This was a cute, quick little read. The characters were likable and the plot was fun. This is my first book from this author, but I will likely pick up another of her books when I want an easy read!

DNF 30%

The main character is kind of awful which makes it difficult to fully get into this book. I don't expect main characters to be perfect but this one is super judgmental and harsh to others. The thought of reading more of this book kind of fills me with dread so I'm going to have to pass on reading this. Perhaps I'll try again some other time.

Marissa Meyer continues to be a YA author that I will recommend to readers. Instant Karma was a break from her fantasy-esq stories that I have read thus far and I personally enjoyed the story greatly. Prudence, our main character, is our over achiever teen that has been partnered with whom she believes to be the laziest and and irresponsible students in her class Quint. They have worked on a project all year and in the end she doesn't get the grade she feels she deserves. There should be karma for how he treated her and their project. On a night out with friends, she does karaoke and sings Instant Karma by the Beatles. After singing she falls and hits her head pretty good. When she wakes up the next morning, she seems to be able to bring karma to those who do wrongs. She should be able to bring Karma to quint but during our story she is unable to. She learns so much more about him and also the town that she lives in (where she previously found it boring and many of the people rude/arrogant).

I loved a lot of aspects about this piece. I do feel at times Prudence was a little annoying with how she thought/felt about different people and her actions but I feel that she learns a lot in her story. In addition, what I love most about Meyer is that her stories are those that I feel comfortable recommending to my readers. I work in a conservative area and I know that parents ask about the content of stories. I am never one for censorship but sometimes I wish YA novels didn't always have the sex and vulgarity that they put within them. I always feel I come off prude when I discuss this but trust me when I say I read them all and understand that our youth are young adults and are like that. But when it comes to books that advanced readers may want to read or for those looking for something less of that, Meyer always produces and I feel she does it so well. I also loved the motivation that our characters had in this story to better their community in different ways. Something that is relatable to all. I can't wait until this comes out for readers to enjoy.

This was a sweet romcom featuring a supernatural twist. Prudence knows she isn't naturally endearing like her twin brother, or talented like her best friend, but she can be perfect. Pru always strives to do her best in everything she undertakes, and expects the same level of commitment from those around her. When Pru hits her head and is granted with the ability to enact instant karmic justice to those around her, she takes it as a sign from the Universe that she is correct. She can right the wrongs she sees around her every day, doling out punishments with a squeeze of her fist. The person Pru is itching the most to enact karma against is her lazy lab partner Quint. But every time she squeezes her fist, Quint is blessed with good luck instead. Forced to spend the summer with Quint, redoing their final project at the local animal rescue center, Pru soon learns there is more to Quint than his habitual tardiness. Does the Universe know something she does? Is it possible for Pru to use her powers for evil?

I really enjoy everything Marissa Meyer has written, this book definitely took a turn from her usual sci-fi series. The growth between Pru and Quint felt natural as the story developed. The side characters felt fully formed with her parents, siblings, and best friends. I wish the karmic justice scenes would have been punched up more. Once the story with Quint at the animal center takes off, the magic power scenes die down. I think this story would have been equally strong without this magic quirk. While the karma powers help move the plot and create situations for Pru to navigate, it is a minor element to the story.

Such a cute story!! I love these sorts of books that I call "reality with a twist." Pru's ability to dole out instant karma is unique and quirky, but not going to put off readers who don't like fantasy/ magic. I LOVE the friendships, relationships, and family in this book. Such a delightful little rom com, and a wonderful read.

Thank you MacMillan's children for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was so cute. I love Marissa Meyer and I love a YA contemporary romance. Will make you feel good.

This was a fun, cute contemporary romance with some fantastical elements! I’d never read any Marissa Meyer before, and I enjoy her writing style. Pru and Quint felt like real teens finding first love and going through the ups and downs of growing up. I’m interested to read more by Meyer now and to see what she writes next!

In Meyer’s newest book, Prudence, or Pru, is devastated over a bad grade in her biology class. She’s convinced that it’s her slacker partner Quint’s fault; he is constantly late, and can’t turn things in on time, if he even does it. In order to bring her grade up, she must work with him again over the summer to redo his project. They strike up a deal: he helps her with the do-over project, and she volunteers at his family’s sea animal rescue center, which is what their project is centered around.
One night while doing karaoke and singing the song “Instant Karma”, Pru falls and hits her head. When she wakes up, she finds that she has the ability to bring instant karma down on anyone-good or bad. But no matter how hard she tries, her newfound power will not work on Quint, who she believes deserves it the most. As the summer goes on, Quint and Pru will get to know each other and develop feelings for each other.

I simply adored this read. I really loved how the elements came together to create a prefect summer ron con with a magical element that one might not predict. This book was much longer the i expected but felt like it was paced so well. This book had so many various elements like love to hate romance, a fun job, a cool saving element and al these elements worked so well together. Also the focus on a small sea town and focus on the plight of sea creatures with element of the sea rescue was both adorable but so educational. I also loved all the characters in this book, and felt it was a great read. It had some many elements i adored and really loved this read! If you want adorable summer read with a classic love to hate romance and a fun job:) pick it up!

Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for an ARC copy of this book. When I heard the plot of this book I was quite excited. A karmic power and sea animals? Sign me up. The sea animal portion of the book lived up to exactly what I wanted (because hi, sea animals, for cute) and I really liked the interwoven element of music throughout but everything just kind of fell flat. The MC, Prudence is kind of a terrible person. Through 3/4 of the book I couldn't stand her and didn't understand how Quint, the love interest, kept giving her the time of day. She's one of those characters where she thinks, "it's my way or the highway. Nobody is as good as me. Nobody else's opinions are as good as mine." Like girl, you're not that great. So with that, it was really hard to connect to her and root for her. I was rooting for the sea animals and Quint (who was a delightful, well thought out character) the whole time.

My other issue was the power of karma that is bestowed upon Prudence. She's given these powers, uses them a few times but then it's like the plot just kind of forgets about them until the end? They also work randomly and there's no fine line for when they will or will not work. In my opinion the plot description should focus more on the animal rescue side of the story VS the karmic power because it's not that big of a plot point.

I didn't hate reading this book, like, I wasn't groaning every time I picked it up because the plot kept moving and I was so invested in the animal rescue story but I wasn't super impressed with it either.

Review posted on GoodReads (September 27, 2020)
Review Linked Below.

4/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an E-ARC for an honest review.

This is the first contemporary romance by Marissa Meyer and I had no idea what to expect. This book was so much fun to read and is an emotional rollercoaster. One of my favorite things about this book is watching the main character grow and change throughout the story. Her character development was incredible.

The romance was so adorable! I loved how natural and real the romance felt. Quint's character was so lovable, and I loved reading about the two characters discovering more about each other and ultimately falling for one another.

One of my favorite things about this book was how it was centered around environmentalist themes. I loved all of the information and story that was centered around the animals and the rehabilitation center.

Overall, this is a really cute rom-com and I really recommend picking it up!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

3 stars

This novel starts off with an interesting YA romance premise. Prudence, the m.c., and Quint, her partner in a paired high school project, clearly have different ideas about how to be successful. It's clear from the jump that they do not communicate well and that Prudence doesn't even know how much of the problem she is. Then...there is karaoke, a bump on the head, a sort of magical realism element in which the title of this novel may or may not come in to play, more of that initial project, family financial struggles, criminal activity, a sea life rehabilitation center, side plots with Prudence's twin and best pal, a whole thread with an earring, and so much (too much!) more. In other words, a lot is happening.

While the initial premise seems cute, there is way too much going on in this novel, and its length reflects this. For me, this novel FEELS long. Rather than ALL of the various elements coming together to create a really powerful message/character/plot/etc., I constantly had the feeling that nothing was really quite coalescing. Also, there's a heavy focus on the karma piece for the first quarter, and that section made me dislike Prudence so much that I never really recovered from it. I wanted to see her grow, and I really wanted to see better outcomes for several of the ancillary characters, but I ultimately felt like all of this was muddled by too many side gigs and not enough wrapping up of story lines in meaningful ways.

There are 10 interesting ideas here, but for me, they did not work in the same narrative.

Review also appears on Goodreads.

ARC provided by Fierce Reads in BookConOnline sweepstakes.

This book is the proof I need: Marissa Meyer’s writing is universal, funny, and swoony no matter the genre. I’m not usually a big reader of contemporary, but I couldn’t pass up a Marissa Meyer novel, especially not with a hint of magic in the premise, and I was NOT disappointed.

Instant Karma left me with a deep sense of satisfaction, and not just from watching all-too-relatable Pru enact karmic justice on the common Jerkus humanus. As fun as it was watching careless people get their comeuppance, what I really enjoyed was watching the karmic ripples extend beyond their moments, like waves in a puddle after a sea lion splashes into it (sorry not sorry, just too many darn cute critters in this book to not use a marine mammal simile!). Despite the promise of instant retribution in the title, the book’s real impact comes from Pru’s (and the reader’s) opportunities to examine the consequences of justice after the fact, however small the stage. It’s an excellent (and much needed in 2020) reminder to bring empathy to every interaction—it’s impossible to know what someone else is going through with just a sketch of their story, and a little faith in humanity goes a long way.

Comforting moral takeaways aside, I (and most of the supporting cast) shipped Pru and Quint from page one, and who can blame us? I was giddy reading, waiting for things to play out the way we know they will when we see the heart shaped backpack on the cover. Not to be condescending, but I walked away impressed with the characters’ real time introspection. The leads are aware of their mistakes and/or flaws and capable of owning up to them, which is a shocking (but not unbelievable) show of maturity and No Small Thing to find in a partner, lab or otherwise. Pru had the potential to be an off putting character, and I sympathized but cringed through some of her early scenes, watching her cast herself in a bad light. But, a little strategic lamp shading later on saves her from the fate of an unlikeable protagonist, like a sea lion saved from the surf (okay, I’m a little sorry this time—for the melodrama, not the sea lion).

I’m calling this one a must read, and recommending preorders (or at the very least release day pick up on the way to vote). I think everyone’s hoping for good karma on November 3rd, and I’m sure purchasing this book is an excellent way to earn some from the universe, no head trauma necessary.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review. I do enjoy reading YA novels on occasion and was looking forward to reading Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer. It was not a disappointment, It was a bit lengthy, page-wise, but was still a quick read. It was a light cutesy story, great for popping into your pool/beach bag.

I absolutely adore Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series, so I was excited to read her newest book which is a contemporary YA romance with some magical realism thrown in.
Prudence is the ultimate over achiever. When she is out with her friends at a karaoke club, and hits her head, she is gifted with the power of instant karma. She is able to immediately give people what they deserve. She is excited to give her slacker lab partner Quint a taste of her new powers. However, every time she tries, the power backfires.
Prudence is really able to grow as a character which I appreciate. She reminds me quite a bit of Mr. Darcy in the beginning of the book. Prudence's friends and family help make the book interesting and fun.

Instant karma was so cute! I almost wish the magical element wasn’t in there, the main character would have been more likable without this element. For the first half of the book I really dislikedPprudence. . But I really loved learning about sea lions and Quint was a great character. It was interesting how much I disliked him at first but then really loved him throughout the rest of the book, he was redeemed which was the point but Prudence was awful through so much of the book it was hard to redeem her. I guessed what happened to the money pretty early on and I'm not sure why Prudence didn't get it as soon as she saw the necklace except that she was so upset for being blamed. Also the word Deadpan was used way too much. Other than that the story was great, the side characters and Quint were great, and learning about the care center was amazing. I would definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It's about straight As high schooler Prudence who goes out with her friends and gets the ability to cast karma. It works on everyone except her slacker lab partner, Quint, and Prudence begins to discover his secrets but also learning about love and hate. This was a great book and I loved the story plotline. I heard Marissa's other books which are fantasy are great too (which I haven't read) but I loved her contemporary novel. The storyline not only focused on the theme of not judging one another but also helping the wildlife. I love how that was also the main focus and most of my favorite scenes took place at the habitat. I think Marissa Meyer did a wonderful job with the writing, storyline, characters, and setting.

I enjoyed the main character, Prudence even though she annoyed at some points. I loved her development in this book because she grew a lot and started understanding not to judge others. Then there is Quint who you can add to my book boyfriend list. He helps Prudence understand not to judge and that everyone is different. The author did a wonderful job describing and involving Prudene's family because I felt connected with each character. Usually, most books kick out the parents or they aren't very involved in the story.

Now you are probably wondering why this isn't a 5/5 star read. Well, I did have some problems with it. I felt that the karma Prudence had wasn't mainly focused on and sometimes forgotten. I wish there was more to the karma but I guess then it would have turned into a fantasy novel. Also, I felt that the ending was rushed for a book with over 500+ pages. I mean if you read a long book, then you need a good, perfect ending. But overall I did enjoy this book and I recommend it to contemporary romance lovers!

*Review coming on Thindbooks Blog and Instagram @thindbooks*

It pains me to give this book one star. It was one of my highly anticipated books and coming from Marissa Meyer it had the potential to be so much better. I couldn't finish this book unfortunately. It was not capturing my attention in the slightest. I found myself drifting from the book multiple times. I was really excited by the premise, but I ended up hating the characters to the point of just locking my phone when at times out of irritation, Prudence was just so unlikable and unpleasant to everyone around her. Even from the very beginning. She was always annoyed with on everyone, and acted like a selfish brat. I feel like she was just really discontent with her life. I really hated the idea of her of all people deciding who should be affected by 'karma'. The MC was doing her thing when the plot seems to shoot to that of karma. There is only so much I can take from MCs before I want to DNF the book, and Instant Karma surpassed my limit.If you can get past the beginning maybe you may have a different opinion on the books but for me I absolutely didn’t care for it. Marissa has gone from #1 to #2 in my favorite authors list

I enjoyed this book! Fun characters, interesting plot. I'll read anything by Marissa Meyer. This is a great summer YA rom com.

3.5/5 Cute, quick read. The "karma" element I found to be fairly far fetched and not important to the story line. There were stretches in the book where there was no mention of karma. When it was brought up again it kind of startled me because it was so unnecessary and frankly I had forgotten all about it. Other than that the characters were easy to like and the story was pretty good.