The Five-Star Weekend

[Angie Fernandez]

I am a big fan of Elin Hilderbrand’s chick literature, but her latest novel, The Five-Star Weekend, was so much more. Set in Hilderbrand’s beloved Nantucket Island, the reader is welcomed to a feast of the iconic landmark's sights, sounds, and tastes. However, the story is more than just a fun beach romance, it is a story of grief, regret, friendship, betrayal, love, and hope.

Hollis Shaw seems to have it all. She is married to Matthew, the handsome heart surgeon, and she’s created the wildly popular food blog Hungry with Hollis. But one snowy morning, her “perfect life” falls apart, and her strained relationship with her daughter, Caroline, grows even deeper.

Desperate to put the pieces of her life back together, Hollis plans a “Five-Star Weekend” on Nantucket inviting a best friend from each phase of her life: her teens, twenties, “prime of life” and midlife. Everyone agrees to come, but each woman has their own crisis. Tatum is waiting on test results that could change her life forever. While, Dru-Ann a prominent sports agent, was just “canceled” for making inappropriate comments about mental health. Brooke, Hollis’ “prime of life” friend, always feels like the odd one out, and her husband just lost his job for sexual misconduct again. Finally, Gigi, whom Hollis met through her food blog, fits almost seamlessly into their little group. But she might be keeping the biggest secret of all.

A smart, well-written, character-driven novel that is full of twists, turns, laughter, and tears. I enjoyed how the characters interacted, forgave one another, and took up for one another when it mattered. A lot can be learned about being there for each other and not worrying about whether everything is perfect all the time. Although Nantucket sounds pretty incredible. I rated The Five Star Weekend 4 out of 4 stars.