The Five-Star Weekend (Item 1742625; 6/13) will be available in most Costco warehouses.

Trip down memory lane

In Elin Hilderbrand’s The Five-Star Weekend, when food blogger Hollis Shaw’s seemingly perfect life starts to fall apart, she throws herself a weekend gathering featuring people from her past.

Costco Connection What inspired this particular storyline?
Elin Hilderbrand I heard about the “five-star weekend” concept from a friend who was attending a version of this weekend on Nantucket. The idea is to invite one best friend from each phase of your life. As soon as she told me about it, I thought, well, that’s a novel. My version ended up being vastly different (and I’m sure more dramatic) than the real-life weekend.

CC What is it about Nantucket that appeals to you as a setting?
EH Even though I’ve lived on Nantucket for 30 years, it still feels like a fairy tale to me: the historically preserved whaling captains’ homes downtown, the cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks. Then there’s the natural beauty—ponds, moors, 50 miles of pristine golden beach. It’s always ready for its close-up.

CC What else would you like readers to know about this book?
EH This is a novel about female friendship, mothers and daughters, and healing—but mostly, it’s about forgiveness. In this case, five-star forgiveness.

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