Queuing For The Queen

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

👥👥👭👥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.

Oh my, I wasn't expecting this to be quite such an emotional read but it had me sobbing and laughing throughout.
The story tells of Rani and Tania's journey over 24hours queueing to pay respects to the Queen lying in state after her passing. While this mother and daughter pairing are the main focal point, they meet various people from all walks of life along the journey, and we see how their lives, experiences and sweet nature's can impact on the Kapadia-Nichols ladies.
Young Owen was such a sweetheart, and Harold such a gent.
I'd have quite liked an epilogue to know that all these characters got on fine after the part they played in the healing relationship of mother and daughter.
A lovely read, I'd definitely read more by this author.

A gentle easy read book. The relationship between a mother and daughter is explored within the backdrop of the queue to see the Queen lying in state. The daughter Tania is more open and emotional about her feelings from the start of the book but the joy of this read is the slow burn that is Rani and how her life experiences have shaped her emotions.
Their time in the queue is engagingly described along with the various characters they meet but the flashbacks to Rani's life really developed an understanding of her and her feelings. I appreciated that these flashbacks were in chronological order and not all over the place like some books I've read recently. The reader is able to see how events affected Rani and made her the person she is now.
I've recommended this book to my daughter as not only will she enjoy the storyline but as she lives in London the references to London landmarks etc will add another dimension.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of England passed away at the age of 96. Her life, reign and death meant many different things for many different people around the world, and this was never more evident than in the media circus that followed. What was unexpected, was the thousands of people willing to wait queue for over 24 hours for the chance to pay respects at her coffin.

Rani, a Gujarati Indian woman who emigrated to London as a young child, and her adult daughter Tania, whose father is white, are in this queue together. The people the meet, the stories they hear, and the way the Queen has affected each of their lives is explored delicately in this book that is far more than a nod to the monarchy.

Thank you to Author Swéta Rana, @headofzeus and @netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. It's publishing today and it was an incredibly poignant read after England's King Charles III was crowned just days ago.

I appreciated the characters we met of different ages, cultures and sexual orientation. This wasn't an 'I love the Queen' book; many different angles were explored and I really appreciated this fact. I especially loved the dual perspective of Rani vs Tania and the glimpses we got into Rani's traditional Gujarati upbringing. This was such a positive take on love; between family, friends, community and country. I would happily read it again!

This was a lovely book. I was really excited to see a book about 'the queue' as it was such a poignant moment in British history. Great characters and story. Recommended.

Firstly, a massive thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this advanced copy of Queueing for the Queen by Swéta Rana.

I finished this book within a day, I couldn’t put it down. It’s exactly as the description says, it's a warm and uplifting story about a British Indian mother and her daughter in a queue to see the queen over the span of twenty-four hours. But it's also so much more than that. You go on a journey with the characters and you learn more about their past and learn more about Tania and her mother, Rani, and why they have such struggles within their relationship.

There’s such diversity amongst all of the characters that Tania and Rani meet whilst waiting in the queue. Each of them have such unique personalities, and they come together and find shared interests whilst spending hours together. I laughed and smiled throughout, reading about these groups of characters and how close they became over such a short period of time. Each brings something different to the story.

It was so heartwarming yet also heartbreaking, learning more about Tania and Rani, and finding out why they have such a rocky relationship. Heartwarming in the sense that Rani only acted the way she did out of love and from her own personal experiences and not to be cruel. Heartbreaking as you find out how Rani was treated in such an awful way when she was younger, just so she could be with her love. You read about Tania’s parents, and go back in time to see how their relationship developed and how it had such an impact on their life and how it, later on in life, impacts Tania as well. This story delves into the culture and heritage of both Tania and Rani and how sometimes, you can stray away from that and make choices that not everyone agrees upon. It also shows that hiding things isn't always the best approach and can become more damaging.

Overall, this book isn’t solely about the Queen. It’s about a community of people who all loved and respected her and had their own personal reasons for paying their respects to the Queen. A group that finds solace and friendship, and where secrets are revealed and surprises happen. This book is full of happy and funny moments, but also sad and heart wrenching moments. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading it and I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of the book once its released.

This book was an easy read and flowed really well with good descriptors and character development.
The book isn't action packed and even though there are 3295 pages nothing really happens but i think that gives a real sense of the event that this book is based on.
People literally queued for hours with not a lot happening other than queuing and making new friends from all walks of life and this book identifies this.

The idea of the story was a lovely one and i admired the people who waited in the queue to say their final goodbyes and pay their respects to our late queen.
I do feel this would make a good TV adaptation and would make an equally enjoyable watch as it was to read.

I received this book via NetGalley and give it my honest opinion.

This was a great read and written from an interesting perspective, the characters were diverse and held my interest. A book that will hold you from the start and keep you wanting to find out more about the characters as the waiting in line continues.
I enjoyed this read. Thank you Sweta Rana for ab eautifully written story that represents not only live of a Queen and how she touched many hearts but that of a diverse community too.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Tania was surprised to hear of the queen,s passing. She was not overly fond of the monarchy. When the queen was to lie in state she had no intention of going. Life has a way of changing. While in line with her mom she meets different characters who affect her in many ways. A good book.

An interesting novel based on a group of individuals who find themselves in the queue to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The story behind this account is the life of an Indian lady, Rani, in the queue with her daughter, Tania, who puts love before her culture by marrying a man of her choosing without her parents consent. It’s a relatable account of cultural discrimination and the impact on her future, at the same time as hiding the truth from her daughter. A group of unlikely strangers, each with their own stories, adds to the context. An enjoyable well written novel with diverse characters. The morale: you can remember the dead without forgetting how to live.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Aria and Aries for this advance copy.

What a heartwarming debut. I really enjoyed this book, I read it in one sitting, fantastic characters and a wonderful storyline, this book will stay with you long after you've finished it.

A wonderful story about human connections and those temporary relationships we build that can really define a moment in time. The queen's Lying In State was a once in a generation moment, and thousands of people took the opportunity to pay their respects, queuing for 24 hours or more to do so. Sweta's book follows Tania and her mother Rani as they slowly work their way along the queue, through boroughs of London, meeting their queue neighbours along the way and sharing stories of each other's lives. The time together gives Tania and Rani some much-needed time to work through some of their own grievances and disputes as well.
A sweet tender book paying tribute to human relationships and mother/daughter relationships, as well as those moments that bring a nation together.

This was such an interesting read! It was so engaging and at times frustrating and I wanted to yell like Tania! But Rani's story unfolds so beautifully that by the end, she is every bit as wonderful and thoughtful a character as you could possibly hope for. I loved watching her grow and change and adapt.

Also, I absolutely adored all the side characters they meet along the way. This was a lovely book and I will definitely be looking for more by the author!

Enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. Full of interesting characters spending a day and night queuing to say goodbye to the Queen.
Thought provoking about how diverse the UK has become and the sense of community and kindness that can still be found

What a lovely book! The setting of this story is brilliant & it shows how people can come together, Tania & Rani, mother & daughter queue to show their respects to the late Queen but their relationship has been difficult & the story highlights the complexity of their family. Tania knows nothing about this as Rani has not shared the hurt & upset she has suffered. . The author touches on grief & how complex it is & how it affects us & the people around us.
I enjoyed the gentle flow of this book & the personalities of the people also queueing to show their respects. A great choice of subject. Recommended read.

This was a book I deeply enjoyed and felt like the main character changed from one person to another whilst reading the book. It is a sensitively told story across many generations and I will definitely be looking out for what this author does in the future.

This book is simply amazing. Set against the backdrop of queuing to pay their last respects to the Queen Elizabeth lying in state, we met a bunch of such brilliant characters who all had their own stories. Their stories alone were fascinating but the central characters were a mother and daughter who's relationship was going through a hard period which became clearer as the story veered between the mothers (Rani's) past life and the present day queuing with her daughter. The story was gripping and I certainly shed a few tears as well as cheering them on. It is one of those rare stories that I couldn't put down and found myself reading into the small hours. What an amazing first novel from this author. I will certainly be watching for the next. Such an enthralling read

Lovely book. Based on different peoples attitudes to the queen dying and queuing to walk past her coffin when lying in state.

I really enjoyed this book and it drew me in better than I was expecting. With the story based around such sad events I thought it might be emotional bit was loving it by chapter 2 I couldn't put it down.

I was invited to read this book by the Publisher. It's not one that I probably would have chosen to read, but I really enjoyed reading it.
It is a simple concept, based upon the people who were queuing to see the Queen's coffin.
There are several different generations of people from all walks of life. it was interesting to read their stories. This was a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

What a lovely story. We alternate between a mother and daughter in queue to see the queen lying in state and the life of the mom, starting as a child in India through to just the day before when she makes a step towards reconciliation with the daughter. Wonderfully told and touching tribute to mother and daughter relationships as well as the transition between immigrant parent and native born child.

Tenderly written and heartwarming, a real winner!
Queuing for the Queen is about two women, mother and daughter; Rani and Tania who decide to pay their respects to the queen so they hop off to London and join the huge queue with the thousands of others. I think this is one of the first books to be written about the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II, so it does pull you back to last year and all the sadness which surrounded the country, but it's also full of warmth and hope and laughter.
It's not just about a bunch of people standing in a very long line - it's so much more than that. It explores the relationship between mother and daughter and with some interesting characters popping up to lighten the load.
I did think it was a little too slow-paced at times, but seeing as it is mainly about people standing in a queue it's not surprising.
It's enjoyable and light-hearted and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a really interesting, enjoyable, engaging ready. Rana skillfully explores mother/daughter relationships and the challenges of cultures clashing, against the backdrop of the Queue to see the Queen's coffin. She captured the feeling of that time beautifully in its humour and melancholy, and brought a diverse cast of characters together well. Strange to think a momentous event of just eight months ago is already making its way into fiction!

This was a cute, comical and lesson learning story following a group of people queuing to see the queen lay on state. They all want to pay their respects but the queue is exceptionally long. So starts the stories of why these people have travelled to London and are willing to give up their weekend to queue and say goodbye to the queen.
Tania, living with her boyfriend Jonny, is estranged from her mother after witnessing over a number of times, the snubs her mum gives to Johnny. She's planning her wedding,but is sad about her mum's disapproval.
Rani, Tania's mother, has asked Tania along to this event as she wants to make up with her daughter. She daydreams about her younger life and the challenges that she had in her relationship with her parents.
Harold, a lonely man who wanted to say goodbye to the queen but says so much else more to these strangers.
Denzil and Colin, a married couple who are desperately in love, give everyone a big surprise at one point in the queue.Colin enjoys correcting everyone and bickering with his husband!.
Owen and his mum Elsie have travelled down from Wales as Owen is the queen's number one fan!! He knows lots of historical facts and tells everyone things as they go along.
This circle of people quickly become friends and laugh and joke as they travel alongside the river Temes on their way to Westminster. We learn lots about them and their reasons for being here and staying here till the end.
A great read!!
#Netgalley, #headofzeus, #swetarana

An interesting story about a mother and daughter who have fallen apart over the years who come back together when queuing to see the queen after she had passed away. How they mend the relationship that they have and all the people that they meet in the queue.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book but what I got was great. The story of mum and daughter trying to work out their relationship after years of not being truthful, weaves into “the queue” and saying goodbye to the queen. I thought Tania was interesting, and I liked the other people they met in the queue too. Overall it was an interesting and enjoyable read

What an apt book so near to the Coronation!

I’ve always been a royalist so I was looking forward to reading this, I also watched on tv when the late Queen was lying in wait and the millions of people waiting in line to see her and pay respects and I thought this could be a fantastic book! And here we are.

This was everything I could have imagined and more it’s filled with joyful moments and sad moments too.