Ellen Hilderbrand delivers a predictable but thoroughly engrossing short story in 'Natural Selection'. I enjoy knowing that I will be transported to an exotic location for Ms. Hilderbrand's tales. Though I could predict JP's line, the plot of the story did take some unexpected twists. I liked that the characters were limited to the passengers and crew on the trip to the Galapagos, plus few others. I thought the characters were well developed. The point of the story, being that each of us is continuously going through an evolution and that we must be tough to survive, was concealed within the story but was obvious without overthinking. Overall, I give this short story four stars and do recommend it as I would almost any of Ms. Hilderbrand's work.

While I enjoyed this short story, I know that Elin can do better with a longer format. This could have certainly been an entire book. It felt rushed in the description of the side characters in the story, and if it had been an entire novel I feel like they could have been flushed out a bit more. It wasn't bad at all, I did enjoy my time reading it, just left wanting more. That's almost always the case with short stories for me though. No matter, I will read everything that Elin writes, therefore I still enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Amazon Original Stories for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand popped up on my GoodReads email because I follow Elin Hilderbrand. I'm constantly lusting after her books and requesting advance read copies. 28 Summers - declined; Golden Girl - declined; Reunion Beach - declined; Swan Song - declined; The Five-Star Weekend - declined; The Hotel Nantucket - declined (audio also); Troubles in Paradise - declined. I almost fell off my chair when Natural Selection was available as "Read it now". So what is a girl to do? Well, this one put all the other Advance Read Copies and bookclub books on hold and "Read it NOW".

Debating between 4 and 5 stars. It should probably be 4 stars, but ... yeah ... its Elin and she is about my favorite author. I really did love her description of the Galapagos Island. If Elin turned this short story (54 pages) into a full length novel, I'd read it.

I sincerely hope Elin continues to write. Write with her daughter, write with other authors, write about Massachusetts, write about the Midwest, please continue to write. In my eyes she can do very little wrong.

The main character in Natural Selection wouldn't have chosen a trip to the Galapagos, but her boyfriend/fiancé wanted to go there. The pictures looked great and she main concentration was which clothes would make her most attractive.

Moments before boarding the plane, her boyfriend is called to the desk to take a phone call.

Many many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for approving my request to read the advance review copy of Natural Selection in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is Sept 1, 2024. (odd, that is a Sunday ... as opposed to a Tuesday. The Sunday before Labor Day. I was just reading on Facebook Friends and Fiction about Tuesday publication dates.)

It almost seems that Natural Selection is being made available to further entice readers to purchase Swan Song, written in conjunction with Elin's daughter. I've been dragging my feet; but yeah ... I'm in! One audible credit. I hear its great!

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand

Natural Selection is a very short story. Sophie is going on a cruise with her boyfriend J.P, and although she isnt really excited about the trip, she's looking forward to alone time with him. Unfortunately, JP receives a call right before boarding and has to leave for a family emergency, leaving her alone for the trip.
What will this trip help her to learn? And how could she possibly enjoy herself when she is alone on a romantic getaway? This is my second read by Elin Hilderbrand and I loved this short story. I could definitely have seen this as a longer story. If you are looking for a quick read, or something in between heavier books, then this is a great go to.

I love Elin H and certainly look forward to her short stories! This one has all the things you expect from Elin, ocean, fun characters, development, and emotion.

When it comes to Elin Hilderbrand’s narrative voice I'm a little like Dr. Seuss ... I will read it here or there, I will read it anywhere.
But I do prefer her usual Nantucket setting.
Enjoyed the adapting/evolving theme.

With thanks to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for this e-ARC.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for this ARC by Elin Hildebrand.

Sophie is going on an 8 day cruise to the Galapagos with her boyfriend JP, but at the airport JP gets a call and has to turn back home to "take care of an incident". He insists on Sophie going alone on this trip and that she should take pictures of all the wildlife. She is hesitant but does as she is told. She finds herself questioning her life and her relationships. This short story takes the reader through the week in an incredible way.

This is my second book by Hildebrand and I can´t say anything else than that I love her writing. The books read like a mystery, no matter what is going on I always want to know more and more. This book is 40 pages long and I felt like I lived it. I could definitely read 400 pages about this trip and about Sophies journey.

I rated this book 5 stars and I highly recommend everyone to read it as it is available now on Kindle and Kindle unlimited.

I don’t know how she packed so much punch into such a short story but she did! Fun and interesting and I was kind of sad to finish it bc it could’ve kept going for me! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book for review. I was so excited to receive this one as I have loved Elin Hilderbrand books in the past but this one wasn't for me. I don't know if it was due to it being a novella but I couldn't connect with the story.

*Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!*
Such a cute and solidly satisfying short story! I read it all in one sitting. I really liked the author's writing- decent character development and details about the environment. I totally guessed the problem with JP in the beginning! I could relate heavily to the main character, Sophia, so it made this a very pleasant read. I'm glad she got her happy ending. I wished there was a little more on the natural selection topic- the lesson didn't feel fulfilled enough by the main character. It was a nice story without much to it. I just wished there was more story!

Probably should have been a full length novel. It wasn't bad, but I found it to be very predictable. If you're looking for a quick read, this might be the book for you. I would have loved a bigger (non predictable) plot twists. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher. Natural Selection is a novella that sends a big message. Sophia thinks she's found the love of her life and then things turn sideways on a trip to the Galapagos. During this trip she finds a bunch of quirky friends and ends up finding a bit of herself too. A quick read by one of my go to authors.

When Sophia’s boyfriend bails on her last minute, she decides to go on the cruise to Galápagos anyway. And during those eight days she waits and waits for him to answer her texts and call her back…

Okay so, I randomly picked this up because I read one of her other books. And then I saw she just published this short story and I felt like it would be perfect for my reading goal. Because I did really enjoy her other book.

I’m a little 50/50 on her writing. Like it's catchy and all. But personally I don’t enjoy third person that much.

This novella/book was honestly too short to tell what I thought about characters, the plot and all that. So I don’t think I will be writing my thoughts on the characters at least.

And really the novella was even too short for me to even understand what was going on. I was not catching up to anything.

I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a short novella for their reading goal. This was good for that. Even though I didn’t really understand it or the point of the novella.

Thank you netgalley, amazon original stories and also Elin Hilderbrand for providing me with this earc in exchange od an honest review.

I'm a huge Elin fan and loved the idea of this, but it felt flat to me. It was too short in my opinion and very predictable.

I did like the Galapagos setting!

Short story about expectations and adapting to change. Sophia is in love and is planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands with her boyfriend. He is different than the usual men she meets in New York but at the same time there are red flags: he lives in another state, won't let her meet his children and he only spent one weekend with her. As the couple get ready to get on the plane for their trip, JP gets a call about a problem with his college age son and he leaves, telling Sophia to go on the trip without him.

Sophia is a more of a luxury traveler and the boat is not exactly what she expected. Yet she realizes her choices are to be miserable for the trip or try to go with the flow and she ends up enjoying the wildlife and her fellow passengers.. The author mentions Darwin and the idea that we must adapt or perish and I'm not quite sure the story hit that concept, but I liked Sophia and was happy she met new friends and enjoyed photographing the various animals in the Galapagos. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to review.

Hildebrand surprising us with one more summer adjacent novel. Love it!

I really loved the beginning. It almost felt like a set-up for a thriller, and knowing the the Queen of Beach Reads is switching up her formatting to mystery, makes me a bit more excited for things to come. Unfortunately from there it became a bit more predictable. I wish Hildebrand was able to keep that momentum going.

Hildebrand did a fantastic job at the imagery. I felt as if I was right there with Sophia looking for dolphins and the tropical birds in the Galapagos.

Ultimately I gave this short story 3.5 stars, rounded up. I enjoyed Natural Selection as a short story but it felt a bit rushed. I think it could have made a fantastic full novel!

This was a cute short story by Elin Hilderbrand. I really wish that this was a full length book because it would have been fun to follow Sophia and see how she evolves after the trip. Overall, this was a great fast read that I recommend as an introduction to Hilderbrand's writing.

Although this story was only 54 pages, it was very fleshed out and I enjoyed it. It was pretty predictable, but I really loved the ending! I would recommend if you’re looking for a fast read.

Evolution is a journey.

Sophia is a NYC realtor in her mid-thirties and after a series of underwhelming relationships has finally found a great guy. JP is older, divorced from his wife Maria, and has three kids back in Oklahoma whom she has yet to meet, but the couple is about to take a major step in their relationship. They are taking a trip to the Galápagos Islands, a bucket list item for avid amateur wildlife photographer JP, and while its not exactly the vacation Sophia would have chosen she is excited for their travels together. Before they even get on the plane at the airport, though, JP gets a call….there’s a problem back home with one of his kids and JP has to return to OK. He insists that Sophia get on the plane and enjoy the trip without him; stunned, she boards the flight but with major reservations. She connects with several of the other travelers who will be on their (small and less than luxurious) boat trip, and tries to enjoy the experience even as she anxiously awaits an update (or at least a better explanation) from JP that doesn’t come. In a part of the world that brings the work of Charles Darwin to mind, Sophia will need to either adapt to her new circumstances or be miserable as she clings to what could have been.
Sophia is at a point in her life where she has to make decisions about what she wants to achieve in life, and how she can meet those goals. Is JP her last chance for marriage and babies, the type of life both of her sisters already have? Does she know JP as well as she think she does, and what can she learn from her shipmates as they experience some of nature’s wonders together? In nature, creatures who adapt to changing surroundings are able to survive and live on…..and Sophia will need to do the same. Fans of author Elin Hilderbrand’s novels will definitely enjoy this short story, as will readers of Anne Rivers Siddons, Mary Kay Andrews and Kristin Hannah. Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for allowing me early access to this enjoyable read from a talented author.

This is my first time reading anything by this author. I loved that it was a quick and easy read. A woman takes a trip alone at the last minute to discover her bf isn’t who he says he is. This book could almost have been the story of my life. Always dating the wrong man and thinking I would never find a good one. I will definitely check out more books by this author as she’s on my TBR shelf.