think it still should have been shown more.

This was on my radar for quite a while, and I'm glad I finally got to it. I can't say I expected to like this as much as I did, but I really loved reading this. I really hope more people start talking about it!

4.25 ★ – HAD ME HOOKED UNTIL THE END

When I read the premise for this book, I immediately requested it on Netgalley and crossed my fingers that I would get approved. Definitely no regrets on requesting and being approved — Busted by Gina Ciocca is a delightfully fun YA contemporary romance with a little mystery that had me hooked until the end.

While some parts were a bit predictable, I still really enjoyed the story. It was intriguing, funny and incredibly entertaining that I couldn’t put the book down. I liked the investigating part and all the drama that went with it. It may have been a little bit over the top sometimes, but honestly, I loved it. I also enjoyed that there was a bit of a mystery and I had fun trying to figure out the culprit. Even though the big reveal towards the end didn’t completely surprise me, it was still quite interesting the way it all happened.

The characters were likable to some extent. I thought most of them acted their age and caused drama just like teenagers do.

Marissa was a wonderful and solid protagonist. I absolutely admired her for how fiercely she protects those she loves and would do anything for them. She’s also determined, creative, smart, and pretty hilarious. Was she perfect? No. Did she make mistakes? Of course. But her choices and personality made me want to be one of her best friends. There was just something so real and relatable, no matter how frustrating and annoying she was at times, that made me root for her.

I didn’t particularly like TJ at first, but he definitely charmed his way into my heart. I love big romantic gestures and he does one that is super adorable, sweet, and swoontastic! I also really liked that he had an artistic side and would love to own one of his creations.

Marissa’s best friend, Charlie was pretty awesome. I liked her a lot and thought she was a great friend to Marissa. Their relationship was #friendshipgoals and I enjoyed all their moments together.

I really wanted to like Kendall, but I just had the most difficult time relating to her. She was malicious and selfish that I just felt so turned off by her character. Even in the end when I learned more about what she was going through, I just couldn’t like her. I did understand why was so vindictive and I kind of felt bad for what she went through, but yeah, I just couldn’t like her. Maybe she reminded me of this girl (who was my friend and always complimented me) in college who blatantly hurt me and did something awful when I didn’t even do anything to her. Girls can just be really catty and mean.

The romance in this book was cute. There’s actually two – Marissa and TJ, & Charlie and a guy who’s crushed on her in forever. I wasn’t too enthusiastic about Marissa and TJ, but they were pretty adorable and shared some swoony scenes. To be honest, I was more excited about Charlie’s romantic interest. I don’t want to say who she ends up with, but the amazing chemistry between Charlie and her guy was undeniable and just so sweet. I shipped them from the very beginning and was so happy when Charlie finally got her happy ending with a great guy.

Oh and one last thing… I thought it was incredibly heartwarming that Marissa and her brother Nick had a wonderful sibling relationship. You could see and feel just how much they really cared about each other and it was just so stinkin’ adorable that I wanted to hug them both. It’s always nice to read about siblings getting along and have this strong and loving relationship.

There were a few things that bothered me a little, but overall, this book was just what I needed – easy to read, fun and exciting. But what really made this a win was how Gina Ciocca addressed cheating, lies, bullying, and the power of social media/internet to hurt. If you’re looking for a fast-paced lighthearted YA contemporary, then I highly suggest you add this on your TBR.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Archived before I could download book. Sorry that I was unable to read this book to get a full idea of the story.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this from NetGalley and the publishers for an honest review.

Rating: 5 Stars

Marisa was just a normal girl getting some supplies on her way to see her bestie for a night in when she finds her besties boyfriend up to no good. After some snooping she confirms he is a cheater and somehow she is now being asked to snoop on purpose for an ex-frenemy, Kendall, who has been back in town and might just have changed her ways. Kendall wants Marisa to spy on her boyfriend, TJ, as he may have a mystery girl, only to find that as she gets to know TJ to try and get the dirt that she is crushing on him and she might be the mysterious girl….yikes. There is a lot of snooping to be done and it might be more than a two-timing boy that ends up busted.

This story first and foremost made me think of Veronica Mars which is a show I absolutely adored. So win there. Marisa starts out in a solid win from me because she not about to let someone hurt her friend if she can help it. Her relationship with Charlie (BFF) reminds me in ways of my own relationship with my bestie. All the characters really come to life as you read the story and find out the dish on each of them. Digging into the lives and lies of others is not as fun as one might think and it leads to its own set of problems. I love the dynamic between the different characters and how it is clear that each one has motives and personalities that make the decisions they make seem legit and true to them. No one is perfectly blameless or flawless.

The story is very character driven and moved pretty fast for me. I liked the drama that came with the story and I was eager to see how things would play out for everyone. I had a good time reading this and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a light hearted contemporary or has ever dreamed of being a on the sly PI when in school.

What a quick and fun read!! I couldn’t put this down after the 60% mark. The book wasn’t slow to begin with, but the author sure knows how to hook writers in. Though Marisa wasn’t my favorite YA protagonist, her story was entertaining and made me chuckle a bit too.

3.5-4 Stars (still deciding on final rating)

First, before I get started, I do have to say that I got a free eARC of this book curtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. But now, onto my review! This book was one of the first books I got from NetGalley, and to be honest, I was really just expecting it to be your typical cutesy YA novel. But about a quarter of the way through the book, the plot gets very elaborate, and super-interesting, suspenseful, and engaging. All of the characters, including Marisa, were really complex in how they handled their situation, and there were several twists and turns to the story that I didn't see coming. Overall, I would give it four-and-a-half stars, and I can't wait to read more of Gina Ciocca's work!

This was a very easy and ligh-hearted read. I was really intrigued after reading that synopsis, and even though it wasn't as much of a mystery as I once thought, it still had that thrilling vibe that made me want to continue reading this novel.

I loved the friendship between Marisa, our main character, and Charlie. It was nice to have a great and supportive friendship in a YA contemporary, where they could count on each other and help the other when needed. You could see that in some parts of the book. I was also really happy to see that our protagonist had a supportive and healthy family. Though the parents weren't really that important in the story (that's usually common in YA), her brother was one of the side characters, and sometimes it was really funny to read their interactions.

I also really adored the romance. Despite the circumstances being in the book, they were really adorable and it was a pretty healthy relationship, if we ignore the drama going on, which was pretty surprising. 

Something I wasn't a big fan of is that there was a part of the book where some of the characters (mostly girls) shammed Marisa. Since I don't like girl shamming, I wasn't the biggest fan of those scenes, and made me lower my rating a bit. 

Like I mentioned above, it was a very easy and quick read, and it took me less than three hours to finish. I devoured it, and I didn't stop reading until I knew it was finished.

3.5/5

I liked Ciocca's debut novel, especially because of her writing, so there wasn't any doubts about me picking this book up. Busted was a fun read for me. I thought it had a good balance between a hint of a mystery, some romance and friendship dynamics, that I found to be enjoyable.

It's not the most perfect book or anything, but it has some really great elements, particularly the friendship between the protagonist Marissa and Charlie, her bff. It was a healthy and positive female friendship, and I liked how these two were so comfortable and open with each other - they weren't afraid to call each other out if the other person was acting all shady and bitchy. Marissa also has great relationships with her family, which I found to be refreshing. I loved how close her and her brother were, and I loved that he was as much as part of the story as Marissa's best friend. Marissa's relationship with her mom was also great. I love good positive parent-daughter relationship in books, so I completely appreciated it here too.

Marissa, herself, was a decent character. To be honest, I didn't feel much towards her. I liked how far she was willing to go for her friends, and like I said, she's a very loyal girl. The mystery itself wasn't all that, but it was enough to keep me entertained as Marissa navigated it all as a newbie spy (not an actual spy, mind you) at her school, and the circumstances she came across. The one thing I wasn't so head over heels over was the romance and that mostly has to do with my feelings towards the love interest, TJ. I think he needed to be a bit more fleshed about. He was too secretive and I could never get a strong idea of his intentions. I could have done without a romance here.

Anyways, overall, Busted was fun and I had a good time reading it. As always, Ciocca's writing is super addicting, and she does a good job with writing relationships.

Yet another new to me author! Guys this is why I like NetGalley so much! They don't post books by the same author over and over. We get to try out new to us authors!!

Sorry just had to rave about NG on that fact!

Busted was definitely not a disappointment in the book and attention holding department. This book is all you might want out of Contemporary YA, yet it's not a YA book! Secrets and High School Drama (Gosh did I have MY fair share!) are all in this book and Marissa is quick to let herself get wrapped up in it.

Read this book. It's amazeballs.

This is certainly not my first time at the rodeo when it comes to reading a Gina Ciocca story as I loved Last Year's Mistake. Busted was certainly not a disappointment: I'm in love with Ciocca's writing style, her swoon-worthy romance, and her emphasis on friendships. Busted was simply an adorable and fun novel.

Oh, Marissa! She is just a darling. Busted begins with her catching a cheater in the act and the story evolves from there. Because maybe, just maybe, catching cheaters is her calling. What I liked most about Marissa was how enigmatic her character was - she was both steadfast in her principles but also flawed to a tee. And that, my friends, is what makes wonderful main character. The choices she's confronted with, along with the decisions she has to make, are the main reasons the stakes in this story exist in the first place.

Hooked from the first page, Marissa is a girl's girl. She has the most magnificent friendships with Charlie and Mindy that it's easy to see how the balance of the universe begins to shift when her old friend Kendall enters the picture. A mystery begins to unravel as soon as Kendall enters the picture because she gets wind that Marissa is a grade-A sleuth who happens to have a knack for catching cheaters. The main objective: catch her boyfriend in the act of cheating.

But who is the subject? None other than a new-to-her-high-school boy named TJ, who just happens to be a guy after Marissa's own heart as they share several things in common, including a major passion. And that's when things really get interesting because the subject of her investigation may be the same person Marissa is falling for in the end. But can he be trusted?

This book took some major twists and turns and it's hard to divulge too much as the subtle mystery throughout adds to the drama and the excitement. In the end, I was happy about the outcome and unfolding that occurred along the way, and despite it all, I'm elated that strong female friendships are still making its way, front and center, into YA fiction. Charlie was my second favorite character in this story.

As always, happy reading!

Busted follows Marisa, a high school teen who unintentionally gets herself into the business of spying on her classmate's significant others. She starts off my following her best friend's boyfriend when she sees him hanging out with a girl that's not her best friend; word gets around about what she did, and other people are starting to ask her to follow their significant other. As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I HAD to read it, it sounded like so much fun. Once I got into the book, I was surprised that the spying on other people's boyfriend's was only a small part of the book and that there is so much more going on in the story!

"I hadn't realized how much I wanted him to be different from other guys I was asked to investigate. How much I needed him to be the exception to the rule."

I read reviews were people compare this book to Veronica Mars, but I think it's more like the book Love, Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout. Three girls find out they're dating the same guy so they decide get revenge on him and then open up their own business to get revenge/give relationship advice/and become matchmakers for their peers.

This book was such a quick read fore me because it was so entertaining, and there is somewhat of a mystery element which meant I couldn't put down the book until I figure out what happened. The "mystery" wasn't difficult to guess, but I was so invested in finding out how everything would be tied together.

My favorite part of the whole book is definitely the relationship Marisa has with her brother Nick. I don't see many YA books where siblings have a close bond, but in Busted they hang out with each other, stand up for each other, and actually like one another! There is one part of the story where Nick has a crush on one of her friends, and instead of making a big deal about it or treating it like a taboo subject (which happens in SO MANY BOOKS), the siblings talk and laugh about it, and Marisa even tries to give her brother advice.

"I knew you were up to something when Mom told me you were staying home, so I faked sick too."

Parts of the story were little over dramatic and unrealistic, but it was such a fun book to read, that it was easy for me to put aside these issues and enjoy the book. I do wish there was more parental involvement in the book though. At times I forgot the characters were in high school because there was such a lack of parental figures, and then was surprised when they showed up and did something parent-y.

Overall Busted was a fun book that I definitely recommend if you want something fun and easy to read that won't take too much time.

"Apparently I'd become a spy service and a chauffeur service, all wrapped up in one big, loser package."


Marisa starts a whole new free career when she finds her best friends boyfriend with a different girl. From there, things start escalating fast once an old friend/enemy comes back into Marisa's life and talks her into doing the same for her as well. This brings out a lot of old feelings for Marisa and with already struggling to get over her ex who never gave her a real reason for breaking up, she is curious about a lot of things.

Marisa's brother Nick was such a good sibling and even though he was annoying at times I really liked their friendships.

Mindy and Charlie are her best friends and they were both involved a lot even with going to different schools! Finally, a YA book that has normal and healthy friendships!



"You don't get it, Jordan. You never will... You don't worry that the grass is greener in every goddamn yard but your own. You put her first once in a while instead of always thinking about yourself all. The Fucking Time."


Jordan to me was the typical ex-boyfriend that gave mixed signals and just left without a reason.

I loved Marisa's friendship with TJ and even though I wasn't really liking how it started, I liked how they really got along and it just felt right for a change. (yes some shady stuff happens at times, but that's real life when your spying.)



"He didn't get me into this mess. I did. I did this all by my own stupid self."


Overall I really liked this book. Not only was it a fun/quick read, but it also really felt like a real high school book for a change. I also really liked a majority of the characters for a change as well, even the shady ones that I know we technically weren't supposed to like. Marisa's spy service was really interesting to me and how it wasn't some huge thing but instead was kept simple by her. I also really liked how crafty she was. That's not something I remember reading in a ya book before, and I liked how it wasn't some big deal either, it was something she enjoyed doing and her friends/family liked it as well.



I am so glad I went outside of my comfort zone with this contemporary read. I can't wait to see what Ciocca writes next!



(can we just talk about Kendall though, girls got some serious problems when it comes to competitiveness. Just wow...)

Marissa is this creative teenager with a heart for helping out her friends and sticking up for them. Little did she know the impact she had after catching her friend Charlie's date cheating on her and capturing it for the world to see. News of her investigative skills reached her school and into the ears of her former childhood friend Kendall, sparking a chain of events that I did not see coming.
The story starts out innocent then spirals into a mystery and reminded me like a hit CW show, in a fantastic way! Marissa begins her case for Kendall by following her friend's boyfriend, T.J.. As she begins to follow him, she begins to get to know him on the side, discovering they both have a similar love for creating things for others like paintings, bracelets, pins, and belts. Although there may be those similarities, they are linked by a deep mystery that rocks both of their worlds.
Marissa's best friend, Charlie, is accused to stealing test answers and selling them throughout her high school which risks her scholarship and future. The more Marisa investigates Charlie's case, the more she realizes T.J. may possibly be involved....or is he?
I could not get enough of this book! The pacing was quite fast and there was never a dull moment amongst these characters. The chemistry is off the charts, the dialogue is informative and very hilarious at times, and the premise of the book is merely scratching the surface.
Oh, and the banter between Nick, Charlie, and Marissa is PERFECT! They are officially my current favorite YA literary group. I could never get enough of their interactions together. If there would ever be a sequel - please let it be about Nick and Charlie!

DNF 38% - I did not find the main character likable or relatable. I honestly couldn't understand why she was still so hung up on her ex and I didn't understand why she wanted to preserve her friendship with Kendall (who was horrible and abusive). Overall, I was just not impressed and didn't care how the story ended.

All you want out of contemporary YA. Secrets and high school drama are all over Marisa and she's quick to let it all wrap around her.

Between the new boy she's interested in and this new gig she's found herself uncovering cheaters, Marisa definitely has her hands full.

I really loved how loyal Marisa was to her friends but at time it was almost detrimental to her. Kendall is shady from the very beginning but Marisa is constantly giving her the benefit of the doubt. She has no interest in her previous boyfriend, but she still wants him to like her and be friends with her.

The secrets and mysteries will keep you guessing as new characters and suspects are introduced. I definitely loved this part of the story and felt like it added so much to the regular high school drama. It'll certainly keep you on the edge of your seat and you will not want to put it down until you get to the bottom of everything.

Now, I’ve been trying to broaden my reading horizons, so I thought I’d give this book a go since I don’t typically go for thrillers. After that book though, I’ve decided to stay away from thrillers, at least for a while… I’m not trying to judge one genre based on one book (although this book did have a role to play in my decision), but after trying to read a couple of thrillers, I just feel that the genre isn’t for me.

Don’t get me wrong; the book had a super interesting plot with the amount of stuff going on! Just when you thought the book was going one way, it uproots you when it goes in a totally different direction! Honestly, by midpoint, I was 100% invested in finding out what was going on. I just didn’t agree with how Marisa, the protagonist, handled it. At. All. However, it did take a little while for me to get interested, since the beginning was a bit boring with all the setup. Oh, and by the end, when the mystery was solved, I didn’t really care for the story anymore. I was just ready for it to be over. But the middle was spectacular in terms of plot.

The characters, though, are another story… Like I said before, I couldn’t believe how Marisa handled things. And I’m not talking about a couple mistakes; more like a mistake every couple of pages! For someone who knows about the power of information, she sure likes to reveal her hand to people before it’s necessary, ruining the impact it might have had otherwise. Sure, there were some things that she couldn’t have possibly guessed would have happened, but a lot of the time, it was Marisa’s insistence in digging deeper and not learning from her mistakes that made me not care for her as a character, let alone the protagonist who gave readers the lay of the land. I honestly took everything she said with a grain of salt…

Well, that’s all I have to say on Busted by Gina Ciocco. While I did find it an interesting read, I wish its protagonist had developed a bit more… But if you’re searching for a good book, plot-wise, then look no further!