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Finding Yourself in the Galapagos
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (August 1, 2024), released in advance of the official publication by Amazon Original Stories in eBook format & by Audible Originals in audio format (September 1, 2024)

Note For GR page counters, this story has not been assigned a page count by Amazon or ŷ������, so you will not gain any pages for your running total if you finish it. It is probably about 50 to 60 pages based on the audiobook timing of 1 hour and 54 minutes of narration time. But even The Lone Librarian is hesitant to make edits without authoritative sources 😅.

Darwin’s most 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.

I've never read Elin Hilderbrand before but based on the cover image and looking at the very similar cover designs on all of her novels, I thought this would be very basic chick-lit, but I actually quite enjoyed it.

The setting of the Galapagos Islands of course makes it quite exotic and interesting. I have never been and am unlikely to go as I detest hot climates. Sophia is ditched by her boyfriend at the airport just as they are about to board a plane for their week long getaway trip. He is called away due to a family emergency (he apparently has an ex-wife and 3 kids). He insists that she carry on alone and take lots of photos of the various unique wildlife species on the islands and even gives her his fancy camera gear.


A photograph of the blue-footed booby. The name of the bird is a running joke in the "Natural Selection" story. Image sourced from .

But then he ghosts her for the rest of the week! Sophia makes the best of the situation and manages to bond with the various singles and couples on board a rather dilapidated tourist ship. And she discovers her aptitude for photography and the joy of capturing that perfect image. Regardless of the ghosting (which is finally explained) and her initial downhearted feelings, Sophia turns out to be "the one most adaptable to change."


Map of the Galapagos Islands which are west of Ecuador in South America (see the tiny inset map). Image sourced from .

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).