Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer Book Review
“‘Ha!’ a girl yells. ‘Karma’s a [beach]!’
. . . Karma. Instant Karma.”
(pg. 77)
About
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Other books by Marissa Meyer: The Lunar Chronicles, the Renegades, Heartless
Click to read other book reviews
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 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.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
To fate and young love,
I appreciated reading a young romance that involved marine life conservation and ethical issues. I do not see or read many stories that include relevant and meaningful topics such as those. I also got Dolphin Tale vibes from this book, if that makes any sense 😅.
So . . . I guess I should review my thoughts. I just want to preface and say I admire Marissa Meyer’s writing and have nothing against her as a writer or author. With that said, this book just wasn’t for me, or I just didn’t really love it. It was an enlightening and okay read about romance and marine life, but there were things that didn’t click or make the most sense to me. Again, I admire Marissa Meyer as an author and Instant Karma itself wasn’t a difficult read to go through, just some things weren’t my favorite.
For one, I felt like the whole karma plot didn’t make sense; it didn’t make sense to the overall story. I felt like the karma aspect was added in the story for effects or a title, but I didn’t feel the karma aspect was necessary or relevant. The main ideas I was getting was about being more eco-conscious and woke as well as teamwork and trust issues. The karma storyline didn’t fit at all because it didn’t match Prudence or Quint’s storyline. It just felt weird. After hitting her head, Prudence had these awkward karma universe powers here and there. I didn’t like how she abused her powers towards innocent people she didn’t really understand the full story of, which I guess was the point—-don’t judge people or make assumptions. When she would dole out karma on people, I didn’t like how happy it made her to hurt or take her anger out on others because that seemed pretty sadistic. I mean, I get it. If someone did something bad to her or her loved ones, it was natural to feel giddy that they got their comeuppance. But it felt ironic how she thought she was delivering what people deserved when she was actually being the “bad” person. Prudence was not a bad person, I think she was just very presumptuous and needed to think things through before judging a situation and deciding what people deserved. I think the karma plot was used to discuss after, good, and bad people, but it didn’t hit for me. I also didn’t think Prudence needed powers in this book because it didn’t make sense in the long run of the story. I also had so many questions about her powers because did she ever have powers? Where did they come from? How did they leave? Why her?
I also had a question about how Prudence never had a concussion because gosh knows this girl couldn’t catch a break and kept hitting her darn head 😂.
When she hit her head the second time, I was like cue Olivia Rodrigo’s Deja Vu. I laughed when on the next page, Quint was like ‘Deja vu.” We were on the same wavelength 👌🏼.
But yea, her powers didn’t add to the story or the story’s development and I felt the karma plot was underdeveloped. If there was no karma plot, I think the story would have been fine with just focusing on Prudence, Quint, the rescue center, teamwork, money issues, environmental issues, and family.
Second, I didn’t really like Prudence.
She was very presumptuous, bossy, rude, entitled, and pushy. I don’t blame her for not being aware of environmental issues because sometimes people don’t know and that’s okay. It’s okay for them to learn. But I don’t think it’s okay to know about the issues and then ignore them or not care because it “doesn’t concern you.” Everything concerns you and just because something doesn’t directly impact you, I guarantee it does have an impact on you. But it’s kind of sad how people only care about something if it concerns them.
But I didn’t like how mean she was to Quint and how bossy she was. I didn’t like how she would outright yell at him and HER TEACHER. Gosh, I thought it was very, for lack of a better word, entitled or stuck-up of her to get angry at her teacher when her teacher was FREAKING right. Their report wasn’t for business class, but biology and he had fair rules and expectations and she was getting mad at him. Excuse me, Prudence was completely rude to demand a better grade and yell in front of everyone that she get another chance. I’m sorry, teachers work SOOOO HARD during the school year and the last thing they probably want to do is extend a deadline for a student who should have read the rubric and expectations in the first place! Don’t you dare interrupt the teacher’s vacation. Gosh. I detested 🙄. I mean, I get it. I’m a perfectionist too. But I would not be so rude to a teacher in public.
I also didn’t like how she would demean Quint every chance he got. I knew that there was more to Quint than Prudence allowed himself to show. She just never thought the best in him, and never gave him a chance to show her that he was more than he thought. I just felt she was being competently rude when she didn’t even know Quint enough to judge him. I also didn’t like how she made him feel inferior to her. That wasn’t okay.
However, I will say I understood Prudence’s anger at Quint. He never showed up on time or did the work. I had partners like that and it’s hard not to get angry at them—-it’s hard not to not trust them. As a perfectionist too, I know what she meant by how she would do the work for the other partner or do the work by herself because at least she knows the work is to her standards. It’s hard to relinquish that control when you want a perfect grade but you have a partner who you know is not to that standard. And it’s okay to be worried. But it’s not fair to not give the other person a chance to do the work and try. I had to learn in high school and college how to give up control and trust my team members because I know that it’s not fair to assume the worst in them. It’s hard when I know that my grade partially lies with them. But one of the things I learned is that I need to give up control and trust that the person also respects me enough to produce his/her best work as I respect my partner to do my best work. I released it’s meeting in the middle and compromising on a standard. Sure, it might not be perfection, but hey no one is perfect. But it might be close to a good enough standard of a passing grade. And that’s more than enough.
Prudence needed to let go of control and trust in Quint.
Quint was smart. It’s always the ones we don’t think are “smart” or “straight A-students” that surprise us by being quite brilliant. Trust in that.
I was mad when Quint and Prudence were planning the beach clean-up and Prudence took control of everything again and left Quint to do nothing because it sent the message that she didn’t trust him to do anything right. That sucked. I was glad that Quint spoke up to her because she wasn’t aware that they were finally working as a team and there she was pushing him away again and not recognizing his talents.
“‘It’s possible I didn’t give us—the team us–a chance.'”
(pg. 187)
I also liked how in this scene Quint asked her to give him a chance because he deserved it. I will say, I didn’t think it was nice of Quint to not be there for Prudence or do things last minute because that was unfair to her. I mean, how did she know he was going to do the work if he never did it on time or never came on time for her. I understood he had other things to do, but being late, heck, being an hour and a half late to something is really rude and sends this message that you don’t value someone else’s time. I would have left Encanto if the person I met showed up an hour and a half late. Heck I would have left after like half an hour because that was extremely rude to her that he didn’t value that she might have had better things to do. Again, I know he was out there doing good, but still, being punctual is a sign of respect. So, I did like how at the end, he showed up early for something because he was trying to be better about respecting her time.
Touching more on Prudence’s control and work ethic, I understood it came from a place of feeling like that was the only way she could be good at something.
“‘And if I can impress people, then maybe they won’t notice that I’m not witty or beautiful or . . . fun.'”
(pg. 318
It sucks to be compared to people. I have an older brother and sister who I felt like less than to. My brother was the smart kid and my sister the beauty queen. Everyone praised them. Then there was me—the girl who liked to read. Didn’t sound like much. Similar to Prudence, I worked hard—I still work hard—because hard work is how we fight our way to be seen. Or that’s what I think. Because when you don’t have a lot of natural talent—or natural talent that people see—you still want to be seen.
“‘I like to think I’m more of a realist who’s willing to work hard.'”
(pg. 319)
Which was a sentiment I understood well. Sometimes it feels like people have these natural qualities—smart, talented, skilled—and I have to work hard to be good at something. But I put in the work because it feels like that’s all I can do. And by no means am I saying you have to prove anything to anyone because you owe absolutely no one anything. But what I mean is that sometimes people work hard to be good at something because that’s all they feel they are good at.
So, I understood Prudence. I also understood her fear of public speaking because getting in front of a crowd is daunting. I never loved public speaking growing up. Heck, I would always psych myself out whenever I had to give a presentation. I heard once how the anticipation is worse than the actual act. I have to agree with that because we can build up all these scenarios about something, but most times when we actually do that something, it’s not as scary as we think it is. I also liked how Prudence thought of singing on stage as just four minutes no one will probably think about again. I know when I do something, I make it a big deal like, “Oh, their going to remember it,” or “Oh, they’re going to think I’m forever a loser.” I mean, yes, someone might remember and think about those things. However, I have tried to be better about conceptualizing public speaking events as just one moment that I put way too much thought in. Honestly, I’m a natural over thinker. Prudence is a natural over thinker. When you overthink, it’s truly a spiral of every scenario, thought, idea, rolled into one. It can be overwhelming.
As someone who is a perfectionist and over thinker, I also reacted to Prudence’s insecurities. No one believed Prudence could have fun.
“‘Right. Because all I know how to do is work hard and get good grades and study.'”
(pg. 151)
There’s nothing wrong with working hard, but there needs to be times where you’re also letting go—having fun. Whether that is reading, writing, drawing, cooking, baking, watching TV, or whatever is fun for you. It shouldn’t be work all the time. However, Prudence never stopped working. Her brain was always thinking about this event or this detail. I kind of didn’t like how she was thinking about the gala so much during her movie date with Quint. I know she used work as a distraction, but gosh, here she was with a boy she obviously liked and she was thinking about work. Prudence, take a break!
I will say I admire her hutzpah.
Being called not fun is like being labeled as short, too quiet, or shy. It makes you feel wrong. Prudence felt like something was wrong with her because everyone made her feel like she never had fun. Yes, she worked a lot and had an active mind, but it wasn’t nice of people to tease her about something like that. I liked how Quint caught on to how uncomfortable Prudence felt whenever someone commented on how boring she was. I liked how he stopped teasing her, but instead, defended her. He understood her and knew Prudence was a fun person. I liked that he saw the real her because people can be so quick to judge others as too quiet or boring because of someone’s demeanor. But you would be surprised at how most people deemed “too quiet” or “shy” or “studious” actually are quite fun, lovable, kind, and funny people. No one just gives them the chance, so they feel even more scared and insecure to be themselves when people place these ideas that they can’t be anything but their insecurities.
With Quint, I liked how welcoming, understanding, and passionate he was. I liked his plans for the future because it’s pretty cool he wanted to start a portfolio and swim the Great Barrier Reef. I also think being a National Geographic photography or filmographer would be pretty neat 👌🏼. I also loved how passionate he was about the Reserve Center. He knew everything there was to know.
I loved being at the Reserve Center and learning about the seals—-all the types of seals. I loved seeing how Prudence grew to love being at the center, which I knew she would. I enjoyed the scene where Quint and her went snorkeling so he could show her the purpose behind saving marine life. I liked how body issues and insecurities were touched on in this book. It made my heart heavy with how nervous Prudence was to swim because she didn’t think she had a bikini/swimsuit body. Quint would never judge her body, but I understood why she was nervous when people can be downright cruel. I liked how Quint told her about plucking his eyebrows because he thought he had massive eyebrows. I LAUGHED when he said he stopped plucking after one because it hurt 😂. Ain’t that relatable?! Gosh, I remember the first time I picked up a pair of tweezers and plucked my girl-stach. THAT SUCKER HURT 🤣. I’m glad Quint knew the feminine struggle. But after that, Quint just smiled because it portrayed him as friendly rather than some big mean, burly dude with big eyebrows. I appreciated such an honest conversation because most stories about insecurities revolve around girls, but everyone has insecurities. I’m happy that that was included.
I also enjoyed the moment when Prudence found a sea lion. I think finding a sea lion at the beach cleanup was one of the biggest reasons why she started to care more about the center. She had a personal connection to the sea lion because she knew that the sea lion was a true life that needed her. So she wanted to do everything she could to save the sea lion. When something like that happens, it’s natural to have a deeper connection to the cause. I liked how Prudence took action in the moment, but Quint also supported her because she didn’t know that much yet. I loved how concerned she was about the sea lion. I loved how she named it Lennon. We love the Beatles reference 💙. I also enjoyed how she imprinted 😆 with Lennon; That was her sea lion. I enjoyed the moments she would visit Lennon and play with him. I loved the whole Lennon’s romance story. We love that for him!
I also enjoyed the Jaws date and how we all knew that was a date. To be honest, I haven’t watched Jaws yet either because I also feared sharks in the ocean. I don’t know, should I watch Jaws now? I honestly loved the satirical Jaws posters with Straws and Laws, or something 😂. Are those real posters, because if they are, that would be pretty funny and cool. When it started to pour, I was like, “Oh, we are going to get some romance on!”
Of course they had to get stuck at the center in the freaking dark!
I still wonder how they survived with birthday candles as light? Or where they even stuck the birthday candles? I don’t know. I also didn’t understand how the next day they walked around without any pants in front of each other? Because last time I heard, their clothes were in the dryer and they long left their towel and blanket skirts. So, were they pantless? Because that would be WEIRD 🤪. They were like what sixteen or seventeen? AWKWARD. I did appreciate the conversations they had and how they worked together to stay safe.
One thing that felt weird to me was their romance. Obviously, they were the two protagonists and they hated each other. So that meant an enemies to lovers storyline. However, I didn’t really feel their romance. I still don’t understand how Quint liked Prudence the second to the last day of school and why. Not that Prudence wasn’t likable, it was just random that Quint liked her all this time and with no proper reason to it. I know why Prudence liked him, but did she just like him because he was invigoratingly irritating and he was the first guy who kind of liked her? I don’t know. She would get heart palpitations all of a sudden and I just didn’t feel it. I mean, their romance was cute, but I wasn’t a huge fan of it.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of how quick Quint and Rosa, his mom, were in judging Prudence for taking the money. I understood how the situation looked, but if Quint really loved her, he would have trusted her rather than get angry and hateful. The mom should have also trusted Prudence too because they knew who she was. Prudence was hard-working, but she wasn’t a thief. I thought Quint was being stupid. I didn’t like how everyone shaded and hated Prudence until she proved herself innocent and it was the innocent looking older lady, Shuana. It’s always the ones’ we least expect.
I found the whole muzzlement surprising, but not really. I mean, Shuana had to pay for those boots somehow. But she seemed so nice until the end when she had a hissy fit in front of everyone. Her FREAKING AUDACITY. And the fact that she literally dragged Prudence down with her?! 😆 She was savage. A lesson I learned is always google/research who you hire. I also learned that if anyone has a landline in a blackout, the telephone still works. Gosh, knows no one tells you that kind of information anymore because not many have a landline 😆.
I felt it was too easy the way Quint and the mom forgave Prudence for everything. I wanted them to beg and grovel because they were so FREAKING rude to her!!! So rude! Prudence deserved better, and she deserved a more genuine apology and explanation from Quint and Rosa. I didn’t think that their actions in being rude to her were okay. Not after she helped them earn money with the beach clean up and hosted this gala. They really did her dirty by not even crediting her for her contributions in that movie thing in the theater. SAVAGE.
I’m still wondering if Rosa and the center will get back all the money taken from them because it wasn’t said. I wonder if the center will be okay. I’m pretty sure it will be.
I thought the ending was quite, albeit funny because you know, Prudence hit her head again. But I liked how Quint sang Prudence’s song 🥺. What a sweet gesture to apologize to her. I still think he needed to grovel. I don’t know if I like their relationship to be honest. I also enjoyed how things came full circle with Maya getting her grandma’s earring back after “instant karma” made her lose it at the beach. I thought it was a sweet moment. I also liked how Prudence was becoming woke in understanding that you shouldn’t care for just one cause, but all the causes because they connect. In the beginning of the story, I enjoyed the conversation they had about how someone can save marine life, but they should still care about farm life and corporations and all that. Because it’s not right to think one wrong makes another wrong okay because it somehow compensates to only do right in one area. We should always strive to do what’s right in all areas and causes.
With relationships, I would have liked to explore more of Prudence’s family relationships.
I thought more could have been said about Jude and her siblings. I would have enjoyed more scenes with her family because it seemed like Prudence pushed them away because it was too much for her. I understand how when you’re a teen, you just want to be left alone to do your own thing. But she was rude to Ellie and her sisters. I mean, couldn’t she play with Ellie? At the end, I liked how she had a tea party with Ellie, but I still wanted to see Prudence build her familial relationships.
I also liked the topic of small businesses and money. It broke my heart that the parents sold their belongings because they needed money to keep the store open and provide for all the children’s opportunities. They are such wholesome, good-hearted parents. I loved how they put their kids first and their constant sacrifices. Truly amazing parents. I would have liked to see more of them and their relationship with Prudence. I’m not the oldest of my siblings so I don’t know the pressures Prudence must felt knowing all her parents did. I think when children get older, it’s much harder to hide the difficulties of the world from them. So, I liked how honest the mom was to Prudence but how it hasn’t been easy, worth it, but not easy. I liked how Prudence wanted to help her parents and save the store. I really hope Prudence’s next adventure is saving her parents’ store.
I also would have liked to know more about Ari and Prudence’s friendship because we didn’t see it all that much. Another thing that was touched on, but not a lot was how Prudence and Quint redid their project. I’m happy they got a better grade and a project that tied to the community and marine biology. I think it was funny, but cute how they knew they wanted to work together. A full circle moment.
Overall, there were definitely cute moments and important lessons to be learned from Instant Karma, but some storylines could have been taken out to focus on the main character’s more. But I did enjoy reading Marissa Meyer’s first, and hopefully, not last contemporary book 😊.
Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about? What’s your favorite sea animal? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
3.45 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: Prudence can be difficult to like at first, but she does grow throughout the book. I liked Quint because he was a sweet guy.
Plot: I understood the heart of the story, but I felt there were some ideas that could have been developed better/more.
Writing: Easy to follow along and fall into.
Romance: The romance had its cute moments, but I would have felt more of a connection between the two.