Heartwarming, comforting, and nostalgic!

The Five-Star Weekend is a lighthearted, engaging tale that takes you into the life of Hollis Shaw, a middle-aged successful food blogger who, after returning to her hometown of Nantucket, invites four friends, one from each stage of her life, to spend a weekend at her home on the island to help her come to grips with the recent loss of her husband and the strained relationship with her daughter she’s struggling to repair.

The prose is sentimental and tender. The characters are independent, supportive, and layered. And the plot is a compelling, touching tale of life, love, family, honesty, kindness, communication, acceptance, self-discovery, grief, loss, understanding, forgiveness, romance, taking chances, and new beginnings.

Overall, The Five-Star Weekend is another emotive, thoughtful, cosy read by Hilderbrand that does a beautiful job of reminding us just how important, powerful, and meaningful female friendships can truly be.

I love every book by Elin Hildebrand, I devour them down quickly, cannot stop.

Return to Nantucket-
Catch up on gossip, meet up with old friends, make new friends.

During different times of our lives;
we must have friends
common ground friends
friendships who make/made us who we are

Please invite me to the next Five Star Weekend!

Hollis Shaw may have curated the perfect five-star weekend for her friends but Elin Hilderbrand has curated a stunning masterpiece that is filled with all the colors of the rainbow, delicious food to entice your palate and beautiful music that holds special memories for Hollis and her stars.

Drama filled every page of this scintillating beach read and I must admit that I read “The Five-Star Weekend” twice and went through it again, highlighting my favorite passages, along with decorating tips and the scrumptious weekend menus. The charcuterie board was a five-star array of delectable delights and I am sure that every hostess will be clamoring for the recipe for the Bacon/Rosemary Pecans. What stood out to me the most was the attention to detail given to every aspect of the weekend. Every guest room was meticulously decorated, Hollis’s table settings were carefully coordinated and their days and nights were filled with all that Nantucket had to offer.

Friendships come and go and Hollis was lucky to have women who were there for her at different times in her life. She put aside her grief and embraced life as she welcomed her friends, old and new, to celebrate the summer with laughter and tears as they made new memories they would cherish forever. The island was a hotbed of speculation and wonder as to what was really going on at First Light, Hollis’s magical home, and as with all the women on Nantucket who were hoping for glimpses of Hollis and her friends, I too, would have loved to have been on the guest list for “The Five-Star Weekend.”

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC! I am a fan of Elin’s books- they are always the perfect blend of summer, love, loss and drama. This one really focuses on friendship post-loss and I really loved seeing all the different relationships. All the characters grew which was refreshing and it was just a very sweet and creative story. Highly recommend for a fun summer read!

I liked the story and the characters - even the annoying ones had their parts to play. I truly love the ancillary characters too.

There's a lot happening in these pages and this was great to read on a sunny beach day in one sitting!

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5

Genre: Women’s Fiction
⚠️ TWs: death of a spouse in an accident, strained relationship between mother/daughter, cheating, mentioning of breast cancer/passing from cancer, mentioning of depression, cancel culture

📖 Read if you like 📖
🏝️ Nantucket setting
📚 Beachy read
❤️‍🩹 Heartwarming stories
🗣️ Multiple POV
🔎 Self-discovery
🪢 Adult friendships
🍝 Yummy food
🎵 Song references

💭 Thoughts:
This was my first Elin Hilderbrand book, and it will not be the last! It was the perfect summer read that joins sisterhood, grief, and self-discovery. The character driven plot WORKED in this one, and I loved how each character’s backstory was revealed to us throughout, as well as how they were all connected. I was most impressed by Hilderbrand’s attention to detail because I could picture each scene like a MOVIE 🎥. I’m so glad I picked this up, and I can’t wait to read more of this author’s backlist!

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

In The Five-Star Weekend we have Hollis Shaw who tragically looses her husband one morning after a pretty rough encounter. She is grieving his death along with her daughter Caroline when she decides to throw a “Five-Star Weekend”. She invites four significant women from through her life to be one of the stars at her weekend. Each women played a special role during each season of Hollis’ life. Tatum a childhood best friend, Dru-Ann a college confidant, Brooke another mom friend, and Gigi a women who enters her life after the passing of Hollis’s husband. Throughout the book we lean after the women’s lives and their connection to Hollis. We also see the relationship between Hollis and Caroline change. We also find out some interesting life twists.

I enjoy Ein Hilderbrand’s writing. I love the little gossipy tidbits here and there. I love the banter between women, how real life it felt. We see change in these women, we see them go from superficial to pretty deep. It’s is truly a great summer read!

I gave this book 4.25 stars!!

This was one of my favorites from Hilderbrand. I liked the flow from one perspective to another and from one timeline/memory to the present. I enjoyed each character and liked how she showed us little be little why they made the choices they did or why they felt a certain way. Sometimes her characters can be unlikeable but I did not feel that way about any of the key players in this book.

Hollis Shaw — mom, part-time Nantucket resident, and famous lifestyle influencer known for her online food blog “Hungry with Hollis,” tragically loses her husband in a car accident on a snowy morning. She decides in an effort to divert her attention from the tragedy to host what is called a “five star weekend” at her Nantucket vacation home where she invites one friend from each stage of her life - Tatum from childhood, Dru-Ann from college, Brooke from raising their children together in Wellesley, and finally, Gigi, Hollis’ internet confidant she’s never met in person until now to represent her current stage of life. Each woman comes into this weekend full of good food and luxurious fun with baggage and secrets of their own that threaten to bubble to the surface. This includes Hollis’ own daughter Caroline who films the whole weekend.

After the Hotel Nantucket (one of my top reads of 2022) and this, I am convinced Elin Hilderbrand can do no wrong!! Another emotionally deep but charming beach read set on the gorgeous Nantucket that I just devoured. You will be instantly transported to sipping cocktails on the beach with these ladies! The character development was fantastic and I enjoyed the alternating POVs in each chapter. Loved this one so much I snagged a BOTM hardcover copy as well! Elin fan club for life 🫶🏼

The proof had quite a bit of typos, grammatical errors, and some formatting issues but I won’t include that in my review on consumer sites because I am sure it was all fixed prior to pub!

Thank you SO MUCH to LB&C, Elin, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review early! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Five-Star Weekend is built around an interesting premise: Can you build a successful girls’ weekend around the women who knew you best during the distinct decades of your adult life? It’s an idea that most of us find both intriguing and, at the same time, a bit cringeworthy. Could your high school bestie and your current confidante find common ground? Could your friend from the college bar hang with your friend from barre class? It could be the time of your life or your worst nightmare. For Hollis Shaw, Elin Hilderbrand’s latest Nantucket-based protagonist, the Five-Star Weekend is a little bit of both.

In her latest novel of summertime drama, Ms. Hilderbrand introduces us to Hollis, a Nantucket native turned food blogger who plans the titular weekend in the wake of her husband’s death. Tempers flare and secrets are spilled as the weekend’s schedule of nostalgia and bonding unfolds. Decades-old grudges are rehashed, more than a few secrets surface and Hollis learns that her friends aren’t necessarily who they seem to be. The Five-Star Weekend intertwines Ms. Hilderbrand’s signature views of Nantucket boutiques, bars and restaurants with sharp social commentary on cancel culture, influencers and the reality behind social media friendships and the socioeconomic divides that often fragment friend groups. It’s a fun and compelling summertime read that’ll have you texting long-lost sorority sisters and spin class friends to catch up.

Another great beach read but more

Elin Hildebrand has written many great books which are interesting and complex but masquerade as 'beach reads'. The Five Star Weekend is another fascinating story with intriguing characters all of which have their own challenges. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review this book!
Another fantastic book by Elin Hildebrand. These women grew on me. I felt like I was on Nantucket watching this unfold like a fly on the wall. I loved the intermingle of characters in each chapter. I love the numbered and titled chapters.
I have loved all of the books by Hildebrand that I have read so far but I feel like this one might be my favorite so far!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Elin Hilderbrand.

Happy Pub Day!

Elin did it again. A super sunny, easy, casual read. This is exactly what I want in a Hilderbrand book. She captures friendship and fun like no other.

Food Blogger Hollis Shaw is newly widowed after her husband died in a tragic accident. She seemed to have it all, until now. She decides to host a "Five-Star Weekend" where she invites a friend from each stage of her life to Nantucket. She has her daughter help her plan it. She feels like this could help her through her grief. Each woman/friend that she invites also has their own problems and brings a dose of drama to the story.

I always enjoy Elins books. I mean who doesn't want to escape to Nantucket for a few hours, or weeks…or permanently!🤣? I always look forward to her books every summer. Her descriptions of Nantucket are perfect, and her stories are always filled with heart, humor, and relatable topics. You can truly connect to her characters as she has great character development. This was another great read. The only reason I didn't give this 5⭐ was that it took me a bit to get into the story, but still….I really enjoyed it!!

Out June 13.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

This is the perfect summer read! I love the Nantucket setting! Hollis is a great main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her friends and their drama! I also like how the town has a perspective in the book (it's well done). I will always recommend Hilderbrand's books for summer! Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy! Add this to your beach bag or just enjoy outdoors in the sun with a. glass of sweet tea or lemonade!

This book was a good, easy, beach read type of book. It covered a lot of different topics, had a very cozy, happily ever after feeling and was just all around nice. I loved the friendships; they were very real and sweet.

I did feel like there were some things that were not really discussed or expected and were just thrown in to cover a certain topic. To be honest there wasn't too much memorable about it, but it was a fun time while I read it.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Publication Day to Elin Hilderbrand on her 29th novel!!

Grab the bathing suit, the towel, the sunscreen, and the wide-brimmed hat! The Five-Star Weekend is without a doubt going to be an essential accessory in your beach bag this season.

When Hollis Shaw finds herself a recent widow after the death of her husband, she and her adult daughter, Caroline find their relationship quite strained. Once an active social media influencer, Hollis feels more than a little lost. When a fan on her blog suggests getting a group of friends together from different points of her life, Hollis decides it's the remedy she has been seeking. Hollis invites her childhood friend, Tatum, her college roommate DruAnn, her friend from the child-rearing years, Brooke, and a fan from her blog that she has never met but feels connected to, Gigi. Add in an invite to entice daughter, Caroline to film their holiday weekend on Nantucket and it's bound to be exciting.

But Hollis isn't the only attendee of this weekend that is struggling...

All of the above share the narration and I enjoyed having each woman's back story and voice in this novel. It's one of the reasons I continue to return to Elin Hilderbrand's writing. Did I sometimes want to shake them for some of their decisions? Yes! But I read this story in one sitting because each character was so compelling.

I have read enough EH to realize that some of the plot was going in a direction that was pretty clear BUT it wasn't even a quibble I had about the story. That's because this novel just had the Elin Hilderbrand magic. I don't know what we're all going to do when this woman takes her retirement. Who will keep us visiting Nantucket every summer?


Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for access to this title. I am auto-approved for this publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication Date 13/06/23
Goodreads Review 13/06/23

Review will be posted on 6/14/23

Hollis Shaw has it all at first glance. She lives in beautiful Wellesley and has a gorgeous vacation home on Nantucket. Her husband is a doctor, her college-age daughter is an aspiring filmmaker, and Hollis is the face behind the wildly popular website Hungry with Hollis complete with a community of food lovers. But peel back the layers of perfection and you can see the cracks that are starting to form. Things with Hollis and her husband are on the rocks, her daughter is angry most of the time, and her family resents her for spending so much time on the internet with her "followers." When her husband decides to not attend their annual Christmas party and go to a work conference instead, Hollis is upset. They have words before he leaves and en route to the airport, he gets into a car crash and dies. Now Hollis's daughter, Caroline, is even more angry and things will never be the same for Hollis. She leaves Wellesley behind for Nantucket, which is her hometown, and comes up with the brilliant idea to boost her mood--host a "five-star" weekend featuring four of her best friends from the various stages of life. There's Tatum, her childhood best friend, and Dru Ann, her college bestie. Then there's Brooke, her friend from when the children were little, and lastly, Gigi, her internet friend whom she has never met from Hungry with Hollis. She will combine them for a weekend of fun at her house on Nantucket. What could possibly go wrong? Elin Hilderbrand's The Five-Star Weekend is a story about female friendships, the ups and downs of life, and figuring it all out.

I must be honest that I had a hard time connecting with Hollis in The Five-Star Weekend. I am not sure if it's because she was older than me, but I really couldn't connect with her like I usually do with Hilderbrand's protagonists. Nonetheless, I was rooting for her to find some happiness during her weekend with her friends; however, we know that is much more complicated than it appears at first glance. Getting together girlfriends from various stages of a person's life is a recipe for disaster, especially as personalities collide. Tatum, the Nantucket native, hasn't talked to Hollis in years and is dealing with her own very heavy medical issues. Brooke is facing another disaster with her husband and Dru Ann, a very successful sports agent, is being canceled on social media. Then there's the mystery around Gigi. Who is she really? Throw in Caroline, as Hollis has paid her to film the weekend, and you've got yourself a houseful of drama. Plus, Hollis's first love, Jack, is back in town. Cue major drama between the fancy food, the tequila, color-coordinating dinners, and nights out at the Chicken Box.

One thing that Hilderbrand does so well in The Five-Star Weekend is to bring Nantucket to life. Readers can expect that from her by now. The fancy dinners, the Nantucket restaurants, the details surrounding the island, the descriptions of mouth watering food, the cold Sancerre.....you name it. The details are all there and every foodie will be dreaming of a delicious meal by the time they finish the novel. Also, Hilderbrand tackles some tough topics very well --- cancel culture, a possible cancer diagnosis, infidelity, sexual harassment, and more, but somehow keeps the book well-balanced, which is why her beach reads work so well. They have substance, but it isn't too overbearing and dark for summertime.

While The Five-Star Weekend wasn't my favorite of Hilderbrand's novels, it is still a fantastic beach read that I know will be in many beach bags this summer. Have you picked up a copy of The Five-Star Weekend yet? Is it on your TBR list? What's your favorite of Hilderbrand's novels? Let me know in the comments below.

It would not be summer without a new novel set on Nantucket Island and written by the queen of the beach read: Elin Hilderbrand. When Hollis loses her husband in an auto accident on the way to the airport, she's grief-stricken. Her grief is filled with angst over his death and she can not stop thinking of how their relationship had become strained of late. In order to help get past the worst of this she decides to host a weekend with friends from each decade of her life. This at her luxurious home right smack dab on the beach. And let the games begin. Who is the woman no one has met? And why is she invited? A ride filled with scrumptious food, sparkling summer cocktails, and the amazing exotic beach of Nantucket. Boom!

Hollis Shaw, a recently widowed and well-known food blogger, hears about the "Five Star Weekend" and decides to organize one. So, she gathers her "five stars," the best friend from each stage of your life, for a girls' weekend at her home on Nantucket. But it's not as picture-perfect as Hollis' expertly curated blog. Each woman is dealing with her own issues, and a few secrets come out over the weekend.

Every summer, I look forward to reading a Hilderbrand novel, and this one did not disappoint! I loved the cast of complex characters and how well each was developed. Told in multiple POVs, each of the women is dealing with big things in their own lives while trying to be there for Hollis and get along as a group, and plenty of drama is mixed in with the weekend activities. Hilderbrand manages to cover weighty topics, such as grief and loss, and balance them with lighter moments to create a compelling story with themes of forgiveness, growth, resilience, and examinations of relationships from the romantic to parent/child to friendship. All of this with a breezy writing style and beautiful setting that manages to make this a totally bingeable beach read that is full of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the opportunity to review this ARC. I loved it!