My Rating Scale
*pretty much terrible
**mostly flawed but some good parts,
***satisfying book for the genre
****exceptional book but some flaws,
***** I LOVED it

I keep debating between 1 or 2 stars. Generally I like Marissa Meyer. The Lunar Chronicles were AMAZING (highly recommend those) and the renegades series was totally okay. But this...reminded me of all the free romance novels I burned through when I first got my kindle. This is a chaste, teen romance with an unlikable lead, and painfully show predictable plot. The karma plot line sounds interesting but it added nothing to the story. And was a waste of an interesting idea. Go read lunar chronicles but don't bother with this.
...

Gratamente sorprendida

This book is adorable. I loved the setting, the summery atmosphere, and the relationship arc. Marissa did a fantastic job with balancing the teenage angst and bringing attention to marine life and the troubles a nonprofit can face.
I don't love the narrator but she seems to be the one used for Marissa books. I think her voice doesn't lend to what I imagine for a YA voice and story.

I wanted to love this book. It’s by MM! But why in the effing world do we need another book about a cluelessly rude girl who has to learn her lessons from a teen boy? Because they are the most well adjusted people around. Ack. This was better than my Hot British Boyfriend but not that much.

The book was very high-school-romance-y, but the storyline was cute. The instant karma part could have been taken out of the book and it wouldn’t have made any difference to the storyline. Overall I didn’t mind it, but it wasn’t my favorite Marissa Meyer story.

4 stars

Solid book, I think that Prudence's personality type is just not one that I really like or relate to. But overall I enjoyed the writing and the character development.

(3.5 stars, rounded up)

Prudence is a responsible student, so she hates last-minute homework Quint, who is her lab partner. She works really hard on her final presentation for marine biology on ecotourism, only to end up with a C because she failed to include actual biology. Pru can't let this awful stain on her grades stand, so she's determined to increase it however she can. Her teacher allows her to redo the project, on one condition -- she has to convince Quint to do it with her.

Pru strikes a bargain with Quint to help at the sea animal rescue center for the summer if he'll work on the project with her. Before her job at the center, Pru's outlook on the project is all about facts and statistics. Working at the center changes Pru's perspective and she sees why ecotourism and wildlife conservation are actually important. She is able to bond with the animals and put faces to the data.

While figuring out her academic struggles, Pru also has a new superpower to come to terms with. Bad things keep happening to people she sees doing awful things -- a billboard vandal falls off the billboard, a girl who cuts in line drops her food. Pru realizes that she can control these events and thinks the universe is on her side.

Quint makes her madder than anyone else, yet good things keep happening to him when she uses her power. It takes a while for Pru to realize that she can reward good deeds as well. Messing with karma seems simple at first, but she ends up creating a complicated moral situation that weighs on her.

As the summer progresses, Pru realizes that Quint isn't as bad as she thought during their lab. He was often late because he was saving animals, but she just thought he was lazy. Pru even starts to like Quint, and she's not at all sure how to handle that!

Pru is forced to own her anxiety and opens up to Quint about why she's so type A. She also learns firsthand how keeping things to herself can have dire consequences. Pru's summer activities ultimately make her appreciate the beautiful world around her, and her power shows her that every situation isn't black and white. She also learns that despite having the best intentions, sometimes life deals you a bad hand.

Rebecca Soler has great emotion and tone for a teenage character. She perfectly captures Pru's snark. Listening to her narration is like having a conversation with a young friend.

Recommended for teens, especially those interested in beach life.

I received an electronic audio recording of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review here: https://guenevol.wixsite.com/novelmaven/post/instant-karma

This was such a cute read!! I loved the sea animal rescue center plot line. I loved the characters. Very sweet read! Enemies to lovers will forever be one of my favorite tropes.
The only thing about this one was that the “instant karma” plot wasn’t really necessary. Honestly, it could have been left out and not made any difference in the story. It was interesting, for sure, but not totally necessary. It didn’t really add anything other than an “oh, that’s cool” factor to the story.

Probably my favorite out of all of the romance books I have read in my 17 years of life!!!