A quick and enjoyable read! The plot synopsis had me intrigued from the beginning and it was thoroughly entertaining all the way through.

As a huge fan of Veronica Mars, when I saw the comparison's from that series to this book I was very interested. Having now read Busted by Gina Ciocca I would say that it's not exactly the same, but it's up the same alley.

The story follows Marisa as she becomes popular for hunting down boys that are cheating on their girls. Does she want this job? Not really. She just kind of gets suckered into it. However, she is decent at it and she finds herself in one situation she did not thing she would. Falling for a guy that was not hers to fall for and dealing with crazy teenage girls.

The first half of the book was good, but didn't move as fast as I'd liked. I felt it drew out and there was a lot going on. But quickly I found that all those things going on slowly started clicking together to form a more cohesive story with a focus. I love Marisa. She was your average teenage girl with boy problems, homework problems, Friday night football games, and parents. While being average, she is nothing but! Accidentally getting wrapped in a spy-for-hire gig to help an old "friend", this book is packed with something for everyone. I loved TJ as well. He was someone I would hang out with. The two of them were instantly a pair I could see getting together. They were such well developed characters, which made this story so much better to read. Ciocca writing style made the story flow well. There were no choppy endings or cliffhangers that weren't story lines welcomed back in the next chapter. All the supporting characters where well developed and added something to the story.

I also was pleased with the lack of down time in this story. In many novels you find chapters filled with information that comes across as space fillers. Busted didn't have those. Every chapter had pertinent information that lead to filling in the story and bringing it to a peak and wrapping up at the end. I loved this book and anyone who enjoys easy reads with a bit of mystery and romance should pick up this book. You won't regret it.

In “Busted”, Gina Ciocca’s newest novel, the main character Marisa coincidentally catches her best friend’s boyfriend making out with another girl. Actually, she didn’t plan on ever catching a cheater again but when her ex-frenemy Kendall asks her to spy on her boyfriend, Marisa just can’t say no. But what happens when she realizes that she’s slowly but surely falling for the guy she’s spying on and that he’s falling for her as well?

When I first read the synopsis of ‘Busted’, I was immediately intrigued by it and knew that I definitely had to read this book. It’s a beautiful young adult romance book and if you’re looking for a quick and enjoyable read, you should definitely give this one a try.

The novel has a very entertaining plot and there were no unnecessary, protracted parts that could’ve bored me. I also really liked the characters and Gina Ciocca’s writing style. This was the first one of her books I’ve read, but I’m sure it wasn’t the last one.

The only “negative” think I can say about “Busted” is that it definitely reminded me of some other young adult books I’ve read and so it’s probably not a book that will absolutely blow your mind. But like I said, I still really enjoyed reading “Busted” and I decided to give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I loved this book. It was like Harriet the Spy meets Nancy Drew with a little love story mixed in. I honestly wanted to read this book based on the premise of the above...and did it ever deliver :-) The writing was delightful. The character progression was incredibly well done. I loved the whole thing. I will put up a full review closer to release date.

I love a good YA contemporary. They're fun, quick reads with relatable characters and relevant plots. Busted by Gina Ciocca was no exception. Busted follows Marisa, a high school student who catches her best friend's boyfriend cheating. But once word gets around as to what she's done, she accidentally goes from an everyday student to Marisa, cheater buster and sleuth extraordinaire.

When Marisa's old frenemy Kendall solicits Marisa's help in catching a cheater of her own, drama brews as Marisa starts to fall for TJ, the boy Kendall wants her to track. Trouble brews when Kendall discovers that TJ feels the same about Marisa, and sets out to ruin her by exposing her private eye secret. But Kendall doesn't know that Marisa may know a secret about her as well. All this coupled with some additional academic drama makes for a quality contemporary and a really fun read. How far is Marisa willing to go to expose the real truth, and who is she willing to take down with her?

This was a fast-paced story that I devoured quickly. There were never lulls in the plot, and I thought all the characters added something to the story. It also really made me want a leather bracelet like the ones TJ makes! The cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous, but I think it is a little misleading. An image from Marisa's website might have been a better, more fitting option.

When I read books about high schoolers, I always wonder why everyone has oblivious parents who can't spot an obvious lie. I know when I was in high school, my parents were always ON IT when it came to knowing whether or not I was telling the truth. Aside from a few unrealistic scenes, I really enjoyed this read and think it would be a great choice for any fan of YA contemporary!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Busted by Gina Ciocca hits shelves this coming January, so be sure to pre-order a copy! Thanks so much to SOURCEBOOKS Fire for granting me early digital access to this fantastic read!

Lacking in some areas but still a fun read

3 stars, this was an enjoyable book I just didn't love it like I did Last Year's Mistake.

Marissa falls into a job catching cheating boyfriends and finds herself becoming interested in TJ who she is spending most of her time watching. Marissa was easy to like and TJ was the sweetest, I liked him right away. It lost me a little in the middle I must admit, I feel like there were a few too many twists and turns, but it wrapped up nicely and I was happy to have finished!

I think it's a great option for a quick light read.

Actual stars: 3.5 - I really enjoyed it this one..
This was a fun read. The author did a great job capturing dialog that felt real and authentic.
The whole test scandal lost me a bit with all of it's twists and turns and who was doing what, but it didn't ruin the story for me. All-in-all, this was a light, easy read. Perfect for readers who just want to check-out for a while and enjoy a fun rom/com type story.

I really enjoyed this book! Full of mystery and great relationships, Ciocca creates a likeable character in Marisa. with good intentions, Marisa finds herself catching some cheaters in action, one of them being her best friends boyfriend. This leads Marisa to make a bit of a name for herself regarding her skill set. When a ex friend returns to town and asks for her help in figuring out what is up with her boyfriend, Marisa reluctantly decided to help, but she doesn't expect to fall for the object of her new job. This story has so many different twists and turns and at the center of it all is Marisa, trying to figure out how to do the right thing when her feelings are trying to force her to do what may be the wrong thing. This was a fun read and I already preordered a copy for my classroom!

The writing of this book was great: it was a nice, quick read with an easy to follow, creative storyline (that seems to weave multiple plots together) and ultimately I recommend reading it. The characters were a little two dimensional, didn't develop too much (which, in a YA novel, isn't too huge of a deal in my opinion), and sometimes weren't very likable. However, my problem with the book is the description of it. I don't feel like it accurately represents what the story is. Marisa stumbles into being a PI who catches boyfriends cheating. She gets hired by her ex-frenemy who's moved back to town and thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her. While getting close to said boyfriend, TJ, (who happens to also have a class with Marisa), it's discovered that Marisa's best friend Charlie is being accused of stealing answer keys and altering grades at her fancy school (which frenemy goes to and TJ used to go to). This is where the real plot begins. I felt like the story really centered around clearing Charlie's name and everything attached to that, and not the is-my-boyfriend-cheating-on-me thing. Regardless of what the true plot is, there IS a great story that's told in there. But it's multiple stories. I do recommend that you read it, just go into it knowing that the book jacket description is only a small part of the true story.
I was given a free ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Marisa becomes an amateur private detective after she catches her best friends' boyfriend cheating. She is hired by an old friend, Kendell, to investigate her boyfriend, TJ. The more Marisa gets to know TJ, the more she likes him and then starts to develop feelings for him. She feels horrible about it, but things aren't what they seem.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the artistic aspect with TJ's leather work and the pins that Marisa made.

Thank you for the ARC.

Cute book, with a lot of little twists and turns in the plot. It seemed surprising that the protagonist really seemed to want to trust a frenemy who (big surprise!) was just really an enemy, but I will admit I wasn't always sure of how the plot would end.

It has been a long, loooooong time since I last finished reading a book in one day, and Busted was the one that finally cracked me after a while, even with responsibilities the whole afternoon. Busted was written in such a way that it was addicting and hard to put down, and I couldn't stop even when my brain nagged at me to do homework. I'm not a fan of mysteries, but the hint of a little mystery in this book was just perfect to make the book addicting.

Busted is a short and quick read, and I loved how invested I was in the story. My absolute favorite things about this book are the friendship and family dynamics. For the friendship, I loved how Marisa and Charlie could talk to each other honestly, to the point that Marisa called out Charlie for being judgemental, and Charlie apologizing instead of getting mad like most people would be. I just loved how they could talk everything out with respect, and not with the tone of blame. For the family, I loved how Charlie could freely talk to her mother about things, and how her brother is actually an accomplice instead of the enemy.

On the other hand, I felt like sometimes the story seemed to lack direction and objective because it was just snaking its way through everything without a clear path. Sometimes it felt like reading in circles. It also dragged on a little bit for some of the parts. I don't know why I felt this way towards the book, and I really can't explain it in words, but that was what was on my mind while reading it.

The major issue I have with this book is the lack of connection with any of the characters. This is the reason why, although I enjoyed the book, I couldn't give it a rating higher than 3.5 stars. I just didn't feel anything for the characters, and I absolutely dislike the love interest. For me, TJ is sketchy af, and I just didn't really feel that he liked Charlie honestly. Maybe in the start but then towards the end it seemed like he didn't care about Charlie, and even supported her flirting with another guy. Shouldn't he be at least a teeny tiny bit jealous or protective? I don't know, I just didn't like him overall.

To wrap things up, I really enjoyed this quick and addicting read, although I couldn't give it a higher rating because I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

"Busted" is a really fun YA detective fiction. Marisa is a budding journalist and high schooler who is hoping to get into a great college (although they are often expensive). When she is out and sees her BFF's canceled date buying ice cream her BFF (Charlie) would hate, she follows him and catches him making out with another girl. As the story gets around, a former friend, Kendall, asks for her help to figure out what her boyfriend is up to. Thus begins the tale of Busted. The comparison to Veronica Mars felt particularly apt, as Marisa doesn't just tail potential cheaters, but she also is investigating a cheating scandal at Charlie's school to clear Charlie's name.

Things spiral out of control as the investigations and mysteries heat up- and the book becomes impossible to put down. The high school drama (with relationships, budding friendships, etc.) is also top-notch in this book, and I found it all delightful. This was a delicious read that I absolutely devoured quickly- I could definitely see this becoming a must-watch TV series and/or movie. The characters were all so fun and mostly easy to like (Charlie and Marisa's brother were stand-out side characters), and I really hope this book gets a sequel or two. I'd love to follow more of Marisa's investigations!

Overall, this was a delightful and fast-paced detective-style novel with plenty of drama and clues/steps to keep the reader guessing the whole way through. I absolutely recommend it to any fans of Veronica Mars and YA fiction! Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I personally, identified with this book. The way the story is written is just so easy and simple to read. I enjoyed every minute of the book! I spent hours eating popcorn and having a cup of coffee with my Kindle on my lap.

Marisa Palmera is just a normal girl, she likes to write and take pictures since she is in the yearbook workshop. She did not know, one day, her profession could change drastically. She went from writing normal, student stories, to exposing cheaters since a friend requested her "services".

I have been wanting to read this book since I first saw the cover, I thought it sounded amazing and since I love Contemporary books with all my heart, I immediately added it to my TBR <3
Busted is about how the life of the MC, Marissa, changes when she discovers her best friend´s boyfriend cheating on her and how her old best friend - who always competed against her, Kendall - comes back into her life and asks her to spy her boyfriend who apparently is cheating on her. WHOA!!! I know right? Things start to complicate because T.J, Kendall´s boyfriend, starts to fall in love with Marissa!!!! And to be honest they are perfect for each other, they love the same things and THEY ARE JUST PERFECT ;D Also T.J?!?! *ALL THE SWOONS*
What I really like about this book is that it was very original. I have never read a book like this one before and that definitely made me want to read it even more. I thought it sounded super original and unique.
This story is a frenemies-to-friends-to-enemies story that has some consequences at the end. And that is because of the pressure of being perfect. Kendall wasn't my favorite character, she did some things to prove she was better than anyone else and she didn´t care if someone else was blamed for what she did. BUT, I have to say I didn't like how some of the girls used to make Kendall feel, I felt bad for her :(
My other favorite ship of this book was definitely Marissa´s brother and her best friend. They were so cute together and I liked how he wore his heart on his sleeve. If the author writes a book about them, I would definitely read it! But let´s not forget T.J ok? He was in love with Marissa, but I felt bad about how he felt they were using him :(
Busted was a very quick read for me, I read it in a day! So if you are looking for a mysterious, swoony, fun and intriguing book, you should definitely check this one out. The writing style of the author was amazing, I really couldn´t put the book down once I started to read it, I hope you guys like it when you read it!

I have to say, I really loved this book. Which is surprising to me because lately YA books haven't been doing it for me.

The blurb doesn't describe this book all that well. Marisa really only snoops on one boy, TJ, after she catches her friends boyfriend initially and that was done pretty reluctantly. I definitely wouldn't go into this expecting too much of a Veronica Mars type of book.

I loved all the characters in this book, even the ones we're meant to hate. Everyone had very dynamic personalities and were well developed- even the secondary characters. Marisa's relationships with her family and friends were very refreshing. She had a best friend who never back stabbed or doubted her, she had a brother who annoyed her but she loved anyway and who loved her in return, and she had parents that were always 100% supportive. It's nice to read all that in a YA book because I think it sets a better example for younger kids.

The progression of Marisa and TJ's friendship was perfectly done. It felt right for the age range they are supposed to be in and it didn't feel overly mature. I liked that it took Marisa a while to get over Jordan and that she didn't always make the right choices in regards to him. Most 17 year olds learn the hard way that exes can be manipulative when they think you've moved on, so it's nice to see Marisa make similar mistakes.

Kendall was a bitch and I liked the Marisa and her friends didn't always buy into her antics. They did sometimes, but not every time. One of the biggest things I can say in the book is that the maturity levels were very realistic. The kids weren't overly mature and they weren't overly immature. I definitely liked the twist at the end of this book. I kind of saw it coming, but there was a bit of it I wasn't entirely expecting.

Overall, I do recommend this book. If you're in the market for a really cute, really engaging YA book, this is definitely a book to pick up. I will read more of Gina Ciocca's books if they're all like this.

I thought that this was a fast cute young adult romance. Marisa accidently finds herself at the back end of camera finding proof of cheating partners, well not everything is as it seems. When one of the boys she is supposed to spy on ends up being some one she does not want to follow. what happens, will she try and free herself from the responsibility or will she realize he wasn't the person she thought he was. There are some bumps along the way for Marisa but with friends it might all work out. Thank you NetGalley and Gina Ciocca for allowing me to read this ARC and write a honest review.

I found this novel to be a fun quick read that I read in one setting. A lovely relatable read that is written so beautifully that it was hard to put down.

Please note: I received a copy of BUSTED from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here’s why:

BUSTED (love the title) is one of those stories that just captivates you from the get-go. Marisa is a wonderfully written character who is resilient and strong. She’s realistic and I found myself rooting for her from the very start. Friendships are hard to navigate when you’re still trying to figure out who you are, what you want from life, and what’s the best way to figure out both. I found Ms. Ciocca’s writing and her well-developed characters so enjoyable that I had a hard time putting down the book! It’s the perfect mix of friends, romance, and a hint of mystery all wrapped up in a coming of age story with a big red bow. If you love good writing and fantastic characters, this book is for you. Highly recommend.