The story started slowly and rather boring to me. I struggled to get into it at first. Once I did I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely couldn’t stand Maddie. She ended up growing on me. I wanted to yell at her so many times. I think the story developed really well. The beginning background was the only part I didn’t vibe with. I also wish they would’ve explored how interracial her world was. I feel like that contributed to her stressors. It wasn’t lost on me that the new people who came into her life and made the best impact were black (Sam and Angelina). I like that the story ended realistically. Maddie became likeable or maybe this was written in such a way that it pulled empathy out of me. I was happy she got to find some happiness versus just existing. She finally got to be the main character in her life.

This was a good story. I was really rooting for Maddie. Her journey was heartbreaking at times, but there were also parts that made me laugh out loud too. Grief and growing up are complex and so was this story, and yet it was simplistic and easy to read at the same tlme.

This was a book I didn't know I needed and wish I read sooner! Maame, or Maddie, grew up shouldering the responsibility of keeping the family going. At the ripe age of 25, she's responsible for caring for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's and feels pressured to "go out" and live her life. When she finally takes that advice, she deals with major guilt and regret. I love the connections to Ghanaian culture and upbringing. Though I hated the dates, I appreciated reading about horrendous dating experiences (because it's good to know that literary works parallel life). Sometimes Maddie frustrated me, but her humanity is also what compelled me to continue reading. I LOVED the book and will likely read it again in the future!

I love this book! It had all the feels as you navigate life and growing up with Maame. It’s infuriating at times as you read and watch her go through the trials of life that most of have felt or experienced. It makes your heart break and soar at other times as you are filled with hope for her character. The journey of family, friends and relationships both in the working world and every day life are so real and humanistic. The story is a true one of the heart. Her relationship with her parents and brother as they navigate their culture and the implications of how they have combined the two into their lives and how they live. Overall, great read. It will make you think and hopefully pause and take in what other peoples lives can be like because at the heart of the story are very real and true experiences and how they impact the individual.

Maame tells the story of a young woman, Madeline, who is of Ghanaian descent, living in the UK in her family home, caring for her ailing father by herself. Her mother has a business that she runs in Ghana and only returns yearly while her older brother checks-in infrequently by phone but is checked out of the family's relationships and needs. Maddie becomes depressed, feeling stuck as a caregiver while working in a job she hates. Losing that job and then being freed from caregiving duties gives Maddie the chance to finally explore the world as a young adult and grow to find her voice, not only for her vocation but within the family and within romantic relationships. Despite her depression, Maddie demonstrates preservation, strength and determination as she creates a new life for herself, despite setbacks. She also begins to heal relationships within her family, forgiving herself for mistakes and opens up her very private life to new friends. A lovely, heart warming book, that deals with the grief, insecurity, and loneliness that many of us feel. This is the first book in a long time that has brought tears to my eyes as it touched my heart. The book also reveals how immigrants can feel out of place in spaces where their customs are not understood, while also having trouble connecting with the countries they left behind. A beautiful coming-of-age story with a hopeful conclusion for a better future for Maddie and her family.

Maame does everything for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Maame’s mother spends most of her time in Ghana working for her family’s old hotel, and her brother is too busy living his best life to help out. Maame is left to do everything, which leaves her with little time to dedicate to herself. When her mother tells her she is coming home, Maame decides to move out and start living her life. After getting fired from the theater Maame lands a job at a publishing company, and is so excited finally put herself first. She’s enjoying hanging out with her roommates, starts dating and is finally feeling like the 20 something she should have always been. Life is going well until tragedy strikes, and everything starts to fall apart. Maame goes on a severe downward spiral and it’s going to take all she has to get out of it and get her life back on track.

I was skeptical first as Maame seemed like such a pushover, and it was frustrating, however I was so glad as the book progressed to see her growth. This book explored the microaggressions Black women face in the workplace and when they have friends of different cultures. This book also touches on how Black women always have to bear the burdens amongst their families, friends and relationships. I definitely recommend this read,

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC #SMPInfluencer

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!