Natural Selection was a quick and enjoyable read that helped pull me out of my mini reading slump. It’s my first time reading Elin Hilderbrand (how??) and I appreciated how much depth she packed into such a short story. Sophia and her boyfriend are preparing for a trip to the Galapagos when his priorities suddenly shift, leaving her to navigate the trip on her own. Along the way, Sophia uncovers truths about her relationship and begins to trust her instincts, realizing the importance of relying on herself. A short but meaningful story about growth and self-discovery!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand is a short story about reevaluating ones life to find what is truly the most important. When Sophia embarks on a whirlwind romance, she never could have imagined being stood up or rather walked out on at the airport of all places. Taking a trip to the Galapagos Islands wasn't something she ever wanted to do but, in wanting to make her boyfriend happy, she takes the leap only to find herself on the trip alone. The time spent away from the city and almost completely unplugged, she realizes their are things more important in life. She also realizes that to survive you need to rely on yourself and let your gut instincts guide you. Overall a short yet worthwhile read about learning to become your own person and learning to rely on yourself.

Natural Selection is a must-read. It’s a compelling exploration of love’s many faces and the often-unpredictable course our lives take.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I loved this so much I wished it were a full novel!

Sophia and her boyfriend are getting ready to take a trip to the Galapagos, when he suddenly gets a call that he needs to help one of his adult children. While on the trip Sophia realizes some things in her relationship were not true.

This was a fun and quick read. I just love everything Elin writes! The characters were great and I loved watching Sophia’s growth. I highly recommend reading this!

📘: Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand
🗓️: September 1, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Elin Hilderbrand, and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Elin is the queen of the summer read. While this novella is short it packs a punch. It is a quick and easy read perfect for the pool or beach!

Short story; not in the typical EH setting.
I felt a little annoyed at times but then it was over and it was fine.
I didn't love it or hate it.
3.5 stars

I have enjoyed many of the books she has written but the last two novels and this story have lost their spark in my opinion. It wasn't great.

Hilderbrand's novels whisk the reader away... Natural Selection is no different. Exactly what you want from a Hilderbrand book. Though her works tend to blur together for me the resulting, cohesive blend is something I'm not mad about! 4 Stars.

Natural Selection is a short story that needs to be expanded into a full novel! A trip of a lifetime turns out to be ore than Sophia bargains for when she is literally dumped at the airport by her boyfriend. Traveling alone she finds out a lot about herself while meeting new people and trying to figure out what she really wants in her life.

What a fun (albeit fairly predictable) short story! Natural Selection is a delightful island cruise of a book & the perfect palate cleanser for all of the horror that I've been binging this spooky season.

All my thanks to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for the ARC!

This was a cute little short story! I think this honestly could’ve been a whole novel, there’s such potential with the plot and the characters here. I’d say it’s a good palette cleanse, set in the Galapagos, super quick read

Thank you NetGalley + publisher for the ARC!

Elin Hilderbrand has such a talent for bringing readers into her world. This novella felt a bit predictable, but was a unique story of triumph over heartbreak.

Very quick read, it was a nice read on an hour long car ride. Kept my mind interested in what was going on. I really enjoy short reads because I do not have to stop in the middle and think about it all day, I can read in one sitting.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this short story. I really enjoyed this short yet sweet story by Elin. I love her writing style, and her ability to create such character development in less than 60 pages is quite impressive. This is a great book to read to get out of a reading slump. No expectations and no serious commitment. It is a great quick read, and I recommend this and all other books written by Elin. I can't wait for more from this author. It's hard to rate this book since it is so short and left me wanting to read more, but 4/5 stars.

I enjoyed this novella that takes place on a tourist ship visiting the Galápagos Islands. Sophia’s boyfriend, a photographer, sets up a trip to the Galapagos so he take pictures. It’s not what Sophia had in mind, she’d prefer the Caribbean, but he’s divorced with a family in another state so they don’t see each other as much as she’d like.
Sophia is disappointed when he bails from the trip at the last second, as they’re getting on the boat, after he receives a phone call. He gives her his expensive camera equipment as he leaves. She gets angry when he doesn’t respond to her texts and calls and decides she has to make the best of the situation on her own, meeting the other passengers and taking photos. She finds a surprising peace in the beautiful natural surroundings, helpful when she discovers that her relationship was not what she thought it was. I would love to read this as a full length novel that follows Sophia after her trip.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As with all of Elin’s books I eagerly awaited this one, immensely enjoyed the read, and was sorry when the experience was over. New characters, new setting, same great writing. I did feel the end of the book was a little trite, but that may have more to do with the length of the book and trying to wrap everything up.

Okay, so I was warned when reading the synopsis and some reviews online. They said its going to be a slight cliff hanger and I felt that it kinda was. Just as I was just getting really interested in this story, it ended. The ending was so abrupt and ended in a blink of an eye. Like everyone says, this can be a full novel and it would have been great just like all of Elin Hiderbrand's work.
I feel cheated and did not get enough of the outcome for the other characters but nevertheless, I enjoyed the story!

3.75 stars. Perfect short book that highlights the importance of self love and strong women. I love Elin Hilderbrand and loved to see this kind of book from her.

This was a quick and easy short story for me while I was in a reading slump! It was a tad predictable but enjoyed the life lesson along the way! Classic EH writing with a descriptive setting and characters that feel so real. Impressive what she could accomplish in just a 50ish pages!

This was my first read from Elin Hilderbrand and I will definitely read more after this. For a short story, I was pleasantly surprised with how invested I was with Sophia and the supporting characters she comes to know while on a solo trip to Galapagos.

Sophia is flying solo on this trip as her boyfriend cancels at the last minute, claiming an urgent family matter. While hesitant to go alone, she pushes forward, making new connections and gaining fresh perspectives about herself and her relationship along the way.

Though brief, Sophia’s journey of self-discovery is enjoyable and relatable, and her evolving self-assurance is heartwarming to follow. However, I did find the story’s ending abrupt, and I would've loved for this to have been a full-length novel.

Overall, it's a delightful read, especially for those who appreciate a quick but meaningful exploration of change and personal growth. I am looking forward to reading more from Hilderbrand in the future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.