<\/p>\n
In Elin Hilderbrand\u2019s<\/a> bestselling novel \u201cThe Five-Star Weekend,\u201d food influencer Hollis Shaw, reeling from the sudden death of her husband, invites four friends from four different stages of life to a weekend away in Nantucket, Massachusetts. <\/p>\n What begins as a heartfelt attempt to reconnect quickly unravels as long-buried secrets come to the surface, old wounds are reopened and the women confront major life decisions.<\/p>\n Jennifer Garner<\/a>, who stars as Hollis in Peacock\u2019s adaptation of the novel, said she\u2019s experienced her own version of a \u201cFive-Star Weekend\u201d in real life. <\/p>\n Speaking with Jenna on the July 16 episode of her \u201cOpen Book with Jenna\u201d podcast<\/a>, where Hilderbrand also appeared as a guest, Garner reflected on her latest \u201cFive-Star\u201d-adjacent extravaganza: Gathering friends from every chapter of her life for her 50th birthday on April 17, 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cI just had friends from my whole life. I kind of threw myself a wedding,\u201d said Garner, now 54.<\/p>\n The milestone birthday happened to fall on Easter for the first time in her life, she said, granting her an extra-long celebration. More importantly, it gave the actor an opportunity to bring people together who rarely crossed over. <\/p>\n \u201cOne night it was just the girls, and it was so special and fun because I also have this little posse of works friends that I shoot with, like the people I\u2019ve been with forever since \u2018Alias,\u2019 and they were part of it as well,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n \u201cUsually it\u2019s like when I\u2019m with when I\u2019m working, I live that life, and otherwise I just see them now and then. So to have everybody together was especially special.\u201d<\/p>\n The jam-packed weekend also featured a memorable surprise from Garner\u2019s teen crush, Donny Osmond, TODAY.com previously reported.<\/a> The singer appeared with a custom cake that read: \u201c13 going on 50! Love Donny!\u201d<\/p>\n Hilderbrand, on the other hand, told Jenna that she has never quite embraced the premise of her own novel. <\/p>\n \u201cFor the last 33 years, (Nantucket) has been my world. So almost all of my friends are friends that I\u2019ve met on Nantucket,\u201d the author said. \u201cI have my girlfriends from college and I have friends from high school, but the two worlds have not collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to make it happen,\u201d Jenna insisted. <\/p>\n \u201cIt would be so weird,\u201d Hilderbrand replied, in part. \u201cLike, would it work?\u201d <\/p>\n Garner chimed in: \u201cYes, it would work. It\u2019s worked for me. It\u2019ll work for you. Women, we look for ways to connect.\u201d<\/p>\n