After the unexpected death of her husband, food blogger Hollis Shaw decides to create an unforgettable weekend – “The Five Star Weekend”. The weekend will bring a friend from four different stages of her life to Nantucket for the ultimate “girls’ weekend”.
The book is a typical Hilderbrand, Nantucket summer beach read. Unfortunately, I really found the book lacking the fun “beach read” of her usual books. The book is built on drama, tension and best kept secrets that never really materialize into anything. I found the character of Electra pointless, she added nothing to the story line and why have Brooke’s big reveal? What did it add to the story?
I love Hilderbrand’s books but just felt this one was a big letdown for me.
Thank you Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for my ARC.

I have yet to read an Elin Hilderbrand book I haven’t liked, but this is my favorite! She brings 6 amazingly strong women together for a weekend that sees all of them grow and learn more about themselves in unexpected ways. I stayed up until 3am to finish this!

Make this your beach read for summer 2023!

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.”

Another home run. No one does it like her. I thought this book was so great all the characters had do you rooting for them, even at their less than stellar moments. I would definitely recommend it. She’s one of my favorite authors and I don’t think she’s written some thing lately that I haven’t really enjoyed.

Hollis Shaw is a successful food blogger married to a cardiac surgeon. She lives in Wellesley and summers on Nantucket where she grew up. When Hollis’ husband Michael suddenly dies, she is thrown into a tailspin. She decides to have a five star weekend on Nantucket inviting four friends, one from each phase of her life. These women, as well as her daughter Caroline who she hires to film the event, all have secrets. As the weekend unfolds, many surprises, both good and bad, are revealed. I am a big Elin Hilderbrand fan. I particularly liked this book because the premise of bringing five women from differing decades of Hollis’ life seems original and creative. This book was sad, funny and poignant with a touch of romance for good measure. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you for this ARC! I always love an Elin Hilderbrand book and was excited to read this one. The book begins with a tragedy and this leads to a girls weekend between 5 friends, hence the Five Star Weekend. It took a long time for me to care about the fate of these women, at first they came across as very unlikable. However, as you get to know them, empathy builds. I especially enjoyed the last 100 pages of this story, so stick with it! The food and beach descriptions are a wonderful escape, as usual. This is what Hildebrand does best.

A classic Elin, summer read that is packed with friendship, food and fun. This book will turn you into a believer of second-chances and will show the hope and power in healing. One of her best in a long time!

After receiving this book to preview from netgalley, I had 2 initial thoughts- this book was LONG and it was worth every page. Usually my typical summer reads are a quick breeze through, but at almost 500 pages, I was able to enjoy this book for a few days. The story was different than others I have read. It was engaging, the character were well developed, and I just wanted to be part of their weekend. I would have liked a little more Hollis history maybe by having her record with Caroline , but it was not needed to make this book great. Summer must read.

Elin Hilderbrand hits it out of the park again with another Nantucket story.

Four of Hollis Shaw's friends, from various times of her life, join her for a weekend on Nantucket at her beautiful beach home. This is in hopes of helping Hollis to heal from losing her husband seven months ago in a tragic car accident.

There is enough conflict and drama to keep you from putting the book down, you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

By the end of the story, I wanted Hollis' friends as my own friends!

Thank you Little Brown and Co for the read.

This is the perfect beach read full of friendship drama, social media surprises, and all kinds of relationships. The writing is so descriptive you will be transported to Nantucket feeling the warmth of the sun and hearing the welcoming roar of the ocean. The descriptions of the food will make you so hungry you will need to call your favorite delivery service to order treats to eat while you read. The story has characters that you will love, some you will hate, and others you will cheer on to victory. In the end, you too will be sad the Five-Star Weekend is over, but hopeful the friends will all meet up again.

Another fun, quick read from this prolific author. I want her life on the island. Glad i got to reaf it early. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This is a great read. Best friends and frenemies spending time together in a wonderful location. Elin has written another best-selling book.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Little, Brown & Co for an advance read in exchange for this review.

I really like Elin Hilderbrand's books. They are perfect beach reads. However, I read this while under several blankets in my bed during a New England winter.

Hollis grew up in Nantucket and went on to do bigger things. She's a food influencer with a popular website. Her husband dies, her grown up daughter doesn't like her, and she's unsure of what to do next. She's still grappling with her husband telling her that they've changed shortly before he died. She goes back to Nantucket and invites her best friends from different points in her life for a weekend.

I liked a lot of the parts in the book. Each chapter is told from a different friend's POV. I found the story to be very predictable, and I kind of wished that it wasn't so neat. There was a lot of build up of many different things, but I felt a little let down at the end. The writing is great as always, and you know what to expect from the author!

She’s back!! I am a huge Elin Hildebrand follower. I’ve read 28 of her 29 novels so far. I’ll be honest. The last 2 didn’t have the same magic for me as her previous works. But with The Five-Star Weekend, she moved back to the top of the charts! This is a tale of heartache, friendship, nostalgia, and betrayal all packed into 3 days. Her description of the food is mouthwatering and the Nantucket she describes is where everyone wants to spend their summers. Not to mention the strong characters themselves, all of whom feel like friends of mine. This will be on everyone’s summer reading list poolside or at the beach this year! Thank you #Netgalley for the opportunity to review this early, one of my favorites of the year so far!

Is it even summer without Elin Hiderbrand's latest book?

This latest is another amazing romp on Nantucket with lifestyle guru Hollis Shaw and four friends, one from every part of her life. Recently widowed Hollis calls her friends, some of whom she's not seen in years, and one who she has never met, along with her angry adult daughter to help her through grief with a weekend of fun and memories.

Each of the women have their own storylines, and each one is interesting and engaging.

I loved this book, and will look forward to Hilderbrand's latest book every summer for as long as she is willing to write them.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. This book will appeal to the masses. It is not at all like this popular author’s writings. A group of friends getting together and rehashing their pasts.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found this book to be okay, not great, just okay. The story tied up so nicely but left a lot of questions unanswered.

Elin is back with another winner and must read for this summer!!

When tragedy strikes, newly widowed Hollis Shaw decides to recreate her own “Five Star Weekend” and invite four friends, from four different stages of her life, to spend an unforgettable weekend with her in Nantucket. Filled with love, friendship, mother-daughter tension, drama, and secrets, you will be flipping through the pages to find out how the weekend plays out.

What I loved:
-Hollis was such a fun main character that you want nothing but to root for. I love how she had a big social media presence with her food blog, the opportunity for a second chance at love with her HS boyfriend and how she rekindled some older friendships at a time when she needed these people the most.
-Elin did a great job creating characters that have their own personal drama and history with eachother, keeping you engaged and eager to fill in the gaps from the past. This set up led to strong
character growth not only for Hollis but also with all the secondary characters
-The mother/ daughter relationship was complex but also written realistically.
-As per usual, all the Nantucket references from the restaurants, to the landmarks and to the summertime activities, were transportative and picturesque.
-The cameos from her previous books, while not as many as in Hotel Nantucket or Golfen Girl, were fun!!

Thank you Little Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Pub date 6/13/23

Another fabulous read from Elin Hilderbrand. Love the 5 star weekend concept. The characters grew on me as the book went on. The ending is perfection. Loved every page!

Elin Hilderbrand is an author I can count on to give me a five star read with every book she writes, and she did it again with The Five-Star Weekend. Hollis Shaw struggles to deal with the loss of her husband, Matthew. After several months she decides to surround herself with each best friend from the various stages of her life and throw a Five-Star Weekend. Every detail is thought of for the perfect girls' weekend.

I'm not going to lie, after reading this book, I want to throw a Five-Star Weekend. The characters and plot are flawless. For Hilderbrand fans, we are reunited with some of our favorite characters from her other books. It's like visiting with old friends again. I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley for another great Hilderbrand arc!