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'Tis the season for beachy reads and summer vibes, right? I've had The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand on my TBR for a while, and with Peacock's book-to-screen adaptation coming up on the 2026 TV schedule in about a month, there are a few key things I know I need the TV show to get right.
I completely understand that adaptations need to make changes from the book, but there are a few things about The Five Star Weekend that I really want to see in the adaptation, so I hope the show keeps them.
Before I get to those things, here's the obvious spoiler warning. If you haven't read The Five-Star Weekend, I highly recommend it! It's about Hollis, a grieving widow who invites one close friend from each phase of her life to celebrate a weekend with her in Nantucket, in the hopes of helping her move forward. Each of the other main characters is dealing with something in their lives that they need to resolve or are trying to take their minds off during the weekend. The TV show adaptation will be available to those with a Peacock subscription on Thursday, July 9. Watch the trailer below, and mind the major book spoilers beyond the video! 🛑
Hollis And Caroline's Relationship
I hope that the core of Hollis's relationship with her young-adult daughter, Caroline (Harlow Jane), is similar to the book. Hilderbrand's story focuses heavily on the importance of female friendships throughout a woman's life, and that includes the relationship shared between a mother and her daughter. In the source material, Hollis (Jennifer Garner) and Caroline are borderline estranged, and from the trailer, it's evident we're going to see that tension. I hope they also focus on how they overcome that, and Caroline's shifting perspective of her mother over the course of the weekend, as it's one of my favorite parts of the book.
Tatum And Kyle's Close Relationship
While most of the women in The Five-Star Weekend are dealing with a range of issues some of which involve romantic relationships, Hollis' childhood BFF Tatum (Chloe Sevigny) and her husband Kyle (David Denman) are an actually-happy married couple. In the book, Tatum is stressing over a possible cancer diagnosis, so her life isn't perfect, but she does have Kyle, and the sparks are still flying for them in the decades since they were childhood sweethearts. I really hope we get to see some of that in the show. I'm also expecting some sparks between Hollis and her high school flame, Jack (Timothy Olyphant).
Dru-Ann's Whole Public Image Crisis
Goodness, did I love Dru-Ann in the book, and I love that Regina Hall is playing her in the TV show. A lot of what Dru-Ann (Hollis's former college roommate) is going through in the book -- being publicly cancelled in her high-profile sportscaster career for comments she made being taken out of context -- takes place over the phone and social media, so I really hope the show finds a way to make it relevant to the plot, as its conclusion was one of my favorite parts of the book.
I just love the way Dru-Ann stood her ground on the things she did and didn't say that got her cancelled, but also showed the strength of her character when she apologized to Tatum for something she did actually say to her years ago. She's such a great character, and I hope the show highlights all of those aspects of her.
Gigi's Mystery And Complexity
It's revealed partway through the book that Gigi (Gemma Chan), the friend Hollis knows from her website, but has never met in person, is actually her husband's mistress. Of course, Hollis has no idea about this when she invites her to the weekend.
I'm honestly ok with however the show decides to reveal the truth about Gigi, both to us (the viewers) and to Hollis. What I do hope is that they find a way to bring the layers of Gigi's character -- her curiosity about Hollis, her grief, her guilt, and anything else going on with her -- to the screen. In the book, Gigi's by no means a saint, but she's also not a monster.
I also hope that there's time and room for us to see how Hollis deals with the information about her husband and their marriage, as her reaction in the book is a bit of a roller coaster, understandably so.
As I said, I know Bekah Brunstetter and the other writers are going to have to change things for the TV series. Now that I've read the book, I kind of hope they do here and there, to build in some suspense and surprises for those of us who've read the novel. But these are just a few things I loved so much from the book, and I hope the TV show does these parts justice.
If you’re looking forward to this series, and you haven’t seen The Perfect Couple – the TV adaptation of another Hildebrand book set in Nantucket – on Netflix, that’s a great series to dive into while you wait!
