BOOK REVIEW | Busted by Gina Ciocca

Title: Busted
Author: Gina Ciocca
Series? No, YA contemporary standalone
Pages: 352
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: I received a galley of Busted via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. :) Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks!

Marisa wasn’t planning to be a snoop for hire—until she accidentally caught her best friend’s boyfriend making out with another girl. Now her reputation for sniffing out cheaters has spread all over school, and Marisa finds herself the reluctant queen of busting two-timing boys.

But when ex-frenemy Kendall asks her to spy on her boyfriend, TJ, Marisa quickly discovers the girl TJ might be falling for is Marisa herself. And worse yet? The feelings are quickly becoming mutual. Now, she’s stuck spying on a “mystery girl” and the spoken-for guy who just might be the love of her life…

Goodreads

Hi everyone! So I actually read Busted quite a while back (in Janurary!), so this review won't be as detailed as I want to be. While I still remember most of the novel, just be prepared for some vague sentiments. :) 

Busted follows our main character, Marisa. In the beginning of the book, Marisa catches her best friend's boyfriend cheating. After news breaks out that Marisa caught him, another girl approaches Kendall and asks her to investigate her boyfriend, TJ. Kendall was one of Marisa's close friends when they were younger, (the book is set during high school) but fell out of touch. They have a rocky friendship, and as Marisa tries to get information about TJ, she realizes that she is developing feelings for him. 

So, Marisa is caught in quite a tricky situation! TJ doesn't seem like he's cheating on Kendall, who is supposedly Marisa's friends. This results in a shit ton of drama, which I really enjoyed. I read the majority of this book during the weekend, and it was the perfect mindless read. Sometimes what I need is a book that just completely immerses me and takes my mind off of my stressful responsibility-full life. Busted achieved that, and it exactly the book I needed to read.   

This book literally had me rolling around in my bed in frustration, in the best way possible. Right once the couple of the story would get together, everything went wrong again! I absolutely loved the way Ciocca kept building the tension, and it made the ending of the novel so rewarding. While at times it was frustrating that my ship just wasn't getting together, I do love that tension and the "will they won't they" feeling I got.

In short, Busted was a really fun book. I couldn't put it down, and I thought the romantic tension was done very well. But has Busted truly stayed with me since I've read it? I can't say so. I haven't thought of this book that much since reading it, but I did have a ton of fun while it lasted! If you are looking for a pick me up filled with tension and angst, then Busted if the book for you!  

With that, I give Busted 
3.5 out of 5 Stars!