Busted was a fantastic read. I got so invested in the story that I had to finish it as soon as I could because I just needed to know what happens next.

Like any good friend, Marisa has her best friend Charlotte's back. So when she catches her friend's boyfriend with another girl, she will do anything to snap a picture of him in the act to prove to her best friend that he is a cheater. When news gets around about what Marisa did for her best friend, other girls want in, and Marisa becomes Reverse Cupid, private investigator. But when an old friend hires her to spy on her boyfriend, Marisa can't help but catch feelings for the supposed cheater. Can Marisa bust her old friends cheater, before someones busts her?

Going into this book, I was a bit worried that it would be predictable and have lots of cliches, but I was happily surprised about how this book ended turning out. This book deals with a lot of different issues, other than just falling in love with a boy you're not supposed to. It also focuses on issues like online bullying, friendship, family, college, and cheating (not only on your significant other, but also in school).

Marisa was a fantastic main character. She is brave, smart, down to earth and extremely friendly. She has really great friends, and will do anything to keep them. You know her friendship is real because her and her friends don't get in little fights, they are quick to see each other's point of view and make up. Her relationship with her family is also very important, she has a fantastic relationship with her brother, and it was so lovely to read a book where the brother and sister are friends rather than enemies for once. We didn't get to see to much of her mother and father, but when we did she was very polite and kind to them as well. The thing I loved most about Marisa is that while she was very smart and got accepted to a better school, her parents afford to send her there, yet Marisa didn't hold a grudge or didn't act like a spoiled brat. Sure she was disappointed, but she understood why. It is so wonderful to see such a capable character who is also understanding of her parents. There were times where Marisa's character was a bit naive, but by the end of the book she definitely learned her lesson, making her an even better character all together.

The plot of this story mostly focuses around the mystery aspect of trying to catch the 'cheater' and later on about catching the person who framed Marisa's best friend. So if you're not really into a mystery read, then there wont be too much action for you until the very end of the book. While I enjoyed it, I know a few people might not.

Other than the slow beginning, the only thing I didn't like about the book was that it left me with questions about what happens after the book ends. A lot of the focus of the book was Marisa writing an essay about her experience to get a scholarship that could send her to her college of choice, since her parents cant afford to send her there. But we end the book shortly after Marisa submits the essay, and we never find out if she got the scholarship, or if she got to go to her college of choice. While its not a huge deal, the book does focus on college a bit, and it seemed weird not to include if she got in or not.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to all YA contemporary and mystery fans. This will be a cute and short read that you will definitely enjoy. I cant wait to read future books from this author.

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun YA read. Busted was full of mystery and romance. I just loved Marisa and TJ together. They were adorable. I would definitely recommend this book to the YA readers out there!

marisa has boundless curiosity coupled with a strong sense of moral outrage. when she catches her best friend's boyfriend kissing another girl she gets the evidence and shares the info. when her former bff/frenemy kendall hears about this, she decides to recruit marisa into spying on her boyfriend tj.

even though most people in marisa's life are against her reconnecting with kendall, marisa also has a lot of empathy and is willing to give people second chances even if they aren't deserved.

one of my favorite things about busted, is that even as you know that marisa isn't working with the full story, you get where she is coming from. so when she makes mistakes and misjudges situations you can't help but forgive her because it all comes from a good place. she is so darn likable.

as marisa gets mixed up with kendall, tj and templeton school politics, she realizes that there is way more going on beneath the surface. and as she works everything out, she finds herself falling for the one guy she shouldn't, but who is also possibly her perfect match. this story was funny and sweet and fast-paced and surprising. i loved the little bit of mystery and drama, it added something more to the relationships, both the friendships and the romances.

**busted published on january 2, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/sourcebooks fire in exchange for my honest review.

Busted had an almost Veronica Mars feel to it. Marisa initially just wanted to do what she could to help a friend but when word spread it became bigger than she could have imagined. I didn't love Marisa. I found her to be far too gullible for someone that is supposed to be jaded by her past experiences with friends and ex-boyfriends. I feel like she should have been able to see what was right in front of her face the whole time.
I thought that the story was predictable. I saw everything that was revealed from a mile away. I wasn't surprised by anything that happened because I felt that the author made everything too obvious. I would have liked for Gina Ciocca to hint about things like pasts with other characters more so than doing things this way.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I will updated my review once my post goes live on my blog but this book was amazing! I have read the authors other book and liked it but this one takes the cake! Wish I had a physical ARC for my collection.

I would rate this a 2.5/2.75. I was excited to read this because of the Veronica Mars comparisons, and while it wasn't the best book it was a quick read. I enjoyed the friendship between Charlie and Marissa, but the rest of the elements were just ok. I think it was too much of this Unrealistic high school drama and I am just way past that. While I did read this in a day I felt like the story was way too long and could do with 100 less pages. I saw the twist at the end coming a mile away and found Marissa to be annoying most of the time and many of her actions questionable. Overall, it was just an alright read I would have liked to see more of the investigation element and more girl power instead of hate...
I received an ARC of this book via net galley in exchange for a honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. While I don't think it adds anything unique or extraordinary to the genre, it was a fun and entertaining read. I did guess pretty much everything that would happen, but what I didn't guess did make the book more of a mystery and intriguing. This isn't just about catching cheating boyfriends.

That being said, I loved the concept of this book. I'm a huge fan of teen PIs, like Veronica Mars. Now, Marisa isn't that into the detective thing and it seems like most of her work just falls into her lap, but she does do work, she tries, branches out from just catching cheaters. Honestly, I would have loved to see more spying and case-solving, but that isn't really what the book is about.

I really liked some of the characters and felt that they worked well together. Nick, as a younger brother character, is charming and I love how they don't hate each other. He is a cutie. Although, he did have a few quirks I disliked. I really liked TJ and thought he and Marisa made an awesome pair.

So, on to the romance. It totally worked for me. There is even plausible reasons and time for the couples to come to like each other. It was delightful to read. ALL THE POINTS FOR A BOOK WITH REASONS FOR A COUPLE TO LIKE EACH OTHER! The relationships were good too. Marisa isn't jealous of Mindy and Charlie's relationship and she calls Charlie out on her behavior, and she accepts it. Marisa trusts her friends (and brother) and so healthy. I loved it. Maybe it felt awkward at times but *shrug* for the most part it felt pretty real to me.

One part I didn't like so much was how someone would say something and everyone would laugh like it was funny... when I didn't see how it was funny. Those are moments when I feel more confused or am pulled out of the book. Besides that, the writing is pretty well done.

Thanks to an unforeseen opportunity, Marisa finds herself a private investigator of sorts. She goes from being a regular teenager focused on graduating from high school getting into college to a girl who catches cheating boyfriends.

She didn't ask for this gig, and she isn't even sure she wants to see it through. Former friend-turned-frenemy Kendall asks her to find out what's going on with her boyfriend, and Marisa can't say no. Not because she cares all that much about Kendall, but more out of guilt.

In fact, guilt turns out to be a mighty motivator for some of the characters in this book.

An interesting guilt that emerges is the one Marisa feels about TJ, Kendall's erstwhile boyfriend. Marisa is starting to like him In That Way, and this, of course, makes her a tad skittish about the whole "is he a cheater or not" thing.

As a book about high school friendships and dating shenanigans, this one sets a steady pace and tells a good story. Gina Ciocca writes a pretty solid heroine in Marisa. You may not always like what she does, but you always feel as if she's a real person. Ciocca doesn't make Marisa too good or too precocious. I just loved her. I loved TJ, too. He's a steady sort of guy, if not a little bit under-developed. I wanted to know more about him.

This story, however, belongs to Marisa. The title doesn't refer to her new-found hobby so much as it refers to herself. As she helps friends find out the truth about their boyfriends, she also - unwittingly - investigates herself. No one is more "busted" than Marisa when she faces her truths.

3.5 Stars

Busted is a super cute novel with a hint of mystery. It is all about a girl who spies on her clients’ boyfriends to catch them cheating. I enjoyed the main characters, but there was not enough action, and the book falls a bit flat.

This book has a very intriguing concept. It tells the story of a girl who works to catch cheating boyfriends in the act. However, Marisa and one of the accused cheaters start to fall for each other, creating a world of drama. I enjoyed the big theme of friendship and girls supporting girls in this one. It is a pretty light read with some super cute moments, and I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a more subtle mystery.

Marisa is a pretty likeable character. What she does is good and helps her friends out, even if it is borderline stalking. She is very compassionate, and I loved how she gives each person she helps a heart pin. The fact that she is willing to help out complete strangers is so caring, even if she had no say in starting up the business. I also enjoyed TJ’s character, since he is also so thoughtful. He makes accessories out of leather, which I’ve never read in a book before. The two make a great pair, and their interactions are so natural.

My main issue with Busted is the pacing. To me, it is very slow paced, and I was expecting more action from a book with a “spy” concept. The book also strays from the original concept, and Marisa trying to find out who is helping others cheat on tests just isn’t as interesting as her busting cheating boyfriends. I feel like all the extra drama is unnecessary, and the story should have stuck to one kind of cheater.

Busted is the story of a girl who helps other girls catch their boyfriends cheating. I enjoyed the slight mystery and the kind main characters. However, the story was too slow paced for me, and I would have appreciated more excitement.

Marisa Palmera is a high-school student, crafts lover, a great friend, a sister and a daughter. She’s funny, smart, witty and absolutely loyal. What she didn’t think she’d become, however, is Marisa Palmera — Private Eye, busting cheaters and helping you move on. It all started with her wanting to help her best friend, Charlotte, and find out if her boyfriend was seeing someone else. But then things quickly get out of control as a ghost from the past, her former middle-school frenemy, Kendall Keene returns to town and seeks out Marisa’s ‘services’. While she is trying to find evidence against the boy in question, a deeper web of lies resurfaces and leaves Marisa with no choice but to clean her reputation and learn her lesson along the way.

I have to say I found the protagonists, not only likable, but also interesting. Marisa felt like the best friend I never had, she’s level-headed (as much as a teenager can be) and not afraid to follow her heart, set goals and help her friends. She’s always there for them regardless of how much they mess up. I also have to point out that she’s nothing like a big proportion of the mainstream YA female protagonists. There’s no stirred-up drama and ‘why did she do this?’ moments. I didn’t feel like yelling at the pages (not even once) in frustration towards her actions. Marisa knows her stuff and I think she’s pretty good inspiration for the young readers out there and the older ones — the girl’s braver than me, I have to take notes. The male protagonists are, well, pretty much realistic with their own good and not-so-good traits.

The novel is quite well-paced, there were no extra or fluff scenes, there was no over-the-top action. You won’t find the need to skip pages in hope of getting to something more interesting, which was honestly, a relief. There was a romantic subplot, but it won’t make you cringe (I promise). It’s not the main focus and only adds a special flavor to the main developments. Ciocca is a skilled writer without doubt and can depict the high school experience with a talented insight.

Busted is by far one of the most entertaining contemporary YA books I’ve read in the past year or two. I didn’t expect to like it as much, so it took me by surprise of how good it is. The novel stands on its own merit and is not hiding behind a big marketing campaign. Not all well-written books are the loudest ones, so I hope you’ll find it and give it a chance if you’re a fan of YA. You won’t be disappointed.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange of a fair review.

"Suspect your guy has a roaming eye? Our services are discreet, anonymous, and affordable."

After catching her best friend's boyfriend cheating, Marisa finds herself "for hire" by non other than an estranged friend that is trying to rekindle their friendship to spy her her boyfriend too. Except that now that she has gotten to spend some time with the guy, she might be falling for her mark.

The Story- So I was really glad I didn’t have to spend a majority of this book sneaking around spying on guys. As easy of a read this book was I was a little bored until about halfway through when the book resembled that of a reality TV show starring a bunch of people who were ultimately being awful to each other. The only thing that really kept me going was the drama. It was like watching a car crash.

I was honestly disappointed by the lack of consequences that seemed to affect the majority of the relationships. I mean here we have a bunch of teenagers go from immature antics to rationalization, forgiveness, and acceptances. In reality, as much as we are set up to hate the girl, I was quite concerned for the well being of the antagonist.

The Characters- I was disappointed that the relationship development wasn’t a little deeper, unfortunately the romance aspect stemmed primarily from mutual attraction and similar interests in crafty hobbies. The characters seemed rather shallow and mostly concerned with how good looking someone was and who they had or hadn’t hooked up with.

It really bothered me how focused the book was about appearance. The main character was specifically said to be five feet four and a half inches as well as 116...and still hand ample cleavage to distract boys through the book. In this day and age, I would have expected us to have moved past this sort of writing.

**Live 1/19**

I snatched this up only because it said “For fans of Veronica Mars”. Busted was not like Veronica Mars. At all.

Marissa did stalk cheaters, but it was almost against her will. There was seriously something almost oxymoronish about Busted because Marissa is ‘anti-cheater’ yet some may say she’s a borderline cheater herself. All of Marissa’s friends are jerks! Even the ‘nice’ ones were jerks. Marissa did call her friends out on it, but still. They were all vapid. I wouldn’t say it’s excessive, but it was enough to drive me nuts.

There were a couple things I thought were decently done, like how well the mystery was thought out. I felt like I’d been surprised in the end. I also enjoyed how Marissa noticed TJ’s artistic ability and personality before she noticed he was attractive. Lastly, I thought the crush Marissa’s brother had on her best friend was super cute. I almost would have preferred reading them as the main story.

Overall, I think Busted is better suited for an actual Young Adult audience, because I’m sure the things that drove me insane are real traits of real teens. This is just one case where my adult perspective pulled me out of the story.

Summary: Marisa Palmera didn’t want to be an amateur teen detective but the universe and her best friend’s boyfriend had other plans. After Marisa catches her BFF’s BF with another girl her snooping skills morph into a business. The only problem is that Marisa’s new client is her ex-BFF, Kendall, and Kendall’s cheating boyfriend might just be Marisa’s new love interest.

Review: There is a part of me that has always wanted to be super sleuth and “Busted” spoke perfectly to that part. In “Busted” we are given a sassy heroine who uses her wits to outsmart her less than brilliant classmates. Reminiscent of a classic Veronica Mars episode, our main character Marisa is put through the ringer as she tries to solve a mystery, sort out her love life, and still be a good friend. Marisa is joined on her journey of intrigue by her best friend Charlie, her brother Nick, and TJ the possible cheater/possible love all of which manage to be likable while being complex and realistic. The characters’ issues and the nuances of the mystery weave together to create an utterly satisfying conclusion.

Bottom Line: Ciocca crafted an utterly entertaining teen mystery with a dash of romance and pinch of humor that that will draw readers in from it’s excellent opening line.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Busted has everything you want from a young adult book; plenty of drama, a bit of swoon-worthy romance, a heaping pile of cuteness and friendship. Gina Ciocca has given readers a unique storyline with Busted, perfectly combining teens over-use of internet and social media with all the angst that comes from dating in high school. Main character and narrator, Marisa, is your quintessential high school student. She's trying to fit in, make good grades, participate in extra activities that will look good on her transcripts, spend time with friends, and, of course, navigate the tough world of dating. She's sweet, a bit naive, occasionally petty, and an overachiever at everything. Helping protect one friend from relationship disaster has turned into helping every girl from the same fate, but an old friend seeking to insert herself back into Maria's life may be using her for more than she realizes. She didn't plan on becoming her town's very own PI, but she embraces the role and finds herself becoming the center of her very own investigation.

"I heard you caught her boyfriend cheating."

Busted felt so much like my high school experience. At times, Marisa seemed to lack direction and focus, something that could have taken away from the book, but really felt accurate to how teenagers truly are. She placed a very high value on what others think of her, something that leads to her downfall later on and becomes a huge lesson for her. I really enjoyed the sneaking around and loved how much weight relationships had on the characters. We saw old friendships, best-friendships, the wrong kind of friendships, friends becoming something more, exes, boyfriends, siblings, parents, and everything in between. It is obvious Gina Ciocca went to great lengths to give readers a complex, character-driven novel, something I find a lot of YA novels lack.

"I only knew that it felt more like a promise than a parting of ways."

Busted might require you to write a map to get through it, but otherwise it was one of the best YA novels I have read in a while. It had just the right amount of drama, it didn't blur the lines between YA and NA, and it delivered a couple positive messages that I think youths should hear and we all can appreciate. If you're a fan of fast-paced, contemporary young adult, Busted needs to be on your TBR list.

I was really excited to read this book; I loved the detective/sleuthing angle and also the reluctant hero trope. I was a little disappointed with how it all played out in reality, however. I never fell for any of the characters or found myself rooting for any of them. I didn't particularly care if Marisa and TJ ended up together, and I felt the twists fell a little flat.

When Marisa see’s her best friend’s boyfriend buying two pints of ice cream on a night where he had canceled a date she knew he was up to no good and followed him. Little did she know that taking a picture of him cheating would turn into a new investigative career. A plot that was Veronica Mars meets Nancy Drew, Busted kept this older lady’s attention. I liked it, loved it, and wanted some more of it! Seriously!

Marisa was a likable female heroine. She had sass, empathy, and was fighting her own heartbreak which gave her the courage to fight for others. When an old friend shows up and asks for her help, she can’t turn her down and ends up getting in the middle of the drama. When she i vestigates she learns not everything is as it seems. This plot had a lot of twists and turns and even though I guessed the who dunnit, I enjoyed the ride.

The cast of characters was really what made this book fun. Her brother’s adorable crush on her best friend, her frenemy’s antics, and the possibility of a new romance? All made for good reading. The high school dramatics made me reflect back on my own days where, thank god, there was very little drama and if this is what it’s like in high school now? Wow, I’m glad those days are in the past! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

I have very mixed feelings about this.
On one hand, I know this is a nice, feel-good, contemporary novel about a girl who decides to investigate her friends’ boyfriend, to see if he’s cheating. But on the other, I felt uncomfortable at the thought that she would just stalk these guys and photograph them.
This book follows a girl named Marisa who finds her best friends boyfriend cheating on her. She never planned on catching this guy cheating, but when she does, it comes out. A bunch of girls then start asking Marisa to follow their boyfriends because they’re jealous.
This was a short and quick read, and it was, for the most part, entertaining. However, I never really fell for these characters. This book scratched the bare surface of them, and I wish we had learned more about them. Charlie, Marisa’s best friend, was annoying. She slut shames, and bullies, and yes, she is called out by Marisa for it. But I was never able to like her. Kendall, is absolutely insufferable. She manipulates Marisa the entire book, Marisa knows she’s being manipulated, and doesn’t do anything about it until the end. Everyone cheats on everyone in this book. I know from the premise I should have expected this, but for some reason I didn’t. And it came to a point where I couldn’t follow who cheated on who with who. Also, I did not like the love interest.
The plot was also lacked direction. This got pretty convoluted. Like I said, it was hard to keep track of who cheated with who. Everyone was keeping secrets from each other. There was a mystery that Marisa kept trying to solve, but was having a lot of trouble with. Everyone kept acting really sketchy. There were surprising twists, but too many. This really did feel like a soap opera. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I still fully get who was involved with the main mystery.
This book just wasn’t for me. It was bit juvenile, and there weren’t any characters that I really liked.

I really liked Gina Giocca’s debut, Last Year Mistake, and I thought she was one of those author who just write once and we never see them again. Luckily, she have a couple of upcoming books, Busted being the first one of them.

This standalone was so fun to read. Aside the misleading synopsis, this book is not the romantic drama angst I expected. It was fun, it was mysterious at some point, but above it all, it was about friendship. Which is always a win for me.

One of the most amazing thing about Busted is how I found myself completely intrigued and doubting my theories. Normally, it’s really hard for me to get surprised with this kind of books, I mean, almost always is so obvious who the one to blame is, but with Busted I just keep doubting and doubting. I mean, at the end I was right, but Gina Ciocca make me reconsider all my suspicions.

Busted was such a fun read, it talked about friendship, family, about not be able to financially support your education which was completely close to home for me, it really touched a sensible topic for me.

I can’t wait for the next Gina Ciocca book