Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader's copy of this book.

This book is getting all sorts of praise but I DNFed it about a quarter of the way through. I may return to it at some point, but for right now I'm just way too tired of books about twentysomethings getting their lives together. It's not a stage I'm interested in reading about over and over.

Maddie’s life is far from what she expected it to be. Between an overbearing, yet absent, mother, a nightmare boss, and being the primary caretaker for her father, Maddie knows she needs to make changes, but isn’t sure how. When her mom finally returns to England, Maddie jumps at the chance to make changes. Unfortunately, a tragedy strikes and puts all of her hard work at risk.

What I liked most about the book was how it pulled me in and made me feel like I was really part of Maddie’s life. It was heartbreaking, but also funny and awkward. I also loved that it gave a whole picture of her life, instead of just focusing in on a few details.

There were actually very few things that I disliked about Maame. It had some uncomfortable and awkward moments, but it’s really what made the book even better and felt more realistic.

I honestly can’t think of anyone that I wouldn’t recommend this book to. It deals with a number of heavy issues: racism, being a caretaker, family issues, but it also finds a way to incorporate humor throughout it all. If you like novels about friendship and family, this book is definitely for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press as well as the author for this delightful ARC.
#NetGalley #Maame #JessicaGeorge #St.Martin’sPress
This was such a great read. I also won a hard copy of this ARC from the publisher in a Goodreads Giveaway! So I thank St. Martin’s Press for that as well. I’m so glad to have it.

Maddie Wright is the main caregiver for her father, who has Parkinson’s disease. While her peers are going off to college and living their best lives, she works for a boss that's less than understanding and cares for her ailing father. When her mother returns from Ghana, she leaps for her life to start. Things don’t always go according to plan, however.
Maddie was a wonderful character, whom I wish I could hang out with. She was kind and caring. Her mother is less likable, which makes me like and empathize with Maddie more. Her mother is critical and often absent as was her brother. Very selfish. Maddie feels that her nickname, “Maame”, embodies all of that. It means several things in the Twi language and Maddie feels that she has always been a woman and has never been a child. This sort of embodies the first part of the novel. The rest of the novel details her life actually starting and the triumphs and failures of such.
This novel represents a full range of emotions. I experienced grief, triumph, heartbreak, and exhilaration, to name a few. It’s been awhile since I had to take breaks while reading due to emotional exhaustion. I enjoyed learning about Ghanaian culture and language. I appreciate how truthful this was written.
I do wish some of the characters, other than Maddie, had been more likable. I’m not sure if this would have made Maddie less likable though. Somehow I don’t think so.
Five stars!

I felt for a debut that this book was well written and definitely touched on some interesting issues pertaining to crossing cultural barriers and finding your place in the world. As a coming of age story, it really did have a lovely message and I was rooting for the main character. However, I also found her to be incredibly naive and somewhat annoying. Her mom was also very tiresome. I’m 39 years old, and I feel like if I were a woman in her mid twenties, this book may have resonated more with me.

"Maame" by Jessica George is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel. The story is centered around a young woman named Maame who is grappling with her identity and cultural heritage as she navigates life in both Ghana and the United States.

The characters are vividly drawn and the descriptions of the settings are rich and evocative. The writing style is lyrical and poetic, and I found myself deeply immersed in Maame's journey.

My only criticism is that the pacing felt slow at times, and I found myself wanting the story to move along a bit faster. However, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise engrossing read.

Overall, "Maame" is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of identity, belonging, and family. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven fiction with a strong sense of place.

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

A powerful novel that is about family, grief, self growth, guilt, regrets, and starting over! Thoroughly enjoyed the growth of the protagonist. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Maddie is in her mid twenties living in London taking care of her ill father. Even though Maddie is 25, it's a coming of age story as Maddie has been a bit sheltered in her life. Her mom has been absent and her brother not helpful.

She had to navigate so many firsts and I felt for her. I was heartbroken, sometimes I was laughing and other times I was cringing. The book is peppered with many of her internal thoughts which I thought were a great addition to the story.

Definitely worth the hype and a must read for fans of character driven novels

I thought this was beautifully written and great characters but I’m so used to action packed suspense or romantic comedies with a building trajectory that I couldn’t get into this one enough to hold my interest!

I didn't love this book. It seems like one I've read more than once--young woman in her 20s floundering and "coming of age." Deducted a star for the regular google searches for the every decision she made--large or small.

thank you for the arc! it took me a while to read it, but i finally did. maddie acted like a child at times, and was very naive. it irritated me a lot. but i still enjoyed most of the story and would recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley & Saint Martin Press for the ARC.

I live for books like Maame, this is going to my memorable sad girl books list. Maddie was such a complex and relatable character, and I think having POC characters with her background and life experiences is so important because minority women tend to be pressured even more when it comes to finding our place in society, fitting in, being great, making our families proud, sacrificing ourselves for the well being of others.

I rooted for her from the beginning, I wished she would soon realize and learn that it was okay to feel lost, to understand and make peace with the fact that adulting is hard and having it all figured it out is almost a myth.

Ahhhhhh ~

Anyway! I can’t wait to read whatever Jessica George publishes next.

Maddie (nicknamed “Maame” by her mother) is a twenty-something in London who cares for her father, who has Parkinson’s. Her mother spends most of the year in Ghana and her brother doesn’t help. When her mother decides to come back, this is Maddie’s first opportunity to move out and claim her independence. Maame follows Maddie as she learns about the world outside her home and struggles to find a place in it, while pushing back against her family’s expectations–particularly when tragedy strikes and she is overcome by grief.

Maddie is an endearing character; she’s naive, which could be frustrating to read, but she’s also aware of it. I actually saw hints of autism in her (though I’m no expert and have not seen others mention this), and reading with that lens made her naivete and some of her tendencies more understandable. Whether or not my interpretation is true, Maddie is a character I rooted for, and this book deserves all of its accolades.

Short synopsis: 25 year old Maddie is in charge of Caring for her sick father, because her mom spends most of her time in Ghana. When Mom comes to London to visit Maddie jumps at the chance to move out and begin her adult life.

My thoughts: I loved the term “Maame” and how the book explained it. In Twi it means woman, but has many meanings: a term of endearment, provider, and caregiver are a couple. Ultimately we leave Maddie’s feelings towards it, and the responsibility she felt in relation to the term.

I loved this coming of age story, Maddie is an adult but has never really had the opportunity to make her own choices. There are moments of humor, sadness, and joy. I loved watching her grow, and become her own person despite her familial/cultural obligations.

I especially enjoyed the inside look into the publishing industry and her job as an editors assistant. There’s many insights that I never even considered that we got to see a bit of!

I got a good laugh out of her google history. She’d google anything and everything, seems like something we are all guilty of!

Read if you love:
- Family relationships
- Overcoming unrealistic expectations
- Mental health
- Important themes (racism, micro aggression, sexual assault, depression/grief, familial obligations)

Ma’am’s was a very moving coming of age novel. It was very heartfelt and emotional. I liked the characters and found them to be very relatable. There were some scenes that were unnecessary. Still this is a novel of love, loss, and family. I recommend this for fans of Sally Rooney, Colleen Hoover, and Jojo Moyes!

This story hit home with me. I related to the main character having to take care of her sick, ageing parent while struggling through other life issues.Maddie has a lot going on in her life, but the main factor is taking care of her father. With her mom and brother not in the area, she's the main caretaker for her dad, who has Parkinson's.

What do you do for a parent, and yet live the life you feel you need to live? This is the question this book poses.

This was a wonderful coming of age story! I was really rooting for Maddie and was happy to final see her find her path and voice. He family made me a little mad but it felt like a realistic depiction of the challenges many people face.

Meet Maddie Wright, a 25-year-old Londoner whose childhood nickname “Maame” means woman. She’s been the responsible one in her family for as long as she can remember, and now is the caretaker for her dad, who suffers from Parkinson’s. You’d think her job in theatre might be glamorous but it’s nothing but a slog, and her love life is nothing to write home about either. And don’t get her started on the racism she’s subject to at work, where she’s often the only Black person in the room. So when her mother returns from Ghana, Maddie sees her chance to break free and moves into a flat with two roommates. Life’s looking up until tragedy forces Maddie to reimagine her path going forward and think long and hard about what truly matters in life.

This is a stunning debut by Jessica George. Her lovable and very relatable protagonist Maddie is a young girl who embodies not only the naivete of youth but the often serious responsibility placed on children to care for their family members. Its by turns heartwarming and humorous, sad and yet strikingly realistic and emotive. Highly recommended must-read for anyone who enjoys a poignant and moving portrayal of a young girl’s coming-of-age.

An incredible debut by Jessica George, who brings us a relatable protagonist in Maame, a story about family, grief, and growing up to find your own way. Maame takes us on a journey showing the struggle of loss, love, cultural obligations, and gender expectations, though a coming of age story that is entertaining, moving, and heartbreaking at times. The first part of the novel was a little slow for me, but by the end, I was fully invested in the story. The audiobook is narrated by Heather Agyepong and her voice perfectly brings this book to life!

Jessica George's "Maame" is a fantastic debut novel that I’ve been recommending to all my friends. It’s a coming of age story about Maame, a young Ghanaian woman living in London. Her father has Parkinson’s and she has been his main care taker which has taken up such a large part of her life that she feels she’s missed out on the typical experiences of a young woman. She experiences a range of adventures and emotions as she moves out and tackles life challenges. As a reader, I found myself fully invested in Maame's journey, rooting for her as she faced various obstacles and setbacks.

Overall, "Maame" is a well written and emotionally resonant novel that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a compelling coming of age story.

“𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻.”

Maddie aka Maame is a twenty something loving in London. Her mother out of the country and her brother often otherwise occupied, she takes on the lion’s share of providing care for her father who is ailing with Parkinson’s.

Eager to finally spread her wings, Maddie moves out of her childhood home and vows to make bold choices both in her career and her personal life. But then her father passes away and things are put into a different perspective. After finally having the freedom she thought she truly craved, all Maddie ends up feeling is lost.

A late onset coming of age story laced with racial and familial commentary, Maame is a debut that’s making quite an impression. I enjoyed parts of this novel, but if I’m being honest, I had a hard time finding a consistent tone and even put it down a few times. Maddie’s mother was a particularly frustrating character to read. While I didn’t always love the story, my heart did break a little for all that Maddie had to endure alone.