“The Five Star Weekend” book by Elin Hilderbrand and the miniseries adaptation on Peacock were right up my alley—a must-read and watch for all of the girls’ girls out there. It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you cry. It’ll make you value your relationships, friendships, life, misunderstandings and communication hiccups. At the heart of it, it is truly about relating to and connecting with the soul of other women and relishing in their humanity and beauty.

​The book follows Hollis Shaw (Jennifer Garner), a food influencer who invites four women from different decades of her life to a perfectly curated weekend at her beach house as she begins to heal from the recent loss of her husband.

The depictions of the Nantucket scenery were stunning. Hilderbrand goes into very elaborate detail about Hollis’ beach home decor and the scrumptious food that she has used to build her career, making it fun to read about the exquisite and unique dishes and to picture the images they invoke in your mind.  

I was pleased to see Judy Greer as Electra in one of the first scenes in the show, reminding me of her and Jennifer Garner together in the movie “13 Going on 30.” If you have an older teenage daughter, you are well aware of this movie and have probably seen it many times. IYKYK.

A major theme the book explores is how relationships change over time, particularly in a long marriage as the kids grow and leave for college. It can be a tough transition, one in which many readers can relate.

The book goes a little deeper into the connections and marriages among the “five stars” than the series. The “stars” include Tatum (Chloë Sevigny), who has kept the spark alive in her marriage to her high school sweetheart; Brooke (D’Arcy Carden), who is going through struggles in her marriage and is learning to assert herself;  Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), the no-nonsense power agent who tends to put her foot in her mouth yet reveals a softer side; and Gigi (Gemma Chan), a commercial pilot who happens upon a forbidden relationship. Hollis is striving to keep it together while mourning her husband, trying to connect with her daughter Caroline (Harlow Jane) and moving forward. To add a another emotional layer to the mix, her high school boyfriend, Jack (Timothy Olyphant), keeps appearing throughout the weekend.

Each of the stars has her own character arc. Caroline, who is grieving her father and experiencing other personal hardships, also has a compelling plot. There were some noticeable differences in the ladies’ storylines between the book and the miniseries, though the main themes remain intact. 

I highly recommend reading the book and then watching the show, as it is entertaining to see the characters come to life and how they are portrayed. One could easily watch the miniseries without having read the book and still find it quite enjoyable. I have a challenging time focusing on TV shows these days as I’m generally multitasking, and both the book and miniseries held my interest, so in my book, I would give it five stars.

The series premieres July 9 on Peacock.

About the author 

Ina Gochin lives in Hilltown, Pa., with her husband, son and daughter in college and cherished doggie. She loves her career in corporate procurement for global preclinical laboratories and enjoys many active lifestyle hobbies as well as listening to various podcasts. She is grateful to have many close girlfriends around her from all walks of life, much like Hollis Shaw in “The Five Star Weekend.”