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

This one didn't really do anything for me to be honest.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was published September 1, 2024.

At 54 pages this was the perfect pairing with my morning coffee. I was transported to the Galápagos Islands on a rundown boat and saw lots of wildlife.

I thought it was going to be a mystery / thriller but the plot is weak and 100% predictable. But I just
can’t resist an Elin Hilderbrand book!

A great, quick read that checks all the boxes. The story in instantly engaging and very well written. We can only hope for more from Elin!

Sophia and her partner are supposed to go on a cruise to spend a bit of time together and take beautiful pictures of the natural scenery. But something goes wrong, and as a result Sophia ends up going by herself. Natural Selection has a great premise, but it falls flat. I didn't get attached to the characters, I didn't really care about anyone while reading. The novel feels too short, the ending felt abrupt to me. Overall it was okay, but nothing special.

Perfect quick and cute summer novella.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
[Review date: 2024/09/06]

I’m not really sure what the point of this was but o guess it was a fun, quick little read. Easily doable in one sitting which is always a treat!

I think the authors writing style is better suited to long form stories.. The ending on this was a bit predictable and although I keep going, it was just not as good as her regular books I hope the author comes up with a new setting for her writing and continues to write great stories.

Good short story which you can be done with very quickly. Interesting scenario and a good character in Sophia.

Sophia and her partner JP are on their way to a cruise to the Galapagos islands, after a flight. JP gets a call when they are at the airport. He is tense and says there are urgent issues with respect to his son Briar (with his ex-wife Maria). JP insists that Sophia continue on the tour and click some good pictures. Sophia is taken aback and reluctantly proceeds. She meets a diverse set of people, and though not in the right frame of mind initially, she tries her best to make the most of the trip. Sophia & JP hope to marry soon. This trip gives her time to think how about their relationship has proceeded till this point.

For a story this short, the character development is good. There is some suspense, and it ends very well. A nice short read.

My rating: 3.75 / 5.

This was my first Elin Hilderbrand and I was expecting much more. The story was quick and heartwarming- I saw the vision. I just was completely distracted by the writing style. The pop culture references to things like Iron Flame and Love Island were unusual, but the use of words like sus and rizz unironically felt downright inappropriate for the serious story- targeted towards adults, mind you! I’m just not sure Hilderbrand’s writing style works for me at all.

This was a fun and quick story! I do wish it would have been a full length novel. I love Elin Hilderbrand but feel like this one the ending was so abrupt and at times very predictable. I would recommend for just a quick afternoon read though!

⭐️: 4

🐬 novella
🐬 fun setting
🐬 coming of age

I will forever be a fan of Elin’s writing. She has a way of transporting the reader directly into her story and I felt like I could see, hear and smell the Galápagos Islands. Overall, a quick palette cleaner that had me wanting more.

♥︎ Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing and Elin Hilderbrand for the ARC of Natural Selection.

I saw Elin Hilderbrand and short story and I dove right in without even reading the description. I thought I was reading the beginning of a murder mystery, but the plot became obvious not long into the story. I got a little worried towards the end that it wasn’t going to wrap up nicely but I was pleasantly surprised. Tho the cheating trope was obvious, I loved the line about the main characters wife staying with him “because she’s unable to adapt to life without him”.