Elin Hilderbrand's Got a New Summer Novel — and Life Plan

Summer’s coming, which means it’s time to start thinking about beach reads, people! And few authors are more beachy than the beloved Elin Hilderbrand, 53, who’s been writing her Nantucket-set novels for more than 20 years.

Her new one, The Five-Star Weekend (June 13), is about a woman grieving her husband, who died in a car accident. At a loss and needing support, she invites four friends, each from a different stage of her life, for what’s meant to be a warm-and-fuzzy weekend together on the island — with her daughter documenting it all on film. The getaway ends up being more complicated than anyone expects.

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Hilderbrand’s fans will want to savor it because there will only be one more to come. As she told us in a recent interview, her last summery Nantucket island tale will be published in 2024.

You’ve said this will be your second-to-last Nantucket summer book. Why stop?

I’m at the top of my game right now, but my readers definitely want the same thing every year and I am just flat-out running out of ideas. I've done every part of the island, every festival, every possible imaginable dramatic situation, and I don’t want the quality of the books to fail — so I’m doing everybody a favor.

What’s next?

I’ve signed a contract for two books to write with my daughter Shelby [Cunningham] that will be set at a New England boarding school. She’s in boarding school, and every single day her phone calls were like drama, drama, drama. I said to her, “Oh my goodness, we have got to write a novel about boarding school.” And I cannot possibly do it without her. I went to public school and know nothing about that world, which is just incredibly intriguing. Those will come out in the fall of ’24 and the fall of ’25. It’s really exciting. 

After that, I’m taking at least two full summers off from touring and writing and being in the publishing machine. I just want a break, to recharge the batteries. I am like a hamster on a wheel right now. I’m always working. 

Will you use that time to pursue another passion?

The thing I love the most is reading. I put all the books I read on my Instagram, which has like 135,000 followers. That’s great, but I’d like a bigger platform, maybe a books podcast. My focus will be on really good writing, and propulsive plot.