This was fantastic family drama. Written from the perspectives of five people and all the stories are interlinked. You have Emma and Andrew the parents as well as Olivia and Phoebe their daughters. Jesse is over from America looking for his birth father.
All of them have their own insecurities and secrets they are keeping.
The family have been quarantined for seven days due to Olivia working as a Doctor in a foreign country with a infectious disease.
This is the first time the whole family has been together in years and all the old tensions arise.
I enjoyed reading and could certainly identify with some of the characters insecurities and annoyances. I liked the differing viewpoints of the same situations.
Would recommend.

Really enjoyed this story. Hadn't really imagined what it must be like to deal with an epidemic such as Haag (made up?) or Ebola but this book brings that to life.

I didn't know what to expect from the tale of of motley crew of characters in quarantine, but it delivered on many levels. From warm open characters (the mum) to enclosed, truculent and intimidating (the dad) and lots of others in between, this book addresses the challenges that family life bring. Finely woven, the cast intertwines well and each anecdote and episode has a purpose.

Oh and the ending, well I wasn't expecting that after a well-observed insight into one particular family!

4.5* an enjoyable read with insight and interest

A good use of an unusual idea. A whole family forced together for a whole week with no chance of escape. The characters are well drawn and engaging and it is fascinating to see how the family dynamics develop in this claustrophobic environment.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Definitely not the usual, fluffy festive chick lit but the idea of a family forced together in quarantine for 7 days is intriguing. Time for old resentments to come to a head and for perceived family roles to change and adapt. The characters are flawed and very believable and the family dynamics are familiar in s9me instances. Too many coincidences for me to find the story completely believable but this didn’t spoil my reading enjoyment. Christmas isn’t always unrelenting joy for all families and that’s shown clearly. Very moving in parts with a hopeful ending.

This novel is set mainly over seven days during Christmas week, when a family have a seven day quarantine. Andrew Birch is a former journalist, turned sarcastic food critic. His wife, Emma, a loving mother who wants to have a perfect family Christmas now that her daughters are both home for the holiday, despite having concerns of her own. Then there are the daughters; Phoebe, who has recently become engaged to George and Olivia, who has returned from Liberia, where she has been treating the Haag Virus (an endemic which seems based on Ebola). Olivia is a very serious young woman, compared to the frivolous Phoebe, but she has let her guard down and had a banned relationship with one of her team; an Irish doctor named Sean, and is obviously a little overwhelmed at being back home in England.

The family have de-camped to their country house in Norfolk, a home that Emma inherited and which means more to her than to the other members of her family. However, their attempts to spend their Christmas quietly in quarantine is not going to be easy. Firstly, all of the family have secrets that they are hiding from each other and, secondly, tensions and stress quickly come to the fore. Andrew is often caustic and tends to remove himself from the family; while he finds the adoring and cheerful Phoebe much easier to deal with than Olivia. Likewise, difficulties between Olivia and Phoebe soon occur – with Phoebe feeling she is always having to take into account her sister’s heroic work in Africa as more important than anything going on in her life, while Olivia is equally nonplussed by Phoebe’s obsession with her forthcoming wedding.

When the family have not one, but two, visitors invade their seclusion, it causes the family to change the way they look at each other, and their lives, forever. Meanwhile, Olivia is in quarantine for a reason, but she cannot seem to get anyone else to realise the seriousness of what is at stake. This is a very unusual book for me, but I did enjoy it. I liked the family members, and, although the sheer number of secrets between them was a little unbelievable, the author managed the different threads of the plot well. If anyone wishes for an emotional Christmas themed novel, this would be particularly good for book groups, with lots to discuss. I received a copy of this from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I really enjoyed this book. I was totally caught up in it from the start. The behaviour of the characters is so believable and the dynamic of the family is described so well and seems so true to life. This was a lovely way to spend a wet afternoon. This book is just the right length and the short chapters written by different family members add to the pace of the book. So much happens in one week and all of it is beautifully written. This is a book that I would definitely recommend and will be reading again.

Lovely quirky and what everyone dreads at christmas. 7 days all together with family at christmas. Very like the rest of the nation and good to read. Interesting to see the secrets and how your family is not the only one like this. Enjoyed it. was a perfect read for over the festive season

From the description of this book online I think I was expecting something a bit light and fluffy. Luckily it far exceeded those original expectations and proved to be a great character-led drama. Personalities grew throughout the story and their traits and foibles were explained. Something slightly different and a very good read.

This is an engaging festive read featuring the Birch family, forced to spend 7 days together for the first time in years over Christmas and New Year. It is said that this is the most traumatic time of year for many families, having to endure the presence of those you spend the rest of the year avoiding like the plague. Ahh, yes, the plague, Olivia is the eldest daughter, a medic who has been working as an aid worker to combat the deadly Haag epidemic in Liberia. On her return to Britain, she and her family are in quarantine for 7 days, cut off from the world with poor wifi, in the family's dilapidated country house in Norfolk as they escape London. Andrew was once a war reporter, who sacrificed this to be there for Emma and his children. He has been a restaurant critic for many years, taking pride in writing his snide reviews. Emma, once a caterer, gave up her career to bring up her 2 beloved daughters, Olivia and Phoebe. Phoebe is a daddy's girl, still living at home, working on aspects of reality television, estranged from Olivia, rather frivolous and shallow, whose sense of identity revolves round planning her upcoming nuptials in a year's time.

The narrative is delivered from the perspective of the four Birch family members and an unexpected American, Jesse, who gatecrashes the families festive celebrations and ends up staying, thanks to the quarantine. This is a family harbouring secrets and trauma ranging from cancer, past indiscretions that come back to haunt the present, covert relationships, and problematic issues over sexuality. Olivia is having problems adjusting to her return, still reeling from the horrors of Haag and finding her family and their concerns trite in comparison. As Shaun, an Irish paediatrician, with whom Olivia broke medical protocols, contracts Haag, Olivia writes a blog in support of him and her personal difficulties in coping on her return. Phoebe, upon learning of her mother's secret, reveals her selfishness in focusing on her wedding to fiance, George, a Hooray Henry, albeit a nouveau riche one. As the melodramas in the family reach ridiculous proportions, no-one in the family remains unscathed as tragedy beckons.

Hornak has written a feel good family drama that touches on many issues that afflict families, although she does lay it on a tad thickly. There are coincidences galore, but you go with the story as the characters face their travails, regrets and yearnings, garnering the reader's interest through the character development that takes place. I have no doubt that the issues raised will resonate with many, particularly over the lack of communication in families and relationships. This turned out to be an enjoyable, light and entertaining read. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Little brown book for a copy of this book. Olivia Birch has come home from Liberia after treating people with the Haag virus. She has come home to spend Christmas quarantined for a week with her family. There are a lot of differences with each member of the family and while they are all stuck together secrets come out about each other. This is a family that doesn't spend time together but because of this situation their in and the problems that occur, they bring the family closer together. It also showed the typical rivalry between siblings but when things matter most they are there for each other.

This is a story of what goes on in a typical family. I enjoyed it very much. Little bits of this book reminded me of my own family lol

An interesting tale of a family forced to spend confined time together after contact with an Ebola type virus. A collection of self absorbed characters all with their own agenda and issues. However they were quite engaging and almost caricatures of themselves as were the more peripheral people. A book of highs and lows but with a slightly cosy feel good factor and some amusing incidents as the characters all realise their own shortcomings and rally round each other in crisis. A light seasonal read for the festive season

I'd heard this book discussed at a meeting recently and was desperate to read it and it didn't disappoint. The family, and their tensions, seemed wonderfully realistic even if dogged by so much bad luck!

The Norfolk setting was fun too and even though I guessed a little of the plot it was a page turning read.

It’s not often I come across debut hardback fiction published in October, the season for the big blockbuster titles and big name authors. However it is completely appropriate timing for a book set over the course of 7 days at Christmas. It’s that backdrop, the thought of “that would normally make me run a mile. But the package for this, a book I totally came across on netgalley by chance, seemed to offer more than the usual festive fare.

Two people whose views I really trust read it, whilst it waited on my shelf, and were full of praise, so I dived in. 48 hours later I have come up for air!

this was a real joy. Sure, some of the scenarios and story lines are a bit contrived, over coincidental and implausible. However as one of my readers mentioned above exclaimed at my view “it’s fiction, you can do what you like in fiction!” I had to agree. So, take that leap of faith, put those thoughts to one side and read it for what it is.

Because it’s intelligently written, it’s not overly sentimental, and it has a great cast of characters with their own dramas that all come to a head one Christmas. This is far from lazy Christmas fiction, this is a strong debut that I really hope doesn’t get lost amongst the big brands over the season. And I hope that it’s given prominence to shine.

I thought this book was going to be a bit superficial and frothy but actually I found it very engaging and entertaining. Obviously it had been well researched in medical terms and I found it had the right balance of factuality and storytelling. It made me sad at the end but in a way I was glad that it didn't dissolve into a sugarcoated ending.

I thought this was a great book! Tells the story of the Birch family, who have to spend a week over Christmas quarantined in their rundown Norfolk stately home, due to daughter Olivia returning from aid work in Liberia. The Birch's are a typically dysfunctional middle class British family and all 4 family members, mum and dad Emma and Andrew, and daughters Olivia and Phoebe, have their own secrets and worries that they don't want to share. However, time cooped up together bring issues to the fore that can't be avoided.
This book was both funny and sad, with some poignant moments and a few surprises. The characters were really well written and there was something in all of them that you could relate to. I really enjoyed this book, it was a story with a lot of humour and also a lot of heart. Highly recommend.

Not a book for me - promising premise for a book but characters felt one dimensional and a little bit pathetic.
However, fans of chick lit will probably snap this up and love it.

Very readable, a real page turner, not very likeable characters though they were interesting. Not necessarily a Christmas novel but would be a good alternative choice.
Well worth a read.

Seven Days of Us tells the tale of the Birch family who are forced to spend a week in quarantine after the elder daughter's time spent treating a highly infectious disease in Liberia. Dramas unfold from left, right and centre and secrets old and more recent are unveiled.

I found this book very enjoyable and the plot was gripping throughout. The varied characters in the Birch family are or all likeable but they are realistic. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys family sagas e.g. Jojo Moyes.

I really enjoyed 'Seven Days of Us, and barely put it down from start to finish. It's a family drama set over the course of a week from Christmas to new year. Each family member has their own drama, and everything is delightfully engineered to come to a head during enforced quarantine for 7 days in Norfolk in a remote house for Christmas.

An excellent and engaging novel, perfect for fans of the film 'The Family Stone'.

Fantastic character by the end of the book you feel like you really know them. A book mixed with humour and sadness and not the 'expected' ending