🎧📱 “Maame” by Jessica George

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published January 31, 2023

I really loved this book- great character development and a relatable, easy writing style. The novel is emotional- sad, but yet uplifting and hopeful, filled with great messages.

Maddie is a 25 year old Ghanian woman living in London, while trying to figure out who she is. A people pleasing, self-proclaimed late bloomer, having spent most of her life caring for others. Her life consists of work and home. She is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s disease. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, and always has an excuse as to why she needs more from Maddie. At work, her boss is a nightmare- Maddie is overworked, overwhelmed and tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie is excited to get out of the family home and finally start living. She finds some roommates and a flat, says yes to after-work drinks, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. I laughed, cried and rooted for Maddie as she discovers who she is, what she wants, the complexity of love, and friendship. A family tragedy forces Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and who she is.


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For a debut novel, this one wasn't bad! I am fairly reserved with my stars, and this one was awarded three simply by the fact that the middle of the novel seemed to drag on, and on for me.
I was engrossed with the first and last quarters of the book, but I feel with a firmer edit - this book could have easily moved towards 4, or 5 stars.
The "google" references were overdone for me. It was a cute quirk the first few times, but it got boring as they continued. This would have been better if it was a simply been a paraphrased answer by the narrator, along the lines of "according to google this is [fill in the blank]".
I emphasized deeply with the MC and the guilt she felt not being there for her father, having lost my own mom to illness and understanding her guilt, but I think her inability to function in her day to day was lost on me and I couldn't help but become frustrated that she had a new job that she just checked out of, and immediately upon her determination to return it was all sunshine and roses. I guess what I'm trying to say is the middle of the story dragged and the end seemed rushed. The pacing of the book just felt off to me.

Overall, did I enjoy it? Yes. I think George has the potential to be a brilliant author, but much like the manuscript that Maddie submits in the novel, I'd like to see a version that she's put more time into perfecting.

This stunning portrait of grief and healing hit me right in the gut. Maddie is such a multidimensional character, and her growth throughout the story was beautiful to see, even if it took a heartbreaking loss to find it. Jessica George’s prose is gorgeous without being overly flowery, and despite being a character driven novel, it still moved at a steady pace. I really loved that this is a coming of age story, but the main character is several years older than is generally found in this type of book. I also really enjoyed how much Ghanaian culture was included, and that the author shows how sometimes the traditions that make us who we are can also stifle growth and hold us back. Maame is a truly breathtaking story that kept me captivated from beginning to end.

Maddie’s father struggles with late-stage Parkinson’s and her family has designated her as his primary caregiver with no input from her and very little help. Her mother spends her most of her time in Ghana while still constantly giving Maddie advice about how she should live her life. Her boss makes her job unpleasant, and Maddie is tired of serving as the sole Black person in every meeting. When her mom finally returns to London from Ghana, Maddie decides to spread her wings and experience what others her age are doing: she rents an apartment, goes out with co-workers and dips a toe into the crazy world of internet dating. Maddie stumbles along the way, but ultimately comes to understand who she wants to become. I both read and listened to this beautiful coming-of-age tale and feel the audio enhances the experience of the book.

Really enjoyed this book. Four and a half stars. Heavy subject (grief, guilt, parental resentment) but found myself laughing out loud at some of her conversations. Believable, fully developed characters within an interesting story.

The main character in Maame, Maddie, is quite charming and it is sweet to "watch" her grow up and come into herself (as Jenna Bush Hager says: "It's a coming-of-age" story). She is 25 and is experiencing LOTS of firsts - first love, first heartbreak, moving out of her parents' house for the first time, death of a loved one, employment issues. While all of this is truly coming-of-age stuff, I just felt like I am not the demographic for the book as I am old enough to be her mother. I liked Maddie, and I especially liked her more in the last quarter of the book when she finally learns to truly express HERSELF. I enjoyed Maddie's subtle sense of humor and her use of Google! I mean, it's not YA and its not like I ONLY align with books about people my age, it's just that something didn't click for me. My biggest pet-peeve, however, comes at the beginning of Chapter 43 with this: "...which made choosing Nia and I's flat...." What? "I's"? WTH? It is so wrong. I hear it all the time on reality TV and I cringe. I hear it in Insta stories and I cringe. Can we PLEASE not let this become acceptable? Can I hope that because I had an ARC that this was fixed when published? It is grammatically incorrect ("MY" - my flat, our flat) and also, Maddie is an editorial assistant. Would she actually say that? Ugh.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an early copy/ARC to read.

Maame is a fresh and engaging debut novel by Jessica George. it is the story of Maddie Wright, nicknamed Maame by her mother. Maame means woman or mother in her native Ghanian language.

Maddie is 25 years old and the caregiver to her father who has advanced Parkinson's Disease. Her mother is absent and separated from her father, she spends most of her time in Ghana. (Maddie and her father live in London.) Maddie's older brother is busy living his life and is not much help assuming Maddie will take care of everything as always. Maddie at 25 has not gotten to liver her own life due to her responsibilities. Her mother is now returning to London and is finally giving Maddie time to move out and start her own life.

What follows is a touching, witty and heartfelt coming of age story. I loved following Maddie's journey!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this story!!
4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I chose to read it after Jenna Bush Hager picked it for her February “Read with Jenna” Book Club. She equated it to “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and I would agree. It was light at times and heavy at others. I could feel Maddie’s struggles with each member of her family. I knew the choices she was making in men were wrong, but she had to choose poorly first so she would know when something good came along. What remained the constant through the story was the love of her two best friends. I normally don’t feel satisfied when a book ends with loose ends, but this one just worked. I could envision what happens to Maddie and I’m very satisfied.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Jessica George for an ARC of Maame, in return for my honest review. I loved Maame, it was well written and gave you all the feels, sometimes you were laughing, sometimes you were cringing, sometimes crying. It is the story of a young woman working towards her independence from family yet trying to keep their traditions alive. A great read for sure.

Ahh, the burdens of being the responsible person. Maddie embraces these responsibilities. You could even say they keep her safe. But when she begins to break free, to live her life for herself a little, the center doesn’t hold. But is that necessarily a bad thing?
I enjoyed seeing Maddie come out of her shell. Wish I done it myself a little earlier.

I was, and always, will be rooting for Maddie!

This was such a great book.! I’m glad that I didn’t know much going in. I’m oddly always up for “heavy” book, but the writing was the right amount a humor that one would casually toss in my inner circle. You know, just trying to diffuse the situation or just plain awkward? Yes! Lol

Maddie lives at home and takes care of her father, who has Parkinson's. She only mildly resents the fact that her mother spends half her time in Ghana and her brother pursues his career, while she shoulders both the financial responsibilities and caretaking. Not to mention her unfulfilling job with her depressed boss who blames her for so much more than she should be blamed for. When Maddie's mother returns from Ghana, Maddie finally has the opportunity to live like a typical twentysomething, despite misfortune and tragedy piling one on top of the other.

Other reviewers commented that they alternately laughed and cried throughout this book. I cried more than I laughed, to be honest, but it is an excellent book and has a happy ending. #Maame #NetGalley

I absolutely LOVED this book. For the past several months, I've struggled to get through books, even those that I love. I rarely sit down for hours at a time and devour books anymore. However, I devoured this book in 24 hours. It was THAT good.

This book is beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking at time. It teaches life lessons, and is such a fantastic coming-of-age story. It follows the life of Maddie, who is 25 and trying to find her way in the world. So many coming of age stories take place with younger protagonists, but Maddie, as the primary caregiver of her father (who has Parkinson's), has not lived the typical life of a young adult.

It is rare for me to find books that repeatedly make me laugh out loud, and even rarer to find books that bring me to tears. Maame managed to do both. I found myself so angered and hurt on Maddie's behalf at some points, but also completely cheering her on at other points. She is one of my favorite book characters, and not one I'll soon forget.

The writing in this book was excellent. I found myself highlighting several quotes and loved learning about Ghanaian culture, customs, and the Twi language. The story interjected text threads, google searches, and Maddie's inner dialogue amidst beautiful prose and moving passages.

This book taught me things, but most importantly, it made me FEEL. I rarely give out 5-star reviews, but this is unquestionably a 5-star book, and I suspect it will be one of my favorites of 2023.

I'll be recommending this book to everyone - but if you happened to read and enjoy Queenie (another book I adored), then I think you will absolutely love this one as well.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Poignant and full of learning and self discovery, Jessica George’s Maame is the perfect coming of age novel. Written to truly feel like you are in Maddie’s brain (I mean the Google searches, the text messages, and countless paragraphs of internal monologue) there was never a moment that I felt attached to Maddie and her experiences. I admired the relationships that were incorporated and the lessons that Maddie learned as she journeyed through the novel.
I feel like this novel could bring a lot of healing for those experiencing grief as they encounter their own challenges with “life after the event”. There were words and sentences that I wanted to highlight and save for later, and that’s when you know you’ve got a good book with even greater writing!

This was an awesome debut with one of my favorite new characters - Maddie is such a real protagonist, having spent most of her early 20s taking care of her father with Parkinson’s she’s not able to do the things most her age do - socializing, dating, finding a job she loves. It’s a beautiful coming of age (in your mid 20s) story about life, family, love, careers, friendships and all the beauty and heartbreak they entail.

Maddie is a 25-year-old woman who is eager to experience all that life has to offer. However, that’s going to have to wait because she is also the primary caregiver for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s. With her mother traveling for months, and sometimes even years, at a time, and her brother just off enjoying life, the responsibility for keeping the home fires burning falls squarely on Maddie’s shoulders.

When she finds out that her mother will be returning from Ghana for an extended time, Maddie leaps at the chance to move out on her own. She rents a flat, learns about life with flatmates, meets some guys, goes on some dates. Things are moving in the right direction…but, what’s life without some setbacks? As Maddie takes on some of her biggest challenges ever, she begins learning a lot about who she is, who she wants to be, and how to reconcile these two different versions of herself into the authentic Maddie.

I enjoyed the book. It was well-written and tackled difficult themes head-on. I enjoy reading works from POC authors, as I always learn something. It’s amazing what we can learn when we pay attention to another person’s point of view and experiences. Jessica George shared her unique perspective as a woman living in London, born to Ghanaian parents. Rich in culture, touching and dramatic, but also absolutely hilarious, I highly recommend this one.

Thanks to Jessica George, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

A new favourite!

Oh Maddie…

Maddie is twenty-five and is living in London. Her mom has given her the nickname, Maame, which means “mother” in Twi, while she herself spends most of her time in Ghana. Maddie is left to manage all the responsibilities of her father’s care- he has advanced staged Parkinson’s. Her older brother has also jumped ship, doing his own thing, so Maddie is left to do everything. When her mother returns to London, Maddie has the chance to move out on her own and is ready to experience all the things that come with independence that opportunity has never afforded her.

This story is so earnest and raw. I will admit that at first I wondered where the plot was. Was I just a bystander in Maddie’s life? But things did pick up, and I became more than happy to be along for the ride. Even though there are some heavy topics (I’ll put trigger warnings in the comments), there was such heart and hope. I felt everything for her. And I loved how she Googled absolutely everything. Who can relate?🙋‍♀️

I honestly wasn’t ready for the book to end. I’d love to read a sequel fast-forwarded several years. I want to know where she ends up. Definitely recommend!

You’re probably seeing this book all over Bookstagram right now- and there’s good reason! This is a fantastic coming of age story with a protagonist you will root for. This Read with Jenna pick will make you think.

Maddie is a late bloomer, held back by the obligations her family has placed on her shoulders since she was young. As the only constant in her Dad’s life, Maddie has been prioritizing his health as he battles Parkinson’s Disease. Her absentee mom returns to London from Ghana and tells Maddie she can finally move out and start her life at 25. She finally begins navigating dating, roommates, sex, micro aggressions at work and grief.

Maddie is called “Maame” by her mother since she was a teen, which means woman in Twi. This nickname encapsulates all of the complicated feelings Maddie has about her forced responsibility. The marketing of this novel leans into the comedy on the page, and while there are funny bits, I found it more raw and heartbreaking than humorous. Maybe that’s just me though! I think Maddie will remain a favorite protagonist of mine for a long time.

✨Trigger Warnings: Racism, Death of a Parent, Mental Illness

Maame is really wonderful—there's a real depth in this book, but also a humor that makes it even more memorable and stunning. I really enjoyed reading!

Maame is a thought-provoking book, which I enjoyed immensely. Maddie has cared for her dad since his Parkinson’s diagnosis with virtually no help from her mother (who primarily lives in Ghana) and brother. Shortly after she decides to move away from the family home, tragedy strikes, and she is left sad and trying to figure out who she is. She is torn between family obligations and pursuing her happiness, while enduring racism and learning how to speak up to combat it.

I enjoyed the strong female characters and friendships, the search for identity, and wise messages imparted by certain characters. I think I will be reflecting on the message of the book for weeks to come. Jessica George has written a brilliant novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press and the author for an eARC in exchange for my opinions.