In December of 2016, the Birch family begins to prepare for a quarantine thanks to the arrival of the oldest daughter, Olivia who was exposed to Haag Virus in Liberia. While in Liberia, Olivia makes a careless mistake when it comes to Haag virus but decides to keep that a secret.

Andrew, a snarky food critic who is best known for family tales in his reviews rather than reviews of restaurants, receives unexpected and potentially devastating news from his past that he is afraid of sharing with his family, worrying how it will affect his relationship with his wife as well as his two daughters.

But time is ticking...

Emma, Andrew's wife who is best described as extremely sentimental has learned some devastating news about herself, but she decides to keep the news a secret in order not to spoil the long-awaited Christmas that she has looked forward to.

I really enjoyed reading SEVEN DAYS OF US by Francesca Hornak, and I was astounded at the way the author captured nuances of relationships between the family members in careful dialogue choices. She never strays from the personalities she carved for the family members. I could really relate to the first dinner the family had after a very long time apart and the uncertain, stilted dialogue that flowed between them.

I do feel that the story lacked a bit of tension because the reader learns most of the secrets rather early in the book. But, Francesca Hornak pulls emotional punches throughout the book when she shows how the family secrets start unraveling. I also loved the heavy focus on family rather than on love interests. In the end, the family will ultimately support one another through bad and good times.

For a sweet, heartwarming and humorous holiday story this is well worth the read.