Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak Published by Berkley Books Publication Date: October 17th 2017
Pages: 368
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A warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel about what happens when a family is forced to spend a week together in quarantine over the holidays...
It's Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew's elder daughter--who is usually off saving the world--will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she's been told she must stay in quarantine for a week...and so too should her family.
For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity--and even decent Wi-Fi--and forced into each other's orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems.
As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down.
In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who's about to arrive...
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
I didn’t expect to like Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak as much as I did. It was recommended to me as a book for those of us who enjoyed Four Weddings & a Funeral and Love Actually and I can see why! Hornak did a great job of entwining several characters’ stories and meshing them together in a way that was entertaining and ultimately touching.
The characters in this story will draw readers in. I felt like I knew the Birch family and therefore cared about them and the outcome of their various…situations, yes, we will call them situations! While I liked certain Birches better than others, Hornak managed to create dynamic characters and by end of the story, I even liked the unlikable ones. Mom Emma just wants all of her family under one roof for the holidays and is looking forward to celebrating at Weyfield Hall, her childhood home. One would think Christmas at an English country estate would be fabulous, but Weyfield Hall is no longer as grand as it sounds and they will actually be on quarantine for a week due to her doctor daughter returning home from Africa after battling an epidemic disease.
Dad Andrew is not the warmest of fathers, at least with his oldest daughter, Olivia. For that reason and the fact that he took his wife for granted, he was not my favorite of the Birch family. However, events transpire throughout the story which change how every Birch family member sees each other and themselves. There are many awkward moments and some painful ones, but in the end, they are closer. Andrew has several revelations and is much more likable by the end of the book. Olivia and her sister Phoebe are closer. Olivia learns to “loosen up” a little—for the better. Phoebe grows up a bit and starts to realize there is more to life than planning a wedding. I won’t spoil the rest, you will have to read it for yourself!
