What readers think of Seven Days of Us, plus links to write your own review.

Oh my, I loved this book. I come from a large family and to be able to spend time as a family is unfathomable! I can only imagine what the Birches survived! Since the family is going to have Christmas together, really together now that Olivia has come home because she has to be in quarantine as she was treating an epidemic overseas. So now the entire Birch family is together whether they like it or not! This was fun, and the plot twist was perfect. Enjoy this family saga!

A really good story. The Birch Family (mom/dad/adult daughters Olivia and Phoebe) retire to their country estate to spend the week between Christmas and the New Year. They are actually quarantined there as Olivia as just returned from working in Monrovia as an M.D. treating patients of HAAG, a dangerous, communicable ebola like illness. Olivia has made a point of avoiding family holidays for years so you already know the week will be a trying one. And, in the midst of the immediate family dynamics, there are 3 other characters added to the mix: Phoebe's fiance George, Olivia's love interest Sean, and another guy named Jesse. It is a thoughtful book about relationships and family dynamics, with a bit of comic relief. I found my feelings for the characters changing as I got deeper into the book. The characters all had reason to reassess the meaning of their lives and discover that they can have a hand in how they choose to live. I think it would be a great read for a book club. I particularly enjoyed the book as it made me reflect on my own familial dysfunction and I compared the characters to my own family. It struck me that we often base our opinion of someone from our initial contact (in the case of an acquaintance) or how we interacted with someone (parent, sibling, etc.) during our formative years. The key is formative years and I think we do ourselves a disservice by not being able to see that we all change as we age and we need to be open to changes in our own family as well as our fellow man.

Loved this book. It was one of those stories that you couldn't put down. Characters were well developed and real! As a member of a large family, I relate to the interactions that took place. I was able to laugh and to cry as I wound my way through this story.

I enjoyed the book and the way the author created these multi-dimensional characters, each with layers of personalities and hidden secrets. I think most families have pieces of their personality that are hidden away and the author did a very good job of developing and exposing their personalities - it was evident to the reader what was happening even if the characters did not always immediately recognize. I was sorry to see the book end - realistically funny, sad, encouraging all at once.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author did such a great job developing the characters that I felt like I knew them. I was a bit apprehensive at first as I thought the story might be depressing. Although the author did deal with describing the deadly virus and its effects, the story was always about the family and how they related to each other. The book is not depressing at all and is actually funny in parts. Although the quarantine was for 7 days, much happens in that time and there are some twists in the story that keep it interesting.
The book is well written, with a good story and memorable characters.

Every Christmas I choose a book with a holiday theme to enjoy either on vacation or just as family gathers in our home. SEVEN DAYS OF US caught my attention right away because of the premise of a family together for a week! I began reading hoping I'd get some advice or find some similarities as I recalled past family gatherings. It did not fail as Ms. Hornak managed to incorporate about every possible family scenario and the widest variety of personalities ever imaginable under one roof! Some even just "fell in" the front door! And secrets? Make sure you clear any of those up before you spend a week with the entire family!!! Very much an enjoyable read with straight forward plot lines and short chapters which make SEVEN DAYS an easy read during busy holiday schedules.

I enjoyed this first novel in spite of a few unrealistic coincidences and some predictibility. It involves a family of four—Andrew and Emma, the parents; and Olivia and Phoebe, adult daughters. They're quarantined during Christmas week in their stately, historic country home in northern England because Olivia has just returned from treating Liberian children who were infected with the highly contagious, often fatal virus, Haag (hmmmmm, sounds like Ebola.) The plot was rather predictable and the multiple coincidences were awkward, but it was nicely written, with well developed characters, each with his/her own voice, likes, dislikes, fears, suspicious, and secrets. Secrets! Oh my!! Secrets galore. The set up is full of secrets: Emma has a medical diagnosis she doesn't want to disclose yet because it might spoil the family's Christmas; Andrew has just received an email from Jesse, a young man he didn't know existed, who claims to be his son, the child of a former girlfriend; Olivia is in love with a fellow medical worker in Liberia, but there's a serious life-or-death complication; and Phoebe is engaged to be married to George but is having some doubts about the wedding that she is not admitting, even to herself. Of course all the secrets get spilled before the week is out. The quarantine is complicated by the arrival – and subsequent quarantine -- of George, then Jesse. But the characters are likeable, the story clips along, the family dynamics are fascinating and – even though I guessed correctly – I wanted to see what happened.

Spending time with the family over the holidays is what most of us do. In Seven Days of Us, it's a bit different; they are under quarantine because one family member has been on an aid mission where a deadly disease has broken out. In the days leading up to Christmas, we see all the typical behavior and feelings we go through when being with the ones we are supposed to care about most. The characters are very self-absorbed for a variety of reasons. What Francesca Hornak does is show us how these individuals move from that self-absorption to showing the depth for which they care for each other. It's quite moving. One of the blurbs on the back of the book says the book is "hilariously funny", another "laugh out loud funny". I was quite surprised by this. I think the writer and her writing need to be taken more seriously. It gives the impression that the book is trivial and while humor is used, nothing is marginalized. I liked the book and I look forward to more from Francesca Hornak.