Engaging characters made this story more fun to read. This is a good book for YA teen readers looking for a simple, fun and quick read.

Super cute and fun! Swoony romance with fast-paced, readable prose.

I am a self-professed YA contemporary romance cynic. It is so hard for me to fall in love with the genre, despite many efforts to try. I probably sound like a broken record about it actually, but...
I. Loved. This. Book.
I finished it in two days flat, barely able to put it down. The story was a fresh take on the typical high school scene and the drama that always seems to come with it. The arcs for characters are believable, relatable, and a joy to follow. The plot itself was something new and actually quite intriguing. I wasn't expecting a little bit of mystery but I'm very glad with how it all ended.
Marisa was a wonderful MC. I admired her for the things she went through, both for herself and the people around her. I related to her with the old friend showing up that you wondered how you were ever friends in the first place. The friendships she has, and the relationship with her younger brother, really help make the book. The romance was great as well. Usually, the romance is what turns me off in this genre. The girl always does or says such stupid things that make me think she is naive or the boy does all this cheesy stuff that would have made me throw up if it had happened to me. Not the case here, so thank you Ciocca! I might even buy it when it does come out.

I kind of went into Busted expecting it to be Veronica Mars meets YA. It wasn’t exactly that. There are obviously the Veronica Mars overlaps in that Marissa is taking sneaky photos, following people around, and going on stakeouts. But if I’m honest, Marissa is just not a very good detective. By the end of the novel, didn’t feel like she had really figured much out on her own. Sure, she finds out her best friend’s boyfriend is cheating on her during the first chapter. But that’s about the extent of it. Whatever is discovered throughout the rest of the novel is less to Marissa’s credit, and much more to other people’s credit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that Marissa does nothing, but she just didn’t feel pro-active enough in the mystery for anyone to give Veronica Mars a run for her money.

I did like Marissa overall as a character. She was a good balance between compassionate and ‘doesn’t-take-any-crap.’ That being said, sometimes it felt like Ciocca wasn’t sure where Marissa stood on things. She would change her mind about a character or situation within the space of a few sentences. While I understood what Ciocca was trying to achieve – Marissa’s own confusion about said character or situation – I don’t think it was done with a lot of depth.

The writing was fine, but a bit annoying at times. Ciocca had a habit of recapping things that had just happened. Or asking way too many rhetorical questions that were supposed to make us go – look, Marissa is detecting! – but just made me feel annoyed.

Overall, Busted was a fun read. I’d recommend it if you’re looking to read something quick and light.

I really really enjoyed this book! The main character Marisa was so likable you can’t help but to root for her throughout the book. One of the things I liked most about this book was all of Marisa’s relationships. She has some really great friends, a close relationship with her brother, and she tries to help people because she’s generally a nice person. Her relationship with TJ is so sweet and is very believable. You really do hope they wind up together. There was a lot going on in this book, but it all tied together really well from cheating, to spying, relationships blooming, and an old frenemy coming back into the picture. This book had me flipping quickly through the pages and even though it was a little predictable at times, there was still a lot that was a mystery and it was extremely entertaining.