Seven Days of Us

 Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

The Birch family - father, Andrew; mother, Emma; elder daughter, Olivia; younger daughter, Phoebe - gather for Christmas. Olivia, a doctor, has just returned from Africa where she was treating victims of a viral epidemic and is now required, along with anyone she stays with, to quarantine for seven days. Emma sees it as a wonderful opportunity for the family to spend some quality time together over the holidays, though no one else is quite so sure.

Phoebe, who can be a little self-centered, is pre-occupied with planning the perfect wedding to a man she's trying to believe she loves. Olivia, coming across as distant and critical after years of being away, is hiding the fact that she has put herself and her family at far more risk than she's admitting. Emma, trying desperately to be what everyone needs her to be, has devastating news she's keeping until after quarantine so it won't put a damper on what she hopes will be a happy time. And then there's Andrew, who has a whopper of a secret that is about to change everything.

From health problems to secret lovers to long lost family members, this book has everything...maybe a little more everything than is reasonably credible. Each character seemed just a bit too much, but my preference for subtlety is not everyone's and most reviews I've read were very positive. I enjoyed reading it, in fact was eager to see how it could all possibly be resolved. It does all resolve but it's not your typical everything-turns-out-great-for-everybody Christmas story. 

Entertaining, if slightly over the top.