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

I found this book to be very interesting in its concept, but somewhat lacking in execution. I liked the main character a lot — in the way that I liked to somewhat dislike her. I found the beginning to be particularly interesting and really good at pulling me in, but the ending fell flat and I was struggling to keep my attention to it.

Hester, the heroine of Ariel Courage's debut novel "Bad Nature," is a 40-year-old New York lawyer with no family and no friends, and to top it off, she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Refusing the treatment, she instead decides to fulfill her goal, which she has been carrying for years, always sure that it will be achieved: killing her estranged father. She rents a car and sets off to California.

Very quickly, she comes across John, a young environmentalist who hitchhikes across the country and photographs hazardous waste places closed after being wholly contaminated.  She joins John in stopping at those places, climbing the barbed fences, and arguing with guards while John snaps a few pictures. Their road trip continues: each person has their own goal, and they travel in a somehow symbiotic relationship, not lovers, but semi-friends on a mission. John is another interesting character, a silent modern cowboy on a lonely assignment. The superfund sites they see often have that arresting beauty of places full of eerie sadness and, in a way, remind them of Hester's own body, being gradually invaded by cancer.

The most interesting part of the novel is Hester's character, an anti-hero, a woman who follows her own rules. Being rich and relatively young certainly helps – she can afford to spend a night in a posh hotel and rent another car if needed, and she knows she has the power that money brings. However, that power is often demonstrated childishly, for example, when she announces being pulled out at a restaurant: "I am going to spend two thousand dollars." But this is Hester: sometimes a wounded child when she talks about her childhood, sometimes a strong woman with a gun. She is contradicting herself and yet stays true to her nature - bad nature! At times cocky and other times vulnerable, with her arrogant, ironic attitude, good observation skills, and dark humor, she irritated me and simultaneously made me protective of her.

It's always more challenging for me to review a debut because a writer is just beginning their journey, and I don't feel in a position to categorize or judge their writing yet. However, Ariel Courage's novel was gripping, and her style was excellent. I'll be curious to see her next book.

Full of dark humor and unhinged, unlikeable woman antics so of course I was in. Offbeat and darkly comedic, this is an unexpected joyride across the country.

In this story, we follow Hester, a rich lawyer freshly diagnosed with terminal cancer. Upon learning her bleak prognosis, our anti-hero sets off on a cross country trek to kill her father. A revenge story at its core, Hester is driven by her anger and rage and no actual plans, other than her main one. She is a rather unlikeable character without a whole lot of redeeming qualities, but I am going to say that is probably the point. Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for the ARC. This book publishes April 01, 2025.

“I was always going to kill my father. Or at least the idea came to me very young. I never had a specific plan. I knew I was going to kill him the same way you know sooner or later it’s going to rain. It was a natural fact.”

This is a story of a woman, her terminal diagnosis, and her quest to fulfill her dream before she dies. And while she is far from a hero, you’ll probably cheer her on anyway.

Hester is unhinged, rich, and is ready to burn her whole life to the ground. I mean, why not? She has nothing left to lose. She accepts her plight, leaves her life in NY behind, and starts her cross-country journey to see her father one last time.

I love a good unhinged protagonist on a mission. You never know what you’re going to get by the end of the novel. And while Hester hold tight to her plans and wishes to see them through, she didn’t anticipate John, a 20-something guys who is on an environmental quest, interrupting them. April allow the reader a peek into Hester’s inner workings, and we see that despite her “Devil may care” attitude, there’s a part of her that has longed for companionship-something that is neutral and platonic. And no matter how often she says psychotic things, starts fights with him regarding his convictions, and puts up walls, he sticks by her, and she slowly starts to appreciate him.

You also see her start wrestling with the realization that she is truly dying, and how she teeters between wanting to end it all, and wanting to cling to life. She has kept herself locked away from everything and everyone for so long, but can’t seem to stop herself from caring about John. She’s still unhinged, but there is apart of her that longs for the stability, and comfort, John has brought to her.

This novel is darkly humorous, bleak, and crazy, with a splash of antihero. If you are a fan of an unhinged heroine, this one’s for you. 4.25 stars

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,

In “Bad Nature,” Ariel Courage introduces readers to Hester, a forty-year-old corporate lawyer who, upon receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, embarks on a cross-country journey to confront her estranged father. The novel delves into themes of revenge, self-discovery, and environmental decay, offering a darkly humorous yet poignant narrative. While Courage’s sharp prose and the intriguing premise hold promise, the story’s pacing can feel sluggish at times. Nevertheless, Hester’s complex character and the novel’s exploration of moral ambiguity make it a thought-provoking read!

This is one of those books where you read the premise and imagine a book better than the actual book. This writing was solid and kept me interested but I don't think I understood the point. The environmental story, the childhood abuse, the religion...it was all there but I didn't get anything from it.

Thank you NetGalley for sending an advanced copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was a brutal read due to subject matter, though the writing was beautiful. It's the story of an adult struggling with illness and coming to terms with her childhood.

I do not know which type of reader I would recommend this book to.

Overall, I thought this was a perfectly adequate book. The dynamic between the two characters was interesting, but I can't say that I found the main character to be compelling enough to be invested in her. It wasn't a matter of liking or disliking a morally grey character, but more that I just thought she was mildly boring. More broadly, the pacing felt a bit off--too slow.

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage follows Hester, the protagonist who, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis with only six months to live, makes an unorthodox decision: she quits her lucrative career and embarks on a road trip with one singular goal in mind—kill her father.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and though Hester is undeniably deranged, withdrawn, and odd, there’s something deeply captivating about her. She's raw, blunt, and unapologetic, and her deep-seated resentment toward her father drives much of the story. As the novel unfolds, we learn the complex, painful reasons behind Hester's behavior and mindset, which adds depth to her character.

The ending felt somewhat abrupt, especially given the build-up throughout the novel. I had been anticipating a bigger twist, but even so, I remained fully immersed in Hester’s dark journey. While the story tackles heavy subjects—such as childhood abuse and trauma—it also offers a surprising amount of dark humor that offsets the more somber moments.

Overall, Bad Nature is a deeply engaging, if unsettling, read. Ariel Courage masterfully balances the tragic and the absurd, making for a thought-provoking and, at times, laugh-out-loud dark comedy.

This book is set to be published on April 1st, 2025. Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt & Company, author Ariel Courage, and NetGalley for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

(2.5/5, rounded up)
This started out so strong that it backfired. When I'd expect some sort of build up, we'd already plateaued. The tension that <i>is</i> built, <spoiler>then comes crumbling down anyway with that ending. I have never written and will never write a book so you'd think I'd have no room to talk- but unfortunately the task at hand is reviewing this book soo... That ending made me really aggravated, I spent all this time reading...for what? </spoiler> The premise is so strong, ugh..

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Ariel Courage and Henry Holt & Company for the DRC in exchange for my honest review! PUB DATE: 4/1/25}

This book sounded darkly funny, and it was, some of the time. However, the rest of the time it felt oddly dark and hopeful at the same time. Hester gets a terminal diagnosis and decides that, at 40, she is going to choose to fulfill her dream of revenge instead of getting treatment to prolong her life.
Despite her prickly nature, Hester was surprisingly sympathetic to me. She has to drive to her father's home, so she can bring her gun, and ends up bringing along someone she meets on the road. I guess what I really liked was how unexpected this whole adventure was.I thought I would feel one way but with a whole different perspective. Those are the best kinds of stories for me, and I'll be thinking about Hester for a while.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

A forty year old lawyer with few friends or family connections due to a slew of emotional and interpersonal issues, finds out she is about to die. Instead of fighting the cancer she decides to drive across the country to exact revenge on her father. The premise is pretty strong and the narrative is fun. With a pretty unlikable protagonist who tries her best to not be redeemed this is not a novel for everyone. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I giggled constantly, thinking that if I let my own questionable ID out of the box, I would probably do the same type of fuckery.

When receiving a damning cancer diagnosis, I'm sure there are many thoughts that flood through a person's head. Rather than go through despair or worry, forty-year-old Hester prepares for revenge. She makes it her personal mission to kill her estranged father after twenty-five years. Along the way, she meets John, a young environmental activist that needs a ride. Together they travel across the country and have many interesting, revelatory discussions.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this story and haven't read one quite like this. That being said, it didn't wow me like I hoped it would. I don't mind an "unlikeable" main character, but I didn't find myself particularly engaged in Hester or her journey. The environmentalism, while appreciated, was a bit of an odd addition. Even so, it was a gritty book with some dark humor, and I can see why it's gotten so many positive reviews so far.

This debut novel was gripping; I love an anti-hero & i thought this author did a great job at that with Hester. She's a rich lawyer who does nothing to help anyone yet I still loved reading her trek across the country. For being such an unlikeable character, i liked this story very much. I will also say it does not have a stereotypical "happy" ending which i found refreshing. Overall, if you like an anti-hero, dark humor & snark I'd say to give this one a try.

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.

Thank you Henry Holt and Company 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*

This was an entertaining and quick read. The author does an excellent job to keep the reader interested even thought it is a bleak story with a fairly unlikable main character. She is definitely a good writer and quite promising. I got Ottessa Moshfegh vibes from this one.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I loved this novel. Let's start there. The author elegantly paints a woman's grieving process. A woman whose childhood did not uplift her soul but instead drove her to success to counteract the memories. A woman who, by many people's standards, led an empty life driven only by a desire to succeed without much else to fill that void.

Hester isn't terribly likeable in the beginning (which is kudos to the author as well) so it's slow going to invest in her story. Her prose is excellent though; she demands attention. We read as her story devolves from empty, time-filling activities to a discovery of late stage breast cancer, and the subsequent decisions she makes in the pursuit of "justice" in the name of her mother and her childhood. Hester's relationship with herself, her cancer, and the hitchhiker, John, is endearing to experience. Over time, she grows an attachment to all three and, as the book states in the summary, you begin to wonder what her final decision will be. While the book's premise is outlandish, it's still a wonderful reflection on what we may think, feel, or do when faced with our mortality. It's a look into the people and the relationships we've filled our life with. It's also a reminder to keep our hearts and minds open to new thoughts and activities because you never know what you don't know, what your unconscious biases are, or what might surprise you.