I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars.. This was pretty much just ok but i recommend if you're looking for something to kill time and liked the premise..

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I normally love Marissa Meyer (the Renegades trilogy is one of my favorite YA series), but I just could not get into this one. It wasn't the format - Rebecca Soler is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and she did an excellent job with this book. It was mostly the main character, Prudence, that I just couldn't connect with. I found her to be rude and selfish - hard to root for and relate to. I also found the plot was dragging a lot.

3.5 Stars bumped for the environmental and animal welfare angle.

Popular fantasy author Marissa Meyer ( The Lunar Chronicles ) has switched it up and written a YA contemporary romance novel with elements of magical realism in Instant Karma. Prudence Barnett is a rigid and often judgmental overachiever. She's a hardworking student and doesn't leave much to chance. So when she is paired with Quint Erickson, a student who is almost her complete opposite, to work on a major biology class project, she does what she always does. She takes over and does it pretty much by herself. Only her biology teacher, Mr. Chavez, isn't having it. He gives the students a "C" on the project because they didn't really work together and even worse, gives Quint a "B+" and Pru a "B-", grades he says reflects the poor working dynamic. Prudence is aghast and demands a do-over, only Quint is fine with his grade. Prudence is determined to make Quint change his mind and settles down to read the printed version of her presentation and gets rather flustered. In between a bunch of typos and misspellings, she finds Quint has upended her ideas about the benefits of ecotourism for animal conservation and instead has focused on... animal rescue? With school at an end and a few short months to convince Quint to rework the project as a team, Pru checks out the rescue organization that Quint has featured in their project binder. She bikes to the Fortuna Beach Animal Rescue organization and finds... it's run by Quint's mom? Set against a backdrop of Pru hitting her head and gaining the ability to exact karma on those she sees doing wrong (a skill that kind of seems to backfire in some ways...), this is a sweet coming of age/love to hate romance.

Instant Karma was a pleasant read/listen that is a good selection for holiday reading for your older teen. Prudence has her merits and faults and learns to be a better and more tolerant person over the course of the novel. I appreciated her skillfully drawn family and friend Ari, who see Pru's rigidity and still find ways to support her while nudging her to be more open. As a parable, this is a story that gently encourages readers to be less judgmental and provides an example of what happens when harsh judgments rebound on someone who's been critical of others without understanding their journey.

The Instant Karma audiobook, narrated by Rebecca Soler ("The Lunar Chronicles," "The Hazel Wood") is an enjoyable listen.

I received a digital audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really cute. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job.

I really didn't love Prudence at the beginning, but she grows a lot during this book and, by the end, she had grown on me. And Quint was the sweetest.

The plot was also fun, focusing on environmental consciousness and rehabilitating sea animals. I enjoyed seeing the ideas Prudence and Quint came up with to get the community involved in a beach clean up and fundraising for the animal rescue center.

Im glad to see that Meyer seems to be just as great at contemporary as she has been at sci-fi/fantasy!

I have been a fan of Marissa Meyer for many years and was so excited to see a new title from her on the horizon. Even more so, it was a romance. This intrigued me as I couldn’t wait to see how such a sci-fi writer would handle the new genre. Spoiler alert: she did not disappoint!

This was such a cute story that was complete with little beach town, colorful characters, and a perfect hate to love relationship that just continued to make me smile. I could see Prudence and Quint’s town perfectly from the empty streets to the quaint beaches with little storefronts. Meyer made it very welcoming to wander through this town and get to know the characters within it.

And all of these characters were wonderful to get to know. Everyone, even the smaller characters had distinct personalities that gave them dimensionality and life. Each one seemed to have enough to them that I could relate to them in one way or another. I was a breath of fresh air in a world that has so many flat characters.

I was not surprised by the way this story ended or how it got there. It was pretty formulaic. I was surprised by how much I really didn’t care. This was a wonderful read that didn’t push any genre barriers, but seemed to get back to the basics of a summer YA novel that is entertaining at its core and insightful if you are willing to learn from it.

The narration of this novel was a bit robotic (I think due to the platform), yet still expressive and enjoyable to listen to. Rebecca Solar gave a great performance with feeling.

The fantastic team of Meyer & Solar have done it again! Meyer's writing continues to be engaging, thought-provoking, and fluid. Solar continues to give brilliant performances of Meyer's work, and this is no exception!

Instant Karma follows the emotional journey of Prudence as she learns that her own perspective is not the only valid one. As I began the novel, Prudence really grated on me. She was self-important, judgemental, and a wee bit entitled. I will admit there was a point that I almost DNF this novel, but it was worth sticking it out! Her growth was exponential as she realized how the world actually works, and how truly layered the people around her are.
One of the things I loved most about this book was the animals. YES I SAID IT. Growing up as a kid who surrounded herself with animal care and rescue, this made me so excited. It definitely added to the engagement of my attention. :)

This is definitely an audiobook that will stick in my mind for a long while to come! 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 on GR!

I had heard a lot of buzz surrounding this book in my book club, so I was thrilled to receive a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley. I was initially taken by the story. I loved the emphasis on nature and saving wildlife, but I found that the story went on a little too long to hold my attention. The storyline is really cute and compelling, it just seemed like it dragged on a little too long. I kept thinking I was almost done based on where the plot was, only to see that I had hours left of listening. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

"Instant Karma" by Marissa Meyer- 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5 stars)

"Instant Karma" was a blast to read/listen to! I wasn't sure I would like Marissa Meyer's first step in contemporary fiction but it was great! So unique and fun!
The main character, Prudence, was not always a great person to listen to- I was often cringing at some of the things she said. But she really grew as a character by the end of the book. She was always strong and motivated but by the end she was also nicer and more empathetic. Her relationship with the love interest, Quint, grew too. He started out as a lazy, annoying person but as Prudence got to know him, the real him, he becomes someone who is also hardworking and lovable. Together they are a great team and really make a mark on whatever they put their minds to.
The added bit of magical realism made it even more of a great story. Prudence's "power" of inflicting karma on those around her was very unique. And as the story goes on, Prudence realizes that it might not be a blessing but more of a curse.
And the setting! It takes place in a beach town of California and Prudence and Quint volunteer together at an animal rescue shelter. The animals, the beach, and the town were all great to read about.
Overall, "Instant Karma" was a fun read. That is the best way to describe it-FUN. I recommend it to everyone:)

I'm a simple girl. I see Marissa Meyer and I hit the "to-read" button before I even read the synopsis. It's just the way it is.

And yet, despite loving Marissa Meyer and her writing. Despite being a ride or die fan of everything she writes. Despite being looking forward to anything that she may publish in the future. Despite all that, I didn't love this book.

I did listen to the audiobook and I have to give props to the narrator, Rebecca Soler for making the story engaging. I must admit, that had I been reading it myself, I would have put down and strongly debated picking it back up.

That being said, it's not that the book was necessarily bad. It wasn't bad at all. Meyer's writing is wonderful as always and it was great to listen to. The issue was that I honestly didn't care about the characters at all. Interesting, likable characters are Meyer's greatest strength, in my opinion. The cast of the Lunar Chronicles remains one of my favorites to this day. So, I don't know what happened in this book that made the main character, Pru so hard to root for and made me not want to keep reading her story.

Prudence was so immature and selfish. She was narrow-minded and self-righteous. And yes, this is all part of her character arc and growth but I couldn't help but roll my eyes every time she went around acting like she was superior to all those around her. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced that her superiority complex is fully gone by the end of the story.

Another issue I had was that at times I felt as though the story dragged. There were so many side quests going on, too many subplots. Also, the karmic justice bestowed by the universe felt forced at times. I think the book would have been better without it.

In the end, even though I didn't love this novel, I did enjoy parts of it. I really liked the side characters and would have liked more from them. Honestly, all of the characters were great except for Pru. Maybe I'm being overly judgmental of her, but then again, she was overly judgmental of everyone around her so let's just call that karmic justice, if you will.

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’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this story.

Prudence is a high and mighty 17 year old who thinks very little of everyone in her life. The way she views people actually made me so angry, even her best friend she had negative thoughts about because Prudence couldn’t be any less empathetic of an individual. She is also book smart but completely life stupid. How can someone live in a town all their life and not realize it has an animal rehab center? It speaks volumes of how self centered she is! Anyway the gist of her plight is this:

She’s working on a project with Quint, and they get a terrible grade because she doesn’t work with him and belittles him. She decides to beg her teacher for a makeup and it lands her at a volunteer job at the sealife rehab center in town. But when she falls and hits her head one night she ends up with the ability to enact instant karma on people.

I liked the characters other than Prudence but none of them wowed me. The plot was wishywashy in that I don’t know what it was actually about... her changing? The rehab? It just didn’t have a strong story line to me and then the karma thing just seemed thrown in there, forgotten, and brought back because it was randomly remembered...

If this wasn’t an audiobook I don’t know if I could’ve trudged through it but I listened while I worked.

Not for me.

First of all, I absolutely love Marissa Meyer and that's not just because she is from my home state. Every book I have read of hers has been great.

When I received the audiobook from Netgalley I was super excited. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy.

In this story you have Prudence who is an overachiever. She aims for perfection in every thing she does. She quickly judges those that seem lazy and unmotivated. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when she wakes up with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Only every time she tries to cast instant karma on her lab partner Quint it backfires.

After not getting the grade Pru wanted on a group project she resigns herself to working at the rescue center Quint works at for extra credit. She soon realizes that he isn't as lazy as she thought.

She begins to learn about the many things Quint does at the Rescue Center and falls in love with not only the animals but Quint as well.

This was an adorable story that made my heart so happy. It's definitely a must read and the audiobook was great as well.

5/5 ⭐️ to Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for early access to the audiobook! It was such a treat to dive into another Marissa Meyer book! This book follows Prudence, a self-proclaimed perfectionist who has just finished a very frustrating partner project in Marine Biology with Quint. They then end up working together for the summer at an Animal Rescue Center. Also, after a freak accident, Prudence finds herself with the power to dole out instant karma. This actually provides such an important and interesting theme and discussion for readers about morality, who defines it, and of justice. There is also such a great enemies-to-lovers relationship between Pru & Quint as they work together and learn more about each other so they can get past their differences. I so enjoyed that aspect! There are also such great family aspects to the book, with Quint & his Mom, and with Prudence’s family. Something else I really enjoyed is watching Prudence fall in love even more with her city and take ownership of it! Before, she really likes where she lives (Fortuna Beach) and has a business plan for ecotourism, but through her marine biology project, volunteering at the rescue Center, and Quints guidance, she connects to the marine life that really defines their community. Connected to these is a prominent theme of ecotourism and environmentalism, learning and appreciation of the flora and fauna where you live, and how to protect it.

Anyways, this book was everything I hoped for, and I hope others really enjoy it too!

This was such a cute and fun read! The main character did annoy me a bit with her immature thoughts, but overall this was a cute romance. It was predictable but was a fun book to swoon over.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review!

A Marissa Meyer book narrated by Rebecca Soler? Count me in!

This book was quite different from the Lunar Chronicles. With the exception of the "instant karma" that the main character can dole out when she witnesses someone behave particularly poorly or well, it is set in our normal world. Not an android to be found, just adorable marine life and regular people with more or less regular problems.

It was a sweet story that I quite enjoyed. I did feel, though, that some of the characters were not as well fleshed out and I would have like more from them. It felt like there were a lot of loose ends that were never tied up. Perhaps it's the beginning of a series of sorts?

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to start this off by mentioning that I wholly believe the narrator of the audio went above and beyond to channel Prudence's entire essence. Her words were clipped by the same sort of pride and self-righteousness that you'd expect from a POV character written like this one was.

Onto the full review:

Instant Karma confounded me. I really wanted to like it-- and in some parts, I really did. It was light and I really appreciated the clear passion Quint had for his marine conservation and rehabilitation ambitions. He was almost entirely likable- later events of the novel, where even I winced-- notwithstanding. Even Prue, for all of her uppity-ness, had redeeming moments when she examined her insecurities and how that might lead to her general perfectionism.

But Prue. Darn her, she was annoying as heck. I GET that there needs to be a character arc. Some kind of growth. But this girl is a hyped-up Rachel Berry. She's insufferable and judgmental and it made it really hard to stay in her head for long enough for the growth to come on out.

It did come out though, towards the end of the book, which was her saving grace. And upon reflection, I can honestly say that she was written pretty spot on for a high-schooler who thinks she is above it all.

And if you're questioning why my review hasn't mentioned the most interesting part of the plot-- the powers of instant karma-- it's because its barely in the novel. In fact, if this book erased most of that aspect it'd be fairly similar to it's current state. Sigh.

"I believe I’m a good person. But what if I’m not?"

Hi friends; happy Wednesday!

Earlier this year, I discovered the absolute magic that is The Lunar Chronicles and very quickly fell down the Marissa Meyer rabbit hole. Imagine my excitement upon finding out that the same woman who created Carswell Thorne and Adrian Everhart dreamed up a new world focusing on two characters who couldn’t hate each other more if they tried, The Beatles, adorable sea animals, and a dash of being able to enact instant karma on people who deserve it. If you ask me, that sounds like a grade-a recipe for pure perfection.

A BIG thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook of Instant Karma in exchange for an honest review!

Synopsis: Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett 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 karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed…love and hate.

Instant Karma is arguably a very different book and genre than what we’ve come to expect from Marissa Meyer because of it’s main contemporary categorization. But, one thing that isn’t different is Marissa’s ability to create an amazing dynamic between characters—whether they’re friends or enemies, whether they sass each other or compliment each other. Not to mention, her characters are realistic in a way I never expected fictional characters could be.

Pru is a perfectonist. She’s observant in a nit-picky way, meaning that if she wouldn’t do something the way it works for someone else, then that’s the wrong way. She’s strict on herself, and on others. She’s a do-gooder. She cringes at any grade lower than an A. Pru can be controlling, helicoptering almost. And, to be completely honest with you, she wasn’t my favorite character from the get go. Therein lies why Pru ended up being so incredible for me, but we’ll get back to that.

Like I said, at the very beginning of the book, it’s easy to figure Pru out. You quickly learn her ticks, what grinds her gears. And the thing, the person, that really gets under her skin is none other than the beloved Quint Erickson who, like Pru, is easily understood at the surface level. He’s the goofy class-clown; he’s always late; he doesn’t care about his lab assignments. Obviously, between Quint and Pru, the air is tense. They’re always butting heads. They hate each other so much so that I don’t think they could hate each other more if they tried. As lab partners, it’s pretty much close to impossible for them to get anything done. Pru wants things done a certain way and takes on tasks herself, and Quint sometimes can’t even bother to show up. But, that’s before Pru starts volunteering at the animal rescue that Quint volunteers at, and his mom owns.

‘Look, Prudence. I don’t want this summer to be as miserable as biology class was all year. Do you think maybe we can try something different?”

When Pru’s in Quint’s world, surrounded by adorable sea animals that need rescuing, her heart begins to change in more ways than one. She starts seeing that maybe there is more to life than being the smartest person in the room, that there is more happiness to be found outside of your comfort zone. Her walls start crumbling, even when she doesn’t want them to, and that’s when her outward, perfectionist facade tumbles down.

Pru is self conscious. She questions if something is wrong with her or everyone else. She constantly worries that she isn’t fun. She’s always terrified about what others think of her. She isn’t as strong as she lets on, and that’s what made me love her. She became heartwarmingly relatable in those moments, when she shows that her life isn’t all together. It’s so easy to get caught inside of yourself, and seeing that portrayed in a perfectionist character was beautiful. Then, to top it all off, this was mirrored in Quint as well, which made it even more fantastic.

Quint doesn’t leave the whole scene unscathed either because he isn’t what you first see on the surface level. He’s late to class for a very legitimate reason. He’s passionate and headstrong, and nothing can slow the kid down. Quint and Pru end up leaning on each other, learning from one another, and those interactions are what make them better people overall.

‘I do know how to have fun.’
‘I know that. But even you have to admit that it’s a pretty well-guarded secret.’

Yes, this genre is different from Marissa Meyer’s usual, but the plot is even more so. It’s much less convoluted and involved than a disease running rampant through a city or heroes and villains constantly at war. At face value, this is a story about two teenagers drowning in miscommunication, with a dash of magical realism for pizazz, but that didn’t make it any less intriguing.

I will admit, because of the slow plot, at times the book was a little difficult to fully get into; there were moments that weren’t my favorite and perhaps a few too many pages, but that slow of a plot just really made sense for these characters and their stories. Because of the slower parts in which we watch Pru and Quint slowly grow and change, they’re given the realistic grace of getting to know one another; it makes their changing relationship organic and natural, and that really made the whole book work for me.

The slow plot also lends a helping hand in the development of Pru’s powers. Sure, she can wish instant karma on people that deserve it, but her understanding of the kinks and the way that power works is anything but instant. At first, understandably, Pru just thinks she’s mistaken; almost that she’s just going crazy, because that’s an easier truth to swallow. But, as she learns more about the limits and mercies that she’s granted, the plot begins to build upon itself and the pace quickens. Again, this method of writing really, really works for me. Marissa Meyer’s ability to stretch her talents and conform within the world she’s writing in will always astound me.

‘Actions make a person good, not motives.’
‘I’m not sure I agree with that.’

I’d also be stupid to get any further in this review without absolutely gushing about how wonderful the audiobook is. I had the pleasure of holding the physical book while listening to Rebecca Soler narrate the whole thing. I have never listened to any of Marissa’s other audiobooks, which are also read by Rebecca, but wow. From the different voices for each character, different inflections and tones, even different manners of speaking, I was immediately transported to Fortuna Beach with Quint and Pru.

There were also moments in which characters really fixated on their passions, like marine life or music, and their fictional passions flooded my system. Reading characters talk so animatedly about the things that fuel their heart made me want to get excited about those things too.

If I didn’t make it clear already, I enjoyed Instant Karma. Although, like I confessed, the slow parts were hard to get through, but Pru’s growth was absolutely worth it. Not to mention, I became pretty attached to the side characters and am over here hoping Marissa Meyer is at least considering writing a whole book for Jude.

Another big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook for review!

You might like this if:
- you love the enemies to lovers trope
- you like listening to The Beatles
- you would rather be spending your time on the beach
- you want to adopt a sea otter

Overall: 4 karaoke machines out of 5 – ★★★★☆.

3.5 stars
This was a really cute story with likeable characters and a tiny bit of magic. I really enjoyed learning about marine animals so much and the overall message was very well executed. Additionally, the romance was really delightful with some especially adorable moments. However, in general this book felt like it lacked creativity, it was a bit predictable and it never left me feeling like I needed more. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't read everything else Marissa Meyer is capable of but I know that she can make truly swoon worth romance, this just didn't hit that mark for me.

I loved this contemporary YA from Marissa Meyer. It is incredibly sweet and fun and thoughtful. I loved the characters, I felt like I was in a beach town while reading it. It’s much more of a simple read than her other works as it is a standalone, but it’s still Marissa Meyer. I recommend listening to any song mentioned as it comes up in the book! This hate-to-love story will treat you with karaoke, magical powers, Beatles references, adorable sea lions and sea otters, and helping a good cause.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked a romance by the author of the Lunar Chronicles and Cinder. What I found was a cute love story framed around an environmentalist cause.

I followed along with the audiobook as I read along and was happy to discover that Rebecca Soler, who has narrated all of Meyer's previous books, also brought this one to life.

My one "complaint: is that I had a hard time connecting with Prudence, but that did not hinder my appreciation of the book.

Prudence is annoying and whiny and I don't think it was the narrator's portrayal. I thought that she would grow out of it but she really doesn't. There are times where her personality borderlines bully-land.

In the second half of the book, Pru and Quint have this huge fight and he says some pretty harsh things. True but harsh nonetheless. I usually find that when a moment like that happens, the things said are usually things that used to be true and we get to see the change in that person but in this case, there wasn't much change.

The first part of the book was a little slow, spent too much time on the build-up and when it came time for the conflict resolutions at the end seemed a little rushed.

Regardless of not really liking the female protagonist, I still really enjoyed the story and all the other characters. The story was packed with life lessons that everyone could relate to.