Catching cheaters and liars is a lucrative hobby―until you fall for one of the suspects. Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, this new novel from the author of Last Year's Mistake will steal your heart!
Marisa never planned to be a snoop for hire. It wasn't like she wanted to catch her best friend's boyfriend making out with another girl. But as her reputation for sniffing out cheaters spreads all over school, Marisa finds herself the reluctant queen of busting two-timing boys.
And her next case? It's for ex-frenemy Kendall. She's convinced her boyfriend, TJ, has feelings for someone else and persuades Marissa to start spying on him. But the more Marisa gets to know sincere and artistic TJ, the more she starts to fall for him. Worse yet, the feelings seem to be mutual. Marisa knows she needs to give up her investigation―and the spoken-for guy who may just be the love of her life. Then she uncovers new secrets about Kendall and TJ, secrets that take "cheater" to a whole new level...
Review:
I've been dying to read Gina Ciocca's Busted ever since I first saw the Veronica Mars comparison. Veronica Mars is one of my favorite TV shows so any book that could potentially life up to that level of awesomeness is a book I need in my possession. Plus sleuthing in general is just a instant-sell for me. I'll never be a detective, or even a pseudo-detictive like Marisa, so I have to live vicariously.
The Result? I liked Busted, but I didn't love it. Maybe I had too high of expectations, but I was left wanting more.
I liked Marisa. She was driven, sweet, and a good friend. Seriously, most friends would never go as far as to to climb the lattice of a house to catch a potentially cheating boyfriend in the act. She's someone you'd want on your side for sure! Additionally, I appreciated that she was always willing to give people a second chance. There's no way I would've taken someone like Kendall under my wing again, but Marisa always tried to see the good in everyone, no matter how hard it may have been.
I also liked Charlie, Marisa's best friend, and TJ, Kendall's boyfriend and Marisa's potential love interest.
I feel as if Charlie was always the one to bring Marisa back to Earth. She's the kind of friend who tells you that you need to calm down and/or take a break. However, I wasn't always fond of the way Marisa called Charlie out for saying inappropriate things. Don't get me wrong I'm all for people speaking up when something isn't right - Charlie did say some things that pushed the limit to the extreme - but I felt like it was done in an incredibly awkward manner. It gave an after-school special feel rather than a casual one.
TJ was super sweet. I especially loved when Marisa brought out his nerdy side. Marisa and him also had decent chemistry. I wasn't always fond of the way they came about - Marisa investigating him for Kendall - but I did like them together.
For the most part I enjoyed the plot. Busted contains two large mysteries - what TJ's up too as well as a cheating scandal involving Charlie. I'm all for the dramatics, but sometimes I felt that the TJ mystery was just a tad bit too much for me. Kendall often made a mountain out of a molehill when it came to him, growing suspicious about almost everything he did, and honestly, I feel as if you have that little of trust in your boyfriend, you shouldn't be with him. I will admit, however, that it was important for the overall picture so I could see why Gina made it the way it was. I really liked the cheating scandal mystery though. It provided some interesting twists and turns, and while I figured out a solid chunk of it before the big reveal, there were still some surprising details thrown in.
Despite my issues, I still recommended Busted to readers who like mystery, romance, and some pretty large twists. I also look forward to reading more by Gina.
3 stars!!
Busted is now out!
Source: eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley - thanks Sourcebooks!
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I just got this one on audio and Im kinda bummed you didnt love it. I hope I still like it.
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