Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrown for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Elin Hilderbrand's "The Five-Star Weekend" masterfully transports readers to the idyllic island of Nantucket, evoking a sense of place and atmosphere that is both vibrant and authentic. The novel centers around Hollis, a successful social media influencer grappling with grief following the tragic loss of her husband.

Inspired by the concept of a "Five-Star Weekend," where five close friends gather for a luxurious and indulgent getaway, Hollis invites a select group of women, including some long-lost friends and a captivating stranger from the digital world.

Hilderbrand skillfully explores the complexities of female friendships, delving into long-held grudges, unresolved conflicts, and the anxieties that often accompany midlife. While the characters, particularly those from privileged backgrounds, occasionally exhibit a certain level of privilege, the novel offers insightful observations on themes of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and the importance of reconnecting with oneself and cherished relationships.

"The Five-Star Weekend" is a delightful and entertaining read, perfect for a relaxing afternoon or a beachside escape.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #littlebrown #fivestarweekend #elinhilderbrand

Hollis, reeling from the unexpected and untimely death of her husband, finds a social media post describing a "5-Star Weekend" with four guests from each phase of the hostess's life. Hollis feels like this is a perfect retreat and will be helpful in dealing with her grief. After much thought, she invites a childhood best friend, a "new-mommy" best friend, a college and work life best friend, and and a new bestie she met online and connected with after her husband died.

Each woman responds, even though they do not really know each other well, and the weekend becomes one of discovering secrets, and rehashing past wrongs and shaping apologies for them. All of Hilderbrand's titles are great, but this one really had a "Fannie Flagg" flavor and style to it which only served to pull me into the story further. I always try to read Hilderbrand's books slowly, but end up racing through them because they are so difficult to put down.

I enjoy reading Elin Hilderbrand's books because they take me away from my every day life and transport me to Nantucket, an island with characters that either are locals or summer there. The books are quick, fast-paced, and fun. Even the conflict that the characters face is handled with a light grace. I thoroughly enjoy her books and how they take me away.

A heartfelt and engaging story about friendship, healing, and self-discovery. When Hollis Shaw, a food blogger dealing with a personal tragedy, hosts a weekend getaway with friends from different stages of her life, tensions flare, secrets unravel, and unexpected connections form.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Nantucket, the novel is filled with warmth, humor, and relatable moments. Hilderbrand’s vivid descriptions and emotional depth make this a perfect beach read. It’s a story about the power of female friendships and the importance of living authentically.

I am a big fan of Elin's books and love the visuals

I will read anything and everything from Elin Hilderbrand. This Nantucket summer read is so juicy and I still think of the final scenes of the book almost a year after finishing reading it.

I picked this book to read on a plane while setting off on a vacation to get myself in the mood to relax. It did the trick!

I personally have never visited Nantucket. But Elin Hilderbrand made me feel like I was there. This is a book about middle aged women getting together to have a good time, get their grooves back, have some self discovery, and there's a little bit of extra drama in there too. There's an attempt at including diversity. There's really good food.

Hollis is basically Nantucket Martha Stewart. Her husband dies tragically in a car accident at the beginning of the book, and you've got to know that in these books when the husband dies there's definitely a secret that he's been keeping. Hollis slowly works through her grief and then she hears about this concept of the Five Star Weekend, in which someone will ask five Stars (her best friends, maybe from different times of her life) all to get together for a weekend of food, dancing, shopping, and middle aged bonding. Hollis doesn't actually have a lot of friends to choose from- she's poured a lot of herself into her her social media career- but she picks five people, including one person that she only knows from her social media accounts and has never met, and they all end up coming because who wouldn't want to go to a weekend hosted by Nantucket Martha Stewart?

There are unresolved issues, of course. Most of these women are pretty wealthy and privilege is real, oh yes. There are long held grudges, current anxieties. Hollis's daughter, who has been horrible to Hollis ever since her dad died, is asked to record the weekend for the 'gram and learns that maybe her mother isn't the worst person in the world after all.

But this is about finding self confidence and self-indulgence, really. It's about the boyfriend who never got over you in high school and it's about happy endings. It's a good beach read.

Another amazing story from the ultimate summer author. Go back to Nantucket for the girls weekend of everyone’s dream. Although there is enough drama to derail all the fun

What a fun concept. Oh to have money! I loved the social media vibe of this book and always appreciate the multiple POVs in Hilderbrand's novels. I didn't love the main character or her daughter but I thought the plot was adorable. Somethin everyone would like to do! Would've liked a back matter of actual recipes she was making just like her blog followers wanted.

I came late to Elin Hilderbrand's work, and the only good thing about that is that I have a whole long backlist of her books to read as she nears the promised end of her writing career. But that doesn't mean I don't leap on every frontlist title she releases for as long as she'll keep writing them, and this one was the perfect summer weekend escape for me.

After the unexpected loss of her slightly-estranged husband, popular food blogger/influencer Hollis Shaw has gathered four friends, each from a different stage of her life, to spend a weekend with her in Nantucket. It's supposed to be a weekend filled with girl talk, cocktails, perfectly planned group escapades, and all the good vibes. Instead, old secrets rear their ugly heads, competition brings the friends together (and pulls them apart), men get included and excluded, and shenanigans ensue. It's the kind of drama that Hilderbrand pulls off perfectly, set on the equally perfect backdrop of Nantucket in the summer.

Elin Hildebrand can do no wrong in my book. I always look forward to her newest book each spring. Set in Nantucket, as always. Go read this and then get started on her back list. So much goodness!

I know I am late to the game, and it seems like everyone has already read this book. I kept hearing and reading about it, but I wanted to save it for a time when I needed a peaceful read that would take me away to Nantucket when I needed it the most.

I am a big fan of Elin Hilderband. Her books are a perfect summer read, and the details of Nantucket always make me want to visit. It is obvious that she lives there, by her descriptions.

This is a story about Hollis, a recently widowed-woman, who decided to invite four friends to her house on Nantucket, in order to cheer her up. Each person came from a different time during her life. Her childhood friend, her college friend, her motherhood friend, and someone she had only talked to on the internet. This is a story about the lives of those five women, not just about what happened during that "Five-Star Weekend."

I enjoyed this book because when I had a "big" birthday, I had a weekend just like Hollis did. I had my best friend since I was five, my best friend from college, my best friend from my adult life, and my two sisters who have always been my best friends. It was one of the most amazing weekends of my life. This book brought back those memories, and it made me wish I could do it all over again.

This is a very easy read, if you just need a book to cozy up to right now. I gave this book four out of five stars for my honest review.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company for sharing it with me.

What a great idea! I thought that the premise was very interesting. I admit that I didn't love all the characters but I found the book extremely interesting. I was very invested in what happened. I would highly recommend!

What a joy to read another Elin Hilderbrand novel. She brings the food and parties to life. This is a lovely story of a woman who hosts a five-star weekend, with five guests from different parts of her life.

Genre: Romance Novel
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [4.5/5]
Format: E-Book & Audio
Review written by: J
*Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Hollis Shaw appears to lead a charmed life. Known for her popular food blog, Hungry with Hollis, and married to the handsome heart surgeon, Matthew, her world shatters after a heated argument leads to Matthew's tragic death in a car accident. This event reveals the cracks in her seemingly perfect facade, including strained relationships with her daughter, Caroline.

Desperate for change, Hollis organizes her own version of a "Five-Star Weekend" on Nantucket, hoping to reconnect with friends from various stages of her life. However, the weekend takes unexpected turns as unresolved emotions and hidden secrets come to light. From old flames resurfacing to friends grappling with personal crises, Hollis's journey to find solace becomes anything but the joyful escape she envisioned.

This was my first Eling Hilderbrand book and I gotta say, I really enjoyed everything it had to offer.

The 5 Star Weekend concept is a really cool concept and definitely got me thinking who my 4 stars would be.

I love the summer feels it gave off and the way it was written, even though some parts were a little predictable but that didn’t bother me.

The character development the main characters had was amazing and the end made me tear up. Absolutely wholesome.

If you're looking for a friendship, drama and self discovery with all the summer vibes, this one's for you.

Elin Hildebrand never disappoints! I enjoyed this story of a woman who brings together friends from different phases of her life for a weekend in Nantucket. The book reads a bit like watching a Real Housewives episode, but with less catty fighting and much more emotional depth.

It's easy to say you can't go wrong with a book by Elin Hilderbrand but that's because it's true. The Five-Star Weekend is a great concept, inviting 4 friends from different stages of your life together to celebrate life. After the sudden death of her husband, Hollis is more than a little lost but returns to her summer home on Nantucket with her daughter and 4 other friends. Each woman is dealing with her own life / crisis but together they find strength.

Shortly after her husband's death, Hollis finds herself lost and trying to connect with her estranged daughter, her millions of followers on her cooking blog, and anyone in general. Hollis decides to hold a "Five Star Weekend," with her friends from different decades in her life, at her home in Nantucket, with her daughter, coming along to video capture the entire time. What a great way to connect with friends from her past and present, with the hope of finding herself once again, and able to move on.

In true Elin Hilderbrand style, readers find themselves emerged in the lives of her characters, living the life on Nantucket that any visitor has seen and experienced. I really enjoyed this one.

I love every single thing Elin writes!! This just gives you all the summer vibes and I enjoyed every bit of it. Highly recommend!!

Elin's books are always great for reading at the beach in one day and The Five-Star Weekend was no different. I enjoyed reading about the different women and finding out how their stories wove together.

I liked this one and did an Instagram reel review of it here https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-_RsMN8QK/

Her books just make such great summer reads.