YA contemporary romance is not my normal reading, but with Marissa being a favorite author of mine I had to give it a shot. I found it to be a wonderful story and a great first attempt at contemporary.

This was absolutely adorable and I enjoyed every single minute of it! MM needs to write more books in this genre! A certain person was too quick to forgive I feel like but that's the only thing that stuck out to me. Highly recommend this book!

After hitting her head Prudence finds out she can shell out karma to however frustrates her. Don't pick up after your dog, no problem, I'll have you step in dog poo. Not listening, your soccer ball goes through the window. Defacing a billboard, fall into the bushes. There is one person who she does not have the karma effect on, the worst lab partner ever, and the person she is now working with.

I was a little skeptical of this book because it's so unlike Marissa Meyer's other books, but I loved it! I loved the two main characters and the little twist of magic. I really enjoyed Pru's journey of caring for something/someone other than herself. The idea of karma, and who gets to decide good karma vs bad karma, and the idea of different perspectives and motives was something I loved about this book! I highly recommend and have already lent it out to my students!

I did really enjoy this book, even though it is not normally something that I read. I am a longtime fan of Marissa Meyer and think she did great with this book.

It was a very fun story to read. I was not the biggest fan of the main character Pru, and wish we followed the POV of Quint instead, but as the story progressed I feel as though Pru did learn a lot. It was a great example of a character learning and growing due to the people around her. She never gave up on her interests and what she loves to do, but she did learn to become a kinder person after a summer of working with Quint. She learns to not judge people based off what she sees in the moment.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great ya romance book.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, there were a couple parts that could have been better and I think a little shorter would have made it better. I fell like the beginning drags and I dont know that I would have continued it this wasn't an ARC. I am glad I did but the beginning felt really slow.
Pru and Quint have spent the year as lab partners but not really working together. Their final project gets a C and pru is not happy. When pru gets the power to cause instant karma she wants to punish quint but as she starts volunteering with him at his mom's sealife animal rescue she starts to admire him instead.
I feel like the karma plot was weak and disappeared for the middle part of the book. Honestly it felt like this was two books a underdeveloped plot about karma and another romance with rescue animals.
Overall I liked the book and would definitely read something else by this author.

I requested an eARC of this book not realizing that it is NEITHER own voices (which is entirely my fault) NOR featuring a POC main character (which is entirely the cover's fault...). As such, I was very disappointed in the appropriative (and wildly mischaracterized) handling of 'karma' and the author's decision to have a white girl dole out 'instant karma,' whatever that might mean. Many reviewers of color have pointed out the issues with this novel. Aside from this major issue, I also really didn't enjoy the writing of this book--it seemed juvenile for a YA novel, and the main character was, as many reviewers have pointed out, fairly insufferable.

I found this book really hard to get into. I usually don't mind MC who can be annoying but Pru was extra obnoxious. She was mean and judgmental and I didn't find that her character grew too much during the book. The romance also felt a little off to me. Like there wasn't much of it and I felt there was no spark.

When Pru has to rely on her slacker lab partner Quint to redo their project she is suddenly swept into his life at his mother's marine life rescue center. Over the summer Pru and Quint work together to not only salvage their grade (Pru absolutely CAN"T have a C on her transcript), but to create a fundraising campaign to raise funds and awareness for the center. Sparks fly as the two struggle to work together on their common goals. Sweet and authentic this book is perfect for fans of Jenna Evans Welsh's "Love and ..." series.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pru(dence) hates her lazy, unpunctual, unmotivated biology partner. Thanks to his lack of effort, she receives a B- on their final project, bringing her to a C in the class. Unacceptable. But, when she asks the teacher for the chance to bring up her grade, her only option is to work with the partner, Quint, again, to improve their work. Though he objects at first, she offers to volunteer at the local aquatic animal rehabilitation center in exchange for the chance to work on the project again and bring up her grade. Through the course of her volunteering and getting to know Quint, she realizes that she was not always the best partner.
Though this book has the "magical" aspect of Pru receiving magical powers-bestowing karmic rewards on those who are doing good or bad-the book didn't really need it, aside from the occasional lesson Pru learned that she may not always know the entire story. The bulk of the story-her relationship with Quint and her learning how to love and care for the animals carries the plot.
Definitely a great book that I'm glad I read.

This was one of those books I just couldn’t get into and couldn’t finish. I think this just felt too middle grade instead of YA for me.

I actually ended up DNFing this book about 25% of the way through. I gave it the old college try, but my extreme dislike of the MC won out in the end. Prudence was unbearably un-likeable. I really loved The Lunar Chronicles so I was really disappointed in my dislike of Instant Karma.

Adorable coming of age/growing up story with a dash of magic. The insight on the sea life sanctuary was amazing and spot on, really added an excellent layer to the story.

Love this book! Wonderful, likeable characters and a storyline with a lesson for all of us. I also listened to the audio version and it was great too!!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Departing from her usual science fiction and fantasy offerings, Marissa Meyer has released her first YA contemporary romance with a hint of magical realism and it is delightful.
Prudence Barnett is the stereotypical overachiever. She's judgmental and difficult to like at times, especially when she's lashing out at her horrible lab partner, Quint Erickson, the well-liked slacker who is dragging her and her final grade down. After an accidental head injury, Pru discovers she has the ability to bestow instant karma on those around her. The only problem is that Quint seems immune to her new power, much to her dismay. She and Quint have been given a second chance to improve their grade, but he continues to frustrate her.
Things aren't all fluff, teen angst, and typical romance tropes. The story has real meat to it as both teens deal with family issues. Pru is also forced to confront her own assumptions about her friends and classmates and make some tough decisions regarding how to use her unusual gift. Throw in some environmentalism, an aquatic animal rescue, and some karaoke, and you have fun, refreshing, and thoughtful cautionary tale. The queen of retellings has struck gold with this one.

As the weather grows colder and the days get shorter, treat yourself to this sunny beach read. You won't regret it.

INSTANT KARMA is an overall charming YA contemporary. Prudence is finishing tenth grade and completely fed up with her biology partner, Quint. When he shows up late to class again on the morning of their important presentation, Prudence is ready to throw him under the bus and admits that he only did the report, and she did the model, poster, props, and presentation herself. This ends up backfiring, and her grade reflects the lack of teamwork. The teacher agrees to allow them to redo it, but only if they do it together.

After a karaoke song, Prudence slips and falls, hitting her head. After that, when she clenches her fist, she seems to be able to dole out instant karma with bad things happening to people who are up to no good and good things for the opposite. However, this ability leads her to feeling guilt, because who is she to judge?

As she spends the summer volunteering at a sea animal rescue to try to convince Quint to give her a second chance, she learns more about why it matters and the value of what they do. She also has a lot of ideas that might really help them out - if only she can make it happen.

What I loved: This book has a lot of complexity in the plot and characters. There are some interesting themes around money and the value of possessions/what is really important, challenges of family, ethics around animals and the environment, and the need for empathy and perspective in judgments of others. The instant karma was an interesting twist, but I actually enjoyed the rest of the story more - although Prudence was not really likable at the start, she is still growing up and learning, and I loved the way we see her character grow and endear her to the reader.

The book gives the reader a lot to think about in terms of businesses and non-profits and the ways that they may financially struggle. In addition to the other themes, this would be a perfect choice for a book club with so much to discuss and delve deeper into.

What left me wanting more: In some ways, I felt like there was almost too much going on with the storylines, and we don't quite get resolution of all the branches, though the major ones are tied off. I think I would have appreciated spending a little more time on one specific path, rather than chasing so many. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. There are some bad things that happen, and the resolution was too fast for my taste. I would have liked a bit more to flesh it out.

Final verdict: Overall, INSTANT KARMA is a charming YA contemporary that brings important themes to the reader. Be prepared for a book you'll want to talk about and think about after the last page is turned.

This book had a fun, supernatural premise. It takes what would have been contemporary, realistic fiction and gives it that little bit of something extra to make it stand out. Pru is hardworking, focused, and driven. She's had a hard year working with a lab partner who she considered to be the exact opposite. After an accident following an impromptu karaoke performance, Pru is given the power to give people "instant karma" for their actions. Along the way, she learns she may have been wrong about more than one person in her life.

The book was a fun read with a sweet romance. Marissa Meyer is known for her re-tellings and this book was different from what we've come to expect from her and in a great way.

Prudence is an overachiever and well slightly controlling when it comes to life and academics. Everything has a plan and she can manage it herself. That is until Quint Erickson stands in her way of a better grade, she may have to rely on Karma. Instant Karma is a heartwarming romantic comedy based on the premise of karma for negative and positive deeds and how these actions can have repercussions in the future. Prudence is an over achiever and wants to control everything and one around her. She wants to prove to herself she can be a models student and get into a great college. Quit is the typical class clown who seems to not give much thought to anyone. What Prudence and Quint lack is the relatability and depth that make great characters. Both do not have much history or tangible qualities or experience the reader can attach to. The karma twist is flimsy and does not hold much weight in the plot. Yet, overall Myer does present a fun and humorous love story, although it could have used a little more depth.

I’m a big fan of Meyer and it was fun seeing her attempt a different genre. Knowing her history with sci-fi and fantasy storylines, I wasn’t exactly sure how she’d handle a contemporary vibe, but to avoid spoilers, it definitely was an interesting idea for a plot.

There’s so many great side characters in this story. I liked them all enough that I’m hoping for books about them in the future.

Though I expected karma to play a bigger role than it did (though a big bit of karma came for someone finally!) I still thoroughly enjoyed this YA novel.
Prudence is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her schoolwork. When she gets a C on a project with the "lazy" Quint as her lab partner, she's furious and she's going to make it right!
Ok that part of her I found annoying. But as she volunteers her time and summer to the sea animal rescue center and learns all the good they do and she wants to help them out for more than a grade, I started falling in love with her character.
Her and Quint are a really cute hate to love story! I love how devoted to the center Quint has always been and that he lets Prudence in to share in its greatness.