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Fortuna Beach#1
Instant Karma
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 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.
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.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2020
About the author
Marissa Meyer
74books127kfollowersI live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books athttp://www.marissameyer.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,811 reviews
April 10, 2021
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 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 it 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 acted 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
Overall Rating: 2.5
**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
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And yet, despite loving Marissa Meyer and her writing. Despite being a ride or die fan of everything she writes. Despite 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 it 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 acted 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
Overall Rating: 2.5
**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
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November 24, 2020
i like sci-fi/fantasy MM but, wow, i like contemporary MM even more. this is honestly the genre for her.
because theres not the flashiness of her usual sci-fi/fantasy in this, it feels like MMs writing is stripped down, which helped me realise her writing skills are actually quite good. its simple, but really effective. the character development is great, the pacing is spot on, the banter is adorable. this is everything you could hope for from a YA contemporary.
not sure if this is one of the books whose original release got pushed back because of COVID, but this would have been the absolute perfect summer read. i really hope MM choses to do more stories like this, because its a good look for her.
↠4 stars
because theres not the flashiness of her usual sci-fi/fantasy in this, it feels like MMs writing is stripped down, which helped me realise her writing skills are actually quite good. its simple, but really effective. the character development is great, the pacing is spot on, the banter is adorable. this is everything you could hope for from a YA contemporary.
not sure if this is one of the books whose original release got pushed back because of COVID, but this would have been the absolute perfect summer read. i really hope MM choses to do more stories like this, because its a good look for her.
↠4 stars
December 21, 2020
OH IT WAS SO GOOD. marissa romances make me so mushy 😭 can quint be my boyfriend please!
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i will give everything i own and my firstborn baby for this
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i will give everything i own and my firstborn baby for this
January 19, 2021
Awwww this book is fanfrekingtastic! ( it’s not a word but nothing is better to define this book)
Dear Prudence: quirky, overachiever, A-grade exemplary student, ambitious, a little self-absorbed, judgmental because she’s obsessed to be perfectionist! It’s a challenging heroine to feel sympathy! At first chapters you love to hate her. Then she gains a spiritual power like being a karma bitch or let’s define her as divine punisher.
When she sees something unfair, she just concentrates, snapping and voila: the person who says something unfair or acts like prick finds himself/ herself in absurd, humiliating position! ( there should be a Marvel Character who has karmic cosmo powers! ) if you are one of the lazy, rude, arrogant town folks, you will be probably on her punishment radar.
But her powers won’t work when it comes to her longtime nemesis, reluctant lab partner Quint Erickson: he arrives so late to the presentation, never finishes a task he’s attended, never listens anything she tells him.
And guess what! Her classmates adore him including her twin brother Jude! What a traitor!
When she tries to punish him for his annoying attitudes and lack of discipline, something happens to her ( including getting attacked by a broom: don’t ask me how it could be possible! )
And after her hard work Prudence gets C which is unacceptable like an ambitious, ultra perfectionist girl like her. She needs to redo her assignment with Quint but at first she has to convince him to work with her. But you can guess both of the parties hate each other’s guts passionately!
As you can imagine Prudence doesn’t give up so easily. She finds out Quint’s mother works at Sea Animal Rescue Center and Quint also works there as a volunteer. To convince Quint for redoing the project, she offers her help to work at the center for four weeks. And Quint accepts her offer because he believes she will run away before her first shift ends. Oh Quint, you don’t know how stubborn dear Prudence can be.
And dear Prudence doesn’t like to connect with animals, hating fish smell but she slowly realizes the values of the job they’re doing. And she finally realizes her lazy, absentminded nemesis is a responsible, hard worker! Oh, he’s more than that! Is she blushing? Yes, she’s! She starts to like him a lot but how their relationship work when Quint hates her so much. Or does he still hate her?
This is triple caramel whip, half-sweet, skim, iced vanilla cappuccino kind of delicious reading! I loved the karmic justice idea! Prudence was a little annoying heroine at the beginning but thankfully the book is long enough for you to get used to her quirkiness!
Quint was sweet pie, adorable hero!
I adored the Beatles references, Prudence’s modern hipster family, her bestie Ari. But Quint’s buddy Ezra was the winner of supporting characters. I truly love to read his own book. ( Ari and Ezra’s story! Yes, I love to read this dreamy sequel!)
I’m lowering one star because of annoying heroine part ( even though I learned to like her, at the beginning she earned hundreds of punching points) and at the last parts Quint should be groveling more because he definitely did something really hurtful in my opinion!
Anyways, it’s sweet, entertaining, feel-good reading that I need! I enjoyed it a lot!
Dear Prudence: quirky, overachiever, A-grade exemplary student, ambitious, a little self-absorbed, judgmental because she’s obsessed to be perfectionist! It’s a challenging heroine to feel sympathy! At first chapters you love to hate her. Then she gains a spiritual power like being a karma bitch or let’s define her as divine punisher.
When she sees something unfair, she just concentrates, snapping and voila: the person who says something unfair or acts like prick finds himself/ herself in absurd, humiliating position! ( there should be a Marvel Character who has karmic cosmo powers! ) if you are one of the lazy, rude, arrogant town folks, you will be probably on her punishment radar.
But her powers won’t work when it comes to her longtime nemesis, reluctant lab partner Quint Erickson: he arrives so late to the presentation, never finishes a task he’s attended, never listens anything she tells him.
And guess what! Her classmates adore him including her twin brother Jude! What a traitor!
When she tries to punish him for his annoying attitudes and lack of discipline, something happens to her ( including getting attacked by a broom: don’t ask me how it could be possible! )
And after her hard work Prudence gets C which is unacceptable like an ambitious, ultra perfectionist girl like her. She needs to redo her assignment with Quint but at first she has to convince him to work with her. But you can guess both of the parties hate each other’s guts passionately!
As you can imagine Prudence doesn’t give up so easily. She finds out Quint’s mother works at Sea Animal Rescue Center and Quint also works there as a volunteer. To convince Quint for redoing the project, she offers her help to work at the center for four weeks. And Quint accepts her offer because he believes she will run away before her first shift ends. Oh Quint, you don’t know how stubborn dear Prudence can be.
And dear Prudence doesn’t like to connect with animals, hating fish smell but she slowly realizes the values of the job they’re doing. And she finally realizes her lazy, absentminded nemesis is a responsible, hard worker! Oh, he’s more than that! Is she blushing? Yes, she’s! She starts to like him a lot but how their relationship work when Quint hates her so much. Or does he still hate her?
This is triple caramel whip, half-sweet, skim, iced vanilla cappuccino kind of delicious reading! I loved the karmic justice idea! Prudence was a little annoying heroine at the beginning but thankfully the book is long enough for you to get used to her quirkiness!
Quint was sweet pie, adorable hero!
I adored the Beatles references, Prudence’s modern hipster family, her bestie Ari. But Quint’s buddy Ezra was the winner of supporting characters. I truly love to read his own book. ( Ari and Ezra’s story! Yes, I love to read this dreamy sequel!)
I’m lowering one star because of annoying heroine part ( even though I learned to like her, at the beginning she earned hundreds of punching points) and at the last parts Quint should be groveling more because he definitely did something really hurtful in my opinion!
Anyways, it’s sweet, entertaining, feel-good reading that I need! I enjoyed it a lot!
Want to read
August 21, 2020reading this is going to be weird when you're used to seeing her characters as cyborgs
May 6, 2022
I am so pleasantly surprised by this book, which is thoroughly a 3 star read that I will probably never think about ever again in my life.
I guess I expected to hate it?
Huh.
In truth, YA contemporaries and summertime just go together. When it is warm outside, I want to be reading a contemporary, and it being good or fun is almost beside the point.
Case in point: his main character is truly intolerable, and the guy she is dating does not seem to like her at all, but who cares? Whatever! They're teens and they're living life and that's what summer is all about, when it comes to me reading.
And for another example, is there simultaneously too much going on here and not enough? Yeah, there is. But again, who can be bothered.
I got what I came for, kind of, almost. No more and no less.
Can't complain too much about that.
Bottom line: Contemporary season!!!
-----------------
currently-reading updates
reading an ARC 2 years late for character development
(thanks to netgalley for it)
I guess I expected to hate it?
Huh.
In truth, YA contemporaries and summertime just go together. When it is warm outside, I want to be reading a contemporary, and it being good or fun is almost beside the point.
Case in point: his main character is truly intolerable, and the guy she is dating does not seem to like her at all, but who cares? Whatever! They're teens and they're living life and that's what summer is all about, when it comes to me reading.
And for another example, is there simultaneously too much going on here and not enough? Yeah, there is. But again, who can be bothered.
I got what I came for, kind of, almost. No more and no less.
Can't complain too much about that.
Bottom line: Contemporary season!!!
-----------------
currently-reading updates
reading an ARC 2 years late for character development
(thanks to netgalley for it)
June 12, 2022
I'm going to be honest here and say that I'm incredibly disappointed.
Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors, and when I heard that she was writing a contemporary romance, I was excited. A bit skeptical, for sure, considering my not-so-great track record with contemporaries...
*cough*
Anywho, despite the mixed reviews I decided to check it out.
And I just-
Prudence Daniels, the main character, was absolutely insufferable. She's the most stereotypical "nerdy-good-two-shoes" character that could ever exist. All she's obsessed about is getting good grades and being successful in life. As a result, she looks down on basically everyone and is the living caricature of the Type A personality.
Over the course of the story, she does gradually become more accepting of others and their individual situations. I for one found Pru's character development interesting and believable. One of the biggest driving factors for her development was Quint Erickson, the love interest, aka the Type B personality.
I couldn't bring myself to really care for Quint, all things considered. (To be honest, I couldn't really bring myself to care about any of the characters). The romance itself was actually alright until about 80% in, and I actually like the way it had been developed over the course of the book.
The whole 'instant karmic justice' plotline was actually interesting, and something I hadn't read about in a book before (or at least, I don't think I have). And sure, I get that the only reason Pru had those powers was to teach her not to be so judgemental all the time, and without it, this book wouldn't really have a plotline, but seriously, Universe?? Pru??
That being said, all the Beatles references made my soul happy and basically allowed me to ignore most of the problems I had with this book.
...that is, except for the second-hand embarrassment. I don't know if this bothered anyone else, but I remember closing my laptop, staring at the wall, and having to force myself into continuing the book no matter how much embarrassment I felt for Prudence.
Despite what my review makes it seem like, side characters do exist in this book. It's just that they have little to no consequence to the plot of the story, and most of them could stand-in for one another. They're there, but they aren't developed in any meaningful way.
All in all, I really do think that this was a good concept. It just wasn't executed as well as it could have, and that was really disappointing for me.:/[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>
Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors, and when I heard that she was writing a contemporary romance, I was excited. A bit skeptical, for sure, considering my not-so-great track record with contemporaries...
*cough*
Anywho, despite the mixed reviews I decided to check it out.
And I just-
Prudence Daniels, the main character, was absolutely insufferable. She's the most stereotypical "nerdy-good-two-shoes" character that could ever exist. All she's obsessed about is getting good grades and being successful in life. As a result, she looks down on basically everyone and is the living caricature of the Type A personality.
Over the course of the story, she does gradually become more accepting of others and their individual situations. I for one found Pru's character development interesting and believable. One of the biggest driving factors for her development was Quint Erickson, the love interest, aka the Type B personality.
I couldn't bring myself to really care for Quint, all things considered. (To be honest, I couldn't really bring myself to care about any of the characters). The romance itself was actually alright until about 80% in, and I actually like the way it had been developed over the course of the book.
The whole 'instant karmic justice' plotline was actually interesting, and something I hadn't read about in a book before (or at least, I don't think I have). And sure, I get that the only reason Pru had those powers was to teach her not to be so judgemental all the time, and without it, this book wouldn't really have a plotline, but seriously, Universe?? Pru??
That being said, all the Beatles references made my soul happy and basically allowed me to ignore most of the problems I had with this book.
...that is, except for the second-hand embarrassment. I don't know if this bothered anyone else, but I remember closing my laptop, staring at the wall, and having to force myself into continuing the book no matter how much embarrassment I felt for Prudence.
Despite what my review makes it seem like, side characters do exist in this book. It's just that they have little to no consequence to the plot of the story, and most of them could stand-in for one another. They're there, but they aren't developed in any meaningful way.
All in all, I really do think that this was a good concept. It just wasn't executed as well as it could have, and that was really disappointing for me.:/[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>[ "br" ]>
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
January 17, 2021DNF @ ~15%: I made the decision that 2021 was going to be the year of putting down books when I knew that they weren't going to be for me, and this one fit that description pretty quickly out the gate. I originally wanted to read this book because I loooooved Marissa Meyer'sLunar Chroniclesback in the day, so when I heard that she was putting out a mostly contemporary story (my favorite genre) I hopped right on it. Unfortunately, this one really didn't work for me the way that I hoped it would and I am bummed! Being inside the main characters head annoyed me SO MUCH from page one and I knew that not even listening to the audiobook (narrated by the amazing Rebecca Soler and was fantastically done, tbh) could save this reading expereince for me. Overall, while this book clearly wasn't for me, I do think that if you enjoy a younger leaning YA story with a sassy/snarky lead, there's a good chance that you will probably still like this and I do recommend checking it out if you're interested!
October 1, 2021
I love Marissa Meyer, but I was just here for the sweet rescue animals and Quint and his mom working to help them. Pru got on my nerves the majority of the book but she straightened up toward the end. Although, she should have zapped all the bad people while she could, unless she just dreamed she had abilities. Anyhoo, cute
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
August 22, 2023
CUS KARMA IS MY BOYFRIEND...
Want to read
May 14, 2020um why the fuck am i only just finding out that marissa meyer is coming out with a contemporary novel? the queen of retellings is releasing a contemporary? take my money, my lungs, my kidney, take them all. i need this.
November 5, 2020
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer is a cute young adult romance.
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.
Full review:https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
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.
Full review:https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...
November 12, 2020
Okay, I guess it was pretty cute.
Prudence is, like,super annoyingthough.
Reasons You Will Love This Book
- Enemies to Lovers cute romance
- Fun beach location
- Sea life vibes
- Karmic justice
- Fun characters
- Music rep
- Realistic character appearances (as opposed to everyone being 'the most attractive person ever')
- Quirky moments
- That one scene in the... where they're both... *happy sigh*
Reasons This Book May Lose Stars
- Prudence is super judgy
- Prudence is self-absorbed
- Prudence is kind of oblivious
- Prudence keeps everything a secret instead of just friggin' telling people the truth
- Look, mostly Prudence. She takes a LOT of warming up to
It really did take a bit for me to get into this, butonce Prudence started softening up I enjoyed it much more.Quint is fun from the start, and I really love the relationship between Prudence and Jude, even though he treats her way better than she deserves sometimes. Ari is cool, too - I love how generous and warm she is, and I wish she'd been in more of the story.
I'm not usually into romance but this was definitely cute.I enjoyed the way their relationship developed, but how it did so while they both mostly stayed true to who they were. It's not about changing to please someone - it's about being accepted just as you are.
The karma angle was probably a little weak for my tastes,but it means that you can hold on to realism by wondering if maybe it IS all just coincidental. I did enjoy the ethical dilemmas it led to, but it still felt poorly utilised. The story definitely feels more about the romance than karma.
A lot of people are going to love this.I found the writing really addictive, and got to a point where I was surprised to realise I was so close to finishing it. It's pretty adorable, with characters that are easy to fall in love with and sea creatures that will steal your heart. The drama may be slightly predictable, but the relationship dynamics make it totally worth while.
I confess:I would be totally down for a sequel.
With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC
Prudence is, like,super annoyingthough.
Reasons You Will Love This Book
- Enemies to Lovers cute romance
- Fun beach location
- Sea life vibes
- Karmic justice
- Fun characters
- Music rep
- Realistic character appearances (as opposed to everyone being 'the most attractive person ever')
- Quirky moments
- That one scene in the... where they're both... *happy sigh*
Reasons This Book May Lose Stars
- Prudence is super judgy
- Prudence is self-absorbed
- Prudence is kind of oblivious
- Prudence keeps everything a secret instead of just friggin' telling people the truth
- Look, mostly Prudence. She takes a LOT of warming up to
It really did take a bit for me to get into this, butonce Prudence started softening up I enjoyed it much more.Quint is fun from the start, and I really love the relationship between Prudence and Jude, even though he treats her way better than she deserves sometimes. Ari is cool, too - I love how generous and warm she is, and I wish she'd been in more of the story.
I'm not usually into romance but this was definitely cute.I enjoyed the way their relationship developed, but how it did so while they both mostly stayed true to who they were. It's not about changing to please someone - it's about being accepted just as you are.
The karma angle was probably a little weak for my tastes,but it means that you can hold on to realism by wondering if maybe it IS all just coincidental. I did enjoy the ethical dilemmas it led to, but it still felt poorly utilised. The story definitely feels more about the romance than karma.
A lot of people are going to love this.I found the writing really addictive, and got to a point where I was surprised to realise I was so close to finishing it. It's pretty adorable, with characters that are easy to fall in love with and sea creatures that will steal your heart. The drama may be slightly predictable, but the relationship dynamics make it totally worth while.
I confess:I would be totally down for a sequel.
With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC
Read
June 12, 2020
March 12, 2024
3.5 ⭐
₊˚.༄ I believe I'm a good person. But what if I'm not? ₊˚.༄
➳three very conflicted stars
🦦 ꒱ overall thoughts :
why did I think this would be like Karma by Taylor Swift, but in book form lol?? The funny thing is, it is based off a song.Instant Karma by John Lennon.Isn’t that funny? I thought it was funny. Anyways. I liked this! And enjoyed it! The setting was cool, and I liked most of the characters. BUT I did have some problems in almost every category, which was sad! I wanted to love this so badly.
🦦 ꒱ plot :
the plot is always a big contributing factor to how much I like a book, and unfortunately, the plot in this one was disappointing. The first half moved at a snail’s pace. It felt like nothing was ever going to happen lol. It finally picked up during the second half, and I flew thru it. However, there seemed to be two plots that never really overlapped/connected. It felt messy and disorganized, like the author had two book ideas and smashed them together without a second thought. I was very confused by this, but maybe I was just being dumb hahaha. I did enjoy the rescuing sea animals part, I thought it was very sweet! I still am partial to saving stray cats though lol.
🦦 ꒱ characters :
an unpopular opinion here! I found Pru very likable. I was scrolling thru the other reviews, y’all haters fr. I think maybe you missed the fact that there was supposed to be room for character development. And Prudence has a very nice character arc <33 I related to her as I am also a perfectionist. I liked Quint very much up until the end. What a red flag omg. Ig he redeemed himself though. Morgan was such aaggressive veganpick me I wanted to die of cringe. Just bc you’re a vegan doesn’t mean you get to shove it down other people’s throats! Ik a vegan irl and she is very kind and respectful. I loved Jude and Ari though!! I can’t wait to read their story. <3
🦦 ꒱ romance :
my favorite (and le best) part by far! It did seem like it took forever for the romance to start, but maybe that was just because the first half dragged so much haha. Quint & Pru were the basic contemporary romance ‘enemies to lovers’ (enemies is such a strong word. So let’s be real. They were never actually enemies) but I still liked them! The tension was sooo good!! And all of their interactions!!! I was throughly invested in their relationship. Though I wished we got more of it on page!
🦦 ꒱ conclusion :
There were parts I loved, but some I hated with passion. Some characters I adored, and some I wished would’ve gone and died in a hole already. I liked the setting, but the plot was wacky. And bc I love to bake, and I know exactly what a half-baked cake tastes like, I will tell you that this book was synonymous to said half baked cake. Good to you, maybe, if you like cakey gooeyness, but not smth you would serve to other ppl.
But if you don’t mind a cute, half baked, contemporary romance, this is for you!!!
➳bye! ily! happy reading!
₊˚.༄ I believe I'm a good person. But what if I'm not? ₊˚.༄
➳three very conflicted stars
🦦 ꒱ overall thoughts :
why did I think this would be like Karma by Taylor Swift, but in book form lol?? The funny thing is, it is based off a song.Instant Karma by John Lennon.Isn’t that funny? I thought it was funny. Anyways. I liked this! And enjoyed it! The setting was cool, and I liked most of the characters. BUT I did have some problems in almost every category, which was sad! I wanted to love this so badly.
🦦 ꒱ plot :
the plot is always a big contributing factor to how much I like a book, and unfortunately, the plot in this one was disappointing. The first half moved at a snail’s pace. It felt like nothing was ever going to happen lol. It finally picked up during the second half, and I flew thru it. However, there seemed to be two plots that never really overlapped/connected. It felt messy and disorganized, like the author had two book ideas and smashed them together without a second thought. I was very confused by this, but maybe I was just being dumb hahaha. I did enjoy the rescuing sea animals part, I thought it was very sweet! I still am partial to saving stray cats though lol.
🦦 ꒱ characters :
an unpopular opinion here! I found Pru very likable. I was scrolling thru the other reviews, y’all haters fr. I think maybe you missed the fact that there was supposed to be room for character development. And Prudence has a very nice character arc <33 I related to her as I am also a perfectionist. I liked Quint very much up until the end. What a red flag omg. Ig he redeemed himself though. Morgan was such a
🦦 ꒱ romance :
my favorite (and le best) part by far! It did seem like it took forever for the romance to start, but maybe that was just because the first half dragged so much haha. Quint & Pru were the basic contemporary romance ‘enemies to lovers’ (enemies is such a strong word. So let’s be real. They were never actually enemies) but I still liked them! The tension was sooo good!! And all of their interactions!!! I was throughly invested in their relationship. Though I wished we got more of it on page!
🦦 ꒱ conclusion :
There were parts I loved, but some I hated with passion. Some characters I adored, and some I wished would’ve gone and died in a hole already. I liked the setting, but the plot was wacky. And bc I love to bake, and I know exactly what a half-baked cake tastes like, I will tell you that this book was synonymous to said half baked cake. Good to you, maybe, if you like cakey gooeyness, but not smth you would serve to other ppl.
But if you don’t mind a cute, half baked, contemporary romance, this is for you!!!
➳bye! ily! happy reading!
April 18, 2021
This was love at first sight. I saw Marissa Meyer, and immediately, I had the creeping suspicion that I would love this.
But unfortunately, my instincts have failed me.
I really wanted to love this, truly. I think Marissa Meyer is an amazing author and though I have not finished The Lunar Chronicles yet, the first book amazed me. But this one was notit.
Instant Karmais a young adult romance about a girl who's forced to work with her archenemies through the course of one eventful summer, filled with cute sea creatures and thedreadedQuint Erickson.
This story has all the elements to amaze or at least entertain.The author is great judging by her other works, the protagonist is semi-relatable (or at least I thought she would be in the beginning) and it includes enemies-to-lovers, and don't even get me started on this trope because I love it with a passion. Unfortunately though, all of these elements combined resulted in a boring, predictable, chemistry-less (let's pretend that's a word) book that I did not enjoy.
I think my biggest issue with this book is that it’s a romance, but the characters have no chemistry and are just flat.I felt like the main male character was just too perfect, he was given no flaws, and the “flaws” that we were supposed to believe were true were so obviously false (you’ll see what I mean if or when you read the book).
Prudence, don’t even get me started on Prudence.She was this goody two-shoes who always tried to excel in school and I thought I might be able to relate to her, but she came off rather bitter and rude.We do get to see her change a bit throughout the story, and I think the author did a good job at making her transition from pesky brat to palpable human being, but she was still adamant on being selfish and unlikable.
As I mentioned, Quint was just soPERFECT.It was annoying.I've never understood why writing advice always says to give your characters flaws, but now I do. Quint is everything I don't want in a book boyfriend. He is bland, boring and uninteresting. He was tooflawlessto even be human, and it was annoying how we were reminded of how good he was every five seconds.
The writing style was basic.There were barley any descriptions of the surroundings and at times I found it difficult to imagine where they were.The dialogue was bland and the characters were too. Nothing pulled me in about the writing style, initially I thought I would enjoy it because it's in 1st POV and I enjoy this genre most in 1st POV, but in this case, not even the POV could make it better.
I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book but I guess that's life. I definitely reccomend checking out some the author's other books though!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
instagram|goodreads
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Update 08/12/2020:I GOT AN E-ARC WHOOP WHOOP
-
WHY AM I JUST HEARING ABOUT THIS BOOK? IT SOUNDS AMAZING AND IT'S BY MARISSA MEYER, WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR?
But unfortunately, my instincts have failed me.
I really wanted to love this, truly. I think Marissa Meyer is an amazing author and though I have not finished The Lunar Chronicles yet, the first book amazed me. But this one was notit.
Instant Karmais a young adult romance about a girl who's forced to work with her archenemies through the course of one eventful summer, filled with cute sea creatures and thedreadedQuint Erickson.
This story has all the elements to amaze or at least entertain.The author is great judging by her other works, the protagonist is semi-relatable (or at least I thought she would be in the beginning) and it includes enemies-to-lovers, and don't even get me started on this trope because I love it with a passion. Unfortunately though, all of these elements combined resulted in a boring, predictable, chemistry-less (let's pretend that's a word) book that I did not enjoy.
I think my biggest issue with this book is that it’s a romance, but the characters have no chemistry and are just flat.I felt like the main male character was just too perfect, he was given no flaws, and the “flaws” that we were supposed to believe were true were so obviously false (you’ll see what I mean if or when you read the book).
Prudence, don’t even get me started on Prudence.She was this goody two-shoes who always tried to excel in school and I thought I might be able to relate to her, but she came off rather bitter and rude.We do get to see her change a bit throughout the story, and I think the author did a good job at making her transition from pesky brat to palpable human being, but she was still adamant on being selfish and unlikable.
As I mentioned, Quint was just soPERFECT.It was annoying.I've never understood why writing advice always says to give your characters flaws, but now I do. Quint is everything I don't want in a book boyfriend. He is bland, boring and uninteresting. He was tooflawlessto even be human, and it was annoying how we were reminded of how good he was every five seconds.
The writing style was basic.There were barley any descriptions of the surroundings and at times I found it difficult to imagine where they were.The dialogue was bland and the characters were too. Nothing pulled me in about the writing style, initially I thought I would enjoy it because it's in 1st POV and I enjoy this genre most in 1st POV, but in this case, not even the POV could make it better.
I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book but I guess that's life. I definitely reccomend checking out some the author's other books though!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
instagram|goodreads
-
Update 08/12/2020:I GOT AN E-ARC WHOOP WHOOP
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WHY AM I JUST HEARING ABOUT THIS BOOK? IT SOUNDS AMAZING AND IT'S BY MARISSA MEYER, WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR?
January 5, 2022
Gratamente sorprendida 🤩
Todo el mundo me había dicho que no me iba a gustar, que no espere demasiado de él, que no era la gran cosa, que tuvo mala crítica, etc
A mí sí me gustó 😅
Y estoy diciendo QUE ME GUSTÓ UN CONTEMPORÁNEO jajajaja
Saben que es un género con el que en general no me llevo. Este fue el primer contemporáneo que no se me hizo aburrido. De hecho, fue muy atrapante y lo leí en dos días 🙈
Karma al instante es la primer novela contemporánea de Marissa Meyer que, para quienes no lo saben, es mi autora favorita y la admiro un montón.
Tenemos a nuestra protagonista Prudence, que es súper organizada y exigente con sus cosas y al comienzo de la novela se pone muy mal por tener una mala nota en un trabajo que estuvo haciendo todo el año. El problema es Quint, quien debía ayudarla en ese trabajo y no hizo nada. O por lo menos eso pensará Prudence.
Durante todo un verano Quint y Prudence deberán trabajar juntos por un trato que hicieron en el que ambos se ven beneficiados. Y poco a poco se darán cuenta que las opiniones que tenían sobre el otro eran incorrectas..
A todo esto hay que sumarle que al principio de la historia la protagonista se da un golpe en la cabeza y DE LA NADA puede controlar el Karma. Este poder tendrá poca importancia a lo largo de la historia y me pareció un poco de más.
El libro lo leí súper rápido y me enamoró. Las parejas de Marissa Meyer son lo mejor que existen. Siempre tan sanas, puras y con tanta química. Me reí y me emocioné un montón de veces.🙈🙈
Al comienzo Prudence me caía un poco mal, pero después la empecé a querer más. A Quint lo amé desde la primera página.
Recomiendo el libro, me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba y si están buscando una novela romántica y divertida para leer en el verano esta es una excelente opción. 🤩🤩
PD. Amé cada mención a los Beatles. Soy demasiado fan
Yo leyendo Karma al instante: 😅🤩😊🙈😎
Todo el mundo me había dicho que no me iba a gustar, que no espere demasiado de él, que no era la gran cosa, que tuvo mala crítica, etc
A mí sí me gustó 😅
Y estoy diciendo QUE ME GUSTÓ UN CONTEMPORÁNEO jajajaja
Saben que es un género con el que en general no me llevo. Este fue el primer contemporáneo que no se me hizo aburrido. De hecho, fue muy atrapante y lo leí en dos días 🙈
Karma al instante es la primer novela contemporánea de Marissa Meyer que, para quienes no lo saben, es mi autora favorita y la admiro un montón.
Tenemos a nuestra protagonista Prudence, que es súper organizada y exigente con sus cosas y al comienzo de la novela se pone muy mal por tener una mala nota en un trabajo que estuvo haciendo todo el año. El problema es Quint, quien debía ayudarla en ese trabajo y no hizo nada. O por lo menos eso pensará Prudence.
Durante todo un verano Quint y Prudence deberán trabajar juntos por un trato que hicieron en el que ambos se ven beneficiados. Y poco a poco se darán cuenta que las opiniones que tenían sobre el otro eran incorrectas..
A todo esto hay que sumarle que al principio de la historia la protagonista se da un golpe en la cabeza y DE LA NADA puede controlar el Karma. Este poder tendrá poca importancia a lo largo de la historia y me pareció un poco de más.
El libro lo leí súper rápido y me enamoró. Las parejas de Marissa Meyer son lo mejor que existen. Siempre tan sanas, puras y con tanta química. Me reí y me emocioné un montón de veces.🙈🙈
Al comienzo Prudence me caía un poco mal, pero después la empecé a querer más. A Quint lo amé desde la primera página.
Recomiendo el libro, me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba y si están buscando una novela romántica y divertida para leer en el verano esta es una excelente opción. 🤩🤩
PD. Amé cada mención a los Beatles. Soy demasiado fan
Yo leyendo Karma al instante: 😅🤩😊🙈😎
November 5, 2020
⭐ 3.75 / 5 ⭐
This delightfully refreshing, Beatles-infused Rom-Com is full of whimsy, romance, and life lessons.
“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, but there is one person on whom they 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.”
Prudence Barnett
🎶Ah, Dear Prudence...🎶Such a journey we’ve had. At the beginning of the book, I struggled with her character. I remember thinking, “My God, girl, stop being so judgy.” Prudence is so incredibly ambitious, motivated, as well as a perfectionist. She doesn’t cut herself, or anyone else, any slack. And she’s constantly judged for it. As Prudence’s story began to unfold, I found that these traits are a result of major insecurities - and that she suffers quietly for it.
As it turns out: Amy March and Prudence Barnett? Well, I think they’d get along very well. Have a nice chat over a cup of tea about how society has done them wrong.
The character development that she undergoes is so refreshing. No, she doesn’t get rid of her ambition, or motivation. But Prudence does quickly learn that she isn’t always right, and the burden of perfection isn’t hers to bear. She soon realizes that this karma gift isn’t a complete blessing, and she shouldn’t be so quick to judge others, least of all herself. It’s an amazing, vital life lesson she learns. Surprisingly, I found a lot of myself in Prudence.
🎶Instant Karma’s Gonna Getchu 🎶
Now, speaking of karma, it was an interesting element to the story. It has a more subtle role than others would suspect, but I believe it’s just the right amount of magical realism in this contemporary. Think of it as a bit of Beatles sparkle, if you will. It plays a major hand in the story but from a distance, crafting this tale so that Prudence could grow as a person, and positively affect those around her.
Quint Erickson
Ah, yes. The lovely sunshine bean. Though he and Pru were total polar opposites (hence the hate to love), they balanced each other out so well. Where he was chaotic, she was organized. Her weaknesses were his strengths and vice versa. They made such a great team.
I loved how completely clueless Pru was when it came to all boys, but especially when it came to Quint.
This was a lot of fun, and even though Pru gave me stress, she was such a refreshing protagonist. The writing and characterization were on point. If you love The Beatles, and you love ambitious characters, definitely give this one a read.
A big thank you to Edelweiss+ and Feiwel & Friends for gifting me with this ARC!
This delightfully refreshing, Beatles-infused Rom-Com is full of whimsy, romance, and life lessons.
“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, but there is one person on whom they 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.”
Prudence Barnett
🎶Ah, Dear Prudence...🎶Such a journey we’ve had. At the beginning of the book, I struggled with her character. I remember thinking, “My God, girl, stop being so judgy.” Prudence is so incredibly ambitious, motivated, as well as a perfectionist. She doesn’t cut herself, or anyone else, any slack. And she’s constantly judged for it. As Prudence’s story began to unfold, I found that these traits are a result of major insecurities - and that she suffers quietly for it.
As it turns out: Amy March and Prudence Barnett? Well, I think they’d get along very well. Have a nice chat over a cup of tea about how society has done them wrong.
The character development that she undergoes is so refreshing. No, she doesn’t get rid of her ambition, or motivation. But Prudence does quickly learn that she isn’t always right, and the burden of perfection isn’t hers to bear. She soon realizes that this karma gift isn’t a complete blessing, and she shouldn’t be so quick to judge others, least of all herself. It’s an amazing, vital life lesson she learns. Surprisingly, I found a lot of myself in Prudence.
🎶Instant Karma’s Gonna Getchu 🎶
Now, speaking of karma, it was an interesting element to the story. It has a more subtle role than others would suspect, but I believe it’s just the right amount of magical realism in this contemporary. Think of it as a bit of Beatles sparkle, if you will. It plays a major hand in the story but from a distance, crafting this tale so that Prudence could grow as a person, and positively affect those around her.
Quint Erickson
Ah, yes. The lovely sunshine bean. Though he and Pru were total polar opposites (hence the hate to love), they balanced each other out so well. Where he was chaotic, she was organized. Her weaknesses were his strengths and vice versa. They made such a great team.
I loved how completely clueless Pru was when it came to all boys, but especially when it came to Quint.
This was a lot of fun, and even though Pru gave me stress, she was such a refreshing protagonist. The writing and characterization were on point. If you love The Beatles, and you love ambitious characters, definitely give this one a read.
A big thank you to Edelweiss+ and Feiwel & Friends for gifting me with this ARC!
April 6, 2021
3.5 stars
I was a bit hesitant going into this, but it turned out to be a really lovely story.
What surprised me the most was that I didn't dislike Prudence at all. Yes, she is very ambitious and driven, she is a perfectionist who doesn't believe things can be done properly unless she does them, and she can be difficult. But she also cares about things and people around her and she wants to use her skills for something good. She's an optimist and she doesn't let anything get her down. If something doesn't work out, she'll find a different way. I liked that about her.
The concept of instant karma was interesting, though it didn't play such a huge role as I expected. For the most part, the story was about something entirely different. I won't go into any details since it's not mentioned in the blurb, I'll only say that I found it very educational and it gave a very positive tone to the story. That and all the lovely supporting characters.
I was a bit hesitant going into this, but it turned out to be a really lovely story.
What surprised me the most was that I didn't dislike Prudence at all. Yes, she is very ambitious and driven, she is a perfectionist who doesn't believe things can be done properly unless she does them, and she can be difficult. But she also cares about things and people around her and she wants to use her skills for something good. She's an optimist and she doesn't let anything get her down. If something doesn't work out, she'll find a different way. I liked that about her.
The concept of instant karma was interesting, though it didn't play such a huge role as I expected. For the most part, the story was about something entirely different. I won't go into any details since it's not mentioned in the blurb, I'll only say that I found it very educational and it gave a very positive tone to the story. That and all the lovely supporting characters.
December 2, 2021
en cuanto a gusto personal, 1 estrella.
pero como siento que es un libro que podría funcionar para middle grade le pongo 2.
eso sí, la trama??? where is it
mm no fue para mí
pero como siento que es un libro que podría funcionar para middle grade le pongo 2.
eso sí, la trama??? where is it
mm no fue para mí
November 12, 2020
Star Rating:—>4.5 Stars
Just the fun, fluffy cuteness that I needed to avoid that bookslump I was headed towards. Thank you, Instant Karma! 😉
_____________\\
*instaclick*
Just the fun, fluffy cuteness that I needed to avoid that bookslump I was headed towards. Thank you, Instant Karma! 😉
_____________\\
*instaclick*
June 10, 2023
finishing this book was like returning from war because 1.) prudence existed and 2.) respectfully, this book is a transcript of a disney channel original movie.
solid 2.999 stars, because it was very average and while i didn’t love it, i can absolutely see another person eating this up. also, i appreciate the amount of research that was put in. but the scenes are so corny (not just typical cliche scenes that i respect. CORNY!) that i would physically cringe. ex: an unrealistic thing happens and it legitimately turns to a “and then everybody clapped” situation. i’m serious. everybody clapped.
the most unrealistic part of this story (besides the questionable scenes) is not that our main character is given magical powers that allow her to give instant karma. instead, it’s that (somehow) all of these high school sophomores are well-versed in the beatles’ discography along with various songs from the 1900s.
solid 2.999 stars, because it was very average and while i didn’t love it, i can absolutely see another person eating this up. also, i appreciate the amount of research that was put in. but the scenes are so corny (not just typical cliche scenes that i respect. CORNY!) that i would physically cringe. ex: an unrealistic thing happens and it legitimately turns to a “and then everybody clapped” situation. i’m serious. everybody clapped.
the most unrealistic part of this story (besides the questionable scenes) is not that our main character is given magical powers that allow her to give instant karma. instead, it’s that (somehow) all of these high school sophomores are well-versed in the beatles’ discography along with various songs from the 1900s.
November 2, 2020
Contemporary romance and I just haven’t been getting along recently, at least with arcs. I did have high expectations with this one because I really loved Meyer's book Cinder (and need to continue the series) but this book feels like it was written by another author. Points for the cute cover though!
Prudence suddenly gets the power of being able to grant instant karma on those who deserve it. I wasn’t a fan of Prudence, if anything I thought she should get some instant karma against her for her behavior. She is selfish, annoying, judgmental, and thinks she is better than everyone else. Eventually she changes but by then it was too late for me, I thought she was just too unbearable.
The enemies to lovers could have been cute but Prudence is beyond rude to Quint when he would just mind his business and if he would make a mistake she wouldn’t really allow him to speak. She only cared about herself and her own feelings. I actually liked Quint and Prudence’s brother Jude. All the characters except for Prudence herself were likable.
My other problem was that the concept of instant karma is basically forgotten around the 40% mark of the book and focuses on Quint and Prudence working together at the wild life center. This is where it focuses on the love interest instead but because of that, a whole plot line is basically forgotten about. Eventually it does tie in together but because the book is 400 pages, it gets a bit muddled. I did like learning about the sea life and the southern California setting but it just wasn't enough for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to an advanced audiobook of this book! The narrator did a good job at bringing the characters to life.
Prudence suddenly gets the power of being able to grant instant karma on those who deserve it. I wasn’t a fan of Prudence, if anything I thought she should get some instant karma against her for her behavior. She is selfish, annoying, judgmental, and thinks she is better than everyone else. Eventually she changes but by then it was too late for me, I thought she was just too unbearable.
The enemies to lovers could have been cute but Prudence is beyond rude to Quint when he would just mind his business and if he would make a mistake she wouldn’t really allow him to speak. She only cared about herself and her own feelings. I actually liked Quint and Prudence’s brother Jude. All the characters except for Prudence herself were likable.
My other problem was that the concept of instant karma is basically forgotten around the 40% mark of the book and focuses on Quint and Prudence working together at the wild life center. This is where it focuses on the love interest instead but because of that, a whole plot line is basically forgotten about. Eventually it does tie in together but because the book is 400 pages, it gets a bit muddled. I did like learning about the sea life and the southern California setting but it just wasn't enough for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to an advanced audiobook of this book! The narrator did a good job at bringing the characters to life.
April 20, 2023
There are minor and major spoilers in this review so read at your own risk. I am surprised by how much I liked this because lately I have been reading some underwhelming and mediocre books so I was expecting the same for this. But I was wrong, this was so good. Prudence has the power to inflict instant karma on anyone doing something they are not supposed to or if they are doing good deeds the universe will reward them. I really liked how this was Incorporated with the plot but at times it felt forgotten. Prudence had some really good character development. She was very unlikable in the beginning. She was selfish and quick to judge people. But steadily she became less selfish and less judgy. Quint was great. He was a solid character that put up with Prudence all year. And he was just a great character overall. Their banter was so entertaining. Definitely my favorite part of the book. I got giddy while reading this. I never do that. They have the best chemistry and I'm glad that their relationship didn’t feel sudden, it was all gradual. The gradual enemies to friends to lovers was very well written. I was dreading their fallout in the end but honestly I think that was well done as well.So I was very surprised by the direction but loved it nonetheless. I would definitely recommend this with a warning of the main character being unlikable in the beginning.
December 6, 2020
Easy read? ✓✓✓
Fast read? ✓✓✓
Emotional read? ✓✓✓
(I mean, come on, this is Marissa Meyer. What did you expect?)
I spent half of the first chapter fearing that this wouldn't be as good as Marissa Meyer's other books, then the next half just laughing and being giddy at this sizzling we-hate-each-other chemistry. I wasalmosttempted to put it down, but I am very thankful I didn't. This was so cute, so adorable, so quirky, so everything along the lines of that! It was very fun to read, especially if you just came out of a heavy-action, slightly-depressing book.
Marissa Meyer has this talent where she makes me think something's about to happen, and then it doesn't, but when my guard is down, BAM the scene hits me in the face. Every single time. She's done it in TLC, Heartless, and Renegades, and she did it again in Instant Karma. An expert indeed.
However, most of the major plot twists and secrets were predictable. I also felt like a few things were left hanging? So I would definitely embrace a sequel--or even a whole series. I love Fortuna Beach and the characters of this book, and I need to explore more of their lives! (I actually had a bad book hangover after this, because I couldn't let go of Prudence and Quint's story just yet)
Another thing I didn't particularly like was that the whirlwind climb to the end was a bit rushed. I wanted it to slow down a little while I processed what was going on.
BUT! That climax had me shaking. Literally. I was so unnerved with the developments and I was so scared for the characters, and that says so much about the writing.
Definitely a stress reliever of a book. I was thinking about giving this 4 stars when I was almost at the end, but now, as I'm writing this review, I know that it deserves 5 stars all the way. The words are rich, the story is fresh, and the lessons are heart-warming.
It's nice to pick up a book and not only be entertained but get something out of it as well. It really wasn't just a fiction getaway. You'll be awakened to the various needs of the community, plus the things you could do to help! Now all I want to do is meet a cute baby otter and help out in the nearest animal rescue center 😭💖
Fast read? ✓✓✓
Emotional read? ✓✓✓
(I mean, come on, this is Marissa Meyer. What did you expect?)
I spent half of the first chapter fearing that this wouldn't be as good as Marissa Meyer's other books, then the next half just laughing and being giddy at this sizzling we-hate-each-other chemistry. I wasalmosttempted to put it down, but I am very thankful I didn't. This was so cute, so adorable, so quirky, so everything along the lines of that! It was very fun to read, especially if you just came out of a heavy-action, slightly-depressing book.
Marissa Meyer has this talent where she makes me think something's about to happen, and then it doesn't, but when my guard is down, BAM the scene hits me in the face. Every single time. She's done it in TLC, Heartless, and Renegades, and she did it again in Instant Karma. An expert indeed.
However, most of the major plot twists and secrets were predictable. I also felt like a few things were left hanging? So I would definitely embrace a sequel--or even a whole series. I love Fortuna Beach and the characters of this book, and I need to explore more of their lives! (I actually had a bad book hangover after this, because I couldn't let go of Prudence and Quint's story just yet)
Another thing I didn't particularly like was that the whirlwind climb to the end was a bit rushed. I wanted it to slow down a little while I processed what was going on.
BUT! That climax had me shaking. Literally. I was so unnerved with the developments and I was so scared for the characters, and that says so much about the writing.
Definitely a stress reliever of a book. I was thinking about giving this 4 stars when I was almost at the end, but now, as I'm writing this review, I know that it deserves 5 stars all the way. The words are rich, the story is fresh, and the lessons are heart-warming.
It's nice to pick up a book and not only be entertained but get something out of it as well. It really wasn't just a fiction getaway. You'll be awakened to the various needs of the community, plus the things you could do to help! Now all I want to do is meet a cute baby otter and help out in the nearest animal rescue center 😭💖
January 31, 2021
2.5 Stars
CW: Animal injury/illness due to pollution
Well that was a confusing experience.
There were aspects I liked and then there were the other parts.
Encountering a character like Prudence is like having a sour lolly. The outside is, quite frankly, an unpleasant experience, but if you suck on it long enough to get to the centre it becomes sweet. The question with this book is how many people are going to spit out the sour lolly before they get to the sweet bit. For me it was touch and go there for a while, but I decided to stick it out.
After Pru grew on me, my attention focused on other aspects I found confusing and problematic. Firstly, if the karma element had been deleted could the story have been much the same? The answer is yes. Did the karma element add anything to the story? I would argue that no it did not. In my opinion it was weird and unnecessary.
The next problem was that it felt way longer than what was warranted. The last 25% was actually really good and I wish that the editor had trimmed the early sections so we could arrive at this point a bit sooner. I liked the relationships in the book, but it was a very full cast and perhaps this is where some of the trimming could have occurred.
Despite my gripes I am thrilled to have discovered this book. You have no idea how many high schoolers still want to read books with animals in them. For this age group animal books are few and far apart, so this is absolutely being added to the library. The animal rescue and environmental storyline was the most enjoyable part and in my opinion saved the book. It's a shame that this novel had too many unnecessary elements in there detracting from the good stuff.
CW: Animal injury/illness due to pollution
Well that was a confusing experience.
There were aspects I liked and then there were the other parts.
Encountering a character like Prudence is like having a sour lolly. The outside is, quite frankly, an unpleasant experience, but if you suck on it long enough to get to the centre it becomes sweet. The question with this book is how many people are going to spit out the sour lolly before they get to the sweet bit. For me it was touch and go there for a while, but I decided to stick it out.
After Pru grew on me, my attention focused on other aspects I found confusing and problematic. Firstly, if the karma element had been deleted could the story have been much the same? The answer is yes. Did the karma element add anything to the story? I would argue that no it did not. In my opinion it was weird and unnecessary.
The next problem was that it felt way longer than what was warranted. The last 25% was actually really good and I wish that the editor had trimmed the early sections so we could arrive at this point a bit sooner. I liked the relationships in the book, but it was a very full cast and perhaps this is where some of the trimming could have occurred.
Despite my gripes I am thrilled to have discovered this book. You have no idea how many high schoolers still want to read books with animals in them. For this age group animal books are few and far apart, so this is absolutely being added to the library. The animal rescue and environmental storyline was the most enjoyable part and in my opinion saved the book. It's a shame that this novel had too many unnecessary elements in there detracting from the good stuff.
May 31, 2024
The beginning was a bit slow, but once you push pass it, it is worth it.
Prudence, named after one of the Beatles songs, was gifted with Karma power by the universe, where she gets to dole out punishment or rewards. Except for her Karma powers, instead of punishing Quint Erickson, her supposed lazy science lab partner, it rewards him instead.
Prudence has never gotten a C in her life, but that’s what she got from her science teacher because she lacked teamwork. She wanted a do-over to bring up her grade, but after the way she badly treated Quint all year, he was more than happy to take a C instead of dealing with bossy Prudence.
Karma truly is a bitch, and Prudence found that out firsthand. Its punishment sometimes harsh, and its reward mostly sweet. In the end, the universe played a role in turning the sour relationship between Prudence and Quint into something beautiful.
After pushing through the slow and almost annoying beginning, I enjoyed the rest of the book. 3 stars.
Prudence, named after one of the Beatles songs, was gifted with Karma power by the universe, where she gets to dole out punishment or rewards. Except for her Karma powers, instead of punishing Quint Erickson, her supposed lazy science lab partner, it rewards him instead.
Prudence has never gotten a C in her life, but that’s what she got from her science teacher because she lacked teamwork. She wanted a do-over to bring up her grade, but after the way she badly treated Quint all year, he was more than happy to take a C instead of dealing with bossy Prudence.
Karma truly is a bitch, and Prudence found that out firsthand. Its punishment sometimes harsh, and its reward mostly sweet. In the end, the universe played a role in turning the sour relationship between Prudence and Quint into something beautiful.
After pushing through the slow and almost annoying beginning, I enjoyed the rest of the book. 3 stars.
May 9, 2024
UPDATE BC I READ THE ENDING!!
Ewwwww what was that 😭 I’m happy with my 2 stars omg. These people are so weird, I can't ✋😭
Well… I dnfed a book for once… I made it to 36% haha
I love Marissa Meyer, so much, but this book was not it…
I hated prudence SO MUCH
Quint was meh, but weirded me out
I don’t really see where the book was going tbh and I don’t have the energy to finish 👍
Did I thoroughly not enjoy this? Yes. Am I still reading the next book?…yes.
If someone could spoil the whole book to me, that would be LOVELY 😊
Ewwwww what was that 😭 I’m happy with my 2 stars omg. These people are so weird, I can't ✋😭
Well… I dnfed a book for once… I made it to 36% haha
I love Marissa Meyer, so much, but this book was not it…
I hated prudence SO MUCH
Quint was meh, but weirded me out
I don’t really see where the book was going tbh and I don’t have the energy to finish 👍
Did I thoroughly not enjoy this? Yes. Am I still reading the next book?…yes.
If someone could spoil the whole book to me, that would be LOVELY 😊
November 3, 2020
Sophomore year would have been a walk in the park if it hadn’t been for marine biology and Quint Erickson.
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer was super cute. Take a driven, yet sort of self involved heroine, and pair her up as a lab partner with someone who is seemingly lazy and irresponsible. Cue the disaster that is this pairs final science project. That’s where we start this story off. With polar opposites Pru and Quint failing epically at working together.
We then follow Pru over her summer as she sort of comes together with Quint in ways that she never expected. Pru is trying to convince Quint to redo their science project with her, but he’s not feeling it. At least not until she offers to help out at the Fortuna Beach Sea Animal Rescue Center his mom runs. He thinks she won’t do it, but he doesn’t realize, Pru will do anything for the grade, even spend her summer smelling like fish! It doesn’t hurt that she seems to have acquired some sort of karmic magic that she can wield at the squeeze of a hand.
I think it’s smart that Meyer introduces us to these two from Pru’s biased perspective. It really lends to the way we eventually get to know Quint. Reluctantly (haha) through Pru’s eyes. I thought that this was a great YA love story. Their friendship is non-existent at first, more enemies than anything, then grows to more over time. Pru has flaws. She isn’t a perfect bubbly character. I appreciated that because don’t we all have moments of selfishness or poor decision making? I think sometimes in fiction we expect characters to be without fault, and I liked that our lead had faults and had to recognize and grow out of them. Quint also has his flaws, even though they aren’t really as extensive as Pru once assumed. I like that these two got to know each other on a deeper level, and sort of learned that they were more than the people they were in science.
Add in a crew of awesome friends and side characters, karaoke Tuesdays, karmic magic, saving cute sea life, Beatle’s references, and a bit of a real life villain sub-plot and I thought this story was entertaining. I think that anyone can enjoy this read, but I definitely think it will work for older middle grade and younger YA readers.
AVAILABLE NOW!
*ARC
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer was super cute. Take a driven, yet sort of self involved heroine, and pair her up as a lab partner with someone who is seemingly lazy and irresponsible. Cue the disaster that is this pairs final science project. That’s where we start this story off. With polar opposites Pru and Quint failing epically at working together.
We then follow Pru over her summer as she sort of comes together with Quint in ways that she never expected. Pru is trying to convince Quint to redo their science project with her, but he’s not feeling it. At least not until she offers to help out at the Fortuna Beach Sea Animal Rescue Center his mom runs. He thinks she won’t do it, but he doesn’t realize, Pru will do anything for the grade, even spend her summer smelling like fish! It doesn’t hurt that she seems to have acquired some sort of karmic magic that she can wield at the squeeze of a hand.
I think it’s smart that Meyer introduces us to these two from Pru’s biased perspective. It really lends to the way we eventually get to know Quint. Reluctantly (haha) through Pru’s eyes. I thought that this was a great YA love story. Their friendship is non-existent at first, more enemies than anything, then grows to more over time. Pru has flaws. She isn’t a perfect bubbly character. I appreciated that because don’t we all have moments of selfishness or poor decision making? I think sometimes in fiction we expect characters to be without fault, and I liked that our lead had faults and had to recognize and grow out of them. Quint also has his flaws, even though they aren’t really as extensive as Pru once assumed. I like that these two got to know each other on a deeper level, and sort of learned that they were more than the people they were in science.
Add in a crew of awesome friends and side characters, karaoke Tuesdays, karmic magic, saving cute sea life, Beatle’s references, and a bit of a real life villain sub-plot and I thought this story was entertaining. I think that anyone can enjoy this read, but I definitely think it will work for older middle grade and younger YA readers.
AVAILABLE NOW!
*ARC
January 27, 2021
2.5 out of 5 stars
This felt too generic for me, but I feel like I would've loved this book if it came out around 2016/17 when my love for ya books started to bloom.
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I'm totally okay, not freaking out at all. I can totally wait till 2020 without losing my mind.
This felt too generic for me, but I feel like I would've loved this book if it came out around 2016/17 when my love for ya books started to bloom.
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I'm totally okay, not freaking out at all. I can totally wait till 2020 without losing my mind.
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