When I heard Marissa Meyer (author of one of my favorite fairytale retellings The Lunar Chronicles) was going to be writing a contemporary romance novel, I freaked out! The synopsis had me already in love and the cover is just so cute!

The idea of being able to give instant karma (and yes, it’s related to the song) to anyone was just a really fun idea! I knew going in that it was going to be a fun romance (and guys… it’s rivals to lovers YAY!) but I did expect that her new power would play a bit more of a role. And while it did have an influence to the story, there wasn’t as much of it as I hoped!

I thought Prudence was a really interesting and flawed character and I really enjoyed reading in her point of view knowing that she had a lot to learn. It was great seeing her slowly realizing her flaws and seeing her growth! And being around Quint? ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

Quint is the kind of person that I would probably have problems with too if I were to ever meet him in real life because I saw a lot of myself in Prudence. It’s easy to fall into a one sided point of view and it was great to see that there are multiple sides to a story through Prudence’s POV.

When I went in, all I knew was that it was romance and that there was some sort of “magic” involved, so I was so pleasantly surprised to see that there was a lot to do with the environment and marine life in this small beach town.

I loved seeing Prudence interact with her friends and her family. Everybody’s relationships to the main character were really great and I’m a huge fan of sibling relationships so getting to see that was also fun! Honestly, I’m not a big fan of super small towns, but this book made me really want to live in a small beach town!

This is perfect for someone who wants some fun rivals-to-lovers high school summer romance! If you enjoy beach life, The Beatles references, karaoke mishaps, excellent character growth, amazing banter, scuba diving, and absolutely adorable seals (er… sorry, sea lions!)! You’ll love this if you love fundraising parties, photography, girls with lots of ideas, misunderstandings leading to drama, and family and friendship!

This was a cute rom-com that will mostly be enjoyed by young adults (more so than those in the "new adult" category). It feels very high-school, and won't transcend age groups in the same way that similar books have, like "Tweet Cute." All of the essential YA themes are present: self exploration, making mistakes, coming of age. Overall enjoyable but a bit long, maybe too heavy on drama.

I love Marissa Meyer and this book was a lot of fun. It started a little slow compared to her series but the characters were fun and fully realized and I enjoyed spending time with them.

Meyer's take on a summer romance novel, but for YA audience is a winning shot. The characters of Pru and Quint are well developed and the reader is drawn into their relationship, the push and pull of love/hate. The underlying themes of family, and the importance of the environment are strong, and help add to the "magical" plot. When Pru figures out that she has the ability to give someone "instant karma", is it a good thing or a bad thing? Should Pru really be interfering with the natural force of the universe? Overall, it's a great read and gives more to the reader aside from just the magical theme.

I liked the original premise of this book and I enjoyed imagining what I could do with a power like that. Unfortunately most of the book fell pretty flat. The romance wasn't very romantic,, the villain was really underwhelming, the climax was meh. What bothered me most was when Pru was accused of theft by two people previously painted as super great folks. It seemed really harsh and not believable. Also, the swiftness with which Pru was all "hey it's totally fine you accused me of a horrible crime let's make out" was concerning. Girls need to learn to demand positive relationships not toxic ones.

I really enjoyed the depth of this novel, in terms of allowing the reader to change perspective on the characters on multiple occasions. I enjoyed the slight tinge of magic, or whatever you'd like to call it, and I think I would even have liked to see more of it. I can think of several students who would love this one.

This is such a great summer read to read any time of the year. It is a perfect hate-to-love romance. I feel in love with Marissa Meyer's words a long time ago, and this book just made me fall in love with her even more. Meyer takes characters that could be simple, and makes them deep and charismatic. I loved how this book showed that not every good deed is really a good deed, and how not every bad deed is a bad deed. I cant wait to go back to this book and visit them again.

This was a cute, hate-to-love romance with a tiny dash of magic. Prudence is smart and hardworking, but also a little bit (or a lot) self-absorbed and judgemental. When she hits her head one day and suddenly has the ability to dispense cosmic justice with the squeeze of her fist or the snap of her fingers. At first this is fun, but it turns out that deciding who deserves punishment or who deserves reward isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Through it all, she has to try and work alongside Quint, her sworn enemy and biology lab partner to raise their grade on their final project. As they volunteer together at the local sea life rescue organization, Pru starts to realize maybe she has judged some people, including Quint, a little too harshly.

*Thank you Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the eARC from Netgalley.

4.5 / 5 stars

Prudence Daniels always has to have things go her way. Prudence is known for her judgement and overachiever attitude. When things do not go her way on her final class assignment, Prudence finds herself in new territory with her lab partner. Pru soon finds herself working with Quint at the local sea rescue center in order for her to get some extra credit for class. When Pru has a small accident while out with friends, she awakes to find herself with the power of dishing out karma to those she feels deserve it.

Oh the character development and growth! I loved seeing Prudence grow so much throughout this book. Prudence is an unlikable character, and she is meant to be. I think that this book is a great representation of how everyone can change in more positive ways if they try. Prudence loves to be one that has knowledge of everything, but she soons realizes that maybe she is too quick to judge. It was great to experience a character having deeper reflections over their own actions. If you cannot stand Prudence in the beginning, I couldn’t, then I promise that by the end you will like her more.

I loved the setting for this book. Rescue centers are so important and should be supported. I loved learning more about the animals and seeing the characters interact and support them. This book really tugs on your heart strings at times.

The blend of karmatic magic was very well done in this book. This inclusion brings in a deeper topic of do we really know others well enough to judge them, or are we only seeing things in the way we want to at face value. Prudence actively struggles with this, but soon realizes how quick she is to determine the fate and identity of others.

I loved Quint. He was such a well-written character. He does have some faults as well, but overall he is a great individual. He struggled with communication at times, but it did get better during some scenes. Honestly, both characters struggled with this.

Overall, I adored this book and I cannot wait to share it with my students this fall.

I was so excited for this latest book by Marissa Meyer as she is one of my favorite authors. Sadly, this did not work for me. This felt more like a MG book than a YA. The protagonist, Pru, came across as deeply immature, selfish, and an all around brat. From the start she was only thinking about herself and how any situation could better her. It is one thing to be active in a school project, it is another to choose not to let your assigned partner participate in said project because you believe you can do it better by yourself.

Let's not talk about (or maybe we should?) the unknown angst Pru has for her assigned partner and self-proclaimed enemy, Quint. She carries a massive grudge against him, always trash talking him when he hasn't done anything to deserve it. She bashes him every single chance she gets, as if her brain just wants to utter his name as every other word that comes out of his mouth. It's maddening because she never gives an actual reason why she dislikes him so, so, so much. He certainly isn't the devil in human form, he's a decent human being.

The setting for the book was the best part, and that's sad. The pacing was terribly slow and I lost interest several times. Would I recommend this? I know some readers that will love it, but it will be an either "love it or hate it" book for most people.

This book was everything you want in a YA romcom: fun, entertaining, super cute, lots of awkward and exciting teenage emotions, and, most importantly, teens making a difference. I love the way Meyer takes a romantic comedy and makes it really mean something by adding really important topics like environmental awareness, animal rescues, volunteering to improve the community, and surprisingly deep questions on morality. Everything starts light and fluffy but turns into something much more. Our MC has a lot of character development throughout the book and she learns so much which I think would be wonderful for young readers to see. The only real negative thing I felt about the story was the whole karmic justice power. I feel that, at times, our MC abused the power, other times the universe went a little overboard with their punishment, and many times our MC conveniently forgot she even had it and went days/weeks without using it? I just know that teenage me being given this power.... it would've been the forefront of my mind, at all times, and it would have been part of every decision I made (because, if you have the power to deal karmic justice, shouldn't you use it justly because then karmic justice may come after you? Vicious, vicious circle...)

Marissa Meyer is the author of my favorite series ever, the Lunar Chronicles. So I will always read everything she writes forever. I was so excited to get my hands on this book!

Instant Karma is a contemporary YA romance featuring Prudence, the main character, who at first glance is incredibly unlikable. She is unlikable, in fact, for about the first 40% of the book. But she does grow as a character and she grew on me the more I read about her. I really enjoyed the supporting characters of this book and the concept of Prudence seemingly being able to dispense "instant karma" on those around her.

I also loved reading about the marine life rescue center most of the story centers around. The science teacher in me loved the use of biology and scientific terminology in the story. I think this is one I could definitely recommend to my middle schoolers as, though it is romance, it's very PG.

The story plodded along at times, but I did want to know what happened, and the last third of the book went very quickly and tied up all the strings very well. A solid YA romance with a bit of magical realism sprinkled in!

It took me a bit to get into this story, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. I thought the characters were well-written and the relationship was believable. I would like to revisit some of the secondary characters and hear their story.

I was really excited for a new Marissa Meyer novel, especially one that takes place in our contemporary world. Well one could call this a typical rom-com, there's the additional element of giving the main character karmic powers. I don't feel like the balance of rom-com elements and fantastical elements was executed well. For example, we don't start getting typical rom-com plot points until a third into the book. Then, the fantastical elements aren't mentioned for the second third of the book until Pru loses them at the end. Having these two elements made the book weaker overall because they were always battling for plot points instead of enhancing the plot line. I hope the next Meyer rom-com fits in better with what already exists in the genre.

I loved this so much! One of my new favorite YA contemporaries, but I can't say I'm surprised as Marissa Meyer has been a favorite author of mine for a while! Although Prudence was a bit annoying in the beginning- mainly because how could rescuing animals NOT be your heart's desire- she had wonderful character development. I loved Quint from the moment he was introduced. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a misunderstood bad boy! And his name! Love Jaws! I highly recommend this book, it will tear your heart out but is also so so wholesome! I guess I'm also a sucker for books about animals haha!

Instant Karma was a cute, light-hearted young adult contemporary romance, especially for those who love Pride and Prejudice. While Prudence can be a grating narrator in the beginning of the novel, she grapples with what it means to be a good person or a bad person. Her self-delusion makes what could be a bland story into a self-deprecating, warming character revelation. I would definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I've been a fan of Marissa Meyer for a while, even did my dissertation on the Lunar Chronicles.. This was different than what she's published before but no less enthralling. I was completely invested in the characters, their plight, and possibly the best two people that hate each other in the beginning kind of plot line that I've read in a while. There was even a bit of magical realism involved as well which was a fun addition to the story.
I absolutely recommend.

I loved the characters in this book. This is a YA romance, and it is even good for middle school. Prudence is one of five siblings all named after a Beatles songs. The story is based one Pru who is the type A, control freak, overachiever who,is put with the biggest slacker for the final ,Amir grade for their biology class. Of course it turns out to be a disaster, and Pru cannot allow Quint to leave her with a C. She has to persuade him To work together to make money for the local no -profit animal rescue. He doesn’t want to spend another minute with her, of course. So, she has to show him that she can work to rescue the rescue. Quint is not what he seems. He may be late all the time, and he may be flaky...there are reasons and Peru’s newfound ability to see Karma work shows her not to judge a book by its cover. Good coming of age story about how it is never too late to change the path you are on. And it is always better to work with someone than to shoulder the burden on your own.

I really liked Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer -- I had been introduced to her with the Lunar Chronicles and enjoyed them (but it lost be a bit on the fourth of the series). While her books (after writing Cress) failed to really grip me, I was happy to read through Instant Karma in one sitting. It was a bit difficult to read through the eyes of an overachiever, Prudence's strong character that at times was hard to like which I found endearing. It's refreshing to come across characters that aren't wholly good or bad; just like normal human beings. It's relatable, and honestly provided me with a new outlook on sea life animal rescue. Definitely would recommend to fans of Marissa Meyer and anyone interested in a wholesome story about putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

This is an excellent summer read! A typical opposites attract romance, with characters who initially dislike each other but are then forced to work together. Despite it being a traditional romantic trope, it is still a very enjoyable read that is not too heavy, but has some real heart to it.