Quiz The Five-Star Weekend Elin Hilderbrand

The Five-Star Weekend: Full-Book Quiz

The Five-Star Weekend Quiz: 20 Questions

Test your recall and understanding of Elin Hilderbrand's The Five-Star Weekend. Each question is drawn from the novel's full arc, from the prologue to the epilogue. Mix of multiple-choice and short-answer formats. Answer key follows the questions.

Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

  1. What event inspires Hollis Shaw to host her own Five-Star Weekend?

    • A) A suggestion from her therapist
    • B) An article about Moira Sullivan’s weekend in Destin
    • C) A blog comment from Gigi Ling
    • D) A conversation with her daughter Caroline

  2. Name the four women Hollis invites to the weekend according to her plan.
    (Short answer: list all four.)

  3. During Happy Hour III, what happens between Hollis and Caroline?

    • A) They argue about the itinerary
    • B) Caroline apologizes and they share a healing embrace
    • C) Caroline announces she is moving to Los Angeles
    • D) Hollis reveals her affair with Jack

  4. What does Electra Undergrove accuse Gigi of during lunch at Galley Beach?

    • A) Stealing a recipe from Hungry with Hollis
    • B) Having an affair with Matthew Madden
    • C) Trespassing on her property
    • D) Posting false reviews

  5. Where does Hollis confront Gigi about the affair?

    • A) In the kitchen
    • B) In the home theater
    • C) On the deck at sunrise
    • D) At the Chicken Box

  6. After Gigi reveals the affair, what does Hollis discover from the accident report?

    • A) Matthew was speeding
    • B) Matthew’s car was traveling southeast – toward home
    • C) Matthew was not wearing a seatbelt
    • D) The deer was the cause

  7. What is the outcome of Tatum’s biopsy?

    • A) Malignant, requires surgery
    • B) Benign – only a cyst
    • C) Inconclusive, needs further tests
    • D) She never receives the results

  8. In the epilogue, what is Gigi’s profession when the group encounters her on the flight home from Rome?

    • A) Flight attendant
    • B) Pilot
    • C) Travel blogger
    • D) Passenger in first class

Character Motivation (5 questions)

  1. Why does Caroline agree to come to Nantucket to film the weekend?

    • A) She wants to reconcile with her mother
    • B) She needs the $2,500 fee and to get away from New York
    • C) She hopes to meet Dylan McKenzie
    • D) She is forced to by Isaac

  2. Why does Tatum keep her breast biopsy results a secret from Hollis?

    • A) She is embarrassed by her fear
    • B) She is jealous of Hollis’s attention
    • C) She wants to avoid the topic of death
    • D) She plans revenge on Dru-Ann first

  3. Why does Dru-Ann refuse to apologize publicly to Posey Wofford?

    • A) Her lawyer advised against it
    • B) She believes Posey faked a mental-health crisis and wants to stand her ground
    • C) She thinks an apology will make her look weak
    • D) Hollis told her not to

  4. Why does Gigi first contact Hollis online?

    • A) To ask for a recipe
    • B) To get close to Hollis after having an affair with Matthew
    • C) Because she is a lonely food blogger
    • D) To promote her own website

  5. Why does Brooke agree to have drinks with Electra before the weekend?

    • A) She wants to warn Hollis about Electra
    • B) She craves Electra’s validation and fears exclusion
    • C) She is trying to repair their friendship
    • D) Electra blackmails her

Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

  1. What does the “rubber snake” placed in Dru-Ann’s bed symbolize in the story?

    • A) The danger of island wildlife
    • B) Hidden conflict and a prank that reveals old grudges
    • C) Hollis’s control over her guests
    • D) Dru-Ann’s fear of snakes

  2. The “Five-Star Weekend” concept is meant to honor what?

    • A) Expensive vacations
    • B) The friendships that shaped a person’s life
    • C) A rating system for blog posts
    • D) The memory of a deceased spouse

  3. What does the house name “First Light” represent for Hollis?

    • A) Her success as a blogger
    • B) A new beginning and a sanctuary after loss
    • C) The sunrise over the ocean
    • D) A reference to her husband’s favorite time of day

  4. In filmmaking, what does “chink in the armor” mean according to Isaac?

    • A) A weakness that can be exploited to reveal hidden truth
    • B) A type of camera lens
    • C) A character defect
    • D) The title of Caroline’s short film

Synthesis (3 questions)

  1. How does Hollis’s approach to grief differ from Caroline’s in the novel?
    (Short answer: describe the key difference.)

  2. What role does the Nantucket setting play in the story’s themes?
    (Short answer: mention one role.)

  3. In the epilogue, Hollis sees Gigi is the pilot of their flight and feels “not at all” alarmed. What does this response reveal about Hollis’s personal growth?
    (Short answer: explain the meaning of her reaction.)

Answer Key

  1. B) Article about Moira Sullivan’s weekend. (Chapter 2: Accident Report I)

  2. Tatum McKenzie, Dru-Ann Jones, Brooke Kirtley, Gigi Ling. (Chapter 3: The Invitation)

  3. B) Caroline apologizes and they share a healing embrace. (Chapter 36: Happy Hour III)

  4. B) Having an affair with Matthew Madden. (Chapter 44: Table 20)

  5. B) In the home theater. (Chapter 47: The Hot Seat)

  6. B) Matthew’s car was traveling southeast – toward home (confirming he turned around). (Chapter 49: Accident Report II)

  7. B) Benign – only a cyst. (Chapter 52: Happily Ever After)

  8. B) Pilot. (Epilogue)

  9. B) She needs the $2,500 fee and to get away from New York. (Chapter 4: Chink in the Armor)

  10. C) She wants to avoid the topic of death (after her mother’s rapid death from cancer). (Chapter 5: Errands and later chapters)

  11. B) She believes Posey faked a mental-health crisis and wants to stand her ground. (Chapter 6: The Phantom and later chapters)

  12. B) To get close to Hollis after having an affair with Matthew. (Chapter 8: The Third Margarita)

  13. B) She craves Electra’s validation and fears exclusion. (Chapter 13: Happy Hour I)

  14. B) Hidden conflict and a prank that reveals old grudges. (Multiple chapters; see Tatum and Dru-Ann’s past.)

  15. B) The friendships that shaped a person’s life. (Chapter 2: Accident Report I – Moira Sullivan’s article)

  16. B) A new beginning and a sanctuary after loss. (Chapter 5: First Light I)

  17. A) A weakness that can be exploited to reveal hidden truth. (Chapter 4: Chink in the Armor)

  18. Hollis seeks connection with friends and new experiences to move forward, while Caroline initially isolates herself and blames her mother. By the end, Caroline reconciles, showing a different path through grief. (Based on character arcs throughout the book.)

  19. The island setting provides isolation, nostalgia, and a sense of sanctuary; it also sharpens class and friendship tensions (summer people vs. locals). (Evident in prologue and many scenes.)

  20. Hollis has achieved emotional peace and true forgiveness; she no longer holds anger toward Gigi and can wish her well, demonstrating growth and closure. (Epilogue and Accident Report II context.)