The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand was an enjoyable read but didn’t compete for a favorite slot among other books by her that I loved. Overall it was a fun summer beach that had me dreaming of a Nantucket vacation with my girlfriends.

For the most part I liked the big cast of characters and the multiple POVs but at times it seemed like there was almost too much going on. I loved the concept of inviting friends from different periods of your life, but I don’t think we necessarily needed to know each woman’s backstory. It felt like we didn’t get to know them well enough (which would have been fine if we were learning about them from one main POV) and all the info from each life just became overwhelming.

I also didn’t think the daughter’s POV added much to the story. Is that mean? I recognize that we were supposed to begin to understand Hollis differently through her daughter’s interviews and eyes but it didn’t add to the plot for me at all. I normally love mother-daughter relationships in books but this one fell a little flat.

Despite my gripes with all the characters, I enjoyed the book and thought some of the twists were fun, if predictable. It was an easy read and I always like how Hilderbrand infuses so much detail into each scene. I loved the cooking and decor descriptions throughout the book - it made me want to go redecorate and plan a party!

After the sudden death of Hollis’ husband, she decides to host a “Five-Star Weekend” by inviting her five closest girlfriends to Nantucket. Each woman is from a different phase of her life - Tatum from childhood, Dru-Ann from college, Brooke from motherhood, and Gigi from the internet.

I think people read Elin Hilderbrand like books because she is Elin Hilderbrand NOT because her books are great. Like it’s fine, but it’s definitely not close the best book I read this summer.I also think I’m just over her writing style - she writes in a way that tells you what happens instead of writing a way that you feel what happens. I used to love her books, but the last few have been so BLAH.

I really enjoyed The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand. Friends who have a mutual friend in common are invited to come together for a five-star girls' weekend. Well told with a purple prose-level description of Nantucket and fantastic storytelling, Elin Hilderbrand's newest book The Five-Star Weekend was engaging, intriguing and well-developed.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Friends meeting up after years in an adventure not for the weak! A woman from each decade meetup and trying to melt it all together is hard. I think it works but pleasantly adjusting to each is hard. But they make it work and get pass the pass and embrace the present.

As a 41 year old, I loved this book! The highs and lows on marriage are real and most importantly, the need for female friendships!

If any book will inspire a trip to Nantucket, it is definitely this one with picturesque scenery and seriously, the food! I wanted one of everything described.

The idea of a 5 star weekend is everything perfection!

Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints and her new book “ The Five-Star Weekend” proves it! The characters are so relatable. Four old friends and a newcomer shares a weekend with a women dealing with a great loss! Of course the setting is as always on the island of Nantucket! Elin always brings out the uniqueness of Nantucket! The characters are a mix of locals and visitors to Hollis’s five-star weekend! Each character with a unique tie to the main character, Hollis, the star of her own website, Hungry with Hollis! It’s a blast from the past for Hollis and her guests, except for one guest joining in with a dark secret!

Ahh this book was so good!! To be back in Nantucket with Elin Hilderbrand and a new story is always such a joy. Hollis and her husband argue one morning before he leaves for a trip and when he dies in a car accident hours later, Hollis is left with more questions than answers. Months later, as she continues to process her loss, she organizes a five-star weekend with four friends from different parts of her life. Although they’ve never all spent time together before, Hollis hopes the camaraderie and support will help her to feel whole.

Hollis is a food blogger so you already know the descriptions of food and hosting details are spectacular. As always, Hilderbrand did not disappoint with creating an atmosphere you can practically feel coming to life around you.

The five “stars,” plus Hollis’s daughter are all dealing with a different kind of life event, either publicly or privately. They were all very distinct experiences and I found it really compelling to get to see inside each of their heads and to understand how they chose to deal with what they were going through. Although the amount of people to keep track of got a little confusing at times, by the end I was invested in each individual one.

There were definitely some things I didn’t see coming and the amount of drama combined with the bougie Nantucket summer vibes made this book hard to put down.

In the midst of a heinous heat wave in Iowa, escaping to Nantucket while lounging on my couch next to the air conditioner was exactly what I needed. Elin Hilderbrand, who is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, is often dismissed as beach fiction. (The covers of her books don't help. Who is this woman on this boat? She does not appear to be any of the five main characters--the five titular stars gathering for this weekend.) Alas, this book is a delight. It's smart, compassionate, funny, and heartbreaking. I laughed. I cried. I laughed more than I cried, but mostly, I felt connected to these women and people and loved they shared their (fictional) journeys with me. The premise of this one is Nantucket food blogger Hollis invites one best friend from each phase of her life to her home for the weekend: townie Tatum from childhood, her college roommate Dru-Ann, mom friend Brooke from Wellesley, and a website fan she has never met in real life. These women were a dramatic delight.

So good! A woman recovers from her husband's death by hosting a weekend on Nantucket with 4 friends from different parts of her life and gets her college daughter - with whom she has a difficult relationship- to film it. I loved it but I have loved all of Elin Hilderbrand's books!

Five Star Weekend is the perfect summer read! The Queen of Beach Reads has done it again!

Hollis Shaw is mourning the loss of her husband, but feels the need to do something to try to get back to normal. She decides to host a weekend for her 5 best friends from different seasons of her life. As they join her in Nantucket for a 5 star weekend full of amazing food and events, not only is Hollis confronted with some truths she didn't realize, but each woman comes with their own baggage that they have to deal with.

I loved the women and their growth!

Elin is the beach read queen! All the different POVs were fun and I really enjoyed the ending. This isn't for those who are looking for a romance but perfect for those who like reading about mother/daughter relationships and friendship drama. Content warning for grief!

Would it be summer if I didn’t read an Elin novel at the beach? 28 Summers is still my fave, but this one is still in true Hilderbrand fashion.

Hollis is a middle aged woman whose cooking blog has hit it big. Too bad her marriage to her husband, Dr. Madden has changed. When tragedy strikes Hollis, she decides to host a five star weekend where she invites four friends from each stage of her life. It’s a girls weekend with all of Hollis’ best recipes and all her friends’ drama.

Two things that I think Elin
Hilderbrand does like nobody else. 1) she makes you want to eat all the food and drink all the drinks in the sunshine. These food descriptions are on point. Being the foodie I am, I think this is, in part,, why I love these summer reads. 2) Her endings. She knows how to wrap up a book. And even if I didn’t love something in the middle of her books, I always seem content or in a puddle of tears at the end. I won’t tell you where this one left me.

Pick this up on your way to the beach.

What’s summer without the annual EH beach read? For many summers I’ve come to anxiously anticipate what exciting new read she’ll come up with next. The Five-Star Weekend delivers another Nantucket summer story. I loved this book. The storyline itself was unique, gathering five of your friends together for a weekend of activities. Friends from different stages of your life. Throw in family drama, ruptured relationships, new acquaintances, heartache and juicy revelations and bingo you’re off and running. Elin does a stellar job of making you feel like you are on the island experiencing everything her characters are. Great characterization, food descriptions that will have your mouth watering, island vibes and a storyline that will catch your attention quickly. I have to say her latest ranks as one of my favorites. #NetGalley for the ARC all opinions are my own.

I would classify this as a very standard EH novel... the classic Nantucket setting, easy writing style, and a healthy heaping of drama. It won't stand out as one of my favorite books from her, but a solid beach read all the same!

This is a charming and dramatic story of five friends, invited to Nantucket for a Five Star Weekend. Although most of the women know each other fairly well, each one is dealing with their own secrets. As they all try to come together. Conflicts arise and must be resolved. These women are dealing with grief, negative social media and unemployment, possible cancer, infidelity and doubting their sexuality. Throughout the story, you fall in love with each of these women and wish them all well.

Overall’ the story was well written, with empathetic characters and the pacing itself was fast moving. I enjoyed observing each woman’s struggle and how she resolved it. I would give this book 4 stars and would definitely read another book by this author.

Summer isn’t the same unless I read the newest Elin Hilderbrand aka The Queen of Beach Reads novel! The Five Star resort did not disappoint. I loved the idea of five mature women coming together for a weekend and bonding and growing and learning more about each other and themselves. As always Hilderbrand has colorful characters that you fall in love with as a reader.

Elin Hilderbrand always writes a great book for the summer. I am so glad that this one did not disappoint.

After the passing of her husband, Hollis Shaw plans a weekend in Nantucket with four friends. .Each friend is from a different part of Hollis's life; they all don't necessarily like each other but they want to support Hollis during this time.

I enjoyed all the perspectives the characters bought to the book and let me feel immersed in the drama.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to read about women in their 40’s and 50’s! I thought the characters were (mostly) well rounded.

“The loneliest place in the world, she realizes, is between two other people.”

I mean, is it even summer if you haven’t read the newest @elinhilderbrand book yet?!

I was so happy to take my yearly “trip” to Nantucket within the pages of Elin’s most recent story. And, as expected, it did not disappoint.

This book has just about everything you would want in a beachy read. It has love, both old and new, the beach (obviously), some girly drama, seafood, summer nights and a storyline that has you hooked until the very end. I devoured this story, as I tend to do with her books, and always find myself a bit sad when they end. I could have read a hundred pages more about these ladies and their five star weekend!

If you need something to throw in your beach bag this summer grab this one. Enjoy!

Thank you to @netgalley, @littlebrown, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Five-Star Weekend is the perfect Elin Hilderbrand summer beach read. I read and listened to it at the same time and couldn't have loved it more! The narrator, Erin Bennett, is perfect!

Months after Hollis' husband passes away she invites 3 of her "old" friends and one that's new, to spend a weekend with her. They don't all necessarily like each other so that brings some drama but then Gigi, her internet "friend" shows up. There's also, Jack, a man from her past. Will Hollis find love again with him? And what will Caroline, Hollis' daughter think when they find out who Gigi really is?

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 13 June 2023