For the first time in years the Birch family are spending Christmas together, isolated in the family home in Norfolk on account of daughter Olivia's return from Africa where she has been working with victims of a deadly virus, this means the family is quarantined for a week. For Phoebe her recent engagement is cause for celebration, for mother Emma, a recent diagnosis is worrying her and she wants to celebrate to forget. For Andrew a disturbing set of emails have forced memories to the surface. Over the week the members of this dysfunctional family will each have to face the truth and reassess their future.
In many ways this is the sort of book that I would avoid but I decided to take a risk and I'm happy I did. This book is the perfect reading for Christmas week as it is very heartwarming and life-affirming but in a non-schmaltzy way. For every sugary chapter there is a counterpoint and, whilst there seems to be a happy ending for everyone, no-one escapes unscathed. For that reason I found Hornak's writing a cut above every other 'feel-good' novel that I've come across, of course the time of year did help!

I loved this book! A really good family drama. What would happen if you were forced into quarantine with your family for a week? I think most of us would find it difficult but with an unknown sibling showing up, the threat of terminal illness and relationship breakdowns it was more than a challenge for the Birch family. Really well written and paced just right. Highly recommend. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this E-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Days Of Us is a heartwarming and hilarious read which manages to be quite emotional in places.

The author uses the familiar scenario of relatives having to spend Christmas together and manages to breathe new life into it with the interesting twist of inforced quarantine. As much as we love our family too much time together can cause problems which is something everyone has probably experienced at some point. This helps to add a bit of tension to the story as the reader is aware of the many different things that could go wrong and wondering which one will happen here.

The book is told in alternate chapters from different characters points of view with each chapter clearly marked so the reader knows who is narrating. This is definitely a dysfunctional and fractured family who are all hiding secrets from one another which was very interesting to see develop. This was especially so when all the secrets start coming out as the multiple point of view makes for truly fascinating reading.

This story is quite well paced though there are a few slower moments in the book. I found I actually really enjoyed this as it gave me a chance to get to know the different characters and the fractured family more so that I felt like I knew them personally. My opinions about them changed a lot throughout the book as I went from not liking a lot of them at the beginning to growing very fond of them towards the end. I was sad to finish the book and leave them all behind which is always a sign of a great read.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to see what she writes next. If you like books that lets you really get under the characters skin whilst making you laugh and cry then you’ll love this book!

Huge thanks to Beth from Little Brown for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

Many of us feel a little stir crazy at Christmas but pity the poor Birch family who are trapped in quarantine together when one of the daughters comes home from voluntary work abroad, possibly bringing infection. Secrets start to wriggle out transforming their relationships. There's a definite Richard Curtis feel to this debut novel and it's written with lots of wit and insight.

Seven Days of Us is a wonderful Christmas family drama. Quarantined together in an aging country house for a week over Christmas, the Birch family cannot escape secrets they have been keeping from each other.

The prose flows wonderfully, painting the family and their individual personalities and flaws in vivid detail. The characters were so real to me that I couldn’t help but care about how they would resolve their problems. After finishing the book, the characters are still walking around in my head.

The family’s second home in Norfolk, where the majority of the drama takes place, is almost a character in itself. Having seen better days, the house holds different places in each family member’s heart. I feel as if I’ve spent a week there myself.

While there is plenty of drama, there are plenty of quiet family moments, from frustration to triumph. Secrets are gradually spilled throughout the novel and I thought this was done very well.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a satisfying read about families, sadness, joy, and love.

This is a great read and I really enjoyed this book. It’s an emotional and touching story that’s perfect to read at this time of year. It’s set over Christmas but it’s not too cheesy like other books of this genre often are.

I really enjoyed this book once I got past the first few chapters and familiarised myself with the Birch family. It was a great read, with really ‘real’ characters. Would make a good film.

Absolutely loved this book, it’s a Christmas read but now sickly sweet as many are, real issues are tackled and it really takes you through the emotions. Fantastic read!

I enjoyed reading this book and could see the links with recent history. Emotive story but does resolve itself. Definitely recommended.

This book should be made into a film! A family tale for 7 days throughout Christmas. When the family have to be quarantined due to the outbreak of a deadly disease and the eldest daughter had been nursing the sick she returns home for xmas - hence the quarantine for 7 days. The are several stories that weave family members together and this book explores how families divide and conquer or just continue at the same merry old selfish way. Without giving anything about the plot, read this, enjoy, laugh and cry. The perfect book for all romcom fans and readers with a heart. Xx

I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping this would be my perfect book a little of family drama, intrigue and humour but found it a little lacking in all three.
It was OK to read but never really seemed to get going for me. The characters are all well thought out and presented within the book but I couldn't relate to them in any great way and so I couldn't buy in to the story and get lost in amongst it all.

Not your typical Christmas story.

This is a story about a family and their secrets.

This story is about The Birch family and their enforced quarantine over 7 days at Christmas.
The quarantine is due to Olivia, who is a doctor and has been treating patients in Liberia with a virus called the Haag Virus but she has returned home to spend the Christmas period with her family.
Her father, Andrew is a former journalist who is now a food critic, Mother, Emma who just wants everyone to be happy and for this Christmas to be perfect, and Phoebe who is a bit of party animal, doesn’t take anything seriously and has just got engaged to George.

Olivia and Phoebe are like chalk and cheese. Apparently they were close when they were younger but have grown apart over the years. Phoebe thinks that Olivia looks down on everyone else who is not trying to save the world and Olivia thinks that Phoebe is frivolous and only cares about her forthcoming wedding.

Emma inherited a country home in Norfolk and this is where the family spend this Christmas. Unfortunately, the only person who appears to feel comfortable and enjoys being in the Norfolk home is Emma.

At first, Olivia is overwhelmed at being back home and is struggling with the fact that her mother is fussing over her, she feels that she is ignored by her father and really has nothing to say to her sister.

Emma’s attempt at keeping everything together is an uphill struggle. Nobody but Olivia seems to be taking the quarantine all that seriously and soon they all begin to get struggle. This of course, is not helped that they all have secrets that they are hiding from each other.

During the quarantine, two very different visitors arrive at the house and they are both going to have quite an impact on the family.

The book is told from alternating points of view, which although this can occasionally be irritating, I thought it worked really well. The chapters are all quite short too, which keeps you turning those pages.

There are some serious subjects in this book but there is also a decent amount of humour and in all, I think it would probably be considered a feel good book and if you can overlook the fact that a doctor who has been treating a deadly virus would be allowed home for Christmas and trusted to stay quarantined– then you’ll be fine.

Not at all what I was expecting, but loved it anyway.
Cloister a dysfunctional family in one house over the festive period and secrets, lies and unusual characters will most definitely appear. The main characters narrate their own chapters which I thought gave a good insight into their history and thought processes; it certainly warmed my opinion of them.
Not everything is as it seems and it takes the reader to the final page to unravel the twists and turns.

From the blurb I was expecting this to be a Christmassy chick lit book. How wrong I was! The book is set over the Christmas holiday, but the festival is very much in the background. It is the moving tale of a family with massive communication problems, gradually coming how much they do have in common. I didn't feel much empathy towards any of the characters at first, but definitely warmed to them as their stories unfolded. I will definitely look out for more books byFrancesca Hornak.

A great read with a good twist at the end.
. A dysfunctional family are forced to spend Christmas together in quarantine. Well written characters are all given space to bloom and the unexpected ending is perfectly crafted

The Birch family are in quarantine when Olivia returns from a country devastated by the Haag virus. The whole family is stuck together over Christmas in a remote Norfolk village and it leads to some interesting revelations including a long lost son.

Wow this was one of those books I just couldn't put down. I love a good Christmas story but this is not your typical story. I loved it but oh the ending. No spoilers but that was not how I expected the book to end. It was very good though. The story was interesting and a few very dramatic moments really made the story. A Brilliant read that really captures every emotion in the story. Living in Norfolk I loved the references to local areas.

I struggled to like Olivia at the start but I soon warmed to her. I think Jesse really made the story though. Not everything he did was right but he was genuine and real.

It is Christmas but the Birch family are under quarantine for 7 days and they don't all get on. Olivia, has just returned from epidemic nursing abroad which is the reason for the quarantine. Emma, the mother, has discovered a lump but is keeping it quiet until Christmas is over. Phoebe, the sister, has just got engaged to George but is he all he makes out to be and is she more interested in the wedding itself than him? Andre, the father, is dreading a knock at the door. Why?
At the end of the seven days they emerge as different people!

What a joyful ride of emotions! This book was light and uplifting, perfect Christmas read to fluff up the festive spirit. It's heart-warming and engaging. Told from the point of views of different family members, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, I will highly recommend this as a pre-Christmas December read.

Olivia has to return home for seven days to stay in quarantine with her family after working with an infectiois disease. Cue a week of unease amongtst oalivia, sister Phoebe, mum Emma and dad Andrew whilst they use the week to reaquaint. Whilst the threat of Olivia contracting Haag, a highly infectious disease is very real (her boyfriend has already contracted it], throw into the mix Phoebe’s fiance George, long lost son Jesse that even his father didn’t know existed, a terminal illness and a pregnancy its a lovely read, endearing and funny all at the same time. I really enjoyed this book.

It's a Christmas themed book but it's not all just Christmas (which would have put me off big time). The family are stuck together with no escape and forced to face up to a number of long running family issues and a fresh crisis or two. It's a touch predictable in places but genuinely interesting and you find yourself wishing a positive outcome for almost all the characters (with one notable exception that will quickly become clear).