Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Marissa Meyer seems to be the queen of GOOD storytelling. No matter the genre she always makes the characters and relationships interesting and compelling

Pru and Quint are partners on an ecotourism assignment, but she’s a perfectionist and he’s chronically tardy. They do not get along, and their grade suffers for it. Pru begins a mission to get some extra credit when she discovers that her town has an animal rescue center, and, to her surprise, Quint is a volunteer there. Can they get over their rivalry and work together?… Of course they can. This book is so predictable in the enemies to lovers trope. But what it lacks in surprise, it makes up for in utter chaos. The instant karma power that Prudence has is so random and not even a main plot point, and Prudence is just so self-centered and annoying. She knows nothing about how the world works, yet she thinks she knows everything. In summary, the plot of this book, the animal rescue plot anyway, was very intriguing. The family and friendship dynamics explored were good. The main character was awful, and the magical realism was unnecessary.

I couldn't put it down once I started it. I'm a huge fan of Marissa Meyers work and this book was amazing. It was a contemporary fast read that has you hooked from the beginning

Rare to find a protagonist that is obviously judge-y and flawed yet still easy enough to understand and root for. And the development of awareness regarding the outside world and the love interest was an intriguing gradual reveal.

Those that know Marissa Meyer's previous works may find this one a different choice, but I enjoyed it quite a lot. I think I preferred this to some of her other speculative titles--and that is saying a lot about it!

I liked the writing, the setting, the general concept of the story, and the audiobook narration. But, it wasn't enough to actually get me actually like the novel as a whole.

I requested this title because of the author more than because the premise appealed to me. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the novel.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It was definitely a sweet love story with sweet characters but it was a miss for me.

this was not perfect, but a nice fun summery read! i love YA in the warm months and marissa meyer is the queen of YA.

Adorable enemy to lovers, a cocky yet weird girl, and a cinnamon roll boy who's family owns a sea animal rescue make for the perfect combo in Instant Karma! 

I have never been one to really fall for contemporary, but Instant Karma had me instantly under it's spell! 

Prudence is an overachiever, something that so many of us can relate to. She is ambitious if a bit self-absorbed - but oh so cute! The beetle's theme that runs throughout the family, as well as the story also adds a layer of wholesomeness to this charming story. 

The star of this story though is Quint. He is sweet, reserved, and loves his sea animals so much! It was exciting to read about his life in the sanctuary, and how he and his mom kept it afloat. 

While I really love MM in general, I'm basically here for the animals

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, 400 pages. Feiwel (Macmillan), 2020. $19 

Language: PG (12 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Prudence can’t stand her slacker marine biology partner, Quint, but she needs his help if she has any chance to change her final group project grade from its lowly C to her normal A. She exchanges working a few days a week at the Fortuna Beach Sea Animal Rescue Center alongside Quint, for his help in redoing the project. All seems to be going well, until money goes missing from a fundraiser and Prudence is accused. She’ll have to clear her name – not because she wants the grade, any more, but now because she cares for the Animal Rescue Center – and for Quint. 

There is a bit of magical realism, with Prudence getting a hit on the head and gaining the power to dole out instant karma – with some conditions. Beyond the karma twist, watching Prudence expand her personality and her focus to become more human, is the real treat. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

I’m so bummed I wasn’t a fan of this. I adore Marissa’s book but this one just didn’t connect to me. I tried a couple times but sadly you don’t always click with the books you read.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review. 

I've had this book for some time and have just now gotten to read it. I've never had a book where I dislike the main character (Prudence) so much, but actually really enjoyed the novel and even completed the book. Usually if I hate the main character, I stop reading but for some reason I kept going with this one. 

Prudence is a terrible person, in my opinion. She is SO judgemental and thinks it's her way out the highway. She cannot fathom someone doing a job better than herself. She jumps to conclusions and will not be swayed to change her mind. Her getting the karma ability was a poor choice because she didn't look at the whole picture and instantly judges people - and it's usually wrong. 

Quint is so mature for his age, but has this personna he shows at school where he's a goof ball. I think that would be exhausting for him. 

I love the rescue center and everything it stands for. And I'm glad Pru volunteered there because it 1. Helped her figure out her passion and possible future career but 2. It made her not to judgemental and she started to be a nice person. 

So, yeah, overall I enjoyed this story, but I could have done without Prudence because I really really dislike. Still, even after finishing the book and she kinda redeemed herself. But not enough in my book.

Who hasn’t yearned to have magic powers. Meyer’s Instant Karma is a cure and fun story that will have you longing for the beach.

This book had a very interesting premise and at times it was thought provoking. However, the main character was unbearable. It was difficult to get through at times because she didn’t seem to have many redeeming qualities. The karma aspect was also sprinkled throughout and I would have liked to see more of that.

Marissa Meyer can't go wrong with me. Just like all her other books, this one felt like a warm blanket, and I loved wrapping myself in it. I think I would have loved it even more had I read it in summer, but it still made for an amazingly entertaining read even in winter. It is vastly different from her fantasy writing, yet it still feels comfortable somehow.

The story opens as the main character, Prudence, awaits her class partner for their group project presentation. Quint shows up late and acts nonchalant. She believes that she’s done all of the work but the teacher gives her the lower grade because she struggles with teamwork. She’s allowed an extra credit assignment and grade if she’ll do more research on the topic and demonstrate her ability for teamwork. She volunteers at Quint’s family owned sea animal rescue center for her research. During summer break, Prudence expands her horizons and broadens her perspective. She also helps catch an embezzler. A clean read with some unexpected happenings, 4 stars!

*I also listened to the audiobook which was fun to listen to!

I wanted to love this book; the premise of being able to have the power of instant karma on people sounded so fun! Unfortunately I found the story kind of boring. I enjoyed that it took place at an animal rescue center and had sea animals but that's about it. 

​I feel like the instant karma magic wasn't utilized like it could have been. It was as if the author just forgot about that plotline and would randomly mention it when she thought of it. The romance felt kind of flat and I didn’t care about any of the characters which was disappointing. 

Prudence is annoying and super judgy of everyone. She seems to think she's better than everyone and I know this was her character but she didn't really learn to be a better person, which I hoped she would. I hated how she thought she had to butt into certain things because she felt the universe was telling her to, when it clearly wasn't. 

The audiobook was quick to get through so that's why I continued on, otherwise this book wasn't for me.

Thank you​ Fierce Reads​ for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an interesting premise but little follow-through, and while it is considered a contemporary romance, there was SO LITTLE ROMANCE. I read it because I was considering it for my middle school library, but compared to the hundreds of books I've read in the past year and a half, it is easily at the bottom of my list.
I read and read, waiting for the premise of the book (Prudence's ability to exact instant karma on people she thinks have done wrong) to actually happen. It took forever. There was a lot of back story, and it was dull as heck. Then I read and read, waiting for the romance to begin. THAT took forever. There is a whole lotta book without any payoff whatsoever.
In addition to such a thin storyline, I also didn't like the teen's ability to just jump in and take over the marketing and fundraising for the wildlife rescue center. I mean, two teenagers with zero experience beyond a science report managed to put together a fundraising gala that I know from my own experience takes WAY more work, effort, and people power than how it was presented in the book. I am willing to suspend my disbelief for a lot of YA book plots, but this one was just too much.