Hollis Shaw has it all: a famous doctor husband, a daughter at NYU studying film, and a super popular food blog with a following that thinks she’s a domestic goddess. But then, in a shocking moment, she sees it all come undone. Her husband passes away in an accident right after a fight that leaves Hollis questioning her marriage. Her daughter is so angry she won’t even talk to her. And Hollis steps away from her blog because it’s just all too much. She’s drowning, and she knows it. She’s looking for any kind of lifeline when she comes across the idea of a five-star weekend. Four friends, one from each of her life’s main phases, brought together for a weekend of fun, food, and drinks. It sounds like just what she needs to find herself again. Come along and join in the fun (and of course drama, soooo much drama) of Elin Hilderbrand’s The Five-Star Weekend.
[Warning: My review of The Five-Star Weekend contains some spoilers!]
Sometimes we need to reset by getting away with those we know best
Hollis has reached the top of the mountain. Her husband Matthew is a successful doctor who travels around the world to give speeches to other doctors about his wonderfulness. Her daughter has successfully entered college and is doing great on her own (well, Hollis and Matthew pay all her bills, but she’s on her own!). And Hollis has found a new purpose in her middle age, a food blog that has reached epic fame thanks to her hard work and a viral video during the pandemic.
But even mountains can topple down if the wrong stone slips. Just before Christmas, Hollis and Matthew have a fight about him being away for work during their annual Christmas party. Matthew leaves with the parting words “You’ve changed. We’ve changed.”, which sends Hollis into a tizzy. But before she can get a hold of him to fix things, the police arrive at her door with tragic news. Matthew got into an accident; he isn’t coming home; she’s never fixing things.
Devastated, Hollis withdraws from her website, except for one super fan that she’s gotten close to, Gigi. Her daughter, Caroline, is also angry with Hollis for reasons she can’t quite articulate, further deepening Hollis’s isolation. Spiraling downward, Hollis trolls the internet for a solution and stumbles upon the idea of a five-star weekend. Simply gather four friends, one from each phase of your life, add booze, food, and fun activities, and all your problems go away. At least that’s what Hollis is hoping for. But who to invite?
She ends up inviting her childhood best friend, who she hasn’t really talked to in years; her college roomie, who is semi-famous and hardly ever around; her mom bestie, who is socially awkward; and her internet superfan, who she’s never even met and who has some big secrets. Oh, and she’s going to have her daughter (the one that won’t talk to her) film it all. It sounds more like torture than a good time, but at least the food will be amazing!
As it turns out, Hollis isn’t the only one dealing with issues. All of her stars (that’s what she calls the friends for the weekend) are in crisis mode this weekend. But there’s booze, there’s good food, and there’s music, so they’ve each privately decided to pretend that their drama doesn’t exist and enjoy the weekend. Of course it’s never that easy. Drama runs on its own schedule, and it doesn’t give a hoot about Hollis’s itinerary. One thing is for sure, this weekend is going to be one that none of them ever forgets!
The Five-Star Weekend is a classic beach read
Let me preface this section by saying that the front of my copy of The Five-Star Weekend literally says “…gold standard for beach reads.” And that is exactly what The Five-Star Weekend is: a drama-filled read that ultimately ends with everything tied up in a neat little bow. Hilderbrand does a great job of creating characters that you care about. You really feel bad for Hollis, even if she is a somewhat whiny rich lady. And you can’t stand the injustice Dru-Ann is suffering. Seeing Brooke slowly find her way out of the hell she’s stuck in is uplifting. And having your heart break as you worry about Tatum is just excruciating. Although I can’t really find nice words for Caroline, the spoiled brat, or Gigi, the liar. Sure, Caroline is going through stuff and just lost her father, but she also makes a lot of her own problems and doesn’t know what real hardship is. And Gigi might have been duped at first and not the one to blame, but eventually she does cross lines that make her unsympathetic to me in any light.
While these characters are all interesting on their own (go away while I say that Caroline and Gigi), the way they interact is even better. There is so much drama going on it could be a soap! And with so much happening and so many problems being addressed, you would expect fallout to extend far beyond the three-day weekend. But in classic “beach read” style, everything is resolved, all the problems go away, and everyone is friends (or as close to as possible in the circumstances) by the end of the weekend. Don’t get me wrong, happy endings are great, but some of these women were dealing with huge, almost insurmountable problems, and they all disappeared in three days thanks to food, liquor (there was sooo much drinking, who drinks that much?), and good female heart-to-hearts. Because of that, it was a big fake feeling at the end for me. But the rest of the book was enjoyable, so I guess I’ll content myself with the lackluster finish. A TV series based on The Five-Star Weekend just came out on Peacock. Maybe they fixed the ending?
Rating: 7/10
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand is available now!
Learn more about the book at the official website for the title.
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