Karma Doesn't Kill

by Yvette M. Calleiro

JT pulled the short end of the stick when he was given his life's journey. With a convicted felon as a dad and a drunk as a mom, there weren't many positive influences in his life. When his mom's boyfriend began sharing his marijuana with JT, his father fought for custody and won.

Life on his dad's farm was simpler. JT started turning his life around until one tragic event sent him spiraling again. All choices have consequences. For JT, those choices left him staring down the barrel of a gun. Could JT rise above his circumstances, or would karma have its way with him?

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2024

About the author

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.

Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Reviews

[Sally Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story comes with some moments when you know it is not going to end well. Without a solid role model, JT is left mainly to make his own choices, some good and some taking him down a dangerous path. After a life changing event, he has to call on every ounce of resolve, inner strength and courage to face the future.

This story is not about a beginning, middle and end but more about a moving towards an acceptance of the future and a determination to make it the best it can be.

JT is a great character and the author has captured not just the coming of age of a young man but the revealing of a core of determination and human spirit. For some in life there will be limited options due to circumstances or events beyond our control. The author has brought out the worst and the best in her characters and JT is a shining example of that.

Not a long read but definitely emotionally charged and engaging from the first to last word.

[Selma Writes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karma Doesn’t Kill by Yvette M. Calleiro is appropriately a teen and young adult short story. The title is befitting too. It's a tragic cautionary story for the right age group, but not limited to only that group, and though it's sad it has a hopeful message that's timely today for everyone.

It has a gripping beginning--no dilly-dallying with fancy introductions--and you gasp when you learn right away what the main character, JT is about to tell you. I was immediately drawn in and wanted to know the "whole story" of how this came to be the way it was. (no spoilers: That opening is stellar. You will want to get it firsthand).

JT tells us the whole story from when he was little onwards, and in bits of conversation with his grandfather, we learn how things began before he was born and how JT's dad ended up behind bars. From his grandfather, JT first hears the mention of karma which is the basis of this short story.

This young teen's story squeezed at my mother-heart and, I will not lie, made me cry too. The best kind of stories I like. It's about learning to make choices and points to consider on how to make informed decisions--all choices have consequences: some good and some very bad. No one is immune and it takes practice to spot them. The best one can do is talk things over with one other person, preferably outside of the situation.

Karma Doesn’t Kill is a well-written narration based on a true story I'm glad I read. I highly recommend this book.

[D. Peach · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Karma doesn’t kill, but she’s a b*t*h” is the saying that forms the basis of this short story. JT is the main narrator, a teen who was born into tough circumstances and, after turning his life around, slides back into trouble—with a dire outcome.

The story is book-ended with JT’s current situation and the bulk of the story details how he came to be where he is. Considering this is a short story, the main characters are nicely rounded. The plot is straight forward and pace is snappy, and I read the story in about 30 minutes.

In many ways, this story is a cautionary tale, most appropriate for teens who often feel invulnerable and believe they’ll face no consequences for their bad choices. That said, JT isn’t the only one experiencing a dose of karma. Adult characters face their own versions, for their damaging behaviors as well as their good decisions. The story ends on a hopeful note—that it’s never too late to change one’s life for the better.

[John Podlaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

KARMA DOESN'T KILL, but the effects of a decision made today can either affect you soon or follow you into the next life. Yvette's short story is a powerful and tragic tale with a message directed toward teens and young adults. JT, the main character, opens the story by welcoming readers into his bedroom. He is a paraplegic and goes on to tell readers how he got that way.

His parents divorced at a young age, and JT spent alternating weekends living with both separated parents. Dad lived on a farm with his father, and Mom lived in town with her drug-addicted boyfriend. Of course, he fell in with the wrong crowd when staying at Mom's.

While living with Dad, JT excelled at school and soon dreamed of becoming a fireman. Had he stayed with Dad, it would probably have come true. Instead, he moved back in with his mom and her new husband and joined up with his old friends. They were in the money, and the lure of riches for doing nothing called to him; the consequence of that decision eventually resulted in his paralysis. KARMA DOESN'T KILL, but bad karma can leave you in a world of hurt. When hearing, "think twice about it" or "I wouldn't do that if I was you," heed the warnings and make the necessary adjustments to turn yourself around.

The story was easy to read and flowed well. I have enjoyed all of Yvette's books and highly recommend this short story for all ages. I gave KARMA DOESN'T KILL five stars!

[D.G. Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad decisions have consequences, and sadly, some must learn the hard way – like teen, JT. JT had some bad breaks in life and having an alcoholic mother and an ex-con father didn’t help him. With barely any experience in the real world and no good examples of parenting, JT found himself in a life-changing incident – not for the better.

The story is narrated through JT’s voice. He begins with informing us about how his current situation came to be and goes back in story, where we learn the consequences of unchecked and bad decisions. Choices. Life is all about what happens with the choices we make, and a very good lesson about always fact-checking to verify before stepping into a precarious situation.

This book states reader ages from 12-18, and I can see where this story could benefit teens as a cautionary tale, but still a great read for all ages 12 and up.

The author states at the end of the book how she was inspired to write this story that she loosely based on an experience that happened to someone she knew. She also noted that she hoped this story could become a conversation between a parent and a teenager. I strongly agree.

Karma may or not kill, but she always pays up.

[Pete Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karma Doesn't Kill is a fast-paced short story that I read in less than an hour about a boy dealt a handful of trying circumstances. The story follows JT's life as he shuffles between his mom and dad's homes after they divorce. The parents are going through their own problems, which in turn have an effect on their boy. Part of the problem is the parents have much different expectations for their son. Mom lets him do what he wants and gives him few responsibilities. His grandpa and dad, a parolee, tries to guide his son by giving him work on their farm and encourages him to do well in school. JT is going down the right path for a time, but when his grandpa passes, Dad becomes angrier and more distant to his son. JT gets a job tjhat appears to be a little too good, and Dad is suspicious that the work is on the up and up.

Mom, who, has previously had alcoholic tendencies, seems to be getting her life together and remarries a good guy. JT decides to move back with his mom, but she really wants him living with her to collect a check from the government.

Though life's circumstances determine part of the boy's fortune, he makes some poor choices that ultimately lead to tragedy. The plot is fast moving and serves as a warning to kids to not get mixed up with the wrong crowd.

[Alex Craigie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story packs a powerful punch. It is aimed at teens and young adults and shows that our choices have consequences.
We learn of the tragic consequences of JT’s choices early in the book. He’s the product of a broken marriage between an alcoholic mother and a parolee father. The lifestyles are dramatically different. His father and grandfather live on a farm and teach JT about hard work and responsibility. He says their house ‘smelled like flowers and sunshine’ because of the line-dried clothes in the fresh country air. His mother is a town dweller who lets him do whatever he wants ‘as long as he stayed ‘outta her hair’.
The speech is realistic and convincing. It is also directed straight at the reader whom he greets at the beginning with ‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a visitor. I guess I’ll start at the beginning’. This is a book with an excellent understanding of human behaviour. The author suggests that it could be used to start a discussion between parents and children.
The tale is down-to-earth and realistically describes the temptations placed in our way and the possible outcomes of yielding to them. I’m not the target audience and would give it a well-deserved 4*, however I’ve upped that to a sparkling 5* for the younger people it’s aimed at.

[Colleen Chesebro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karma Doesn’t Kill is a YA short story about a young man named JT, who is a paraplegic. He shares the backstory of how he ended up in his current condition.

I saw JT as a victim of his circumstances, a child of divorce caught in the middle of two different worlds. His father was a farmer while his mother lived with her drug addicted boyfriend.

When he lived with his father, JT received good grades in school. He even had dreams of becoming a firefighter. If he’d stayed with his dad, he probably would have lived a different life. The trouble started when he visited his mother. He made several bad decisions and got in with the wrong group of people, which eventually led to his condition.

This is a cautionary tale illustrating how one’s decisions can backfire spectacularly. Karma comes for all, young and old. It’s how you deal with the consequences that truly matters. A good reminder for us all.

[D.L. Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Karma Doesn’t Kill” serves as a cautionary tale of a young man’s poor decisions. Growing up, JT had to overcome various difficulties, including having an alcoholic mother and a father who was a convicted felon. He started down the wrong path living with his mother, but his father stepped in and got custody of him. His life appeared to be improving, but then tragedy hit and he ended up back where he started. The story starts with JT being cared for by his little brother. JT shares his story of how he ended up bedridden. Although I knew the outcome, his journey captured my heart, and I was rooting for him. Even with a heartbreaking outcome for JT, he developed an inspiring inner strength, too. A well-written story based on a true story that illustrates the lasting impact of a solitary choice. It’s a quick but powerful read that I highly recommend.

[Mark Bierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

JT is a young man conflicted by the competing affections of his divorced parents. Life with Mom means a home plagued by addiction and a shiftless existence. Dad keeps him busy on the farm, doing an honest day’s work while fostering a strict adherence to responsibility.

But storms come for us all and the doozy that hits JT and his Dad wipes out the bridge between them. To make matters worse, JT starts down a bad path that leads to life-changing consequences and haunting regrets.

I recommend this short story for young and old alike because moral crossroads can appear at any stage of life. Karma doesn’t discriminate.

[Gwendolyn Plano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Karma Doesn’t Kill” is the story of a quadriplegic young man. Through his narration, we learn about his early life and how he ended up bedridden. We accompany him as he chooses between his alcoholic mother and his troubled father, and we suffer with him as tragedy strikes. In this short story, author Yvette Calleiro exposes the deeper, untold story that lives within each of us. We see more clearly the impact of our choices and the realities that prompt the need to choose wisely.

[Maureen Twomey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful short story for preteen/teenage and older
After graduating from high school, JT was hoping to go to the firefighting academy.

'I explained to him the job I had and watched the smile disappear from his face ...’

I was thinking the same thing! “Noooooo!” …

Read it now!