👥👥👭👥Lovely story of reconciliation, with a bit of help from strangers😌

I am really glad I heard about this title and picked it up.

I went into this story with an open mind, not knowing where it would take me. But I knew about the long wait thousands endured to pay their respects to Elizabeth II's coffin at Westminster and the opportunity it might make for new encounters and friendships to form. I was impressed by the author's ability to capture the atmosphere of that significant real event and meld it with an emotional mother-daughter tale.

The gradual glimpses of Rani the mother's past worked really well. Though they were brief, they gave context for Rani's behavior. Tania, her daughter, has no idea why her mother clams up and acts the way she does. The wall Rani's built finally tumbles down thanks to the queue wait with a few strangers who become friends and confidants.

I thought it was really helpful that though she could have included an almost limitless cast of others in the queue the author focused on just a handful in key secondary roles. My favorites were young Welsh Owen and elderly Harold.

Thanks to publishers Aria & Aries and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I did not know anything about this book when I started reading. Of course, from the title, I knew it was about people queuing in line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying-in-state. I never would have thought that now, once I have finished reading, I would be sitting still, sobbing. The fact that I am showing so much emotion is totally appropriate, which you will understand after reading.

For an author’s first published book to do this to me, I cannot imagine what she has in store for readers in the future. I am so grateful that she wrote this book because it touched me so much.

It was a bit difficult for me to get into the story to begin with. I believe that is on me. Every book has to lay the groundwork and introduce characters, and after that was done, the plot unfolded at a good pace. I did feel like I was standing in line for hours with these wonderful people the author created. Each one unique and needed for the path of the story.

While the story centers around the queue, it is so much more than that. It is about relationships, especially the very delicate one between mothers and daughters, that can be so strong and so fragile at the same time.

A huge thank you Aria & Aries and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This story revolves around a mother and daughter. Each have their own reasons for standing in line to pay their respects to the Queen. They share the queue with some interesting people.
There were some parts that made me laugh and others that were a bit sad. It seems like it was the appropriate book to read so close to the Coronation
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Who would have thought a book about standing in line would be so entertaining? Well, it's about more than standing in line - it's about family, both the blood one and the one we make. And the one we are all a part of. This is a surprisingly entertaining novel (especially given that not much really happens) that tells not only moves back and forth in time to tell the story of how Rani and her daughter became estranged but also the stories of the people they meet in the queue. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is my first book by Sweta Rana which is an excellent light read for the summer months. A good story line which kept the pages turning quickly. Looking forward to reading more of Sweta's works.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The book was a great read that followed something that’s happened recently.

I loved reading about the stories those who joined "The Queue" told.

Each character of the book was different to the other, which was perfect for the world we live in now.

I recommend this book.

What a beautiful book and one to keep to show to future generations, telling the story of the passing of our wonderful Queen Elizabeth 11 back in September 2022. What a special lady she was and will be loved and missed by so many people who have grown up within her reign. I can just remember her coming to the throne back in 1953, I was just 4 years of age at the time.
The Queens passing was a great shock even with her being 96 years of age. The fact that she was very ill was kept from us. It brought tears to many peoples eyes when the news was broken.
This book follows a mother and daughter when they went to pay their respects as the Queen lay in state. People queued for hours and some for days. This is their story.
I highly recommend this book and it is one to treasure. Well worth far more than 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC

This is such a touching story about mothers and daughters. The setting of The Queue is unique and adds to the sentimentality of the tale. The characters they meet form a small world for those 24 hours and it's all so terribly heart-warming. I miss some of the characters already. This book will stay with me for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I was really excited for this because as soon as I hear about the queue for the Queen I knew “someone should write a story about meeting other people while waiting in the queue.” However I’m not loving it and I’m finally calling it quits. The writing is a bit overly descriptive for my taste, I don’t need every minute detail spelled out for me. the mystery behind the strained mother daughter relationship and why her mom doesn’t like her fiancé had me intrigued enough to read as far as 30% but not even that plot line held my interest enough for me to finish.

Based on the synopsis you’d think we’d get alternating stories from the people mentioned but it’s only from Tania’s (the British Indian daughter) POV. Simply not my cup of tea but others may enjoy it more! I personally would’ve preferred a short story/anthology type book where we get POVs from all kinds of people standing in the queue

Oh everyone is going to love this book! What a great read, especially reliving such a recent experience, now I never joined "The Queue" but the stories that came out of it were enjoyable.

I enjoyed the characters, all very diverse and fitting for the world we are in and I enjoyed the layout of the book, an easy Sunday afternoon read for sure.

My first ever wish on Netgalley and it was granted! Thank you Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Queuing for the Queen is Sweta Rana’s debut novel, set during Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state. Being a big fan of the Queen, and being deeply affected by her death last year, I knew I had to read this novel without knowing anything else about the story. It follows estranged mother and daughter, Rani and Tania, as they wait 24 hours in the public queue to view the Queen’s coffin and focuses primarily on their relationship. Throughout their wait, the novel dips back in time to Rani’s past in India and then her move to England with her family, getting closer and closer to the present day as we see snippets of her life interspersed with the present day queue.

The novel deals with multi-cultural issues and what it feels like to grow up in a country away from your place of birth. It also deals with interracial relationships and how falling in love can happen regardless of race and culture, and how that can have positive and negative effects on the relationship. Most of all it deals with the relationship between a mother and a child and how that relationship is important and should be fostered and cared for while the mother is still alive.

Despite the fact this novel isn’t action-packed, it is still an interesting read with a whole host of characters that wait alongside Rani and Tania. There are various twists and turns in the story that kept me intrigued throughout. I would highly recommend it.

A choral book about the people who queued to pay homage to Queen Elizabeth. There's a lot story and it's a compelling novel.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Oh I absolutely adored this. Sweet, thought provoking, and sentimental. A strange time that's captured so wonderfully in this read with vivid, warm characters that have a story to tell in their own right.

Amazed at this debut, and love how this interweaves with the underrepresented too.

So lovely.

Inspired by the massive queues the public formed to pay respects to the late Queen in Westminster Hall. A 24 hour account following Tania and her mother Rani in the queue intertwined with significant personal life events leading up to the day. Touching the sheer discomfort of such a long wait and the impact not only physically but mentally of those around them. Issues of love, loss, cultural differences, highs and lows along the way as hour by hour the queue shuffles along.

I wasn't really sure what I would feel about this book, being set in such recent history, very vivid in many people's minds. However, as soon as I started reading, I was swept up into the story of British Indian mother and daughter Rani and Tania, and all of the other people they met in the queue.

Rani is estranged from daughter Tania, and she is keen to correct their relationship. To do so, she has to open up - will she be able to do this before their time in the queue ends?

I loved the additional characters, little Owen was gorgeous, and Colin was fantastic! Their stories made me laugh and cry, and I really enjoyed the sense of flow in the story and the queue.

I knew someone would write a book about this subject .So I was excited to read it and it did not disappoint at all. A clever story following a mother and daughter . Loved the characters you met. The Queen would have loved it. The race element made you sad and happy if that makes sense. You have to read it to understand my comment. Love and parents are strange . A very good read. One for my book club

What a lovely book this was. It’s the first book I’ve seen, or read, about the passing of our dear old Queen, and what better way to remember her than to write a book based on the queue that formed to view her lying in state. Focussing on a mother and her daughter who have decided to join the queue at Southwark Park without realising it would take them well over 24 hours!), we follow their journey.

The book is a heart-warming read, although be aware it is a little slow in parts. Obviously, there wasn’t an awful lot to do in the queue, and this reflects in the storyline. It does however introduce us to some wonderful characters that are encountered whilst they wait, and I loved the David Beckham look-a-likes that popped up (obviously remembering that he was in the actual queue!). I personally would love to have joined the queue to pay my respects, but it wasn’t to be. This book gave me a glimpse into what it must have been like to have been part of it.

The storyline wasn’t all just about the queue though. We are treated to a heart-warming story of the relationship between an Indian mother, Rani and her mixed-race daughter, Tania. Their relationship is strained, for reasons which are revealed as the story continues, and I enjoyed the flashbacks to Rani’s earlier life. Her story was quite emotional and tugged at the heartstrings.

This was an enjoyable and easy to read book. It brought back memories of that time also of the emotions that ran through so many people. Would recommend.

"where were you, when you learned the news? possibly like me, you were at home. 'Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II has died, aged 96.' and how did you feel, when you learned the news? this wasn't some theoretical notion from a textbook. this was THE Queen"

I picked this up through Netgalley, with thanks to Sweta Rana, Head of Zeus and Bloomsbury Publishing for gifting me this e-ARC

tania hasn't spoken to her mum in months. not since, well, since she got engaged. she thought that her mum loved her boyfriend, now fiance, so what happened? why did she react that way? so when she gets a call off her mum asking her to join the queue in london, against everything tania goes to join her mum rani. maybe along the way they'll find a way back into being a family again, reconnect and maybe find a community who otherwise they'd never know.

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

my thoughts: as someone who wasn't a royalist, but on the day of the announcement and days that followed i was glued to the tv, unwanting to move and unsure of what this means for the country and how she was our queen, the only queen a lot of people have only ever had. this book captures all of that. the adoration people had for the queen, how she brought people together from all nationalities, from all backgrounds, and of all ages.

when the queue happened, i remember knowing that in the future id want a film or a book about the queue for the queen, about people falling in love during the twenty-four hour lines, about people seeing each other for the first time in a long time, however i did not expect one this soon! technically, it was seven months ago, but sometimes it feels like it was days ago, sometimes years. sometimes it feels like it never even happened. i guess that's because we've spent so long with our queen, that it doesn't feel right to now say king.

having a strained relationship with my mother myself, not because of my choices with my culture and heritage, but because of other reasons, i still found myself relating to the disconnect between rani and tania, especially with rani's story and journey with her husband and tania's father. it shows how grief if not expressed can sometimes cause you to fracture, and how hiding things and your past may mean that future you can't forgive yourself for the choices you made, even if they were the right ones.

the way that the book isn't truly about the queen, but about what she stood for. about the people. i found myself becoming attached to little owen, finding myself excited to find out what colin had planned for the golden jubilee bridges, agatha and gerry's mutual pining for each other when they've lost each other. it is a beautiful sense of community and everyone coming together to celebrate the life of the queen in their own way.

there isn't a strict plot. no heavy reading. but wow it is a beautiful book that completely helps to just solidify all the memories that i have surrounding this event of a lifetime. i loved it.

This book was beautiful to read, being set during such a recent event, one that we all remember and following the story of a mother and daughter, not only over 24 hours but over 60 years was very touching. The story had the perfect balance of current and past. Sometimes it is so easy to spend so much time in the past that the present in a book feels rushed and not properly developed but that wasn't the case with this book. Meeting such a wide variety of characters, even without a lot of in depth information of them, they were written so beautifully that you cared for them, you knew who they were, you grew to feel things for them as much as for the two main characters. Looking at this strainged mother/daughter relationship and learning a little at a time why that's the case, but also understanding each woman's point of view made it so easy to feel for each of them. Rani's story was heartbreaking, and the way in which the loss of her relationship with her own family led her to push herself and her daughter away from their culture so that her daughter would never feel the loss that she did and how that led to such disconnect between Rani and Tania, neither understanding the other, or opening up to the other, showing how relationships can become so fractured by holding things in, even if you think it's for the right reasons. Of course there's so much more to it than that as anyone who reads the book will discover. It was just a beautifully written story and I am so glad I read it.