Twenty years ago, Helen is forced to give up her new-born baby, Lily. Now living alone in her small flat, there is a knock at the door and her bee, her Lily, is standing in front of her.
Reuniting means the world to them both, but Lily has questions. Lots of them. Questions that Helen is unwilling to answer. In turn Helen watches helplessly as her headstrong daughter launches from relationship to relationship, from kind Andrew, the father of her daughter, to violent Kingsley who fathers her son.
When it's clear her grandbees are in danger, tangled up in her daughter's damaging relationship, Helen must find the courage to step in, confronting the fears that haunt her the most.
Told in Helen's quirky voice Helen and the Grandbees addresses matters of identity, race and mental illness.
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We three sat together on the sofa for two. HELEN
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(@Legend_Times, 28 October 2020, 301 pages, ebook, copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 14 November, #Legend100)
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I am wrecked after reading this, just wrecked. I need so many hugs and cuddles and chocolate and perhaps a teddy bear. I was crying my eyes out most of the time reading this beautiful, heart-punching, gut-wrenching book. I fell absolutely in love with Helen and her bees. Helen comes across as much older than she actually is, and I thought she had some form of dementia at first until the author gradually reveals the trauma in her life that has left her emotionally vulnerable. I loved how the book is narrated by different characters including Helen, her daughter and her grand-daughter. I enjoy book with multiple POV's. I thought this was a heart-breaking book as Helen's past and the trauma she experienced start to surface. I loved every scene with Helen and Aisha, her grand-daughter, they adore each other, and I loved spending time with them. There is a lot of love in this book as well and sadness as Helen reveals secrets from her past that she'd held in for long and takes drastic action as she believes her bees are in danger. This is an unmissable read.
