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.

A briskly paced read that was entertaining enough but rather depressing. The audiobook is adequately narrated, however the differentiation between characters was weak.

I received a print ARC and also accessed the audiobook via NetGalley.

“Bad Nature” unfortunately fell in the vein of dragging events too long - and it’s not that long of a book …
Unfortunately, I could not really get into this one. Maybe it’s just me.

2.5 stars rounded up

The premise of this book is incredible, and I was excited to get an advanced audio copy. A woman abandoning everything after a terminal diagnosis to drive cross-country and kill her estranged father? I love unhinged FMCs, and this drew me in right away.

While the setup is strong, the tension fizzles out as the story progresses. The interactions and detours are intriguing but fail to deliver the payoff I was hoping for.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

When our narrator—40-years-old, relationshipless, childless, without family—receives a cancer diagnosis that promises only six months to live, she quits her job, packs a bag, and sets out on the road with one extreme plan: kill her father. “I was always going to kill my father… I knew I was going to kill him the same way you know that sooner or later it’s going to rain.”

Strapped with a decades-long resentment and a gun, Hester heads west from New York City, picking up a straggler along the way, and the two journey together, each on a different mission.

This book is so wildly different from what I thought it would be. I had expected a soft, forlorn tale about a woman and her acrimonious but tender relationship to her father but what I got was a truly unhinged woman on a quest for revenge. It wasn’t just a revenge tale though and there is still a lot of heart within these pages. From the start, Hester is very bitter and cynical and dismal. Readers can choose to view this as annoying or darkly comedic. I connected with the latter but Hester’s cynicism can definitely be grating. However, I think this was a very intentional move from the author as readers witness Hester’s growth and development as the novel goes on.

Courage’s prose cuts sharp as she uses her characters to explore the ongoing climate crisis, disease, trauma, morality, nature versus nurture, and the power of connection. Bad Nature is a smart and poignant novel that will entice and excite a wide variety of readers. Cia Court's narration adds an extra special touch with the perfect character voice and inflection.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for an honest review! Available Apr. 1 2025
*Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*

I tried really hard to get into this one, and while I'm really thankful to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Ariel Courage for granting me advanced access to this title, I think I'd much rather hand it off to a friend for them to take a stab at it.

I’ve had Bad Nature on my TBR list and have been looking forward to listening to the audiobook. I loved this book. The narrator was a perfect fit for the text.

After an unfortunate health diagnosis, Hester heads off on a cross country road trip to locate her estranged father. Along the way Hester meets some unique individuals and lean into the kindness of strangers.

The ending was a bit unexpected and I do wish it had ended differently. Seemed off a bit. But overall I fantastic book.

Bad Nature was amazing and I loved every word.

Cia Court was the absolute perfect narrator. I can't imagine Hester with any other voice. Hester herself was so complex. On paper we have absolutely nothing in common. On paper we have almost everything in common. In an alternative world I might could be Hester. If my voice sounded like Cia Court's, I would be very pleased (talking is a large part of my day job).

I've driven cross-country (from Alexandria, Virginia to San Diego). My route was much more straightforward, yet the travelogue aspect of the story was like flipping through an old photo album. An unexpected aspect of the story is that along the way Hester encountered some decent people. (I'm trying to word this without minor spoilers.) Even the ones who weren't exactly your first choice for people you'd meet along the way, no one harmed her. They all seemed to meet her on her own terms. Like some kind of Bizarro World Blanche DuBois, Hester was always able to depend on the kindness of strangers. More or less.

The treatment of the environment was so prominent, with all the discussions of various chemicals, yet woven into the story in a way to make it subtle, part of the background. This didn't diminish it, the exact opposite. Like white noise humming in the background, you don't notice it until it isn't there. Then, you really notice it and think about it. You could almost think Bad Nature was some kind of post-apocalyptic novel, except that it isn't. That really is the world we live in.

And then there was the last chapter. Dang it, Ariel Courage, why did you have to go write that? You should've stopped right at the end of the penultimate chapter, only maybe insert a conservative talk radio bit about how deranged you'd have to be to spend your last hours on earth killing your father. (Maybe put in something about this being a sign that the Rapture is nigh for good effect.) The last chapter was so bad, it comes incredibly close to ruining the whole, otherwise splendiferous, book for me. So, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist. La, la, la, la, la: There! The book is perfect again!

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook. One more shout-out to Cia Court-- she deserves it!

I will always root hard for an "unlikable female" and Ariel Courage delivered a great and layered one. Really enjoyed.

Holy...wow.
I know that this isn't going to be a tale for everyone, but it definitely is one of my personal favorite kinds of stories to consume: an unhinged, therefore slightly unreliable, narrator, with a dark humor and dry personality telling us the facts of life as she sees them. I love how at first the story was just that of a dying woman out for revenge, but it turned into much more with the introduction of John, the hitchhiker also out for vengeance for the environmental wrongs done to the planet. Through his plot line, Hester's story became an allegory for the ongoing climate crisis and environmental disaster humans have found themselves living through. Ignoring the warnings of her doctor, the timelines he has given her and the treatment he has prescribed, her devil-may-care attitude toward dying herself and seeking justice against her abusive father by killing him becomes the perfect metaphor for how humanity appears to be resigned to accepting climate change; I.e., what is done, is done.

The audio production of this book was excellent; the narrator perfectly suited to Hester's morose attitude and flat affect toward her past and current situations.

I truly hope this book receives the accolades it deserves upon release! My gratitude to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

I loved the narrator of this book and I felt very drawn to the story from the very beginning.
The journey that the main character takes was one that I truly couldn't predict and that added to the chaotic nature of the story.
I personally love a character that leans deeply into their rage and Hester definitely did not shy away from her anger or apathy.
At times I found Hester to be really frustrating but I was also rooting for her the entire time.
I found myself wanting her to find peace however she could and that feeling was one that I returned to throughout my reading.
John was at first a character that I didn't think was necessary but as the book progressed, I started to feel like John was the perfect person for Hester to be on this journey with.
Overall, Hester is an unforgettable character but I wish the ending went in a different direction.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage takes us into the life of a 40 year old professional woman who has avoided marriage, children and all the things that ties us to our lives outside of work. Now she faces a fast-moving cancer, and a six month life expectancy. What would you do in this circumstance?

Hester quits her job, rents a car and sets off to kill her father. It isn't a new idea. This is something she has thought about since her youth. Hester leaves NYC, headed west, hoping she finds the father at the last known address. Along the way she picks up a young hitchhiker who is on his own mission. They forge a unique friendship, and that takes the book from dark and cynical to comedic. I found that the young man's hopeful view of things tempered Hester's bitterness, and the friendship allowed for her character to grow.

The book makes a commentary on the climate crisis, morality, trauma, connection and more. I found it to be both a fun read and one filled with insights.

This one will be available on 1 April 2025. Thank you @netgalley & @henryholtbooks for the #gifted audibook. The review reflects my honest opinion.