This was a tense and intense book. Certainly gripping and compelling read with a scary realistic situation of a school under siege by radicalised youths. A roller coaster of emotions with plenty of suspense. Quite scary in how such a situation could indeed take place with control of social media and sophisticated internet use by extremist groups

It is a book that will stay with the reader long after finishing and should make us all more aware of what could happen.

Three Hours is a very compelling, dramatic book which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The subject of a school under siege by armed gunmen is a scary one, and the action flits from character to character both inside and outside the school, building tension continually. I have to say I guessed the last two twists in the book, which I don’t normally, but this didn’t stop my enjoyment. In fact it increased the terror factor as I knew what was coming. One of the few books I’ve read this year which I’m wanting time in my day to sit and read. Highly recommended.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion. Rosamund is a new author to me, and I’ll be reading more of her books in the future.

The author tackled such a hard and emotional subejct of school shotings brilliantly. The painstaking research that she must have undertook is clear to see.

180 minutes that changed the lives of many people as sadly these incidents always do. You found yourself investing in the lives and safety of each character as the storyline built and agonising over the injustice of it all.
I was hooked from the moment I starterd reading it and this stayed throughout.

An excellent read.

Set in a school in Somerset, Three Hours is about a school under lock down. It starts with the headmaster being shot and the drama escalates from there. Some of the children have been evacuated but the rest are trapped in two parts of the school. While a young Syrian refuge struggles to rescue his little brother and locate his girlfriend, other pupils are being kept busy in the theatre rehearsing their production of Macbeth and the Police are trying to work out who is holding them hostage.

I read Three Hours while on holiday and kept making excuses to leave our group of friends to read more of this excellent book. A fast-paced, brilliant roller coaster read that I could not put down. Terrifying, exhilarating and exceptionally good!

This is a fabulous thriller by an author I had not read before - but maybe not advisable for parents of school age children!

Set in a school on the cliffs outside of Minehead in Somerset, a small bomb detonates in the woods, as the children arrive for school. The school initiates an amber alert, which quickly escalates and the school goes into full lockdown. The book describes what happens next from the viewpoint of some of the pupils, the parents and the police.

I enjoyed reading the different viewpoints. One minute you are considering the backstory of young Syrian refugees and then moving on to the anxieties of the parents with trapped or missing children and then reading about the children in the theatre rehearsing Macbeth. There are literary quotes throughout, mostly from Macbeth and they are cleverly woven into the fabric of the story.

The suspense builds and builds and it got to the point that I just had to sit in the garden and finish the book. There is a great twist at the end which I didn't see coming at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) - Viking, for the ARC.

Wow! talk about mystery and suspense, bravery and emotion - what an excellent read! - and I read every word, soaking-in the atmosphere created by great writing - what an engaging film this would make!
(OK - you get the gist - I Loved it.)

Set in rural Somerset; a large school campus within and bordered by forest, cliffs and sea. The Old (upper) School, Victorian, which has been connected to the new Theatre by a glassed-in corridor; the New (lower) School, situated above the cliffs; the Gatehouse guarding the long driveway. Forrest, forestry paths, snow and intermittent blizzard conditions provide the backdrop to this intense story.
Sixth-formers Rafi and Hannah are in love; Rafi's younger brother is in the lower school and suffers from PTSD from his life and escape from Syria - Rafi always there to protect him.
A sniper shoots Matthew Marr, the Headmaster, in the head. The 6th-formers are in the library stacking books against the door to protect them from the gunman stalking the corridor. Hannah tends to her Headmaster. Phone calls for help reach the police and parents. Parents are directed to the community centre to await news. The police set up a control room where a psychologist tries to identify who the gunmen might be.
A class is in the Theatre rehearsing Macbeth but the doors have to be kept closed against the walkway that could allow the gunman to enter.
A device explodes in the woods - Rafi recognises the sound and races to protect his brother.
How can anyone escape from this siege? What do these gunmen want?
Parents wait for news of their children but the tone of conversation begins to slant towards terrorism being brought to them by the presence of 'the refugees'.

This is just so intense, so moving; several story-strands coming together and lots of little twists and turns - couldn't guess the ending.
Thoroughly recommended.

An intriguing thriller with believable characters that kept me turning the pages! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy.

A refugee named Rafi is the first to spot that something is amiss on a snowy morning at school, attuned as he is to the sound of bombs and gunfire. This character-led novel has moments of tension and heart-break, but the spell is somewhat broken by a proselytising tone whereby every individual is either saintly or psycho. Beautifully written, but doesn't break any new narrative ground.

What a sensitive and brave subject Rosamund Lupton has tackled wonderfully. This topic was written about so well, considering how prevalent the subject of school shootings are at the moment.

I felt a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach almost all the way through the long drawn out 180 minutes, finding myself entirely invested in each character's safety. If you are into torturing yourself in that sense, I 100% recommend this book!

Effective character building and a seriously impressive ability to keep the reader hooked in the moment.

Oh my goodness this book was so emotional it had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down.
This was written beautifully and I found it so refreshing that it was told by the true heroes in this kind of situation. I don’t want to give too much away as this is a book you need to read, but the characters in this were amazing people and it made you feel like you were really there with them. Such a relevant story at the moment too. A must read.

This has to be one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. The action spans three hours during an attack on a school by what appear to be domestic terrorists, but that spare description really doesn’t do it justice. I’ve read Rosamund Lupton’s previous books but this one is undoubtedly her best so far. It’s a breath-taking read, she ratchets up the tension with every turn of the page and gets completely into the heads of her protagonists.

What’s so clever is the way she puts us right in the middle of the action in the school itself, into the minds of the teachers and pupils and the incredible acts of bravery and self-sacrifice which take place, and into the minds of the desperate families waiting for news of their children. It’s also an incredibly timely book, touching on themes of radicalisation and refugees, of belonging, and of the ways in which we ignore what’s really going on in people’s lives. From being in the room with a group of teenagers desperately trying to stay brave, to small children playing a terrifying game of hide and seek, while in the outside world, police investigators try to work out what’s going on and whether it’s safe to intervene, this is an extraordinarily gripping book.

I loved it so much that having raced through it a first time, desperate to know what happens next, I’m now reading it again in a more leisurely way – it’s one of those books which bears repeated reading, there’s so much richness and texture to it. Her descriptions are wonderful too, and it was a real heart-pounding, pulse-racing read.

I read this whenever and wherever I could grab a minute, I was so engaged. It was like going to the cinema to see a really good film, I couldn’t believe it when I got to the end, because I had been so transported by the story.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough - it’s an angry, moving, hopeful meditation on the power of love over fear and hatred, wrapped up inside a tense page turner of a thriller.

A school in Somerset is under siege, masked gunmen in the school and the headmaster has been shot. children and staff have barricaded themselves into classrooms and are at the mercy of the gunmen. due to a snowstorm and the cleaver plots of the gunmen, the police cannot enter the school.

I really enjoyed this book although it sounds wrong to say so. this book tugged at the emotions and having grown up and gone to a school in Somerset I could not help but picture the events unrolling in me school. children trapped in the gym or in the library, the courage of one young boy.

this book will not appeal to some because it is just too real.

Hands down my book of the year so far, and probably last year and next year too. This was absolutely stunning. I'm left somewhat shell shocked, actually. Full review to come closer to release, but wow. Easiest five stars of the year.

“Three Hours” is set at a progressive school in rural Somerset during a snowstorm. When the unthinkable happens and the school is held under siege, the community of teachers and students must pull together in order to survive. From the injured headteacher to a pair of refugee brothers from Syria to the class trapped in the theatre rehearsing for their performance of MacBeth, we follow the entwined stories while rushing towards an unforgettable climax. This book is a glorious thing: skilfully written, moving, and timely. I loved how Macbeth was threaded through the narrative, with the play’s themes mirrored in the plot, and I got genuine chills in the spectacular climax (don’t worry, no spoilers!). I was on the edge of my seat during certain sections of the book, and I couldn’t help but love the main characters, who were uniquely complex, courageous, and utterly wonderful. A brilliantly written story that had my heart in my throat for the most part. I will be thinking about this book and these characters for a long time to come, and recommending it to anyone within earshot. Truly incredible.

Note: I was provided a free ARC copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so gripping, I had to keep reading until the end.
Somewhere I read only in America have children killed children. School shootings in the UK have been adults doing the killing. In an ideal world no one would be going around killing anyone just because they don't agree with their beliefs.
It is hard to believe that today schools have plans in place for lock downs, the first I have heard that this happens in schools in the UK. Scary times.
The writing was very good, the scene was well set and the tension built.
The characters were well fleshed out and believable and there were flash backs to describe the situation of Rafi and his brother Basi, who escaped Alleppo and then find themselves in another nightmare situation.
Real life situations and people are part of the story, social media also plays a part and not always for the right reasons. Some people should not be allowed to post on Twitter.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC copy in return for an honest review.

I read this book over the course of 4 hours and struggled to put it down! It kept me completely hooked from the first page and I really felt all of the characters fear and uncertainties. Loved the fact it jumped in time across the 3 hours and it kept you wanting more each time. Especially pleased it had a good ending as at one point I was expecting the worst. Would recommend this book.

Rosamund Lupton is a gifted author that masterfully develops plots where great characters portray human emotions and relationships in scenarios that test what it really means to love and hate, to be fearful and brave, and how selfless, protective and frightened people act in times of extreme danger.

Three Hours is the story of a school campus being held hostage by a gunman with murderous intent. Unfortunately, a scenario that has played out for real in our society with shocking news coverage. Rosamund draws wonderful characters that give us a glimpse of possible motivations and actions under the headlines.

The school is a campus of multiple buildings located in woodlands on the Somerset coast and includes a junior school, a senior school, pottery building and a theatre. It has continued to grow from the 1920s adding new to old and now provides education to 14 years of student needs. Several characters occupy each of the buildings and their stories are told with compelling fascination when threat and fear hang over their every move. The novel explores how different people react, some stepping forward in moments of courage and those that don’t.

The attacks start with a small explosion, and Rafi, a young refugee from Aleppo knows from experience exactly what it was. He informs the headmaster, Matthew Marr, and rushes to the junior school to evacuate the children and his younger brother, Basi. For many others, it began when the headmaster was shot in the head and foot. Dragged into the library by Hannah (Rafi’s girlfriend) and her fellow student he is incapacitated but fears what is happening in his school. As for the gunman:

“Everyone would realize, if they hadn’t already feared it, if they were a bit slow on the uptake, that their lives and stories weren’t their own; and all the different stories he’d set in motion would play out at the same time, the simultaneity generated by him.”

As the reports circulate using mobile phones, other teachers battle the fear and nerves to keep the children safe, including Daphne Epelsteiner, the 55 years old drama teacher, Neil Forbright the deputy head and Beth Alton, a worried parent.

The sense of concealed menace hangs like a dense fog over the school never knowing if the killer is going to step out of the mist and shoot someone. The staff try to occupy the children without conveying fear but their anxiety is palpable. Worse still there’s more than one gunman and where are they. Over three hours from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm the lives of the school’s staff, pupils and parents will change forever.

We often wonder what psychological impact events such as school shootings or war-torn regions such as Aleppo have on those that survive. Rafi was a wonderful character, expertly drawn and demonstrated the selfless love he had for his brother, Hannah and others. I loved the following quote from Rafi as he talks to Hannah, and it seems to resonate with multiple disorders from depression to PTSD.

“ ‘I think that’s what mental illness is,’ he said. ‘I think it takes away the choice. You’re stuck being someone who isn’t even really you. And you should know that the not-really-me has PTSD and I’m genuinely weird in a psychotic way.”

This is an excellent book that tackles a difficult and sensitive subject with careful control. The ending ... well 😪! I would highly recommend this book and I’d like to thank Penguin Books for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Rural somerset and its snowing. Inside a school the morning has just begun. A pottery session in a room in the woods with the youngest children and a rehearsal of Macbeth in the theatre. Rafi and Basi are immigrant children escaped from a regime that has made them leave their mother miles and countries away. Rafi is coming in to manhood and has fallen in love with Hannah. He hears what he thinks is a bomb - but who will believe a teenager with PTSD.
There then follows three tense hours. Who is holding the school to ransom? Is it someone they know? Why?
Who can they believe and who will survive?
This is a tense thriller which will make you think - could that happen to me!

I really wanted to love this book but I found it really confusing, in the first few chapters it took ages to work out who was who and where everyone was. The book is set over a very short period just a few hours, in which a lot is going on and that makes it feel a bit rushed and frantic. As the drama of a school under seizure unfolds so do the backstories of some of the pupils and teachers.
The tension and terror of the kids held in the school, their teachers trying to cope and do their best for them and the parents waiting fearfully for it all to end is palpable.
This is a very current book with themes of racial hatred, Islamophobia and violence. The subject is well handled but overall for me, there are just too many characters to get my head around in such a short space of time and the writing seemed a little rushed.