What can I say about this amazing book? I certainly didn’t know what to expect when I saw the title but the reality of this book really is a rollercoaster and I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout.
The story centres in the estranged mother and daughter who join the queue to view the Queen lying in state. The queue is longer than they anticipate but in the 24hours duration they meet a wonderful cast of supporting characters in Agatha, Colin, Denzil Harold and the oh so wonderful Owen. The action veers between the queue and Rani’s past life that builds up to explain her reasons for being in the queue.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I laughed, I cheered and I shed more than 1 tear - some happy and some less so.
This book falls into that rare category: I couldn’t bear to put it down until it was finished but felt a real sense of loss when I finally finished it. I so wanted to follow each character home and find out what happened to them.
This may be the author’s first novel but I truly hope it won’t be get last.

When I first saw this, I was a little concerned about how respectful it would be. I'm a huge royal family fan, and like most, admired the late Queen, and I supposed I was worried that by using her death and funeral for entertainment would be insensitive. But it didn't feel like that. It's clear that Swéta has some love for the Royals, or at least the Queen, to be able to write with so much passion.

I do have some questions thought. From what I know about the publishing industry, the time between signing with a publisher and it coming out can be as long as 1-2 years. Now, the Queen died in September 2022, which, at time of writing this review, was 7 months ago. So, my question is this: did Swéta write this prior to the event and just got lucky that it matched? Did she write a similar story prior to the event and then make changes after the Queen died? Or did she write it in just a few months and it was fast tracked through to be timely?

Whilst it is a fiction book, it does bring back memories of that sad time. I didn't go to see her in state myself, but I followed it online, watched it on the news, and diligently sat in silence when her children and grandchildren stood vigil. It's hard to believe it's been 7 months. Sometimes it feels like it was years ago, and sometimes just yesterday. It was a very sad, but not unexpected, time in British history and I became even more of a royalist in those few weeks. There was this warmth and sense of community about it all. Where else in the world would strangers voluntarily queue for 24 hours to stand for 30 seconds in front of a coffin to say goodbye to someone they didn't know? It seemed jolly, even in the circumstances. And I think this book showed that within the first few chapters. This sense of strangers becoming friends.

I liked that the main protagonist has an Indian background with an Indian-born mother. The chapters alternate between the queue in London, and the protagonist's mother's childhood in India, and it was interesting to read about what the Queen meant to people who are often seen as "outsiders". Those who weren't necessarily born in the UK and therefore didn't necessarily see the royals as that important. It's proof that she wasn't just the Queen of the UK, but was admired around the world.

I liked that the in-between chapters that are set in the past are written backwards. So they start at around 60 years ago when the mother was a child, and then end just a short time before the queue. This gives more context to the present scenes and more understanding as to the characters' relationship and emotions.

It is a very easy book to read. I read it in a matter of hours. It flows well, has great description, and just rolls off the page.

What I will say, is don't go in expecting a really full-on action-packed story. Not much actually happens. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. I read this just after I'd finished an intense war story, and this gave me what I wanted: happiness, joyfulness, hopefulness, and togetherness. It's a gentle story about the people in the queue. It's more about conversation and memory and emotion than it is about action. It is the epitome of a feel-good book.

This was a very enjoyable read exploring family secrets, losses, hidden identities, multi-cultural issues, the kindness of strangers and a plethora of other issues impacting the lives of several people who spent a day queuing with random strangers to pay tribute to the Queen following her death.
It served to highlight how when we are taken away from our technology driven, busy lives and have time and less distractions different types of communication can be opened and relationships can be both developed and enhanced.
The key theme which was addressed in the latter part of the book was that of inter-racial marriage and I thought the author approached the topic with a great deal of sensitivity and compassion.
A very thought-provoking and enjoyable read.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Great book focusing on a mother and daughter queuing to see the Queen when she died. They meet some interesting characters along the journey through London.
Going back and forth through their lives the ups downs and upsets which has brought them to where they are today .

What a unique book and concept. I was deeply affected my the queens passing as Zi know so many others were both young and old. I think this book will be a beautiful story on how her loss affected people from many different walks of life. Will be sharing a full review so. Very pleased to acquire this for our location.