The Five-Star Weekend

I just finished The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand, and while I absolutely loved the concept, I’m sitting with mixed feelings. Hollis had a brilliant idea—bringing together her closest friends from different stages of life for a healing weekend in Nantucket—and that setup had all the ingredients for rich, emotional storytelling. But somehow, a lot of that potential felt rushed or undercooked. Hollis: I appreciated Hollis’s vision for the weekend. Her desire to reconnect, reflect, and rebuild after her husband’s death was deeply human. But I also couldn’t help but wonder more on the marriage. We’re told about the affair after the fact, but I wish we had seen more of the cracks, more tension, more fallout. It would’ve made her grief (and choices) feel more layered. One thing that really didn’t sit right with me was why she stayed friends/in the group with Electra for so long. It felt like their dynamic was more performative than genuine, and I struggled to understand what Electra actually brought to the story since he had issues with Brooke. Tatum: Tatum was probably the most grounded and emotionally honest of all the women. Her life wasn’t flashy—she stayed in her hometown, married her high school sweetheart, and built a quiet, steady life. But that doesn’t mean she was simple. If anything, she carried the most real emotional weight. Her love for her husband was one of the most authentic portrayals in the book, and their intimacy and connection gave the story something stable to rest on. But what really could’ve deepened Tatum’s arc—and the group’s dynamic—was her cancer scare. It was mentioned, and then… gone. I was hoping for a scene where she opened up to the women about it—something raw, vulnerable, and connective. It could’ve been the moment where the whole group finally let their walls down and saw each other not just as curated “roles” from Hollis’s life, but as full, flawed, aging, real women. That shared reckoning with mortality—especially in the shadow of Hollis’s grief for Matthew—could’ve added so much emotional gravity. Instead, the opportunity was skipped over, and the story moved back to surface-level tension. It felt like a disservice to Tatum, who had so much more to offer than lingering college-era resentment. I wanted her to push Hollis and herself toward true growth and healing, not just offer passive loyalty. Dru-Ann: I actually liked Dru-Ann more than I expected. She’s blunt and messy, and that made her feel real. One of the most layered dynamics in the book—though it wasn’t explored nearly enough—was the underlying competition between Tatum and Dru-Ann over who was Hollis’s real best friend. We’ve all been there: a tight-knit friendship suddenly feels like a rivalry when someone else from another chapter of your friend’s life enters the picture. The passive-aggressive comments, the awkward power plays, the quiet insecurity—it’s all very real. The tension between them could’ve led to some truly compelling scenes. Instead, we got surface-level sniping, like the joke about the Kmart jewelry, which was laced with condescension and judgment. That moment should have gone somewhere deeper—into the class divide, into resentment, into how they each saw themselves reflected in Hollis’s life. Instead, it passed as a throwaway dig. And the whole issue with finances? That was such a missed opportunity for real talk. Tatum’s quiet struggle with money is something so many readers would relate to—but it was brushed aside as awkwardness instead of unpacked as emotional weight. Why is it so hard for women—especially in long-term friendships—to talk openly about money, status, and insecurity? That could’ve been a brilliantly honest conversation. The bachelorette party moment really drove this home. Tatum pulling away from the group felt valid—she was overwhelmed, out of her element—but where was the compromise? Where was the conversation, or even conflict, that made that fracture meaningful? Instead, it gave major Bridesmaids energy—but without the emotional payoff. I kept waiting for Tatum and Dru-Ann to really go there and hash it out, but it stayed too polite, too surface, too unresolved. In a book about female friendships, that kind of emotional honesty was sorely missing. Brooke: Here’s where I’m torn. Brooke’s storyline had weight—her struggling marriage, the late reveal about her sexuality—but it all felt rushed and brushed aside. Her coming out made sense in hindsight, especially when you consider her constant search for validation. But we never really got to sit with that, and the lack of reaction from the group felt like a cop-out. I was half-expecting a moment between her and Electra, and that being the reason Electra was mean to her… but we got no closure on that. Gigi: Gigi could have been one of the most dynamic characters in the book. She came into the story with a complex mix of guilt, confusion, and curiosity—discovering not only that the man she was seeing was married, but also walking into a weekend hosted by his widow? That’s a minefield of emotion, and the book barely scratched the surface. From both sides, the situation was ripe for real drama. Hollis had every reason to feel betrayed—not just by her husband, but by the idea of another woman sharing a version of him that she was excluded from. And Gigi had every right to want answers—to understand who this man truly was, and who Hollis had been to him before he changed the entire narrative of their relationship. The emotional threads were there. What we didn’t get was any real conflict or intensity. There should have been a blow-up or breakdown, something visceral and raw. Instead, Hollis was just… cool with it? Understanding? That didn’t feel earned. It would’ve been far more powerful to see them go through the mess together—to confront the reality that they were both lied to, manipulated, and mourning different versions of the same man. And maybe, just maybe, find common ground in that betrayal. Imagine how powerful it would’ve been to see them form an uneasy but genuine friendship—two women reclaiming their stories from a man who didn’t deserve either of them. That would’ve given Gigi a full arc and allowed Hollis to truly process what her marriage actually was. As it stands, Gigi felt like a plot device more than a person. She was there, she had potential, but she never got to evolve. Caroline (and Dylan): Caroline’s arc had such potential. Her grief, her strained relationship with Hollis, and the tension with Dylan were all set up beautifully. But then… nothing. I was rooting for something to develop between her and Dylan, especially with the way Audrey was portrayed. That girl was just cruel, and it felt like a missed chance for Caroline to rise above and find connection with someone who saw her. Also, the video Caroline was working on could have been so much more meaningful if we got some flashbacks woven in. That might have helped carry more emotional weight and brought Matthew’s character to life. Jack: The romance with Jack was sweet and felt like a quiet reward for Hollis. But long distance? After all that pining and history, he should have been on the island. It felt like the story pulled away from emotional payoff again, right when it mattered most. Final Thoughts This book had so many strong elements—the setting, the concept, the ensemble cast—but it too often skimmed the surface instead of diving deep. The ending felt rushed, the drama was glossed over, and several characters were left without proper closure. I liked where it started, but I wish it had slowed down and trusted its emotional beats more. Still, it’s a quick summer read, and if you enjoy friendship dynamics, a touch of drama, and beachy vibes, it’s worth the trip—even if it doesn’t fully unpack your bags. 3/5 ☀️

A good beach read if you really want total fluff. Pretty predictable and one dimensional characters.

4.5⭐️ rounded up
What a wonderful return to Nantucket and the Elin universe. I'm so happy I finally picked this one up. I thought the pacing and twists/reveals were good. Once again, the "cheating" spouse trope was interweaved in the story (I think this must be a requirement for Elin) so that is probably why its not a five star read for me. I think this book really made me think about where my life is right now and who I would invite to be my "stars" on my five star weekend.

Easy read. Fun story.

Everyone can find some common characteristics in this story and its characters. It is a fun story about women relationships along with menus and music. This is such a fun beach or vacation read!! It leaves you wanting to know more!