Oh my, this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. Always an automatic 5⭐ when I ugly cry. Maddie/maame is trying to navigate her new 25 yr old life after her mother takes over as primary caregiver for her father. We're along for the journey as she tries to deal with job stress/new friends/dating/family drama. I really emphatized with her as I remember being 25 with the highs and lows of this new adult life. She is a likeable character that I was rooting for in each new challenge.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

This book was a DNF for me at 37% Chapter 14. I wanted to give it enough time where I hopefully liked the book. It was a Jenna pick after all. BUT, I just couldn't get into it. I felt the characters were boring and I did not like the writing style the author used. I may one day come back to finish this title but for now, I am marking this one as a DNF.

This book took me awhile to read because I wasn’t motivated to pick it up, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. Maddie’s life is not like others her age. She cares for her father who has Parkinson’s, while other 25 year olds are working, living on their own, and finding love. The journey through Maddie’s self discovery is truly incredible throughout and the authors does a good job balancing the light and dark moments, making it feel genuine.

This was such a fun read! A priority purchase for libraries with a literary fiction readership or cultural interest

I really wanted to love this one but it fell flat for me. An enjoyable read but not one I would recommend or will have a last impact.

Maame is the story of a Ghanaian woman learning how to navigate her 20s in London. Her mother still lives in Ghana and she has been taking care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. The book navigates grief, death, relationships, complicated families, and all the challenges with learning who you are and what you want to be in your 20s.

I just wanted more from this book and had a hard time connecting with the characters. There are points where the humor is cheeky and spot on and others where it glosses over plot twists that are integral to the storyline.

3.5/5 stars

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. As well as a separate Q&A with the author. (see both at links)

I really enjoyed this book and the character of Maddie a lot. It covered so many themes.. I enjoyed the London setting, the cultural themes, and the emotion the author portrayed. I would recommend it to others. Look forward to reading more by this author.

While this may not have been my favorite book to read, I really see why everyone is loving it so much.

Let me explain why it wasn’t for me, and why this was a me thing, not a book thing.

Maame is the story of Maddie, a British 25yr old girl from a Ghanaian family, who is having a hard time.

First of all, I really loved hearing about her culture and the “traditions” of her family, although some may be made up by her insufferable mother.

I really couldn’t stand her mother and wanted to scream at her so many times!! But, I am really glad we got a bit of backstory about her childhood and got to see a tiny bit of change there.

Maddie had a lot of growing up to do throughout this story, even though she’s always been Maame. I’m so glad there are books that discuss the weird rut of depression and how, all too often, we don’t realize how far we’ve drifted.

For me, this was a wrong book and wrong time situation. As someone who has battled depression and anxiety most of her life, it’s not something I enjoy reading about, but especially not when my stress and anxiety are through the roof, like they are this month.

The mental health rep in this book is phenomenal, though, and felt very authentic. It will help a lot of people see they are not alone and that we all need a little help sometimes. 💜

There is a major trigger warning discussed, but I don’t want to spoil it for others, so DM me if you want know.

There was also a lot of talk of God and religion, which didn’t really excite me much, but I appreciate how Maddie dealt with it through her grief.

Basically, I see why this was a @readwithjenna pick and think it will resonate with a large audience, it just wasn’t the right book for me.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review this book. At first, I was not extremely sure where the author was going with this book, but, it ended being such a beautiful book that has caused me to have a book hangover. I will say that if you are currently experiencing grief, this may not be the book for you. However, it is beautifully done and I feel that since I was able to connect with the characters, it made me love the book even more. Definitely a book everyone should read.

Maame by Jessica George is a lovely story about Maddie, who is the primary caretaker for her father who suffers from Parkinson's. Maddie has a job that is very unfulfilling, and she has been very unsuccessful at dating. This story deals with all the different issues that she faces, but in a charming and heartwarming way. The author does an amazing job of making the reader fall in love with Maddie, and I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick
A February Indie Next Pick

TITLE: MAAME
AUTHOR: Jessica George
PUB DATE: 01.31.2023

Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

Maame is a character driven story about Maddie, a twenty five year old Ghanaian woman living in London, whose professional life is as glum as her personal life - both of which does not allow her to live a life of a young woman care free and happy.

At home, she is left to care for her father with end stage Parkinson’s Disease, while her mother conveniently prefers to live in Ghana. At work, she can’t seem to fit in as the only black person in the office, often treated as a scapegoat, and just cannot seem to find her place in the world yet.

Financially strapped, and with an overbearing mother pushing for her to marry, Maddie’s life is one disaster after another. Jessica George keeps the story light hearted with many hilarious points like Maddie’s incessant need to google answers to her life’s troubles, lacking the guidance of a parent to advice her in times of need.

Maame is such a delight to read, that I found myself devouring this over a sitting on a flight on a recent trip. I LOVED IT!

There's something very confirming about picking an ARC that is also picked by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) for her Fantastic Strangelings Book Club.  And wow, what a pick!  Maame is like a feminine Catcher in the Rye and I loved every word of it.  Maddie is such a flawed person but she grows and learns and experiences things that scare her but enhance her in ways I am glad I experienced through her words.  Grief, relationships (friends, family, romantic, and work).  I had a little tear in my eye on the last pages. 
Highly recommended!

This book had one or two bumps for me, but overall I did like it!

Maame/Maddie is a unique character in that while she is responsible and smart, takes care of her father who is ill, takes care of all responsibilities for her family, she is also 25 and feels that she has not fully lived her life due to her basically full time caretaking of her dad.

Maddie goes to show that you can be a well rounded, successful woman, and yet there are some things that you inevitably miss out on in life because you have prioritized something else you feel was more important, like family. While caring for her father from her teenage years to her mid 20s, she feels like she failed to partake in normal coming of age activities, and once she is able to move to her own flat and join the fray of 20 somethings, she inevitably makes mistakes and has lots of questions about how to navigate this life that is normal for everyone else her age but neglected by herself. Also while navigating being fired from one job and hired for another, and not being treated as well as she deserves by these corporations.

I think a lot of topics were touched upon in this book, a lot of important topics, but i feel like none of them were delved deep enough into. I think maybe there should have been more depth gone into of Maddie’s story growing up, I think her relationship with her mom and brother should’ve been analyzed more and fleshed out more, and I think her dad should’ve had more of a role in the book and not just in things we are told about Maddie’s life. I would’ve loved to see more flashbacks and family moments worked in to endear us to her family and their lives more. I think most scenes of Maddie dating were used mostly for the topicality in todays dating climate, and I think her friendships she had before (Nia & Shu) should’ve taken precedent over her drama with her new roommates.

But despite these faults, which are just of my own opinion, i thought this book was unique, I think Maddie is going to be a character a lot of people can relate to, and I think anyone in their 20s or 30s that is learning how to live after losing a parent that they helped care for is going to feel very seen by Maddie’s experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley for an E-Arc of this book in return for a review! Glad I got to read this!

I really enjoyed Maame by Jessica George. Maddie might be one of my new favorite characters. This book is a powerful read about family, love, and coming of age. Maddie has been living at her parent's home and caring for her father while her mother travels back and forth to Ghana. She finally decides to step out on her own, and we get a first hand account of her life as she navigates living on her own for the first time. This is such a memorable book and it will stick with me for a long time.

The main character, Maddie, is a daughter of Ghanaian immigrants that settled in London. She is responsible for taking care of her sick dad as well as trying to start a career (although her job may not be the career she looking for). Maddie just wants to find love and become an adult where her responsibilities are her own and not her parents. This coming of age story started off very engaging. I was very interested in Maddie's life and where it was headed. As the story went on, I found Maddie whiney and making the same mistakes and having the same frustrations without resolutions throughout. I did like the family resolve in the end and it saved the book for me.

Maame is 25 years old, living in London working to support her parents. Her mother is in Ghana. Her father is home due to Parkinson’s. Her mother is taking turns yearly of the running of a business her father gave her and her brother when he died. When Maame’s mother calls her, it is usually to ask her for money. It is a burden for Maame. Maame means “woman” in the native language of Ghana. She likes her name but is often called Maddie. Her older brother James is no help in any way especially money. He has separated himself from home and family for the most part. Maddie goes to Google with her questions that can’t give her the answers she needs. Google can’t help her as she wants it to as Google doesn’t understand about demands of a religious yet remote African-born mother. The answers Google gives are somewhat helpful. When Maddie loses her jobs d tragedy happens, she questions the limits of family duty and what she can make of her life.

The author shows how racism a young Black woman can face in the British workplace. The novel shows how cultural barriers can stand in the way of contemporary life such as understanding and even depression. I couldn’t be more proud of Maddie’s freedom. It is an awkward yet funny coming-of-age novel. It was a terrific story to read.

Not a lot to say that hasn’t already been said. This was beautiful and I feel lucky to have read it! Thank you!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It’s one that gives you all kinds of emotions. There were parts that made me giggle, then parts that upset me. I liked Madeline’s character, I felt like she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. I also felt for her because I have a grandmother that suffers from Parkinson’s, and it is not easy to watch. I will say that some parts of the story dragged on a bit for me, but then it would pick up pace. All in all, a good read!

Maame is the enjoyable debut novel of Jessica George. Maddie is a twenty five year-old black woman who had far too many family responsibilities hoisted on her at a young age. As a result, she is very mature in some ways and totally out to lunch in others. We follow her as she makes her way in the world; dealing with the loss of her father, a toxic mother and self-centered brother, work relationships, friendships and romance. Maame will particularly appeal to the twenties and thirties crowd.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

A beautiful coming of age story of Maame (Maddie) who is so busy being a caregiver, a student, and an employee that she no time for herself, until she does. She discovers who she is, what her heritage means to her, the world around her and what makes her happy. A beautiful story.