3/5 stars
this was my fist elin hilderbrand and I did have a good time but it was little short and there were a lot of details missing. I know its just a short story but there could have been some better descriptions.

This was my first Elin Hilderbrand book and man was I excited.
It lived up to the hype and I'll definitely be picking up more of her books!

I jumped at the chance to read a novella by Elin Hilderbrand! I loved the characters and wish it could have gone on longer. I was in suspense waiting to see why JP left and wish there was more of an epilogue. Always love her writing style.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I LOVE anything by Elin Hilderbrand and was beyond excited to be approved to read this before all my friends and family. Once again, a total winner of a book. This is a quick, easy read that is not set in Nantucket! :) You will fly through this and wish for a longer book so you don't have to wait so long for her next release!

I love Elin, but this one wasn’t it for me. I understand the concept of the short story but I felt like this was missing too much.

A good quick short story following Sophia on a trip to the Galapagos after her boyfriend leaves her at the airport to go on alone.. You can pretty much assume the worst is going to be the case for her but she's slow to get to the same conclusion. The imagery was the highlight since the format doesn't allow for much character or relationship development.

I love a good Elin Hilderbrand book and this novella was no different. I read it a couple months ago and don't remember it at all, the only thing I do remember is it being a good palate cleanser.

Natural Selection was an easy and quick read that was a perfect go-to short story for me when I was in a little bit of a reading slump. This is my first time reading Elin Hilderbrand, despite her popularity, and I really enjoyed this story and her writing. I appreciated the fact that the characters and plot were pretty well-developed, especially for a short story, and it definitely made me want to add traveling to the Galapagos Islands to my bucket list.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first book by this author and it wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the writing style, it didn’t pull me in at all. I found it very hard to get through and it’s a short novel. No thrill at all and bored me.
Thank you NetGalley for the read now opportunity!

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand. Pub Date: September 1, 2024. Rating: 3 stars. This short novella follows a young female who ends up having to go on a vacation without her significant other due to an emergency with his child. During this story, the reader is immersed in the travel and scenery of the novella. The reader is taken on a journey of self discovery, self love/worth and finding yourself when you least expect it. I enjoyed the themes of womanhood, embracing your true self and following your heart. Thanks to #netgalley and #amazonoriginalstories for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. The main character is Sophia. At first in the story, Sophia is with her boyfriend JP, they are taking a cruise. JP gets a phone call, it is about his son so he can not go on the cruise. He suggests to Sophia go on the cruise and take pictures. So she does. She takes pictures and takes hikes. She finds out her boyfriend is married. Sophia learned a very good lesson.

This was a nice easy and fast short story to read. I loved the imagery of the Jalapeños Islands and all the different animals they saw on the trip. It was fun to see the friendships that Sophia made in the boat. I was able to figure out pretty quickly what happened to her boyfriend so that story line was very predictable, but I still enjoyed the book a lot.

I received an arch of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book felt like it was a rush and written without the details it needed to be a well-rounded story.

Sophia meets an amazing man who wants to whisk her away on a Galapagos cruise! Only when they arrive he gets a phone call and bails on her! Although reluctant she goes on the trip and has a great time. But this also gives her time to really think about what kind of man she is dating.

The romantic drama of this book was predictable but the scientific information was interesting. I’d love to go on a trip to the Galápagos Islands! I think the cheating husband revelation was obvious and unoriginal, but it was still a decent and quick read.

4.25/5 ⭐️

Atmospheric and quick. Enjoyed the setting and the adventure, but didn’t love some of the slang that was used. It took me out of the story especially since our MC was 35 and she was using terms that teens and people in their 20s use. It just barely missed the mark for me with that

Sophia finally has found the love of her life (she hopes) and is on her way to their first vacation as a couple. Until he has to bail at the last minute for a family emergency leaving Sophia to go to the Galapagos islands by herself; somewhere she didn't even want to go in the first place. However, she finds this solo trip might just be exactly what she needed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and thought it was a great book before diving into another long novel. I liked learning about the different animals that's live on the Galapagos islands and it made me want to sail around there some day. It had just enough drama to keep me entertained throughout the entire story wanting to know if Sophia gets her happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand is a short, reflective story about Sophia, a New Yorker whose romantic getaway to the Galápagos Islands takes an unexpected turn when her boyfriend, JP, cancels at the last minute. Left to navigate the trip alone, Sophia embarks on a journey of self-discovery amid the islands’ stunning landscapes and diverse wildlife. Hilderbrand’s vivid descriptions bring the setting to life, making the Galápagos feel like a character in its own right. While the narrative is concise, it effectively explores themes of personal growth and resilience. While I did find the story a bit predictable, it has a heartfelt message about embracing change and finding strength within oneself resonates. Recommend but not one of Hildebrand’s best.

Another short. This one felt so much like a full Elin Hilderbrand story. Well done. Full development. It felt personal. It felt like it was pointed at someone—the message of it. It felt very personal.

Natural Selection is peak Elin Hilderbrand—full of heart, complicated family dynamics, and that signature Nantucket charm. I was hooked from the first chapter. The way she weaves past and present together is so well done, and the emotional payoff at the end really hit me. A perfect beach read with real depth. Loved it!