This was a cute story that was very on-brand for Elin Hilderbrand. I enjoyed the setting, and I thought that Sophia was a fantastic main character. I hate that this was only a short story because I definitely wanted more!

I have read this ARC with a view to providing a review
All opinions and thoughts are my own

I've read some of this author before and always enjoyed their books
This didn't disappoint

Loved it

Thank you to NetGalley and Elin Hilderbrand for a copy of this story for an honest review!

Rating: 3/5 Stars

This was such a fun, short read! It was really easy to binge and had me interested the whole time.

I'm not a fan of short stories because, many times, you're forced to immerse yourself in a situation, create an emotional connection with the protagonist and form opinions on orbital characters without knowing anything about them. Sadly, that was the case here.

I've never not loved an Elin Hildebrand book. I adore her writing, the way she sets up a story, the plot lines she creates. I'm a fan to say the least. But there just wasn't room for her to shine here. I do think this could have worked as a novel but in this form, it lacked the usual Hildebrand luster.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Love this author and this book was a one sitting easy to breeze through wonderful short story book. Never read a book from this author that I haven't liked.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

My first Elin Hilderbrand book.

I story was good, but like with most novellas it can be challenging to develop characters and bond with them. She is clearly a gifted storyteller.

a contemporary short story with the Galápagos Islands as a background.

a fun, slightly thrilling short story by Elin Hilderbrand was a great way to say goodbye to this summer season. it was my first time reading anything by Elin - an author that many people consider to be THE summer writer - and maybe I'll give her another chance next year.

I think this was a fun short read! Wish it was longer form, I feel like I didn’t get the full effect of the message at the end of the story, because it was just too short.

3 ⭐️

Sophia gets ditched by her boyfriend at the airport right before a trip to the Galápagos Islands, takes the trip by herself when he insists on it, can’t reach said boyfriend all week, and then is somehow blindsided when his wife calls her to tell her that she was a mistress. Which somehow she never figured out even though the boyfriend was 20 years older than her, had grown kids he refused to let her meet, and only stayed in NYC during the week, voluntarily choosing to go back to Oklahoma every weekend. Basically Sophia was not the brightest bulb - I had the mistress “twist” figured out as soon as he left the airport on page 5ish.

I still enjoyed the book for the writing and the minor screw you she gave the boyfriend at the end. All the imagery made me want to take a trip to see the boobies and tortoises and go snorkeling with penguins. But I can’t get over how dumb this woman was, so minus 2 stars for that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of this novella in exchange for my honest review.

I am generally not a fan of short stories, but I do like the author Elin Hilderbrand which is why I picked this one up. The story follows the main character Sophia as her and her boyfriend are about to embark on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands. When her boyfriend is called away on a family emergency, Sophia is forced to go solo.

While the story was cute and the author integrated good character development into only 40 pages, the storyline was quite predictable. For that I rated it a solid 3 star read. Although it wasn’t my favorite, I would recommend for someone looking to get into reading as it is an easy, quick, and cute read. Thanks for Net Galley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

This one feel pretty flat for me. I was disappointed, after absolutely loving this author's full-length novels. There was very little plot and it was predictable.

Natural Selection is a short story by Elin Hilderbrand about a young woman, Sophia, who has had a string of bad relationships and has finally found a man who treats her with love and respect. As they set out for a vacation to the Gallapagos Islands, her boyfriend all of a sudden leaves her at the airport with a weak explanation and a hurried goodbye. Sophia sets out on the cruise, alone and worried about her boyfriend. She makes some unexpected friends, learns some good life lessons, and finds out some bad news about her relationship.

I liked the concept of this story, and there was some good character development. The reason I'm giving it a 3* is because the whole story was about this one situation, and then it jumped to several years later. The transition was too severe for my taste. This was my first book by this author, and I would definitely read another. Maybe a longer one would be more my style.

Thank you, #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories, for an advanced copy of Natural Selection in exchange for an honest review.

Natural Selection is a cute short story about Sophia, a single New York realtor, who finds herself taking a trip to the Galápagos Islands alone. While on the journey to discover herself, she meets an interesting cast of characters. I would have loved to learn more about many of them. Although predictable, Natural Selection was a fun and interesting quick read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories, for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

A wonderful short story and glimpse into Sophia's life.

Sophia is dating JP and they are going away on a trip to Galapagos Island. What was suppose to be a romantic getaway and time to get to know each other further, doesn't really end up the way Sophia had hoped.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I generally enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's books and was curious to read a short story by the author. The plot kept me interested and I enjoyed reading it, but the story was fairly predictable and surface-level. This one is entertaining and can be read in an hour or two, just don't expect any crazy plot twists or major drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Since Elin Hinderbrand has retired, I was really happy to see a short story was released! Unfortunately, a book I should have read in an hour, stretched over days. I didn’t enjoy the characters because there was no depth to them. The ending was predictable as well. If she writes another novella, I’ll likely try it, and hope it delivers in a more satisfying way than this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

This was a very cute story! I loved learning about the Galapagos as a side part to the short story and I found myself rooting for the important changes I knew needed to happen in the main character. Definitely worth a read!

Natural Selection was a fun & easy read. I would’ve liked the ending to have been a bit smoother transitioned but overall it was enjoyable.
Sophia and her boyfriend JP are about to head off on an adventure the the Galapagos when he is called away for an emergency leaving her to go on her own. She tries to enjoy the adventure but also wonders what is going on with JP.
Thanks NetGalley and publisher for a copy for my opinion.

A typically great little story of a girl being fooled by a cheating man and on the best holiday of her life where she discovers the truth.

Natural Selection is a sweet short story about personal growth, the beauty of nature, and love. We follow Sophia who is left to go on a Galápagos Islands tour on her own after her boyfriend has to unexpectedly leave following a family emergency.

Given the short length of this story, we don’t get a lot of side character development and the ending is a bit rushed. I was not too bothered by this, however, as Sophia herself has a strong voice and is a fun protagonist to follow. Elin Hilderbrand is a fantastic writer and this story is no exception. The animal descriptions in particular were fascinating and made me jealous I wasn’t on a boat tour as well. I would recommend this to fans of Hilderbrand or those in the mood for a feel-good novella.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!