A popular food blogger, Hollis Shaw's life is not as picture-perfect as it seems. When her husband is killed in a car accident after an argument and her daughter pulls away, Hollis decides to try a "Five-Star Weekend." She gathers her best friend from her teens, 20s, 30s, and midlife together for a weekend on Nantucket. But the perfect weekend might turn sour when her friends don't all get along and her childhood friend invites Hollis's first love along.

I generally avoid most standard beach reads, but I figured it was time to give Elin Hilderbrand a chance. And I'm very glad I did. I found The Five-Star Weekend to be a delightful look at midlife and how female friendships impact our lives. With well-rounded characters, you get glimpses of the different work, marriage, and health issues that affect women. Although I would have preferred a more nuanced ending, The Five-Star Weekend wraps up with a hastily put-together happily-ever-after which is characteristic of the beach read genre.