I tried this book on audio at first - really liked the accent of the narrator - but then I switched to e-book and found that I much preferred it this way - I found it more enjoyable and ironically was able to pick up the funny tone and fresh voice of the book by reading it with my eyes. The book is told by Maddie, known affectionately as Maame (the Ghanaian word for "woman" in Twi) to her mother. Maddie has been sheltered from the wider world - yet also has the weight of the world on her shoulders as she has spent many years caring for her dad who has Parkinson's. Her mom alternates years in London and Ghana and Maddie is left behind with her dad (and hands off brother) in England. I enjoyed how honest and open Maddie was as she narrated the book, in contrast to how much she kept inside and private from her friends. When she finally moves out and gets an exciting new job in publishing - and starts dating a man - things start to change for Maddie - not all for the good - and we are there to see her grow.

Maame is a novel rich in culture, specifically the Akan-speaking people of Ghana, where Twi is the dialect spoken in southern and central Ghana. Maame translates to "woman" in Twi which means "woman", a term Maddie's mother has called her 25 year-old daughter since she was young. Maddie had graduated with a university degree in English Literature when her father was diagnosed with late-stage Parkinson's disease. Instead of moving on to live her life as adult, she is tasked with taking a job to maintain a stable income to care for her father. Maddie's mother spends most her time helping to run a hostel in Ghana, leaving the responsibility to Maddie to care for her father in London. Although he has a caregiver, Dawoud, he requires around the clock care leaving Maddie rather stunted in her social development as a young adult. It doesn't help that her 15 year-old brother also chooses to escape responsibility by never being available to help his sister physically or financially with care of his father. He chooses to float about living with friends and working for musicians. .

Maddie's job is less than fulfilling given that she is the only Black person who was hired to provide the visual of the workplace being "diverse". She keeps people at a distance even her best friend as realizes that she is emotionally and socially awkward because of her ability to experience life like her peers. It's only when Maddie's mother returns to London for a year does Maddie move past her guilt and fears to move out on her own leaving her mother to care for her father. Maddie is not prepared for the life of and independent young adult and often finds herself using Google for advice because she has no close relationships. As you can imagine, she learns from her missteps and mishaps the lessons she feels she should already lived. After finding a flat where she finds living with other young women a chance to make new friends and expand her horizons by finding a job where she can use her university degree.

This is a bitter sweet "coming-of-age" story of a 25 year-old who finally gets to explore the life she was meant to live. Her experiences are life altering in positive and challenges ways as she can no longer rely on Google to help her maneuver life. She needs to confront tragedy and loss so that she can develop the confidence and self-esteem necessary to progress as an adult in the world. The author draws you into Maddie's story in a personal manner which has you wanting to help Maddie and steer her in a better direction. Life is an experience which one can only experience individually both happiness and sorrow.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me access to read this digital book. My review of this book is my honest and unbiased opinion. All comments are expressly my own.

I really didn't know what to expect from this book. That gorgeous book cover caught my attention and the description peaked my interest, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this one. Maame made me laugh, tugged at my heartstrings and made me cry, and overall, made me see myself reflected in the pages. This was an absolutely beautiful novel and I feel so hard in love with it. Jessica George seriously put out a stunning debut novel.

Maddie (or Maame as her mother calls her) has spent her life taking care of everyone else in her family. She's never had much of a social life and has missed out on a lot of experiences that normal 20-somethings encounter, mostly due to being the primary caregiver of her father, who suffers from Parkinson's. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana and a brother who has focused on his career, Maddie has been left to take care of her father and bare the financial burden of that care all on her own. When her mother finally decides to return home and take over her father's care, Maddie feels equally excited and nervous to finally move out and live on her own for the first time ever. Now Maddie is experiencing all the new things she never had the chance to before - dating, smoking, drinking, living with roommates, making new friends, etc.

Going through the high highs and low lows with Maddie felt like reliving the time in my life where I was trying to figure out who I was. While Maddie is experiencing so many exciting firsts, there are an equal amount of trials that she faces - leaving a toxic job and having to learn how to advocate for herself in her career, dealing with the ups and downs of dating and intimacy, the struggle of being a black woman who has grown up in a predominately white culture and not feeling a connection to her Ghanan heritage, family dynamics, tragedy, and the struggle of dealing with mental health struggles while having grown up in a family that believes that mental health shouldn't be talked about. I literally could feel every emotion coming off the pages and I felt like I was right there with Maddie, living through these things with her.

As someone who has struggled with their own mental health, I really related to Maddie's struggles especially coming from a culture where those things weren't talked about openly. This book handled mental health in such an honest way and it was so refreshing. A perfect coming-of-age novel that shows the struggle of gaining independence while dealing with feelings of guilt and grief, as well as the impact of having to become an adult at a young age.

I have no doubt this will be one of my top reads of the year and I really look forward to whatever Jessica George writes next.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Books like this just make me wanna drop everything to sit and binge through it. this was such a deeply moving story about the joys and struggles of trying to find your way through life. This was such an incredible debut novel and I enjoyed everything about it. Loved the story and was rooting for Madeline the whole way. Would read this again!

"Maame" by Jessica George is a captivating tale that pulls at the heartstrings while tickling the funny bone. At its core, it's a story of self-discovery and the pursuit of happiness against life's challenging backdrop.

Maddie's journey from the suffocation of duty to her newfound independence is both relatable and empowering. As she navigates the challenges of love, career, and identity, readers are treated to a rollercoaster ride that gives all the feels.

George's writing is sharp and witty and the characters and their personalities leap off the page, each of their quirks and flaws adding depth to an already rich narrative. Maddie's struggles with her unconventional family dynamics, workplace issues, and the complexities of interracial relationships are portrayed with sensitivity and nuance.

What truly sets this story apart is its celebration of resilience and the power of human connection. Through Maddie's journey, we're reminded of the importance of embracing one's heritage while carving out a space for oneself in the world. It's a story that speaks to the universal longing for belonging and the joy that comes with finding it.

I especially loved Sam and how beautifully he handled Maddie’s emotions. While I was not a fan of Maddie’s mother, I loved that she finally spoke up for herself and had a real conversation with her mother.

At its core, Maame is a gem of a novel that will leave readers laughing, crying, and ultimately, believing in the transformative power of love and friendship. George has crafted a modern classic that is sure to resonate with audiences of all backgrounds.

CW: depression, misogyny, parent death, grief, panic attack, fatal heart attack, suicide

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.

I had a book hangover while I was reading this and I think that affected my enjoyment level. I liked learning about Ghanian culture and the mental health rep was well done. I feel like this is relatable for anyone in their twenties or entering their 30s and I did see myself in Maddie at certain times.

However, Maddie was also very naive, and although I could relate to an extent, she needed to grow a backbone sooner when it came to her mother and brother taking advantage of her. The use of Google was a bit much and grew tedious after a while. I also felt the pacing of the story was off, as some parts held my attention, while others didn't. The writing also wasn't my favourite. It irks me when characters "talk" to the reader, and this book has a bit of that.

I originally couldn’t get into this book. Since its release, I’ve seen review after review praising this book so I figured I’d give it another shot. This time - I enjoyed it! I found Maddie to be endearing, and as a 26-year-old woman trying to find her way myself, I could identify with her throughout the book. I liked getting to see how Maddie dealt with the challenges she faced in her familial relationships, conflict in the workplace, trials of friendship, and dating woes.

Overall had significant trouble getting into this book. The writing was good but I don’t think it was the story for me

Maame!! How I loved this book and this character! I haven’t loved and rooted for a character like this since Eleanor Oliphant. This book had so, so much heart and beautiful messages that were exquisitely articulated. I loved the character-driven story and focus. I also appreciated the focus on micro aggressions and lesser-, harder-to-recognize forms of racism. Loved, loved, LOVED this book!

3.5 stars for this book for me. I loved the main character, Maddie, but I found some of it hard to trudge through and a little bit slow for me. I did love how everything kind of came together at the end and I found myself rooting for Maddie!

I absolutely fell in love with this book, when I read it way back at the start of 2023. yes I am catching up on these reviews right now and I will say its gonna be fragmented. it poured in me so many emotions and its truly a powerful story on family, mother and daughter/ mother and father relationships, and all about growing in life,

This is a wonderful debut novel, with an engaging story and characters that I really connected with (I am always nervous about reading a debut novel, but in this case I needn't have been!). I also really love the author's writing style, and this alone will have me coming back to this author again, given the chance!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is such an incredible book! Maddy is a young adult living at home as the primary caregiver for her father who has Parkinsons. Her parents are separated, though still married, but her mother lives in Ghana most of the time. Maddy has an older brother but he is enjoying his own young adult life and is not able to support her and their father financially or otherwise. When Maddy's mom returns from Ghana it is the perfect opportunity for Maddy to have some independence and freedom, she moves out of the family home, takes on a new job and some new relationships, things are going fairly smoothly until tragedy hits and Maddy's life changes more than she anticipated. This is a story about navigating love, life and loss in the early twenties, but from the perspective of someone who had to grow up so young.

There was so much about this novel that spoke to me. I started listing off the similarities between Maddy at 25 and me in my early 20s and my husband said "wow, it's basically a book about you". Most of my annotations were related to these connections, but I also noted how much I loved the character development and writing style. This is such a well written and beautifully crafted story. It is emotional and heartbreaking, but also inspirational and endearing. Definitely worth picking up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher @stmartinspress for giving me the opportunity to read and review this incredible book.

This was a lovely story made more beautiful by the authors way of writing. Heartwarming and engaging. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

This book went somewhat viral last year. At least within my circles. It wasn’t a quick read for me but something inbetween my other reading.

Maame was an excellent and engaging debut novel from Jessica George. I will definitely be looking out for future books from her

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a wonderful debut that was had a rich plot and vibrant characters.

Maddie is stuck between two worlds in a sense. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and she is the primary caretaker of her father with Parkinson's in London. She is trying to move out and be on her own, but she is feeling guilty for not caring for her father properly.

There are many disagreements between mother and daughter in this story and they come together after a major life event to be honest with one another.

There are many different layers to this novel that touch on big topics such as racism and family dynamics.

"Maame" by Jessica George is an exceptional book that left a lasting impression on me from start to finish, I was captivated by the story and the profound impact it had on my emotions. This book is an absolute gem that I wholeheartedly recommend to readers of all genres.

I really enjoyed this book! It was one of my book club's selections for last year and we had a great discussion.

3.5 stars !

“ Sometimes I think of love as pieces of one heart. I love someone, I break off a piece and give it to them. There are not so many because that way each piece is substantial, but without a doubt, my dad has one of the biggest pieces I have and will ever give. It cannot be replaced. It is his forever.”


This is a Emotional well written story, coming from age story. I liked the writing style ,the character and overall storyline.