Nice lite comedy. Just because life sucks right now doesn't mean The Universe cares one way or the other -- but why not try to take matters into your own hands? Just don't be surprised when things don't turn out the way you'd like... ( )

I love Jessica Brody's books, so I had to get my hands on this one. The concept sounded awesome and cute and who hasn't thought about getting back at their ex? So I went with it, but I definitely wasn't as impressed as I was with the rest of Brody's books.

My first problem was the main character, Maddy. In the very beginning, Maddy is obsessed with the popular kids. She wants to be one of them and wants to go to all their party's. It really got on my nerves after a while because I didn't see any reason why she would want to be their friend because she has two awesome friends already. But she manages to get invited to a party because she wrote to a magazine article about her amazing boyfriend, so now her boyfriend is popular, which I guess makes her popular by association. But that's when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her with the most popular girl at school.

Once I actually got to the Karma part of the book, I started to enjoy the book a lot more. I guess that was another one of my problems, it took a while to set up the whole reason Maddy and her two friends would start the Karma Club. I would have probably enjoyed it more if it just jumped right in after the party and her boyfriend cheating on her and straight to the karma club.

Maddy did get better for me once she started the Karma Club. I enjoyed reading about the tricks they pulled to get back at the people they thought deserved it. I also really enjoyed when another boy showed up in Maddy's life, rather unexpectedly.

Overall, I liked it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite by Jessica Brody. I would recommend My Life Undecided or 52 Reasons to Hate My Father over this one. ( )

Madison Kasparkova is a typical high school student with a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend, until she sees him kissing someone else! In her heart-broken state, her mother takes her to a new age retreat, which Maddie rejects right away. But when the concept of Karma is introduced, her curiosity is piqued, and when she returns home, she shares what she has learned with her two best friends.

The trouble with Karma, they decide, is that it doesn't act as quickly as Maddie, Angie, and Jade think it should, so they take matters into their own hands. They form the Karma Club, an exclusive group (just them) that has as its purpose the righting of injustices they see at school.

Of course, hilarity ensues as they become involved in high-jinks and pranks, most of which have only minor consequences. However, they soon learn that the karmic balance is just that--a balance--and that they really shouldn't be trying to force it onto their timetable.

The characters are convincing as high-schoolers, especially the mean girls and the shallow ex-boyfriend (who hasn't had one of those?), and the drama of this age does feel as serious and all-consuming as Brody makes it seem. A very good, very funny book with a strong message about the power of kindness and letting go.

Suggested audience: ages 14-18, especially girls ( )

Jessica Brody's THE KARMA CLUB is a great novel with an even greater message.

Maddy Kasparkova is an extremely relateable heroine, though I did find her a tad overwhelming at the beginning of the novel. She is completely consumed with being popular, which was definitely not me in high school. After Maddy realizes that being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be, she grew on me. I'm not sure it's a good thing, but I definitely identified with her revenge schemes. I think everyone has those times when they're fed up with how the chips fall and how terribly unfair things can be. Like Maddy, I sometimes feel like I should somehow even the score. I've learned that, while it may feel good in the moment, it doesn't feel so great later, a lesson Maddy quickly learns as well.

I'll admit to finding the Karma Club's revenge schemes hilarious. "Operation Butterface?" Classic. But it wasn't just the adventures and sticky situations the girls find themselves in that I found amusing, the dialogue and Maddy's inner monologue kept a smile on my face as well.

At the start of the novel, I wasn't sure that Maddy would have a romantic interest. In a fit of girl power she swears of boys and I felt confident that she'd keep that promise. I was suprised, but happy, when I discovered that was not the case... Actually, Maddy's unexpected relationship bore a happy resemblance to my favorite One Tree Hill (CW) romance.

It's rare that I can pinpoint my favorite part of a novel, especially in a fun novel like THE KARMA CLUB, but there was a part, near the end, that sticks out to me. After Maddy realizes that she has completely misunderstood karma, and scored herself some bad mojo in the process, she still admits that there is a part of her that enjoys all the drama and stunts The Karma Club orchestrated. I loved how honest that was. And it sticks with me because you can know something is wrong and still get some satisfaction from it. I find that people, myself included, often have a hard time admitting that. I thought it was important that Maddy came to that realization.

THE KARMA CLUB relays some important messages under the guise of a fun, lighthearted read. I highly recommend! ( )

THE KARMA CLUB, by Jessica Brody, was a test of faith and balance of the universe. Maddy felt that Karma skipped over her and her friends so they took it into their hands to create The Karma Club to balance the wrongs that their past boyfriends did to them. You can probably see what trouble they will encounter at this point...

I am instantly drawn to any book that is karma-related. I love the idea of karma and the practice of finding balance for yourself. But when human emotions and actions step in, this idea can throw the balance out of whack. Karma is the most perfect thing in this universe. There are rules that can never be broken and if they are, an "alternate" will be created to balance out again. Basically, it is a pretty awesome concept.

The plot for this book was fantastic but I had such a hard time connecting with the characters. I felt that Maddy was an okay character. The break-up between Mason and Maddy was over too soon I think, I wish there were more instances of confrontation to build up the hate more. And I felt that Spencer could have been fleshed out more too. I liked them as a couple but I really wanted to get to know him, with him I felt like Maddy was just looking for something to do when she wasn't worried about revenge. Jade and Angie were my favorite characters though. I connected with them better than Maddy because they seemed more real and more apt to deal with revenge.

Overall, I liked this book, but more for the idea of it than the characters. ( )