Overall this read was fine, but it didn't stand out for me from many other titles available in the market.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Seven Days of Us
By: Francesca Hornak
Publisher: Berkley
Pub Date: 11/17/2017

It’s Christmas and the Birch family is about to spend 7 days together for the first time in a long time.
Andrew, who was a war correspondent now writes restaurant reviews and Emma who has been a stay at home mom for years. Their oldest Olivia is a doctor and their youngest Phoebe still lives at home and doesn’t speak to her sister.
Olivia is usually off saving the world but is being forced into quarantine so her family has to as well. Each member of this family has their own secrets, being stuck together for a week means those secrets aren’t gonna stay hidden for long. Can they survive 7 days together?

Thank you Berkeley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a great story written well before Covid of what can happen to a family when they are forced together in a house. There is plenty of drama but it is a quieter drama instead of physical screaming drama. It is a quick enjoyable read and love getting to know all of the characters.

This is a debut novel and one that I really enjoyed reading. It was a pretty quick fun read.

The first thing that sucked me into the book was the synopsis. We can all imagine what it would be like to be stuck with your family during the holidays but image if you were quarantined and you literally had no place to go because you had to stay inside? No one could come in.

I think I would be somewhat okay but I am sure I would crack at the seams eventually. So I have my fingers crossed I am never in that situation but at least I would have my books to read right?

The main character is Olivia and she is a doctor who will be coming home for Christmas after several years of being away. Now Olivia was in a highly infected area that is dealing with the haag virus. Its a deadly virus that has taken many lives. They have many strict rules while they were there and needless to say you know that Olivia managed to break those rules by having a relationship with another dr there.

Olivia’s sister Phoebe still lives at home and you can tell they don’t have the best relationship so having Olivia there puts a kink in her plans. She is newly engaged and in the midst of planning her wedding so being quarantined puts a major kink in her plans.

Another twist is Olivia’s mother. She hasn’t been feeling well and the news isn’t good but she is determined not to say anything to the family because she wants to enjoy this Christmas with the girls because she doesn’t know when it will happen again.

This was such a great read and like I said earlier I really enjoyed it. There is so much more to the book and I think this was a fantastic debut novel. It just goes to show not everyone is perfect and that everyone has secrets no matter how big or small they are. Things like that can only bring a family together or tear them a part.

Wellll, I read this book in 2020 and I think it hit VERY different in a COVID world but it was so relatable and much more of a family drama and literary fiction piece vs. the family dramedy I was expecting.

Imagine being quarantined with your family for 7 days, 1 week, over Christmas. No going to the store, no going out to eat, just being together 24/7. As much as I love my family I am not sure that would be a great time. That is exactly what happen to the Birch family. As the family gets to spend time together they find out that they each have secrets. Those secrets shape how they react to each other and things happening around them. As those secrets come to light their relationships start to change and they come to understand and appreciate each other in different ways.

I found myself becoming more and more invested in this family. There were times that I wasn’t sure that I was loving what I was reading but I was so invested that I could not stop. I was hooked on the story. The characters were not always likeable, the story sometimes seemed to get cluttered up with all the secrets and inability to communicate with each other. Yet the more I read the more I wanted to find out about the drama.

If you are looking for a realistic, family story Seven Days of Us is the perfect book for you. I’d recommend picking up your own copy.

Who doesn’t love a dysfunctional family with lots of secrets. It’s Christmas, the family is quarantined so what could happen! The characters are realistically written and the plot moves fast. Enjoy!

Seven Days of Us was the perfect example of getting the band back together. Complete with Secrets, feuds, and a forced quarantined in the English countryside, it makes up the perfect formula for an excellent novel. And that's what Hornak gives us, an excellent novel. Hornak manages to explore the many dynamics of a family's relationship, while also allowing you to do a deep dive into each of the characters. You feel empathy for every character and you love all of them (even when they're messing up). I finished this novel full satisfied, but ready for more of Hornak's writing.

A microscopic look at a modern, American family dynamic this book was much more riveting than I initially anticipated. Each character is struggling in their own way, dealing with their own inner thoughts and secrets. I really enjoyed the complexity of it all and would love more like this.

3.5 stars
A bit of a slow start, and I never could really figure out the need for the quarantine. Overall though, this is a heartwarming story about family, in all of its different manifestations, as well as looking at what really matters in life. I enjoyed it!

Interesting, fast-paced read. Winter holiday setting may make it a good choice for seasonal recommendations.

Meh. Didn't like the characters or the story. Also didn't realize this was going to be a cancer story. No thanks.

3.5 stars. This book was a story of family and relationships with lots of secrets. It was an engaging read. The holiday setting added to it's charm. I didn't always like some of the characters in this one, but instead of taking away from the enjoyment of the read, that aspect seemed to add to the story.

Perfect snow day read about a dysfunctional family that had wild ups and wild downs. I love books that deal with family issues, and this perfectly fit the bill. It was not about a perfect family, and I love that it still felt realistic in that there were still struggles by the end, but overall they all learned something and their characters expanded.

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak Book Review
A family sequestered in a home during the holidays. What could go wrong?

Buddy Read for the Win
I love me a good holiday read. Seven Days of Us has been on my radar for over a year. Luckily, a few of my Instagram friends decided to do a buddy read & I loved reading this one with a group. Let me tell you, folks have some strong opinions about this read. This is a great buddy read and./or book club selection. You can check out my friend, Heather's review & Book Club Questions here. 

A Heavy Holiday Read
First, if you're looking for a light-hearted read to get you in the Christmas spirit, maybe try Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale. While I enjoyed Seven Days of Us, it is a heavier read. I wasn't expecting this.

Second, the illness floating around, Haag, is not something to mess around with. Some of the descriptions are really intense. This adds a deeper element to the book & really sheds light on Olivia's work. 

Last, I'm all for family secrets. Francesca Hornak is not playing! These secrets are pretty serious and can have big consequences for the characters.  Again, this adds up to create a seriousness to the book that I wasn't necessarily ready for. 

Family Time
Francesca Hornak captures the feeling of being trapped in a house with your family. While my house is not as large as the Birch estate, I know the feeling of going stir crazy with loved ones. There are some lighter parts to this read I quite enjoyed. I found myself wanting more of Emma's backstory. 

THE VERDICT
I am Into This book! I love family drama & secrets. Seven Days of Us is a solid holiday-themed read. Read this if you're a fan of The Family Stone. 

Special thanks to Francesca Hornak, Berkley & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Set at Christmas, this book is more than a Christmas story in that there is plausible character development, larger issues than the minutiae of decorating for the season, and the story of a family that is estranged and has to confront their secrets and their shortcomings. I loved it for its British tone, its lack of sappy sentimentality, and its style but also for some unusual resolutions and plot developments that I didn't see coming.
I haven't read some of the latest books dealing with families who are forced to resolve their issues, but comments from other readers seems to indicate how much they dislike certain characters, plot development, and so on. I didn't find this to be the case at all in this story, and the entire theme of why they are quarantined (daughter Olivia has returned from an aid mission in Africa with possible exposure to a deadly virus) is extremely interesting.

I’ve been on the fence about Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak and how I felt about it. It was good although the audio was horrible and didn’t help the cause. I loved the characters but I just felt like some of the plot lines felt unfinished.

I liked the different points of view and how you saw the story from a variety of views. But one character George WTH?!?!!?! He was a major douschbag and like how could he just up and leave like that unless he had something to hide. Which I think he did and you will find out once you read the book.

The audio makes the characters seem whiney and dysfunctional, and running away from all of their problems. Although you do get the dysfunctional from reading the book.

The book does though show how everyone has a secret and how you need to come clean before they come out. Well also to not stick your foot in your mouth when you don’t know the full situation.

It’s good and heartbreaking all at the same time. You will want more after you finish the book and how everyone ended up.

My only problem now is my book club group picked this for next year to read in May when it is the perfect Christmas book.

I give this book a 3-3.5 stars.

I am behind on reviewing this book, but it will actually be a timely read if you go out and get it now. After all, who doesn't love a lighthearted story about a dysfunctional family gathering for the holidays? What's more, the Birch family is required to stay together for Christmas, after daughter Olivia's recent post treating an epidemic abroad has put them all into quarantine.

There are some serious issues addressed here besides the epidemic, but Hornak guides us through alternating perspectives so that we don't linger on anything for too long. There is an interesting range of characters who seem to have specific roles in the family — some address the heavier themes while the shallow, fluff characters add comic relief. While certain characters had me talking back to my kindle, "You are not really going to do that, are you?"; I found I enjoyed the book more when I took it all a little less seriously. Which honestly, is not a bad thought going into the holiday season.


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — Because I love reading quirky family dramas
Reminded me of… Jonathan Tropper's, This is Where I Leave You
For my full review — click here

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the free e-copy of Seven Days of Us by Fancesca Hornak. All opinions expressed below are my own.

Synopsis:
Seven Days of Us tells the story of Birch family, who are quarantined together in the country one year between Christmas and New Years. For a family who hasn't been together in years, this amount of togetherness is huge! When forced together, how will the characters work through their personal drama and secrets? Will the family unit come out stronger or will everything fall apart?

Review:
I requested Seven Days of Us (and also won a Goodreads Giveaway for an advanced copy) last year. I was so excited to read it...then my morning sickness hit hardcore and my holiday reading was pushed aside to binge watch Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I've been trying to clean my Netgalley and ARCs up, so this was a natural choice for me to read this fall.

It took me a while to get into this novel. It wasn't bad in any way, just didn't have enough excitement to keep me interested in the plot. As with many novels I've read recently, once I got about halfway through, I felt more invested in the characters and interested in how the novel would wrap up.

While reading Seven Days of Us, I was reminded a bit of Cherise Wolas' The Family Tabor - mainly because of the family unit being forced back together for an event. It may be more fair to say The Family Tabor reminds me of Seven Days of Us (due to publication order), but since I read The Family Tabor first, I stand by my thought!

I highly recommend reading this one during the winter holidays - while it does not necessarily ruin the experience to read off-season, I think it would add to the atmosphere to read closer to the holidays.

Seven Days of Us is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I was surprised by the strong feelings I had for each of the characters by the end of the novel. Overall, I rated the novel 3.5 stars and I would recommend this novel as a holiday read for those who like character driven novels, especially those about families. If you are looking for a similar read, then I would recommend The Family Tabor (which was a five star read for me!).

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A story about relationships, secrets, and family.

SEVEN DAYS OF US is the Christmas story I never knew I wanted to read. Hornak manages to capture the dysfunction and realness of this family with heart and humor.

Here is the thing. I have said it once and I will no doubt say it again, but I truly enjoy stories about real people. When an author creates characters and gives them dimension, it allows the reader to invest in who the story is about. A flawed and honest person within the pages of a book is the best kind for me. This is exactly what I got with SEVEN DAYS OF US. I was able to enjoy a unique cast as they struggled to interact with each other as a family.

This book will take the reader through all the emotions. The ups and downs everyone in the Birch family's quarantined holiday opens them to sincere conversations, funny moments, and the possibilities of what the future could look like. I loved every moment I spent with this family.