I was so excited to see this author coming out with a contemporary romance and it did not disappoint! I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers romance and the whole whimsical magical made for a super fun plot.
It took a bit for this book to grow on me but once it did I couldn't put it down! The main characters Prudence begins as a sort of stuck up and selfish character but I do think she grows and learns over the course of the story.
There are quite a few cheesy parts but I felt like that made the book more fun and light-hearted.

"This. Is. So. Unfair. Maybe I can talk to the principal? Surely this can’t be allowed?"

I have so many feelings and none of them are good. 

This story is about Prudence Daniels and Quint Erickson. She’s a narcissistic “Karen” in training and he’s an animal loving sweetheart. I honestly do not see them working out, but I digress. The concept of this novel was so appealing. I’ve never read anything by [author:Marissa Meyer|4684322] before and I was looking for a cute YA romcom. And for the most part it delivered. It was super cute and the idea of hitting your head after singing Instant Karma by John Lennon and getting powers to serve instant karma when needed was genius. 

To bad Prudence is the most narcissistic, immature, selfish, arrogant, narrow minded human being alive. I could go on, that’s how much I disliked Prudence. Of all the people in the world to be granted this power she should not have been it. I’m surprised she didn’t become this massive villain with all that power. Even though she kind of did. Maya is the popular pretty girl her brother Jude has a major crush on. When she over hears her talking about not returning his affection but defending him to her friends. This girl literally told them to stop making fun of him. She called him sweet and kind but not her type. Prudence took it upon herself to punish Maya. Not liking someone back is not cruel or deserves punishment. I had so many feelings about this. So many. Again, not good ones.  

Prudence was literally a Karen in training. She felt justified in the instant karma she dealt out AND didn't learn anything from her experience. If anything it gave her an even bigger head.

I've never read anything by this author before, my biggest critique wasn’t even the very dislikable Prudence (because she was bossy but will make an awesome politician or business person in the future, hopefully use that big brains of hers for good) but the number of pages in this book. There were at least 20 side stories inside this story. 

Side note, unrelated to the book. Have any of you watched the 13th floor? This guy wakes up bloody and doesn’t remember killing someone. We later find out that it’s all fake. Like people are living inside simulators. But there's more than one. So people are living inside people, that are inside people, inside other people. It’s some very dark Inception shit. This is how this story felt!!! I was reading one story with so many little stories inside. Like a story, inside a story, inside a story. You get the picture. I was not a fan of this. Every character had it’s own story literally within the story. Ari, Prudence’s only friend, had many stories. How they met. Her parents money. Her car. Her music collection. Each part was pages long. Seriously, just Ari had her own book within this book. Does Marisa Meyers not have an editor? Does she need to find a better one? These pieces did not belong. They should not have been here and worst of all, did nothing to help the plot or story move along. If anything it added unnecessary stops. They were so unnecessary!! Just write a series Marisa. Focus!! Focus on the main characters in this story and write about all the other people later. It could have very easily been a 200 page book, not this run on monstrosity that never ended. It was so frustrating. 

What was awesome and I quite enjoyed was Quint's mother’s animal center, The Fortuna Beach Sea Animal Rescue Center. I loved everything about this addition to the story. How it taught me about sea animals and how these centers care for them. I also loved their biology project and teacher Mr. Chavez. I really enjoyed reading a story where teenagers are smart and want to make a difference in the world. As an educator this spoke to my soul. Kids are smart and capable and brilliant. I loved how the adults in the story also believed this. Kids are the future, literally. And the adults in this story know that. The grown ups in this story were also pretty amazing. Genuinely cared for the kids and gave great advice.

"In life," he says, speaking slowly, "we rarely get to choose the people we work with. Our bosses, our peers, our students, our teammates. Heck, we don’t even get to choose our families, other than our spouses."

Did Prudence listen or even attempt to understand. No. She was above teamwork and group projects. How dare her teacher give her advice.

I digress, again.

I also loved how these characters had passion. Passion for music, animals, projects, of sharks, didn’t change the fact these teenagers were living a healthy life full of possibilities. They were thinking of college. They were getting summer jobs. They felt so normal. This is what kept me reading.

I know I’m being over critical of Prudence but she really rubbed me the wrong way. She was a sophomore in high school!!! I equally feel like she’s too young (immature) and too old (jaded and arrogant). She confuses and angers me.

I do feel that teenagers are going to love this story because of the teenage shenanigans, the siblings, and friends. It really was a cute story. I also really enjoyed their teenage activities and most of all Quint, Jude, and Ari. If you can get past Prudence (I could not) this will be the perfect summer read.

This was the cutest book that I have listened to a long time!! Even though it was the longest audiobook that I have listened to, it was so worth it. I didnt want it to end! Prudence wakes up with the ability to give instant karma to anyone that she thinks deserves it. During this time, she has to work with a given lab partner, Quintan. This big year long school project that they have had to work on, hasn't worked out at all. What happens when she realizes her "powers," but really that her lab partner isn't a bad guy. Will she work the summer with him at a cool sea animal rescue center to get a better grade? Will having the ability to give instant karma not be all that it cracks up to be?

A HUGE thank you to MacMillan Audio, Marissa Meyer, and NetGalley for sending me an audio eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much. Prudence wasn't one of my favorite MC's, she was a bit whiny, but she did make some great decisions. I liked her better at the end than I did at the beginning, so that was an improvement, she just wasn't my favorite.

Quint, however, was a delight. I loved how much he pushed and challenged her once he had the opportunity. The world that Quint lives in is such an amazing world to be thrust into. I loved some of the little bits of ocean conservation and marine life conservation in this book, it's a great place to start some of these conversations.

Then there were the animals. I loved every single one we got to know and I love that I can picture all of this so easily. It was such a great book and there was so much progression with the story. This was a cute read and a great coming of age story.

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer is a cute young adult romance.

Prudence (Pru) is an overachiever that is always trying to do the best in school and working towards going to an elite college. Quint, a laid back slacker who is usually late to everything, is Pru’s lab partner. When their grade doesn’t turn out like Pru expects, she ends up volunteering at the rescue center for local sea animals with Quint.

The wildlife center is in trouble, so Pru and Quint come up with plans to try to raise money. Pru and Quint did not get along until they start volunteering together. They find out why the other does certain things and what is actually important to them. Pru discovers the importance of the rescue center and begins to think of others. She finds out more about Quint and the reasons why he always seems to be late. When Pru and Quint get to know each other can they put aside their differences and form a romance?

Pru is always judging people. One day she notices she can now enact instant karma. However, only when the person deserves or karma attacks her instead. I really enjoyed Pru discovering her power for instant karma and learning how this power works. Pru’s instant karma power helps her determine what is right and wrong. While Pru is selfish at the beginning of the book, she begins to look closer at others.

I loved the wildlife in Instant Karma. Pru learns about different sea animals and gets to experience them being reentered into the wild. Quint is very passionate about the relief center and sea animals and expresses this many times to Pru.

I really enjoyed Pru and Quint’s interactions. Their romance was exactly what I look for when reading YA romance. Pru’s and Quint’s family and friends were also an important part of the story.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler and she did a fantastic job narrating. Rebecca Soler is one of my favorite narrators and her narration never disappoints.

I love all of Marissa Meyer’s books and Instant Karma was a great read. I recommend Instant Karma to Marissa Meyer fans and fans of YA romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/Feiwel & Friends for the Instant Karma audiobook.

I absolutely love everything I've read by Marissa Meyer, so when I was able to get an advanced audio copy of this book, I jumped at the chance. I was completely engaged the whole time, but the beginning was kind of annoying.
I really didn't like Prudence. She seemed very immature and super annoying. I feel like in the beginning we are supposed to be on her side in the whole hating Quint thing, but she was just so annoying and abrasive that I was on Quint's side the whole time even though I didn't know his side of the story. After Prudence hit her head and got her "instant karma" power, a chunk of the book seemed like just random things she saw that needed punishment and she took it upon herself to dole out that punishment without knowing the whole story and it got a little bit repetitive. Since the name of the book is Instant Karma, I thought the karma part would happen more throughout the book, but there were large chucks of the book where Prudence's power seemed to just disappear.
When Prudence finds out the reason why Quint has always been a "slacker" in class and Prudence kind of got into it, I more enjoyed the book.
I loved the cause of saving sea animals and that's what really drew me in. I loved Quint's absolute love and dedication to these animals. Heck, I loved Quint! There was so much detail around the center and around how much work and effort goes into what they do. I think it really could push people to go into their own lives and really make a difference.
I also really loved Prudence's family. Her parents were fantastic, her siblings were typical siblings. It was just a really great family dynamic.
The one thing I did like about Prudence after the book got going was how dedicated she was to helping Quint and the animals. Her ideas to help were great, I just feel they made her almost entitled.
The big kind of "event" that happened at the end, I saw coming a mile away. It was weird though, because the first thing happened, and then a lot of the book happened without mentioning it, and then all of the sudden it was figured out and resolved.
The last half of the book as well as the characters that weren't Prudence and all the adorable sea animals and rescue awareness really brought this to a 4 star read for me. Overall, it was a really cute, fun read that had a really great cause rolled in.

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
Publication Date: November 3, 2020
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Description from NetGalley...
Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her.

Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to mean gossips, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner. Quint is annoyingly cute and impressively noble, especially when it comes to his work with the rescue center for local sea animals.

When Pru resigns herself to working at the rescue center for extra credit, she begins to uncover truths about baby otters, environmental upheaval, and romantic crossed signals—not necessarily in that order. Her newfound karmic insights reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate… and fate.
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Thank you to @NetGalley @macmillan.audio and #feiwelandfriends for the audiobook ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
The narration was okay. Sometimes, I felt that the voices she used were not very consistent. However, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the story. I was expecting it to be the typical YA romance/romcom with a lot of drama, but it really was not. The description above is pretty much on point. I appreciated the information on the rescue centre and it’s’ work in saving sea creatures. There was a moment with a sea turtle that reminded me of my very first sighting of one while on vacation. It was a magical experience for me. Pru was very relatable because she reminded me somewhat of my high school self 🤦🏻‍♀️. Overall, it was a fun story.

This is a story about Karma

I really enjoyed this book! I wasn't initially sure how I would feel, because i don't typically enjoy romcoms; however, the magical realism was a fun twist and I enjoyed the enemies to lovers plot thread.. with a super fun beachy backdrop! I also appreciated that while it is a YA romcom, the book had something to do about important issues- acts of service within the community, empathy for others, and the value of giving others a chance.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4!

Thank you Negalley & Macmillan for this audio arc!

Nice coming of age story. It follows a predictable formula but it is really well done. I like the use of unusual snd unique names for the xharacters. One of my favorite parts is the discussion about how Quint got his name.

An instantly readable and listenable novel by Marissa Meyer. This is a perfect blend of YA contemporary romance with a dash of supernatural and social awareness. Rebecca Soler is a phenomenal narrator.

3.5 stars. Thank you to net galley and the publishers for allowing me to review this arc! I have never read Marissa Meyer so jumping into this book I had no expectations and in general, I’d say I’m pretty pleased!
This book is about a girl who is very type A. She’s assigned a science project with a boy who is very type B and what follows is a hate to love romance between the 2. They work together to try to save a sea animal rescue and in the process find out there’s more to each other than what meets the eye.
The karma element of this book is very small and feels randomly thrown in. She thinks she has the power to distribute instant karma (either good or bad) to people as they act, but it happened at random times (not always) and felt very under developed.
Overall this is a cute YA hate to love romance about saving sea life and meeting in the middle. This is strictly contemporary romance in my opinion.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Prudence is a perfectionist, judgmental, and definitely on the controlling side, so when she gets a bad grade on a final project in her marine biology class, it obviously is not her fault and it has everything to do with what she perceives as a lack of motivation and complete apathy from her lab partner, Quint Erickson. She wants nothing more than for karma to give him what a deserves, but after a karaoke accident (my favorite kind of accident), Pru finds that she is somehow left with the ability to dole out karmic justice, however it doesn’t always work out in the way she expects.

I absolutely love Marissa Meyer’s writing and especially the arcs all her characters go through. While this book is very differently from her previous works, being a contemporary with a magical realism element to it, Instant Karma is no exception to how character driven the plot is. Pru is a very unreliable narrator and at the beginning she is extremely unlikable. She puts all her effort into everything she does but her motivations are often selfish. As the story develops we do get to see as Pru shows more vulnerability and she reexamines her preconceived beliefs of others. While this growth and development mostly revolves around her relationship with Quint, we see how she starts to change her views of her classmates, as well as her relationship with her parents and the record store they own. I also enjoyed that fact that it is clear Pru is a mid/plus sized character and while the story doesn’t revolve around this aspect and it doesn’t form her entire personality, it is made obvious that this part of her has affected her relationship with the people around her and her confidence, even in just a subtle way, especially since the story is set in a beach side town during summer when there is an emphasis on looks.
Quint is honestly such a high school dream boat. He is easy going, he loves animals, and he’s artistic. What is there not to love about him? He is perfect foil to Prudence’s harsh and guarded exterior. While we don’t see his change of heart quite as clearly as we see Pru’s, that’s not super surprising considering how unreliable of a narrator she is.
I also absolutely adore Jude, Prudence’s twin brother, and her best friend Ari. The two of them are so sweet and give Pru the reality checks she desperately needs at times.


The plot itself is pretty typical for a YA contemporary. Girl and boy don’t get along, they get thrown into circumstances where they have to work closely together, they realize that they majorly misjudged each other, they develop feelings. It’s not anything new but it is engaging and I loved the setting of a coastal town.

The only downfall I found was the “karma” of the book. While this sudden ability did serve a purpose of teaching Pru that not everything is black and white (a Marissa Meyer specialty that I love), and who are we as humans to judge others when we don’t always know their motivations behind what they do, the powers themselves felt underdeveloped and extremely underutilized which was disappointing considering the book is named after this magical realism aspect of the book.

Rebecca Soler was a fantastic narrator for this book and I loved the emotion she put into it. Her character choices were clear but not distracting and I felt like she gave Prudence a certain amount of vulnerability that made her a lot more likable of a character.

Overall this is a sweet YA contemporary romance and while it’s not anything that is super new, the characters and their development is so sweet and wonderful to follow that it draws the reader in and makes it hard to put down.

Instant Karma is that perfect Summer contemporary read with a little bit of a twist to spice things up.
Throw in a clever but judgemental MC suddenly gifted with the powers of Instant Karmic Justice, a heart-melting love interest, a solid amount of Beetles references, a quality group of friends, a sea animals rescue shelter, a misunderstanding or two, some snorkelling, a screening of Jaws, a little bit of enemies-to-lovers and you've got yourself a super cute read- featuring Sea Lions!

This novel is a Good Time™

On the narration- a really easy listen! Loved the narrator and the way the characters were portrayed, it felt right and each characters' voice was unique.

The best things about this book are the writing, the narration (in the audio version), and the supporting characters. The main character, however, is very hard to like and since the writing is really quite good, and the narration really brings Pru to life, and the people in Pru's life (especially her nemesis/love interest) are quite nice, all of this make even more tangible and salient the fact that Pru can be quite mean and feels justified in her sense of superiority to be so mean. With these personality traits and given a magical ability to enact instant karma, I just felt sorry for anyone who has to deal with her or dares to be imperfect around her. So, it's one flaw in this book, but a pretty central one. If she were even a little more balanced, I think this book would be great.

I received an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m loving this young adult contemporary romance. I’m not usually one for YA but this has more mature characters with such a cute story. I’m listening to the audiobook and the narrator is amazing! She definitely adds to Prudence’s character and pulls you in to the story.

I am going to DNF this book at 25%. Prudence is way to arrogant and privileged for me. She seems like junior "Karen". I am not interested enough to see if she gets put in her place at the end.

I want to preface this and say I adore Marissa Meyer. The Lunar Chronicles kicked off my love of reading as an adult. I loved Heartless and the Renegades series; so suffice it to say I was ecstatic to receive Instant Karma.

That said, I don’t think this book was for me. While I adore Meyer’s writing style and her ability to take me on a journey with her words; this book didn’t quite get me there.

Instant Karma is just what it sounds like; our MC Prudence (Pru) ends up with the ability to deliver instant karma unto anyone she believes is deserving. However, Prudence’s character is not only naive but kind of a jerk. She can only see her side of things, even when the truth might be staring her in the face.

Obviously there is a lesson to be learned from this book; not everything is exactly as you see it. And maybe, try to be kind and stop thinking that everyone is below you. This is probably a story meant for a younger generation than mine.

I did however love the narrator. I think she did a wonderful job.

Prudence is a responsible student, so she hates last-minute homework Quint, who is her lab partner. She works really hard on her final presentation for marine biology on ecotourism, only to end up with a C because she failed to include actual biology. Pru can't let this awful stain on her grades stand, so she's determined to increase it however she can. Her teacher allows her to redo the project, on one condition -- she has to convince Quint to do it with her.

Pru strikes a bargain with Quint to help at the sea animal rescue center for the summer if he'll work on the project with her. Before her job at the center, Pru's outlook on the project is all about facts and statistics. Working at the center changes Pru's perspective and she sees why ecotourism and wildlife conservation are actually important. She is able to bond with the animals and put faces to the data.

While figuring out her academic struggles, Pru also has a new superpower to come to terms with. Bad things keep happening to people she sees doing awful things -- a billboard vandal falls off the billboard, a girl who cuts in line drops her food. Pru realizes that she can control these events and thinks the universe is on her side.

Quint makes her madder than anyone else, yet good things keep happening to him when she uses her power. It takes a while for Pru to realize that she can reward good deeds as well. Messing with karma seems simple at first, but she ends up creating a complicated moral situation that weighs on her.

As the summer progresses, Pru realizes that Quint isn't as bad as she thought during their lab. He was often late because he was saving animals, but she just thought he was lazy. Pru even starts to like Quint, and she's not at all sure how to handle that!

Pru is forced to own her anxiety and opens up to Quint about why she's so type A. She also learns firsthand how keeping things to herself can have dire consequences. Pru's summer activities ultimately make her appreciate the beautiful world around her, and her power shows her that every situation isn't black and white. She also learns that despite having the best intentions, sometimes life deals you a bad hand.

Rebecca Soler has great emotion and tone for a teenage character. She perfectly captures Pru's snark. Listening to her narration is like having a conversation with a young friend.

Recommended for teens, especially those interested in beach life.

(3.5 stars, rounded up)

I'm totally a Marissa Meyer fan. Even though I'm an adult, The Lunar Chronicles is one of the best series I've read recently. With that being the case, I still had mixed feelings about this book before I read it. I was worried that Meyer may not have the same kind of momentum with this teen romance as she did with the fairy tale spin-off. Thankfully, this book surprised me on several levels and wasn't the brooding teen drama I was afraid of. Starting with the title, there's a whole plot line involving karma and getting what you deserve. Sometimes, things aren't as cut and dry as we imagine and we're left with the question of whether Karma is always deserved. Meyer ties in an interesting story line of environmental and ocean animal rescue along with a load of Beatles references to make this an enjoyable read for readers of any age.

This one was just ok for me. The narrator was good (I listened to the audio book). The book just wasn’t what I hoped for. It was maybe written for a younger audience (teenagers?) although it did have some mild swearing. I think the book probably could have been shorter than it was and I would have liked it a bit more (it seemed to go on forever).
The book had good bones and plenty of humor, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.