Book written by Marissa Meyer, published 2020.
What would you do if the cosmic powers of the universe granted you the ability to instantly reward or punish people for their daily deeds? Would you give the aggressive driver a cracked windshield after he viciously cuts you off on the highway? Would you bless your tutor for the extra cash she needs for a new guitar after she helped you ace that test? One thing is for certain, you would pay much more attention to the goings on around you, and Prudence Barnett is no exception. Pru is eager to dish out judgment, especially when it comes to Quint Erickson, her lazy, always tardy, never-takes-anything-seriously lab partner. Quint is the most infuriating presence to Pru’s overachieving attitude, but, for some strange reason, her cosmic powers of karma don’t seem to work on him. Instead of breaking a sandal strap when he shows up late, he finds twenty bucks on the sidewalk. Instead of flunking marine biology when he makes practically no contribution to their final project, Quint finds a way to sneak in some extra credit. To Prudence, the whole thing is confusingly unfair. As Pru desperately tries to convince Quint to do their final report over, she starts to see that maybe there’s more to him than meets the eye, and maybe karma is best left in the hands of the universe.
Well, I can still say that I absolutely love everything that Marissa Meyer has ever written. This one is going on my bookshelf for sure. Dalie and I gush about this all the time, but Meyer is a very vivid writer. It’s always easy to visualize whatever is going on, but this book in particular felt more like watching a movie instead of reading a book. And Meyer nailed some classic rom-com tropes that always get me all blushy and giggly.
I won’t go into too much detail here, but one of my favorite things about the book was that the traits that Pru and Quint initially hate about each other become the things that they love and respect the most (is it really a spoiler if you can totally see it coming?). Truthfully, I think that’s why I’m drawn to the enemies-to-lovers trope so much. There's nothing more genuine or romantic than showing someone the worst part of you and them falling for you anyway. Anyway, if you’re looking for your next YA, slightly cheesy romance, I’d go with this one.
I love that Meyer keeps her books so clean! A few instances of minor swearing, but no violence or risqué business here!
Alright, listen, I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here come the spoilers.
"I want to be someone who's kind and forgiving. The sort of person who sees the good in other people rather than . . . casting judgment all the time. And when I'm around you, I become more like that person."
So, I mentioned rom-com tropes. The first one that caught my attention was that Pru’s powers of karma came and went after she hit her head, and both times she opened her eyes, Quint was the first person she saw. It vaguely reminded me of the movie, Isn’t It Romantic? with Rebel Wilson, even though Rebel Wilson didn’t wake up to her main romantic interest either time she woke up in the hospital. Then, there’s the karaoke thing. Pru’s performance at the beginning is the spark of Quint’s attraction to her, and then he serenades her at the end as an apology! I loved that. It gave me He’s All That vibes, which was an okay movie, but that karaoke scene was one of my favorites. Then there are all the other classics, like scary movies, power outages in typhoons, and the big fight that seemingly undoes all of the romantic momentum we had built up. Something that struck me as pretty original, and which I really loved, was Quint’s attraction to Pru’s lipstick. When I first read that bright red lipstick was Pru’s thing, I didn’t think much of it because I myself am not a lipstick person, but I thought it was great that Quint not only noticed it but actually thought it was sexy. I thought that was a nice little detail to add to their relationship.
And speaking of the relationship . . . I always appreciate a romance that doesn’t get too physical and focuses more on the emotional/mental connection, and Meyer was able to keep the relationship passionate even though it wasn’t passionate. Quint and Pru’s passions seem to make them incompatible as lab partners at first. Quint is most motivated by helping out at the rescue center, where Pru is a student, first and foremost, dedicated to perfection. It works against them at first because Quint thinks that Pru doesn’t truly care about anything unless she gets an impressive result, and Pru thinks that Quint doesn’t care about anything in general. But when they finally decide to find a way to work together, they start to see one another’s passions differently. Quint’s loyalty to the rescue center opens Pru’s eyes to how motivated he actually is and helps her find ways to incorporate some of his ideas into her own. Pru’s drive to do her best gives Quint hope for the center’s future. They become a really good team, and I like that message. Even if it doesn’t always end in romance, it’s important that we set aside our own pride and find a way to work together. We’re better that way.
Since this is Marissa Meyer we’re talking about, I gotta talk a little more about her writing style. It never ceases to amaze me how well Meyer writes for the setting and her characters stylistically. The Lunar Chronicles sounded like it was some future version of our world because people still talked relatively the same but with their own creative curses. The Gilded duology had more of a classic, fairytale style, closer to what you would read in the Grimms’ original stories. But Instant Karma actually sounds like a teenage girl who thinks too much. There are lots of pop culture references that made Pru’s narration relatable and relevant, and it was such a fun change from the original world-building that Meyer writes. I find that lots of authors have one genre/voice that they stick to in most of their novels, and they’re fabulous writers! But Meyer is like the Taylor Swift of YA fiction—she rocks it all!
So, as big of a fan of Marissa Meyer as I am, I actually didn’t know that this book existed until I was looking for something else on her website. It turns out there’s a sequel (or at least a related story featuring Jude) coming out in February 2024, and I can’t wait to read it! Until next time, bookworms!
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