I am so rarely persuaded by the fanfare around a newly released book, especially for contemporary fiction, but folks - this one is it. Maame introduces us to Maddie, a young woman whose life is very much at a crossroads. As she navigates her ties between her immigrant family and the possibility of a full life in London, we cringe with her at awkward moments, mourn devastating losses, and celebrate small victories alongside her. Jessica George has created full, cohesive characters and a narrative that the reader feels personally connected to. Bravo.

I was excited to read an early copy of this book, and wow! I cannot believe this was a debut. A realistic coming of age story with a huge helping of family drama, I could not put this down. I fell in love with the majority of the characters, their deep but complicated relationships, and Maddie's winding journey to self discovery. I really appreciated the author's handling of grief, depression, and complicated family dynamics, and found it so easy to root for Maddie. I laughed, I cried, and I didn't want this book to end (mainly so we'd get more Sam content!). There were a couple of predictable twists, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book overall. Highly recommend, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what the author does next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was fantastic! It’s about a young woman who is 25 years old named Maddie, and she is living at her parents’ house in the UK taking care of her father who has Parkinson’s while her mother is in Ghana running a family business. When her mother returns home, she moves out of the house and gets to live her young 20-something life - dating, living with roommates, navigating her career and Googling her way through it all. Then, something happens and she has to deal with her complicated family life head on.

I loved this book so much. I loved Maddie, googling her way through early adulthood, navigating this new world of freedom the best she could, learning throughout the book. I loved her friends and how they wrapped her up in love when she needed them. And I felt for her mother, despite how difficult she so often was. All of the characters were brilliantly written.

This novel was just a beautiful second coming of age type - one of my favorite genres. It had the same 20-something-year-old feeling chaotic energy as other books I’ve loved like All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathew’s, NSFW by Isabel Kaplan and Sally Rooney’s books, but Jessica George brought and fresh voice and incredible writing to the sub-genre. I can’t recommend this one enough!!

Maddie is a twenty-something Londoner learning to navigate between her family's traditional Ghanaian expectations and her own hopes and desires. She has been obligated to take on huge responsibilities and carry a great deal of weight for her family while still trying to figure out her place in the world and "come into her own". Her character's development throughout the story is well-done; she deals with a number of relatable situations, including struggles with grief, friendship, love, sex, and career.

This book made me cry, smile, chuckle, and even cringe, so it definitely delivers on emotions. The reason for my one-star deduction is that I felt like it moved very slowly for the first 60%.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me early access to the ebook version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Congratulations on your debut book being a hit! I was immediately drawn into your skillful world building, and found myself laughing out loud multiple times. Maddie, though sad for the majority of the book, was incredibly relatable. It was great to witness her character development throughout the story and how we got a glimpse into her hopefully happy ending. Also loved how you explored Ghanian culture/and the challenges that come along with being children of immigrants. Great writing!

Maame by Jessica George is a unique debut that is fantastic! You will root for Maddie as she finds the life she was always meant to have and leaves the “limited life” she was living before! Loved this one and recommend!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maame might have just moved up to one of my top three books of the year. It is the story of a woman who is confronted by her family histories and relational identities after she moves out of her father’s home and her father passes away soon thereafter. She has to suddenly reimagine herself as adult child navigating her career, dating, friendships, and her relationship with herself. This is a beautiful story of searching, healing, reckoning, reimagining, fissioning and reconnecting. I absolutely loved it. I also listened to the audiobook once it was released and would highly recommend it!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy.

At first I thought I was going to DNF this book. I kept thinking to myself WHEN is this going to get to the good part? The answer...about 25% of the way through you get past all the "boring" parts of the back story and get to join Maddie in her nice, new, scary world! Rest assured that the backstory you get at the beginning isn't all for nothing-it matters later! The last 75% of the book goes super quick. I loved getting to watch Maddie's character grow from only girl in the family, somehow turned caretaker to literally EVERYONE (mom, dad, older brother) into a young woman truly getting to experience the world for the first time.

Maddie moves out on her own in with Flat mates who may not be the best fit for her but play a role in Maddie getting to truly know who she is. There is romance and heartbreak. Cheers and tears. This book is PHENOMENAL and a definite must read for all young people everywhere who are about to head out and experience the world on their own for the first time. I love Maddie and I think you will too :)

This was way more than I expected out of this novel. It was so heartbreaking in sections, especially when dealing with her family and father. But so rewarding to see a character start to rally for themselves.

Maame by Jessica George is available now in Hardback, Audiobook and eBook
⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐ Book Review

Maame means “woman”. Young Maddie is the primary caretaker of her father who has Parkinson’s. Her mother is overbearing. When her mother returns home, Maddie is given the opportunity to hand over the caretaker baton and take control of her life, until tragedy strikes.

Maame is an emotional, coming of age novel that will send you on a beautiful journey: the daily struggles of familial duties, the pressure of others expectations, and finding where you belong. Jessica George writes with such passion. Maame is written so realistically from the heart, it is hard to believe this is George’s first novel. I couldn’t put this one day from the very beginning. At times I wanted to cry then found myself laughing again. Maddie was so full of life. The love and friendships she endured were heartfelt. I enjoyed going through all the phases of life with her: pain, guilt, achievements. I strongly recommend this book and I can’t wait to see what else George has to offer her readers in the future.

I loved this book!! The character development was one of the best I’ve read in awhile. The writing was flawless and the story was moving and poignant. Definitely recommend!!

Really enjoyed this one! Was loving the Dolly Alderton vibes of dating in your mid-twenties, so I was a bit disappointed when the family drama became the main focus of the second half. This was mostly on me for not knowing what I was getting into. Still incredible - 4.5 stars

This book was a gem! I thought it was just a simple story, of a young woman trying to find love, but BOY WAS I WRONG. This book sucked me in, and I cared so for Ma'ame and her need for family, to be taken care of instead of always taking care of others ad by her ability to become self aware. So so good.

I could give all the stars to this book and it wouldn’t be enough - I loved it so much!

it’s both coming-of-age while also being a story about navigating life in your 20s. though the main character [maddie] does seem a bit naive at times, I absolutely felt for her throughout the book as she faced the realities of friendship, dating, and family relationships as an adult. the writing was fresh and conversational as well - like chatting with a friend - which made it an even more enjoyable read.

also definitely read the authors note - it made this book even more touching. I can’t wait to see what’s next from jessica george!

<i>“It made me grow up when I should have had more time. It made my dad overlook me when I was a child, my mum leave me behind, and my brother get away with doing the bare minimum. It made me lonely and it made me sad. It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, if given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.”</i>

Maddie's family is anything but conventional. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana managing her family's business. Her brother travels for work and is too busy living his life to help out at home. That leaves 25 year old Maddie to juggle a full time job while also living at home and caring for her father who has late stage Parkinson's.

When her mother returns to London after her most recent time in Ghana, she encourages Maddie to move out and experience life. Having been forced to take on huge responsibilities from such a young age, Maddie has lived a rather sheltered life. As she moves into her first flat, she is faced with a lot of freedom and new experiences both good and bad.

<b>Maame</b> is one of those quietly profound books that sneaks up on you. This is a slower paced story with excellent characterization. It is both sad and hopeful at the same time. Maddie is such an authentic character who is fleshed out so well throughout the pages. She is bright, loving, naive, and a giver through and through even to her detriment at times. The story is told in first-person narrative allowing the reader to really get to know Maddie. I felt her struggles and her triumphs. I loved her inner dialogue and her numerous Google searches. I rooted for her from start to finish.

So many topics are addressed in this book including the complexities of family dynamics and cultural influences, depression, guilt, grief, and racism. The writing is beautiful and the topics are handled realistically and with care. This is a wonderful debut and I really look forward to reading more Jessica George. 4 stars.

This a well written coming of age novel. You really feel for the burdens Maddie has had to bear at such a young age. The sections dealing with her grief were especially poignant. It had more sexual content than I care for. Not totally for me but I can see why it resonated with so many.

Loving every minute of this book! I feel like i am right there! Can picture it all and would be a great movie! Good book club discussions and a definite recommend to all ages

Loved this book. Could really identify with Maddie’s struggle to find herself in her mid 20s. Beautiful depiction of grief and the irrational feelings that sometimes come with it.

This was always going to be a bit of a tough sell for me because bildungsromans irritate me pretty quickly (lol), but Maddie won me over as a protagonist. She's impossible not to like, as well as to relate to. Despite having entirely different lives, I related to a lot of things about her at that age. She's someone you want to give a hug, be friends with, and ultimately cheer for. George's writing of her is what carried this entire novel.

"Maame" is very of its time and manages to capture some of the really relatable and frustrating things about 21st century life. It also does a great job at pulling at the heartstrings and giving some real emotional depth. There were some elements of the book I found vaguely unrealistic/too predictable - I felt the "hooking up with the perfect guy Sam and starting to finally love sex" thing as well as the "I asked my white boss who stole my ideas for more responsibility and she promoted me" thing required a bit of a suspension of disbelief - but not enough to truly bother me/take away from my overall satisfaction with the novel.

As a reader, this one left me feeling really full, which is a lovely feeling.

This was quite the buzzy book this past month. It felt like almost everyone was reading it, and for good reason. Maddie, or Maame as her family calls her, is a bit of a late bloomer. She’s spent the last few years caring for her disabled father and when she’s given the chance to live on her own, she takes it. So much of Maddie’s naivete and innocence was familiar to me, and I loved getting a peek inside her head as she discovered her independence. There was also wonderful mental health representation, and a very realistic look at what it can be like to struggle with your family and where you come from. For fans of Queenie and Skye Falling.