Natural Selection excels in its atmospheric descriptions of nature and wildlife, and the suspense surrounding JP’s disappearance is handled carefully. But while the novel succeeds in creating tension and rich environments, the final act feels like a letdown, missing the powerful conclusion that might have elevated it further.
Overall rating: 3 stars.

If you want to read further, please check the full review on my website:
https://bookscommentary.substack.com/p/natural-selection-by-elin-hilderbrand

3.5 stars for tis short story - I would love to see the Galápagos Islands someday & appreciated the travel aspects a lot. The MC was fine here, but the plot had no surprises for me. Anyway, it's fine for a novella type story. Thanks to Net Galley & Amazon

I read whatever Elin Hilderbrand writes, and in Natural Selection her writing style pulls you into the story just as it has in her other books. This short story follows Sophia, a thirty-something woman dating a fifty-something man who lives part-time in NY and part-time in Oklahoma and has a family with a woman back home whom he says he has divorced. When he takes Sophia on a trip to the Galapagos Islands, he is called away at the airport for a family emergency, abandoning her but encouraging her to take the trip without him. Morose and moody, she joins the other passengers on the trip that turns out less luxurious than they were all led to believe, but the slow build of friendship and camaraderie soon displaces their initial feelings about their circumstances. As the trip progresses, Sophia learns the real reason her boyfriend has left her, putting her life on a different path than the one she’d expected upon their return. The experience changes her outlook and, through a truncated ending to the story, we learn she eventually gets her happily ever after.

I thought the story was just okay. I am curious to see what Elin’s new book ventures will be like as she retires from writing about Nantucket and branches out into other settings. I haven’t always enjoyed the books she has set elsewhere, so we’ll see.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

- KU w/ audio
- Minor Found Family
- secrets revealed
- self-discovery

Only Elin Hilderbrand can write a 50ish page book and give you a story that feels like a novel (in the best way). This was such a great book to give me a bit of a reprieve between long deep fantasy. It was easy yet gave me such a satisfied complete feeling. I found the main characters journey of discovering her self worth to be inspiring.

This was fine for a short story. I felt like too much of the story was spent on the beginning part, explaining why Sophia was going on this trip alone and introducing the large cast of other characters. The main part of the story was very fast and very predictable. As soon as Sophia was left to take the trip alone I figured out why.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a ARC of Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand for an honest review.

For a short story, this was surprisingly really good and intriguing. I’m a little mad it’s not a full length novel because this would have kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time.

I liked how the natural selection came into play in this book and how the story revolves around adapting. I still can’t believe what a scumbag JP was too.

The main character, Sophia, made me mad though. Like she should have asked for evidence but I also don’t trust as easily as she does. 😂

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This short story had the impact of a full length novel!

Sophia has seemingly found the perfect man! She and her boyfriend embark on a vacation to the Galapagos when he surprisingly gets pulled away for an 'emergency' and she must go on the trip alone. By herself, Sophia begins to explore her relationship with not only her boyfriend, but with nature and the people she meets on this trip.

This book was really makes you think about how we all adapt to change in our own lives and that learning to adjust to change is what keeps us surviving. I highly recommend this story for a quick read that will make you think! 4 stars!

A quick read about a very disturbing situation. When reading this the emotions of joy, hope, trust and betrayal are conveyed very intimately. Recommend.

I really enjoy Elin Hilderbrand’s novels and maybe I am not much of a short story reader, but I did not enjoy this the way I do her novels. It started off strong, but ended up just okay and predictable. Thank you Amazon Original Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

A short-story from the incredibly popular author, Elin Hilderbrand. It’s less than 60 pages but it follows the main character, Sophia, as she takes a solo trip to the Galápagos Islands after a blip with her boyfriend. It’s a short read about self discovery with the upmost vacation vibes. It has minimal character development but still enjoyable for fans of Hilderbrand’s work. A great palette cleanser book after you finish a long series or heavy book.

Thank you Netgalley, Amazon Original Stories and Elin Hilderbrand.
This was a short story of a woman going on vacation with her new flame.
At the airport, something goes wrong and she ends up going alone on a trip she did not want to go.
Lies, secrets are revealed.
3 stars

This is classic Hilderbrand’s detailed joy. A short and sweet story of finding yourself is the greatest gift of all. I don’t think we have seen the last of Hilderbrand even though she is in her retired era. ILYSM

this only took me around 30 minutes to read and I thought it was fun but not something I’d recommend to anyone. I wasn’t surprised at the ending but I felt like it was kinda rushed??

*thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this short story by Elin Hilderbrand! It had mystery and growth and joy! It was a quick read and perfect for any time of year!

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Original and Elin Hilderbrand for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short story that - while parts were semi interesting - could have been an email. It seemed like it was trying to build into something else but then it was done. There were a lot of characters for something so short. I think it would have been better if it was expanded to a full novel and had more storylines in it.

Elin Hilderbrand is a favorite author, so I was drawn to this short story that she wrote in 40 pages.

“Natural Selection”, is a short story about Sophie, who is about to board a plane with her boyfriend, JP, for a holiday in the Galapagos. JP Satterwhite’s avocation is wild life photography. Unexpectedly, JP receives an urgent call at the airport and leaves suddenly, thrusting his expensive Nikon at Sophia…instructing her to take pictures…his photo list is in the case.

Sophia, is puzzled and concerned, but attempts to make the best of a boat trip she did not want to take…with people she does not wish to be with.

Hilderbrand takes this set of circumstances and engages us immediately with the beauty and natural allure of the Galapagos. She captivates us with descriptions of the exotic and rarely seen wild life.

Sophia discovers the details about the mysterious disappearance of JP…as she travels her own path of self discovery. Along the way, she engages with an eclectic variety of personalities aboard the boat with her.

In her journey of self discovery, Sophie learns about herself through the lens of Charles Darwin’s famous quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, and it is not the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.”

Although I typically don’t read short stories…(they are too short!), I enjoyed this little morsel from Hilderbrand. Thank you NetGalley.

I loved this short story by Elin Hilderbrand! Although it isn’t her usual Nantucket based novel that I love her characters were just as wonderful. This short story is about a women who is left at the last minute on a vacation to the Galápagos Islands with a great mix of people. She finds an adventure she never planned and is given quite a shock but is able to persevere despite it. I absolutely loved the way this book ended and can’t wait for more from Elin Hilderbrand.

MC Sophia is in love. She met JP, the man of her dreams, several months ago and it was love at first sight. He proposes and she plans to spend the rest of her life with this man who is the first real thing after a string of losers (this does, after all, take place in NYC). He tells her he loves her many times a day, brings her flowers wine and chocolates (forgive me Puff the Magic Dragon), and he has planned a romantic getaway to the Galapagos to take photos of blue footed boobies and other indigenous rare species. Did I mention he was an accomplished amateur photographer? As it turns out that is only one of his talents. This might not exactly be Sophia’s first (or even second last) choice of a romantic getaway, but being part of a couple means learning to compromise.

What does Sophia really know about JP? She knows that he is divorced and lives in Oklahoma but works in New York. He travels home on the weekends to spend time with his kids, one of whom is an addict, always in trouble. Every time his ex-wife, Maria, calls he goes into another room to speak. He has been able to spend exactly one weekend in the City but down the road they will be free to spend all their weekends together (when he’s not so tied up with his son’s addiction issues).

While waiting for the plane to take off for their holiday, JP is suddenly called over to the flight desk for a phone call. The emergency call from home, forces him to abandon Sophia at the gate, entrusting her with his expensive Nikon and instructions to go on the trip alone and take all the pictures that he has planned to take on the trip. Sophia, who didn’t want to go the Galapagos to begin with, found herself hustled on to the flight. While on the cruise, all her efforts to contact JP and ask about his son, were fruitless. Was she being ghosted?

Sophia begins the cruise with a derisive attitude toward the ship, her fellow-travelers, the food, etc. Embarrassed by the awkward situation in which she finds herself, she allows a traveler to make assumptions about her marital status and her “husband” and perpetrates the lie while on the trip…but despite her displeasure, a metamorphosis occurs, Sophia takes some amazing photos and learns many shocking things, among other things, about herself.

This was my first read by this prolific and popular reader. Because it was a (long) short story, my favorite kind of read, I leapt at it and downloaded from NG. It was a good read that held my attention throughout, even if I wished I could throttle most of the characters (LOL).

I enjoyed this short short by Elin Hilderbrand. Sophie is left to take a trip to the Galapagos by herself when her boyfriend JP has to leave before the vacation begins due to a family emergency. Sophie makes friends with her fellow travelers on the boat and learns about herself on the vacation she didn't want to take. I wish the book had been a bit longer to as I found the ending to be a bit abrupt. I want to visit the Galapagos after reading about all the amazing animals that call it home.

Thank you NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for letting me read this ARC!

an enjoyable short story, with elin hilderbrands classic knack for building in drama! made me very excited for her next novel