Helen and the Grandbees is Alex Morall’s debut novel and is a warm, uplifting and simultaneously moving and heart-wrenching read, which is perfect to curl up with on a chilly Autumn evening. Among the subjects it addresses are familial relationships, abuse, trauma/PTSD, duty of care, sacrifice, love, self-destruction and mental health issues. Helen has had a tough life. Leaving home merely a teenager due to the mental anguish associated with abuse, the constant anxiety of being around an abuser and walking on eggshells likely contributed to her mental decline. Things didn't get any better after leaving, though, as along came a whole new set of issues adding to the strain on her mental health. She inadvertently and unexpectedly falls pregnant and nine short months later gives birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl she calls Lily. But despite trying her utmost to care for her newborn, when she begins to lose her grip on reality, she is forced to relinquish her parental rights and sadly Lily is put up for adoption.

Two decades later, Ingrid (formerly Lily) is reunited with her birth mother and is building a family of her own: her and seemingly dutiful husband, Andrew, are awaiting the birth of their firstborn; everything seems every inch as perfect as it should be. That is, until Helen discovers Ingrid is planning a divorce and not for the usual reasons. This sets off Helen's alarms bells but she doesn't wish to say or do anything to throw their fragile, young-lived relationship off track and risk losing contact with her grandchild, Aisha. Can Helen provide the missing piece Ingrid craves or is trauma from her past too great to overcome? This is an moving, emotionally-resonant tale based in the deprived areas of Deptford, and is, at its heart, about the strength of family love overcoming the most intimidating of barriers. Lyrically written, this is such a captivating novel and an unforgettable debut. Morall is definitely a writer to watch. Highly recommended to those who enjoy uplifting women’s fiction. Many thanks to Legend for an ARC.

Twenty years after Helen's baby is taken from her, her daughter Lily, her "bee," comes back looking for answers about her heritage, answers that Helen can't give her. Their relationship is strained through the years as Lily progresses through various relationships and has children of her own, while still wanting answers and becoming more discontent with her life and her relationship with Helen, leading eventually to Helen believing her grandbees are in danger and needing the courage to do what is right for them. It was a really good book. I loved Helen. 4.5 stars rounded to 4.

This is one of the most unique books I’ve read in quite a while! Helen is an impressive and brave character who has faced some horrible things in her life, including abuse and mental illness. But she is persistent and still full of love. Her passion for her daughter (nicknamed bee) and grandkids (Grandbees 😉) is powerful. This is the story of Helen and her relationships with her neighbours, family members and how she views the world. It deals with mental illness, race, family and identity.

I loved reading her perspective on life, and also getting snippets of thoughts from the other characters. It is a thought provoking story. It makes you think of how often people judge others and how you never know what someone else is going through. I appreciated how lasting and how forgiving the love in this story is. It shows the power of friendship and a good laugh against all the bad things in the world.

Thank you @netgalley and Legend Press for my advance copy! Helen and the Grandbees is out this week on October 28th.

An excellent story about mental illness and how deeply people will bury their past when they don't want to confront their trauma.

This book is narrated in this stream of consciousness style that so effectively shows the long lasting effects that this type of trauma can have on a person. It has a way of deeply connecting you to Helen right from the beginning, and you can really see her growth from the frightened girl who ran away from home into the brave woman doing everything she can to protect her grandchildren from her past.

There's no real plot twist, as its pretty easy to guess what happened to her even if she never says anything. I'm not sure if this was intentional or it was intended to be a 'twist' but it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the novel at all.

Super book- very moving, but so on point with many current topics. The subject of mental health is felt with so sensitively, you can’t help but be moved when you read this book. Decisions people make can totally ripple out for years- this book looks that this subject really well. I was moved to tears at times but also felt the characters charm made me want to read more.

Helen and the Grandbees is a sensitively told exploration of race, mental illness, forgiveness, domestic violence, homelessness, and poverty in 20th/21st century England. Morrall writes from the quirky, stream-of-consciousness perspective of Helen, who I quickly grew to care about, and who must confront her past and her fears when her grandchildren need her most.

At its core, this is a sad, heart-wrencher of a story, made even more so as details of Helen's past are slowly, carefully revealed to us — but what made it such a good read for me was the fact that, at the same time, amidst the ugliness and terror that rule Helen's life, it's filled with so much hope and love. Stories like Helen's, Ingrid/Lily's, Aisha's, and Ryan's often fly under the radar in everyday life, but Morrall gently reminds us of the importance of compassion to others and to oneself.

(Marnie was my favourite character. Everyone needs a Marnie.)

Beautifully written, very slow moving literary fiction with a lot of observations and not much dialogue. I had difficulty committing to this novel, the characters are touching and became people I understand—I shared their joy, love, tenacity, devotion, grief, regret and strength. It is this reason that I continued reading. I also really enjoyed the writing and the plot.

The way the timeline went was very confusing. First we are reading about the baby being born, then she 15 and then before you know it she is 2 again. The way it bounced around like that wasn't very seamless. I usually adore a non-linear timeline but the way this one was done wasn't my cup of tea. And the point of view switching so erratically was also a cause of confusion.

It was a lovely story yet got lost in too many words and uneven pacing, but because of the beauty of the book it deserves three Stars.

Alex Morrall has a new fan, I loved this book. Her characters are so real I felt like I knew them. Helen was an amazing protagonist, she was so strong and likeable I was rooting for her all the way. This book deals with very topical issues, mental health and racism. Also domestic violence. All these are very hard to read about but the author writes sensitively which for me enhanced the book. I can't wait to see what Alex Morrall does next! I highly recommend this book and I am definitely putting the hardback copy on my Christmas wish list.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

I am not supposed to be reading this book right now... but I cannot put it down.

There is something so special and endearing about the protagonist Helen, that I don't feel like I can leave her alone until I know how things turn out for her. Although her past has not unfolded- I am rooting for her above any other character.

I love stream of consciousness writing style, in a book that deals with mental illness. I think that reading this book will breed a lot of understanding for readers' opinions of the homeless and mentally ill. I also appreciate the difference between how Helen is assisted in England in contrast to how she would be viewed and assisted in America. But that is another issue entirely.

This is a book that will make for a great discussion in any book club! The characters are very personal and relatable. The story gives us an opportunity to think about ugly things (rape, abuse, teen pregnancy) in a light of beautiful understanding!

This is definitely I book I will feature on my Twitter, Instagram, and Podcast!

Helen has a troubled childhood. She was close to her parents, she was happy. Now she just calls them April and Bill, not mum and dad! At a young age, too you to really understand, she gives birth and has her daughter Lily taken away and put into the adoption system. Years later Lily, who is now Ingrid, comes back into Helens life. She and Andrew are expecting a baby and she wants Helen in her life. But Lily needs answers! Helen doesn't want to discuss it.

Although the story is heartbreaking it's told in quite an upbeat and quirky way. I enjoyed this style of writing. It's wrote with different points of view, which I always love because you get to know the characters much better. The book flits from past to present but it flows really well. You are given little hints about what has happened in Helens past throughout the book. She comes across as a bit slow but this adds to her charm, you can't help but feel sorry for her. I really enjoyed reading this book

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told alternately by the characters of the story, each with their own hopes, fears, anger, confusion and blind spots.
Helen, the tragic heroine. She left home as a teen and though her own telling, a lot of BAD things happened to her. We suspect, abuse coupled with mental illness. She is surprised to find one day that she has given birth to a beautiful baby girl, that she names Lily. Though she does her best, she is not able to care for her while reality sips from her fingers, and Lily is taken from her and put up for adoption. 20 years pass and suddenly Lilly in back in her life, now named Ingrid.

Ingrid/ Lily is pregnant and married to a wonderful man named Andrew. They seem to have a good life together when suddenly Ingrid decides that Andrew annoys her with his niceness, and she wants a divorce. Helen sees what is happening but is afraid of losing her tenuous contact with Ingrid and the baby, named Aisha, is helpless to prevent Ingrid from ruining her own life. Ingrid craves something from Helen, a missing piece of family that Helen can’t provide becuase her trauma is too great.

The lives of her Grand bees- what she calls her grandchildren is a different story. Though terrified, Helen will overcome a lot of her fears to protect them, at any cost.
Such the story goes as Helen, Ingrid, Aisha and others tell their stories, tugging on each other. The unfolding of the story and what happened to Helen kept me engaged. The story is full of heartbreaking relationships of mothers and daughters and how they disappoint each other all the while loving each other with everything they have. The story isnt a particularly happy one, with a lot of difficult subject matter covered, though it does have a happy ending. Recommend

Twenty years ago Helen was forced to give up her new baby daughter Lily. Now living in a small flat there is a knock on the door and Lily is there, right infront of her.
This story is told in Helens quirky voice and after getting used to that I was drawn in.
Topics such as race, identity and mental illness are all covered in a sensitive way.
This book was compelling and a true reflection of modern day life.
Definitely a sure fire hit!

This is a lovely thought provoking read that is written in a very gentle and artistic manner. It is simply beautiful and more a work of art than a novel. I will remember this for a long time and highly recommend it.

I just wasn’t a fan of this. It’s honestly my own fault. I don’t usually like this type of story, so I have no idea why I thought that this would be different. The writing was really gorgeous, but I just could never get into the plot, and that’s on me. This is by no means a bad book, and my problems with it were my own fault. So I really don’t think that my review speaks for the quality of this book. Most people would absolutely love this, but it just wasn’t for me.