What drives someone to enter a school and start shooting at the children inside? If you've read 'We need to talk about Kevin' and 'Nineteen Minutes' this might be the next book for you. However this story focuses on the courage of the students and teachers in the school and their love for each other. It also sees the events unfolding from the point of view of the perpetrator's mother, as her worry for his safety gives way to the realisation that he is behind all of this. The plot is very fast paced and told from multiple viewpoints - each of the characters are so well drawn that you can feel their motivation, hopes and dreams. I literally could not put it down. This author's previous novel 'Sister' is one of my all-time favourite books, but this one is even better! Bang up to date with refences to contemporary issues, such as radicalisation and the Prevent programme, it describes the reality of the things people are put through to escape an evil regime. Ultimately it is about courage and the goodness of human nature in the face of adversity and evil.

I'm shellshocked - what an amazing emotional rollercoaster of a book. I could barely stand to read the last few chapters, the tension was almost unbearable. My heart actually broke at one point - its rare for a book to move me to tears but this book managed it several times during the dramatic ending.
This is a book that will I'm sure stay with me for a long time. The characters are so well rounded I could picture them in my mind and indeed saw similarities in people I know and love. Its a credit to the author that each and everyone of the characters - even those who are not what we would call 'nice' manage to invoke sympathy and a compulsion to know what happens to them.
A more chilling novel I can't imagine reading - a modern horror tale of how our changing world is impacting on each and everyone one of us. A must read.

I ended up not finishing this one, due to my own issues that are not reflective of the writing itself. Three Hours explores the moments during a lockdown as there is an armed person shooting at a school. I found the events depicted to be so so representative of the current climate we are in - with mass shootings happening far too often. Because of this, it can indeed be a triggering topic for those who have experienced a terror attack, or are indeed susceptible to triggers. Therefore I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.

A chilling read made more realistic by the setting and the plausible characters.
A liberal school is put in lockdown when it’s headteacher is shot. Three pockets of students are isolated - in the library with the wounded hard teacher - in the pottery room and in the theatre. There in the theatre the students are rehearsing Macbeth, and the parallels between the play and the ongoing situation are excellently portrayed.
This is an immersive read which portrays the best and worst of human characteristics. Maybe a few pages too long but the book deserves a 5* rating.

Quick but a very intense read!

A secular school in the English countryside is targeted by masked gunmen who shot the Headmaster and threaten the children. The book covers a three hour span during which the children barricade themselves inside the school and police is trying to negotiate with the gunmen to prevent any more shots being fired.

I read the book in a couple of days, completely engrossed in the story. This is a chilling and terrifying read that had my heart racing in the critical moments. The book is masterfully written, the characters are well drawn out and I was feeling all of their emotions - the terror of the trapped children, the courage of the teachers and the despair and helplessness of the parents.

This was my first book by the author but I'll be definitely looking out for her other books.

Many thanks to Penguin Books UK for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not even sure where to begin with my review of this book - I read it in a day and devoured every page of it. It was a whirlwind of a book to read, so many different emotions and lots of tears.

A school in Somerset is under siege, staff and children are barricading themselves in and emergency services are on the way. The beginning of this story is gripping yet haunting. Told from many view points, Rosamund Lupton lets the reader imagine how the scenario plays for all those involved from pupils to teachers, parents to police. It shows how bravery and unity in the face of danger can have such a powerful impact.

This book really struck a chord with me, being both a parent and a teacher. Whilst I cried many tears reading this book, I also had lots of smiles and feelings of hope when encountering characters such as Matthew, Neil, Daphne, Beth, Hannah, Rafi and his younger brother Basi.

The ending is particularly powerful and emotional, but the whole book highlights so many important issues we should all be aware of. This has been my best read of the year and awarding it 5 stars out of 5 does not seem enough!!

A high school siege in the UK is a really thrilling premise but unfortunately it finds itself here in the wrong hands. It is written almost in real time, an attempt to capture the unbearable tension of being caught up in the terror. Unfortunately though, for the reader, this device just robs the story of any pace. You would think it impossible for a high school siege story to be boring but this one manages it. It is politically well-intentioned but completely lacking in nuance and also rather unrepresentative of the real picture for unaccompanied minors in the UK - very few of whom are actually from Syria, and even fewer of whom end up in private day schools. Overall i ĺoved the idea but found it a turgid read. Disappointing.

I demolished this book in a day! I was gripped from the start and although I guessed about Jamie, I didn’t mind as the story kept me riveted!! You quickly like all the characters and in fact the ones in the library (Hannah) and the theatre (Daphne and the kids) quickly became my favourites as they were just kids & teachers dealing as best they could with the situation. I highly recommend reading this as you won’t want to put it down!

The intense and chilling tale of a Somerset school shooting; something very rarely seen in our country. Difficult to read at times. Brilliant characterisation. I want to be pals with Rafi so much <3

oh gosh, this book was amazing, very thrilling and unforgettable.
It's perfect thriller for winter days. I thought it was also very moving, emotional. Lupton managed to capture the reactions and courage very well. I love her writing also in Sister. So, she's an auto buy author for me.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow so a week on I am still thinking about this book - I have read all of Rosamund’s books - and enjoyed them all in their own way. However this one is so well written and I could honestly imagine it happening by the second as I read it.

I did not want to put this down - very thought provoking, and a brilliant read. And as I say the story stays with you. A great read.

Moving intense and chilling. A great read which is tense, honest and gripping.
My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A absolutely heart breaking read. Emotionally fraught, gripping novel., that stays with you long after the last page.

Three Hours is the most exceptional read .It is compelling from the first chapter and I just didn't want to put it down .A school is under seize in the West Country and snow is falling .The story is told by the people at the centre of it .The students ,the parents the Headmaster,the Police and Syrian refugee Rafi .I found this book very moving ,intense and chilling but also full of love and courage .It is one of those books that I will remember for a long time .Many thanks to the Publishers the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
This book grabs you in a vice like from the first sentence and you do not want to put it down. I found myself reading it whilst cooking, cleaning etc. - I was desperate to find out what happened next. It is the story of a school, under attack from terrorists. The first person to realize that something is amiss is Rafi, a refugee suffering from PTSD; as he says himself he is hypervigilant so perhaps he has it wrong? His caring headteacher, who travelled to Calais to rescue Rafi and his little brother Basi, intuitively believes him thus potentially saving many lives.
Set over the three hours of the attack Lupton takes us through the procedures of the police and introduces us to many brave and inspiring characters. Daphne who encourages her students to rehearse for Macbeth, the play they are due to perform, in order to distract them from the terrifying situation into which they have been thrown.
Throughout the story of the attack Rafi thinks back over the events which led him from Aleppo and enabled him to keep his little brother safe. The bond between these brothers is life affirming and demonstrates the power of love to sustain us in the very darkest of times.
I would recommend everyone to rush out and buy a copy of this as soon as it is in the bookshops. I don’t think I will read a more powerful and important book this year. I am very grateful to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, it was very enjoyable. I found the plot line engaging and the characters believable. Parts were quite thought-provoking. I have not read anything by this author before but will do in the future! I will be recommending this book to friends and family.

What a great read-tense and honest and gripping.

The concept makes it stand out and, as someone with children, it is a hard but riveting read.

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. This book got off to a breath taking start, I had tears in my eyes, because a school siege with kids inside is every parents worst nightmare. The narrative jumps around a bit and I felt there was a lull in the middle of the book. The story did pick up the pace again towards the end.

Rosamund Lupton's Three Hours is a hard-hitting, too close to reality, story of terrorists holding a British school hostage after shooting the headmaster. I was immediately sucked into the drama from page one. The pull of the writing, the panic, fear and bravery of the students, teachers and parents is hypnotic. This novel covers the three hour siege from the perspective of the students locked down in various locations on campus as well as the thoughts and actions of teachers and police working to extricate the children in their care from the immediate danger. Nature is not on their side, sadly, as a snow storm adds a level of difficulty to the evacuation attempts.

I was gripped by this novel. It tackles many of today's topical issues - terrorism and racism most especially - with tremendous wisdom and heart. Students, sixth formers who are two minutes from childhood themselves, display acts of courage in the face of terror in pride-inducing ways. Three Hours is a rare gem that shines light on the wonder of human capability and how we can rise to levels of bravery previously not imagined. The human spirit is most assuredly resilient.

As the title suggests this was the story of a few hours in a school which wasn’t your normal school day! This was rather different to the type of book I normally read & at first I was a little unsure but the author draws you into the lives of the characters. I found myself reading more often than usual as the story unfolded. as there were plenty of twists & turns which kept me hooked. Although it was relevant to the story I wasn’t keen on the Macbeth extracts but it may well be appreciated by other readers and was easily skipped over. It is hard to review the book without giving any spoilers but I enjoyed it and think others will as well.