The Five Star Weekend is another great book by Elin Hilderbrand. The five star women get to know themselves and each other better after spending this time together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I love Elin Hildebrand! This is a great story about 6 women, each with their own personal problems (some private and some public) who are invited to Hollis Shaw’s house for a five-star weekend. You get to know each character with their faults and victories. This is a great summer read for the beach, pool, or just on the back porch.

Themes: 👯‍♀️5️⃣⭐️☀️🌊♥️💗💖

My feelings: 😁😊🥰😍🤩🥳

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The Five-Star Weekend is a great summer read! I enjoyed all of the characters and the summery Nantucket setting. It took me a little while to get into and enjoy the book, either because it’s a slow start, or maybe just a personal preference. The characters are very well developed and all have some type of problem in their plot, which makes you want to keep reading to know what happens. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for a fun summer book!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the arc.

Five Stars for The Five-Star Weekend!!!!! I love anything by Elin Hilderbrand, but this was one of my absolute favorites. It was so fun to visit Nantucket again! That's how I feel when I read Hilderbrand's novels!! This is a perfect read for summer and I was so delighted to get a an early copy!

Elin Hilderbrand knows how to put together a charming and pleasantly readable tale garnished with plenty of (lowkey) drama accompanied by sides of interior design, food, fashion, and Nantucket insider info.

Hollis is a very successful food blogger. Six months after her husband died in a car accident, she is inspired to hold a “five-star weekend” at her summer house in Nantucket. She invites four women from different eras of her life and curates a weekend for these “stars” to enjoy, but there are tensions and secrets which are gradually revealed and resolved over the three days.

There are lots of Something Happeneds to be sorted through: SH between Hollis and Tatum (childhood best friend) in senior year at high school, SH between Tatum and Dru-Ann (college best friend) at Hollis’s wedding, and SH between Hollis, Brooke (mom friend) and Electra - queen bee of their Wellesley social set. The wild card “star” is Gigi who connected online with Hollis through her food blog and who has been virtual support for Hollis since Matthew died.

In addition to all that stewing around, there is Caroline, Hollis’s daughter, who feels that Hollis is not mourning her husband as deeply as she should be. As Caroline is a film student, Hollis has asked her to record the weekend, and it’s through the slightly clunky device of Caroline interviewing the stars that she, and the reader, get to know about their relationships with Hollis and about Hollis herself.

The characters are all nuanced and interesting. Tatum is the girl who stayed on the island with her high school boyfriend who she’s still madly in love with. Dru-Ann is a sports agent and TV sports presenter who’s just got herself into hot water after an ill-judged argument in public with one of her clients. Brooke is initially rather annoying but has an epiphany which extraordinarily changes her literally overnight: she stops being a chatterer, stops eating for comfort, and starts reading books. Gigi is a pilot from the Atlanta who brings a whole lot of metaphorical baggage with her.

I was more than happy to enjoy a five star weekend of my own with these women. This is an on-brand novel for Elin Hilderbrand, so you’ll already know if this is going to be your artfully arranged plate of charcuterie.

Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I liked this book! It wasn't my favorite of hers. But I liked the characters and the story! I would definitely recommend this book!

I always enjoy Elin Hilderbrands books. She has such unique writing style that I never get tired of. Like all of her previous novels, this one takes you through every emotion and attaches you to the characters. My favorite thing about her books are the endings, I love them.

I have read many of Hilderbrand’s books now and have to say I’m an official fan. I love them! Especially her newer books. The Hotel Nantucket has reigned as my favorite but now this one may rival it.

Hollis Shaw is a famous food blogger originally from Nantucket who hosts a weekend in her summer home for her four best friends throughout the different phases of her life. Even though Hilderbrand always seems to inject some sadness into her books, I loved this concept and loved this story. There was even a major twist that I did not see coming that made things even more exciting!

The food, the music, the decor, and the luxury make this book a day dream to read about. And the very interesting lives of the five women fit so well together. I loved everything about this and highly recommend whether you’ve read Hilderbrand or not to read this ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an ARC of this book.

The Beach Read Queen Elin Hilderbrand is back with The Five-Star Weekend coming out June 13. Nantucket native Hollis Shaw really needs a boost to restart her life after the death of her husband in a car accident.
Modeling her girls’ weekend after an influencer, she invites someone from each stage of her life: Tatum, her best gal pal growing up; Dru-Ann, her college roommate, and Brooke, her friend from her married life in Boston where her husband was a heart surgeon. She adds a newcomer, Gigi, who she has grown close to on social media where Hollis has a very popular blog.

All was not rosy when Matthew died as the couple had been growing apart. In addition, since her blog has become so popular, her daughter Caroline and Matthew have joined forces leaving Hollis out of a lot of activities. To draw Caroline closer, Hollis asks her daughter to film and photograph the weekend.
Hollis is the consummate hostess providing all the meals and activities on her dime, entertaining the “stars” joining her at her summer place in Nantucket. Tatum has a surprise for Hollis in the form of her first love, Jack Finigan, which stirs up romantic feelings for the pair.

The “stars” are not without their own problems: Tatum is concerned about a lump in her breast, Dru-Ann’s career is on the rocks, Brooke is ready to divorce her husband after yet another inappropriate relationship at work, and newcomer Gigi has many secrets that intersect with Hollis’ life. Add to the mix that Tatum and Dru-Ann have been at odds since Hollis’ wedding years ago, and Brooke is insecure about being around Hollis’ longtime friends.

How can this weekend turn out well with Tatum and Dru-Ann sparring? What can Hollis do to keep Brooke pumped up with all her insecurities? What devastating news does Gigi have that promises to spoil the fresh start Hollis is hoping for? Can an old love heal a broken heart?

Elin Hilderbrand has traveled widely before settling in Nantucket, the setting for many of her books. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the fiction workshop at the University of Iowa, Elin plans to retire in 2024 saying she “deliberately wants to quit while there’s still an appetite for her writing.”

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting May 25, 2023.

I would like to thank Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

This was such a fun beach read! The main character was likable and there was intrigue that kept you turning pages! A perfect summer escape!!

4.5 stars for The Five-Star Weekend.

Following the sudden death of her husband, social media famous Hollis Shaw decides to create a "Five Star Weekend" by inviting four friends (from four different stages of of her life) to spend a weekend away with her in Nantucket. Although a simple premise, each character invited brings with them tension, secrets, and drama that makes this is a perfect summer read. In true Elin fashion, this book was full of characters with rich complex backstories. Each woman embarks on her own self-discovery journey, and it is clear that what these women present on the surface is only a sliver of what is actually happening in their lives. This will make for an excellent beach read pick for readers seeking something fun and enjoyable with a bit of emotional substance.

As usual, Hilderbrand delivers in her authentic depiction of her home island of Nantucket; she is a pro at describing the landscape, businesses, architecture, and food of what sounds like a fantastic place I will most likely never visit, and also has many popular culture references. If I have any quibbles, it's the constant descriptions of decor and designer brands that most of us can't really afford (one character, in particular, was rather snobby and judgmental about clothes).

In the last couple of books, the author delved into a bit of the paranormal (Golden Girl and The Hotel Nantucket), and while I enjoyed both of them, I was happy to read about a group of women who are grappling with their real lives. All of the characters were appealing and very well drawn and the resolutions were realistic.

While this hasn't replaced Hilderbrand's The Blue Bistro as my favorite, it's running a close second. Highly recommend to those searching for a darn good book to read this summer.

Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture perfect. She runs a successful food blog, and has two dreamy homes, an amazing husband, and a daughter with big dreams. Until one night her husband dies in a car accident and she is left heartbroken and alone with a daughter who now wants nothing to do with her. To help her find some peace, she invites four friends, each of whom she considers a best friend from each stage of her life, to her Nantucket home for a “Five-Star weekend”. It’s quickly revealed that Hollis is not the only one in need of this girls weekend. All of the women have a burden on their plate and one has a big secret to hide.

This story is a cherished portrait of grief and the strength to overcome obstacles. It harps on the bond and importance of female friendships with some added in laughs, fun, music and food. I loved the small town Nantucket setting and all of the characters. I especially loved how all of the women were so different in their own ways, but also similar in other ways - all going through their own life struggles and allowing themselves to make the most of a fun weekend in the best way they know how together.
Definitely recommend for another great Elin Hilderbrand summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a gifted ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gosh I love this book!! It is the perfect summer read. Hollis was fun and relatable, and I loved watching each of the characters grow from their own personal struggles. This is a book about love, loss, and renewing friendships and it keeps hold of you until the very end.

Five Stars for The Five-Star Weekend by @elinhilderbrand 

Every summer I wait patently for Elin Hilderbrand’s latest book to come out (I was fortunate enough to meet her kart year at a book-signing event).
This year I was excited to get a ARC of her latest (thanks to Net Galley and publishers)

When the story started, I felt like I was reading a random summer book as it was missing the signature Elin Hilderbrand writing style but as the story proceeded the signature style appeared and I loved reading about the famous food blogger Hollis and her perfectly curated 5-star weekend at Nantucket with her friends from each phase of her life, months after loosing her husband unexpectedly. 
I wish there was more written from Hollis's point of view.

As usual it was a delightful read and I enjoyed reading about Nantucket 
Definitely recommend this book to all. 
Release Date - June 13, 2023

THE FIVE-STAR WEEKEND is another summer beach read by author Elin Hilderbrand and her devoted readers will not be disappointed by her annual offering. She provides another heroine at the center of a life transition with her group of female friends, each with their own backstories, gathering for an event on Nantucket. The event this time is a weekend centered around our recently widowed heroine and her attempts to better understand herself through her best friends’ eyes. The surprises aren’t many but the plot interest remains. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I really enjoyed this one! It's a perfect summer read with different characters and intrigue in a fantastic environment. I was rooting for every woman although some of the side characters had revelations and some of them came from nowhere. I can't write about it because it would be a spoiler but you're more than welcome to DM me if you want to discuss it. 😊

Bring this to the beach or the pool and enjoy! ☀️

This is one of my favorite Elin Hilderbrand books! While Elin's recent novels have employed interesting characters (a deceased woman in Golden Girl, a ghost in The Hotel Nantucket), Elin returns to what she does best in The Five-Star Weekend, penning a story about the relationships that shape us. Hollis Shaw, who shot to internet stardom during the pandemic, finds herself in need of support after her husband passes away unexpectedly. She hosts a "Five-Star Weekend," each star being a close friend from a different era of her life: Tatum, her lifelong friend; Dru-Ann, her college roommate; Brooke, her mom friend; and the mysterious Gigi, whom Hollis knows online but has yet to meet face-to-face. Each star bring her own baggage (in more ways than one!) to this weekend on Nantucket, and Hollis's film student daughter, Caroline, is there to capture all the tension, stories, food, and sisterhood. The star which shines the brightest through it all is Nantucket. Elin's love for the island comes through in her descriptions of its people, places, and charm, and readers see how Nantucket herself shaped Hollis as much as her friends. I love this book for focusing so intensely on the core friendships we make throughout our lives and how they sustain us even as they evolve. Five stars to The Five-Star Weekend!

I am a huge Elin Hilderbrand fan, so it pains me to say this one just wasn’t a hit for me. Of course her descriptions of summer on Nantucket and delicious food were superb as always. I also loved the familiar faces that popped up. Something about this one just felt like it was trying too hard to be “cool”. The characters felt like cliches. I miss her complex, realistic female characters (The Island & Summer of ‘69 have some of my favorites). Will I still pick up whatever Elin writes next? Of course!

The perfect beach read!…as long as you can stand unrealistic settings and lots of drama.
Unfortunately this one just seemed extra over the top for me. I loved the idea-women getting together to celebrate one’s friendship but the drama and the unrealistic “do it all” by the main character had me rolling my eyes.
Not a bad read, like I say-perfect for the beach. But if you’re looking for some heart and some depth this one isn’t it.