Bad Nature is a super twisted road trip of a novel as a woman takes her fatal cancer diagnosis as the inspiration to ditch her high-powered law career and travel across the country to fulfill her revenge fantasy against her abusive father, who ruined her mother's and her life with his self-obsessed and violent nature in his pursuit of derivative abstract paintings of female nudes.
Along the way she meets visits people from her distant past and picks up an idealist environmental activist, and going along with his photographing superfund sites and monkeywrenching polluters becomes a welcome detour to her solitary wallowing.
They grow on each other over the course of their encounters with obstacles and honey pots, and the much-anticipated father-daughter reunion is both entertaining and totally in line with her situation.
The book revels in her awkwardness and distorted view of the world, and is very entertaining and enlightening about what people owe each other and the world.

This had me hooked immediately because i love the premise of wanting to kill your father after getting a terminal diagnosis. Cut to a cross-country road trip and a rag-tag group of characters as our protagonist, a lawyer with a new diagnosis goes to murder her father. I really enjoyed the characters as well as the fact that the protagonist is an absolute sociopath in the most honest kind of way. It was funny in ways, even if the ending is a little lackluster. it's hard to land this giant, loaded plane of a plot, but overall I think it did, if a little bumpy.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage attraction is centered around Hester, a strong female character, with an unconventional and questionable character. After a terminal cancer diagnosis, she decides to travel cross country to kill her father.

She meets John, an environmentalist who photographs locations across that have been closed due to contamination. During their road trip you gain some insight on Hester’s background, but I do wish they spent more time in explaining her past relationships with her parents and what is driving her need to kill her father.

I had the privilege of having both the eARC and ALC for this book. The narration by Cia Court is well executed, though her male characters did not fell as if they had the same distinction as her female ones. Regardless the narration kept me engaged, and I could seamlessly move between the printed book and audiobook with ease.

Although the ending did not live up to journey experienced in this book, I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what comes next from this author.

Rating: 4 Stars
Audio Release and Print Pub Date: April 1 2025

Tags:
Henry Hold & Company
@henryholtbooks
Macmillan Audio
@macmillan.audio
#BadNatureBook
#ArielCourage
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

“Bad Nature” is a revenge plot road trip where Hester, our narrator has found out she has terminal cancer and is now putting her revenge into action. Hester, a lonely, well off lawyer, has quit her job and plans to drive across the country to kill her abusive father.

I found this audiobook oddly engaging despite the unhinged narrator that appears to have let anger control her life. I appreciated the balance that the secondary character, John, the environmental activist she picks up along the way, adds to the story. Courage throws in twists and turns I wasn’t necessarily expecting, which helped to draw me into the plot. I was hoping for more character growth and development but unfortunately this was more of a plot driven book. I do think the audio version helped me enjoy the book as I don’t think I would have been as engaged with reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

A woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis drives cross-country to kill her estranged father. This pulled me in right away, and while the first half of the book had my complete attention it fell a little flat for me in the second half leaving me wanting more.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book! This was unhinged and so funny. The main character was both unlikeable and endearing. John balanced Hester out and really enhanced the story. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice and would like to read more from this author in the future!

a book about a terminally ill woman with an estranged and volatile relationship with her father combined with a spontaneous cross-country roadtrip was immediately interesting to me.

the author’s writing style and the dark satire throughout the story really sets the tone for the strange end-of-life journey the protagonist finds herself on.

this is one of those books that kind of feel like an A24 film.

The main character isn’t really the most likable, but the book has really good writing that shows its sense of humor. We see a relationship grow throughout the book, but I wish I knew more about her father. I felt like something was missing throughout.

You have to enjoy dark humor to enjoy this book. This story took us on a journey with a woman who turned 40 and found out she had 6 months left to live. She decided to pack up the life she had and set out to get revenge… on her father for how bad he treated her and her mother. I wanted a bit more detail around what drove her to become who she became. We got pieces of what she remembered but I feel like more would have helped me connect with her. I had the audio and maybe I missed it, but I just couldn’t get myself to like Hester. I wanted to know more about John, the dad’s new wife, even Hester’s mom.

I'm growing a little tired of the women-behaving-badly, girl-bossing-too-close-to-the-sun literary trend, and I'm so glad I read this book because it helped me refine my thoughts about that trope, and also how it can be used successfully. Hester is unlikable, but understandable. Given a terminal diagnosis, she decides to spend what time she has left hunting down and killing her father, who is even less likable. Hester's eventual redemption doesn't come at the cost of her mission; she doesn't go from dumb to smart, or unfeeling to feeling. She doesn't really interrogate the values of her former life or 'find a better way,' or get cured or forgive her father, or realize that what she needed was inside her all along... Her redemption consists of forming exactly one real relationship. I just- I don't know, I felt very satisfied by the ending. It was quietly poignant.
I don't think I pressed pause once while listening to this audiobook. The pacing was perfect.
The narration was almost a total win, except for a brief section where the narrator attempted a wisconsin/upper midwest accent (i think...) and fully sounded like a muppet, like Frank Oz or something. Criminal behavior. Luckily, this was only a short portion of the novel.
I'm going to suggest this as a selection for our bookclub.

After she receives a terminal diagnosis, Hester goes on a road trip to kill her estranged father.

This road trip novel is full of dark humor. The writing was fantastic, and I loved the unhinged female main character. The only reason this book isn’t five stars is that the middle felt a little long and bloated by extra plot points. However, I loved the beginning and the ending. I listened to the audiobook, and I enjoyed the narrator. I’d definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine you turn the big four-oh and are promptly diagnosed with terminal cancer. What would you do? If you're Hester, you quit your high-status job and hit the road to murder your estranged father before putting a bullet in your own head. You pick up a hitchhiker along the way, a crust punk photographing Superfund sites across the country.

It's gonna be really hard for me to NOT compare this one to Kevin Wilson's Run for the Hills. Both of these come out in spring 2025, both follow a female protagonist on her way to see an estranged father, both involve patricidal ideation. As for which book is better? Bad Nature, and it's not even close. First, the characters are better developed and more engaging. I felt like I knew them far better, even if nobody would call them good people. Second, the road trip factors into the plot more. As our characters cross the country, meeting people and stopping at places we get to know them more. As the setting changes, the characters change. It's an integral part of road trip stories, but wasn't really explored in Run to the Hills. Finally, Bad Nature gives you two stories in one. We see what kind of person Hester is and how she got that way. Then there's also a subplot about environmental degradation that gives you a lot to think about. Run to the Hills didn't have much of a subtext, unless you count college hoops and chicken farming.

Would I have liked this book less if it hadn't come on the heels of a similar yet weaker story? Maybe. Maybe not. When judged on its own, I still think a reader who can handle dark stories and train-wreck heroines will enjoy it.

The narrator, Cia Court, was solid. Good voices, both male and female. No complaints there.

Bad Nature, by Ariel Courage, I was gifted the Kindle version and the audio version narrated by Cia Court from NetGalley. The book is about Hester who on her 40th birthday finds out that she has breast cancer. This is when she decides to take stock of her life or what is left and drive to California to kill her long neglectful father. I really thought this book was going to be witty with Hester‘s self reflection and possible redemption from an on feeling life, but unfortunately it almost seems that even with the intervention of a social environmental warrior, who she meets along the way along with making pitstops to see those that played apart in her sadly depressing life. It’s almost as if she in the end doubles down on her initial thoughts and feelings and I honestly just didn’t like this book. Not to mention the narrator seemed as if she was just reading the story with no emotion whatsoever and I have read other reviews where they absolutely love her, but I sadly did not. I have read books before that when it got to the ending it was such a great ending. It made me rate the book much higher than I initially was going to, but this book seemed to IDK… Just end? also, it seems in most books. Nothing is written that isn’t going to play some part in the overall story, but I found things in this book Were just pointless, like the cop calling about her car, her whole stop in West Virginia and I’m not even saying what an unlikable person Hester was. I just didn’t like this book not the kindle version nor the audio I finished hoping the ending would save the book but sadly it did not. it was just more of the same, and that same to me was quite boring.#NetGalley, #HenryHoltAndCompany, #McMillanAudio, #AerialCourage, #BadNature, #TheBlindReviewer,

While this book explored intriguing themes, I had a hard time connecting with the story. However, that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Quirky and humorous read, filled with witty moments that keep things entertaining. However, the novel feels disjointed at times, with some parts lacking smooth transitions and coherence. While the humor shines through, the pacing and structure could have been more polished, leaving readers with a bit of a jarring experience between the laughs. Despite its flaws, it’s a fun, light-hearted read for those who enjoy offbeat humor.

Dark, gritty and thought provoking! Filled with dark humor that will stay with me long after finishing! The narrators did an excellent job.

Thank you Net Galley, Macmillian Audio, and Ariel Courage

3.5 ⭐️

** I listened to the audiobook. **

A 40 year old woman named Hester finds out that she has breast cancer. Her doctor warns her that he anticipates she doesn't have long to live. Hester says, "Fuck it." She quits her job. She packs a bag and leaves her home. Her mother has passed and Hester doesn't have any relationships holding her to her current environment. If she is going to die, she wants to do one thing first. She gets in her car with the mission to find and kill her estranged father. She meets a hippy nomad activist named John. He was hitchhiking and she decides to allow him to accompany her on the road, she's going to die anyways, so why not?

My opinions:

I both liked and disliked this book.

I did enjoy the carefree roadtrip idea. It felt in a way like the movie "Boys on the Side," where the women embark on a journey, get into trouble, and meet a variety of people along the way. John wasn't a great character for me. I feel if he had a different personality, I would have liked this book more. John was EXHAUSTING. Every situation and conversation was political or environmental. I wanted to yell, "Sleep in the damn motel room and shut up, John!" Interactions were so challenging and he turned everything into a fight. I would have thrown him from the car so fast. He reminded me of those types of people who act like they know everything about everything and they will die on that rock arguing with you.

I was interested in the plot and then at other times, I was extremely bored and waiting for the book to finally get to the point. It was a long listen as my mind started to wander and I had to take a break from listening. The point didn't come until about 40 minutes until the end of the audiobook. It went fast. It wasn't great, but okay enough, I guess.

Overall, I am disappointed by the book. I expected a little more fun and revenge verses political and environmental hippy dippy information (really had no clue by reading the synopsis) throughout the entire book. I am not interested in reading about those topics and I feel like the book discussed the related issues A LOT. The book focused more on that than on Hester's mission of killing her father or about her past with her father.

The narration was well done.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for access to the audiobook ARC of this book! I truly appreciate the opportunity!

This book starts off strong and provides a very witty and strong protagonist, but quickly lost steam. I caught myself drifting away from the story and feeling a bit distant. I wasn’t really compelled to venture onwards.

When faced with the knowledge of having been diagnosed with an incurable cancer with only a short time to life Hester decides she has had enough. All her adult life she has despised her father. He beat her mother and ruined her childhood shaping her into the woman she has become. She goes on a journey intent on ending her father’s life before the cancer can take hers.

Bad Nature kept me entertained and guessing from start to finish. It’s a darkly funny novel about a woman on a mission to unalive her father after receiving a terminal diagnosis. I’m a sucker for unhinged female protagonists, and Hester definitely did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed the book and appreciated its unique and bold premise. While I didn’t love it as much as I hoped, it still kept me hooked. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys unconventional and gripping stories!

The narrator, Cia Court, did an excellent job and made Hester come alive!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.