Summary: For the first time in years, the entire Birch family will be under roof for Christmas. And it’s only slightly because they have to. Andrew and Emily’s daughter, Olivia, who is often off saving the world, is forced to stay in quarantine for a week after treating an epidemic abroad… and her family should stay in quarantine too. For the next seven days, the Birches will be cut off from humanity- including decent Wi-Fi, in their aging country estate. While younger daughter Phoebe focuses on her upcoming wedding, Olivia struggles to accumulate herself into her family’s life, especially as Andrew and Emily hide their own secrets.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

This Christmas fangirl-yes that’s totally a thing- is always looking for holiday or Christmas-themed books to read during the holiday season. Enter Seven Days of Us, a holiday contemporary taking place in the UK. Seven Days of Us is the perfect read for a cozy night, featuring plenty of blankets and hot chocolate, for the holidays.

Seven Days of Us is a third person multi-POV story, following each of the Birch family members’ experiences being quarantined together over a week. The book is broken down into sections, labeling each day the family spends together.. Call it oldest-daughter syndrome, but I enjoyed Olivia’s perspective the most. Although she struggled, I liked seeing her transition back into the everyday and her family’s life. She also had the most complicated relationships with each of her parents. I also liked Phoebe’s perspective, as she was much more down to earth than I expected.

My favorite element of Seven Days of Us was seeing the Birches’ relationships develop over the course of the novel. Their development fit the rhythm of most Christmas-themed movies and books—and I definitely wouldn’t mind a Seven Days of Us adaptation. In addition, it might be because of the cover, but I kept picturing the Birches’ Weyfield Hall as a fancier and BIGGER version of the house from Home Alone!

While Seven Days of Us should definitely be considered a Christmas-themed read, I wish there was more Christmas! The holiday season more so acts as a background for the book, as the Birches decide to quarantine with Olivia because of the holiday. The family does decorate their tree and put stockings together with one another, but I guess I was expecting a few more holidays elements? Would Santa be allowed to visit their quarantine??

Overall, I enjoyed Seven Days of Us for its family-centric story, although I wish there would have been a few more holiday elements.

Have you read Seven Days of Us? What holiday books are on your TBR? Share in the comments!