The 5-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand is paired with a Creamsicle cocktail that will leave you wanting more! Yum!
Elin’s done it again! She is an exceptional author who crafts books that are filled with fun and feelings, peppered with enough intrigue to keep the reader hooked. This book takes place over 3 days, but it only took me 24 hours to complete. For those of you who like beach stories, The 5-Star Weekend does not disappoint.
Hollis Shaw’s life seems perfect, but by page two the reader senses discord, and by the end of the first chapter, we are totally immersed. Hollis lives in the privileged Boston suburb of Wellesley, and she humbly enjoys all the adulation and notoriety that has come with her wildly-successful cooking blog. The cracks in her domestic life are barely visible, and she has chosen to ignore them.
Then, suddenly, her world is turned upside-down by tragedy, and the fallout is nearly unbearable. Fast forward six months, and Hollis is taking refuge at the family’s summer home, on the beautiful island of Nantucket, a venue familiar to Hilderbrand fans. Once there, she decides to host four of her friends for a Five-Star Weekend. These are women she has known at different stages of her life.
Hollis was a toddler when her mother died, and Tatum’s parents helped Hollis’s dad with raising her. Tatum tries to maintain the friendship, but when Hollis leaves the island for college, and Tatum stays behind to marry her high school sweetheart, their friendship is strained. Tatum resents Hollis’s college roommate, Dru-Ann, who is now a highly-successful sports agent. Dru-Ann has inserted herself into Hollis’s life, and she takes great pleasure in lofting barbs at Tatum whenever she can.
The third invitee is a woman from Wellesley, whose children were classmates of Hollis’s daughter. Brooke is an insecure mess; she is talkative, cheery, and eager, and the others find her overbearing and annoying. Even Hollis begins to question why she included Brooke in the group.
And then there’s Gigi, the wild card. Hollis has never met her; Gigi is a fan of Hollis’s blog, and they formed a bond that will be tested in the most unexpected way near the end of the novel.
Add in Jack, an old high school beau, who’s still a stud, Caroline, Hollis’s surly daughter, and Dylan, the hunky local who is also Tatum’s son, and the novel’s action swirls like a pot of New England chowder, bubbling, hot, and tasty.
Fans will be happy to know that Blond Sharon makes an appearance, as do several of the other recurring characters who reside on the island.
As is Elin’s usual pattern, the ending is happy, the loose ends are tied up, and she leaves us pining for more. Can’t wait to read her next novel!
You can download the Kindle version of The 5-Star Weekend or purchase the paperback on Amazon.
Recipe: Orange Creamsicle
Elin’s main character writes a cooking blog, and Hollis’s five-star weekend includes an incredible menu of meals and snacks for nearly every hour of each day.
Hollis’s deck overlooks the beach, and the cocktail hours that the ladies enjoy are beautiful because of the view as well as the refreshments. The orange creamsicle beverage is mild, tasty, and reminiscent of the orange creamsicle ice cream treat you enjoyed on a stick as a child.
Orange Creamsicle: Over ice: 1 shot vanilla whipped vodka, 1 shot orange juice (squeeze your own or use fresh or frozen from the store) and fill with Sprite. Stir, and pour into your favorite glass. Garnish with an orange wedge and a maraschino cherry.
Did you like the book? The recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment.
Thank you.
Pin this for later!
I would love to read this book. Also, I hope to meet you one day, and when that happens, I’ll definitely try out all your recipes with your help.
Keep writing. 💚✌️
Someday, perhaps!