Maame was an amazing cultural journey that has stayed with me since I finished reading it over a week ago. A story of love, family, generational complexity, and self. One of my favorite reads of the year so far, and probably throughout the year even though it's only February. Do not miss this read!

"I chalk it up to yet another thing schools fail to teach us: how to do your taxes, how to buy a property, and how to tell when you're being taken for a fool." I loved the time I spent inside Maddie's head - she was at turns funny, bitter, heartbreaking and uplifting. At times I grew frustrated with her naivete, but I also celebrated her commitment and love to her dad, and also her mother and brother, regardless of how they'd let her down. It's worth noting that although said mother and brother acknowledged their failings, only the brother appeared to be sincere about making a change in his future. Still, I was so happy for Maddie that she found her peace, esp. with her nickname, "Maame." Wise words, throughout. Highly recommend! It's a @readawithjenna pick for a reason.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

The novel "Maame" by Jessica George is about a young woman named Maddie. Maddie feels burdened by her role as a part-time caretaker for her father and her dead-end job. The arrival of her mother prompts Maddie to take steps towards pursuing her own dreams, such as getting a job at a publishing company, finding a new apartment, and dating a White man. The author portrays Maddie as a relatable character with smart and funny inner thoughts, yet her insecurities are amplified by the impact of her skin color in personal and professional interactions.

In the novel, the characters are defined with stark differences. Maddie is a self-sacrificing daughter, which contrasts with her mother and brother who provides little support to her Maddie's father. This be frustrating for the reader, but also lifts the reader to know Maddie is working to live a more independent life.

Although the author could have added more depth to some of the characters, the novel stands out in its ability to highlight the promise and excitement of starting your life and the tension that happens when you make changes in your life. Additionally, it sheds light on the burdens faced by people of color. Overall, the book is both entertaining and informative and leaves the reader eager to see what the author will write next.

This book absolutely floored me. 14 days into January and this will by far be one of my favorite books of the year (this has happened to me the last few years with Black Cake, Fool of Death, and Black Buck). I have never read a book so steeped in grief, love, and joy. About finding yourself amidst massive loss and sadness. Please. Everyone. Read. This.

Favorite quotes:

“How do you know if you’re genuinely happy or if you’re just mostly all right, with sprinkles of laughter and occasional shit storms of sadness? Maybe I’ve only ever been all right.”

“Do you have people in your life who love you with the strength of many?”

This book was not engaging to me. The main character was a whiny, judgmental person and I didn’t connect with her at all. She acted like a teenager, and I could not take her seriously.

I absolutely loved this beautiful, heartfelt, coming of age novel. The main character is one that will start with me for a long time - I absolutely adored her. She’s truly one I was rooting for the entire time and wanted nothing more than to give her a big hug. It’s a beautifully written novel that covered heavy topics in such a delicate and sensitive way. I loved how our MC would randomly google things - it took the serious tone of the book and made it light and fun, as well. Maddie made me think that it really is never too late in life to look for and discover what you need or what you’ve been missing.

Oh this book! It was SOOOOOO good! I loved Maddie. This book had ALL of the feelings. I can’t say too much, or else it will give away plot, that I wasn’t aware of either, and I think it’s important to keep that hidden. The range of feelings that Maddie experiences parallels the range you as a reader will experience. You will go on highs and lows with her. I love that she is not your typical 20 something in so many respects. I loved learning about her heritage. There are parts about her life I hated, but that is what made the book so good. You are supposed to hate it!

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press for sending me a gifted copy of this book and to Net Galley for sending me an early copy!

Maame
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook, Physical Book, and Audiobook
Date Published: 2/7/23
Author: Jessica George

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This story is a poignant, yet uplifting story of loss, grief, love, and discovering who you are. The story opens with Maddie living at home taking care of her father with Parkinson’s disease as her mother is back and forth between London (home) and Ghana, a year at each. When her mother finally returns home, Maddie ventures out in the world on her own. Finds a flat share with roommates, gets a publishing job, and tries her hand at dating. Not every experience is great for Maddie. The author does such an amazing job at looking in the culture and how that influences daily life, along with family expectations.

The story is narrated by Maddie, from her POV. Maddie is a strong, naive, young woman trying to make her mark on the world. Maddie really struggled with inner conflict, as much of us do, and it just developed another onion on this story. There are a lot of characters as Maddie weighs through the world, and each character plays a part in Maddie’s story. The character balance is perfect. This more of a character driven book than a plot driven book. The characters, especially Maddie’s character were well developed with depth, witty banter, connection, and creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, brilliant, thought-provoking, poignant, and just very well written.

This story is truly amazing. Such an amazing literary piece. This book brings out emotions in you and takes you on this wonderful emotional rollercoaster. This book could be read by such a diverse amount of readers. I highly, highly recommend reading this book as I do believe it will be one of the top novels for the year.

A wonderful debut novel with a lot of heart and depth and also a bit of humor. Even though Maddie is a bit older at 25, it's still a coming-of-age story as we're taken on Maddie's journey of love, loss, and discovering who she is and who she wants to be.

Wow. I’m not sure that I can do this book any justice with my review. It was such a heartfelt, heartbreaking, insightful book that swept me up in its narrative. This debut novel by Jessica George expertly tackles the topics of racial microaggressions, complex family relationships, grief, faith, sexuality, depression, therapy, and mental health.

Madeline Wright, called “Maame” by her family, is a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman living in London. Taking on the responsibility of caring for her father who has Parkinson’s, Maddie struggles to come to terms with who she is versus who she wants to be, in both her personal and professional life. Older than her years, Maddie doesn’t know how to reconcile her life with her peers, and longs to be free to explore and revel in a carefree life. When her mother returns from Ghana to care for her father, Maddie moves out of her family home and finally gets that chance.

This is a stunning portrayal of a Black woman finding herself and learning to accept and love all of the qualities that make her who she is. Maddie’s inner dialogue is witty and humorous; her thoughts on sexuality, faith, her duties, and her dreams are honest and raw. Readers can’t help but love her character, as she navigates the complicated years of her twenties, facing the struggle of wanting to be young but the inability to do so, because of her family obligations. Her experiences with racial microaggressions in both her personal and professional life call to attention the daily struggles that Black women face. In addition, this novel brings mental health to the forefront, discussing at length such crucial topics as depression and therapy.

Quite simply put, this is a must read book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.

I’ve never wanted to give a book character a hug more than I wanted to give one to Maddie. Gosh, this young woman has been through it and she is so thoughtful and caring towards others, I really admired her in this story. As the sole caregiver to her ailing father, her life has been halted the last years as she cares for him and takes on responsibilities that are left by her mother who lives full time in another country. Maddie finally gets an opportunity to move out when her mother returns and begins to experience the real world, which can certainly be harsh. Maddie slowly learns what she is wanting out of her life, but is held back by feelings of guilt and mental health struggles. She seeks out therapy and I think her sessions in this novel were so well written and eye opening. Maddie is a character you want to root for and as this novel navigates racism, familial duty, sexual orientation, love, and pleasure, you see her grow in such a wonderful way. This novel is powerful, relatable, and emotional, I definitely recommend it to others who love a good coming-of-age story with a more mature and thoughtful take.

Maame is instantly likable. I was cheering for Maddie from page 1. She is learning to navigate life, work, relationships and her own feelings. Some really important issues are addressed while Maddie tries to cope with the blows life is dealing her. She makes a promise to herself and she fights to be the person she wants to be. She is not always triumphant but that just makes the story more endearing and relatable. I definitely recommend Maame. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I truly enjoyed it.

This book was very moving and totally relatable when it comes to family!
First time reading this author's work and after finishing this book, I will check out other books by them.

This coming-of-age story gave me all the feels.

Maddie, a 25-year-old London-born daughter to Ghanaian immigrants, lives and provides primary care to her father, who has Parkinson’s. She carries the weight of this responsibility alone, as her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her brother is largely absent. When Maddie is unexpectedly given the opportunity to move out, she experiences several firsts and navigates straddling the pull of family obligation and finding her own way through adulthood.

Deeply moving, Maddie captured my heart early. We laughed, we cried and through her eyes, I witnessed the difficulty of trying to live in two places, and the complex journey it can take to find belonging.

I was rooting for Maddie all the way.

I have to say that this is probably one of the best debut novels that I’ve read in a while. The writing, the characters, the tone of the book worked so well together. Struggling to find a balance between the Ghanaian family values instilled in her since childhood and her life and aspirations , Maddie is is sweet, smart and is doing her best to find her way in the world. As her nickname implies, Maddie was pushed to be the responsible one, the one that has her life together, the one that will take care of everything from a very young age. So its not shocking to see her struggle as an adult when she’ s her automatic default is to be a people pleaser, even at the risk of her happiness.

As I was reading Maddie’s story I felt more and more connected to her as I see her navigate social situations to the moment she finally starts taking control of her life. The story is told in a way that it feels like we are having a conversation with her, and the inner monologue that makes up most of the book allows for us to get a deeper understanding of what she was thinking at the time.

Culture and family values are at the forefront of the book, every choice and action is influenced by this. This is one of the things that I was able to identify with the most when I was reading the book. Maddie is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, making her first generation Londoner, who has to live up to the high expectations of her family. I myself am an immigrant from Mexico so although I don’t have the title of being first generation, I am able to identify with a lot of her struggles.

When we first meet Maddie, she is a very naive character who struggles with being able to use her own voice. She not only is unable to express her wants and needs but she also feels like she’s not able to do it because of what other people might think. I felt for her when she was unable to be herself in front of other people and had to create a persona so that she would fit in when she could have easily make friends but the way that she was brought up from a very young age did not allow her to have those types of connections. Not because people didn’t want to be her friend but because she didn’t allow people to see the real her. I saw someone say that she didn’t like that she spent so much time googling things that she didn’t know but to me I think that they fail to remember that yes she’s part of society because she had a job and had some friends but she also wasn’t.

One thing that bothered me the most of the book was her need to feel loved, because to her loved was showed by taking care of others needs. If she liked someone as a friend or as a potential bf, she didn’t want to burden them with her life story, instead she changed herself to fit what they might like.

This year so far i’ve read a couple of books that deal with the loss of a loved one and this book has that as well. But instead of the usual mourning and trying to get better, we get a character that has a lot of guilt (even though she has no reason to feel guilty ) and who feels the need to go back to how she used to feel before the death of her father even though she is aware that she wasn’t happy. I think part of her not wanting to admit that she was depressed also had to do with the fact that she would have to admit that her depression didn’t come from death, which in her eye makes more sense, but that it came from an accumulation of her life events and not something traumatic. This is something that is very common with people who are immigrants, we are told that we need to either bottle up our feelings or that we need to talk to them to our parents or church, going to seek help from a professional who isn’t family is a no no. And that’s not to say that it happens with every family but unfortunately a lot of them do believe that.

I could go on an on about how much I enjoyed reading this book but i will end it with this…

you wont regret picking up this book, some of us find ourselves at a much older age and thats okay, Maddie will be okay.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! It’s told through the eyes of Maddie, a young woman living in England who’s family hails from Ghana. It’s a very coming of age tale and really goes in depth about family, and the expectations they unwittingly bestow on us. I loved the transformation Maddie makes throughput the story and her acceptance of herself and her family! I would definitely recommend to anyone who can relate or just enjoys books about growing into the person you were always meant to be.

AMAZING! My favorite book so far this year! I loved the Maame.. She is a character that will stick with you for a long time!

Maame by Jessica George is a smart, funny and moving coming-of-age story about contemporary issues in today’s world.

Maddie is caring for her father, who has late stage Parkinson’s, while still living at home. Her mother spends most of the year in Ghana and her brother is never around. In her mid twenties, Maddie is anxious to begin her adult life on her own but torn by her duty to her family. When her mom returns from Ghana and moves back home, Maddie jumps on the chance to move out. She signs a lease for a new flat, starts socializing with her peers, begins online dating and focuses on asserting herself at work.

Finding herself forces Maddie to deal with issues of race, culture, friendship, sex and love. Jessica George has created a loving character who is unsure, awkward and hesitant at the start of the novel and grows into an assertive and confident woman. George’s description of the grieving process and losing a parent are incredibly moving. A five star debut novel that’s unforgettable. You will find yourself cheering for Maddie.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I really liked the voice of the main character, Maddie, and I admired her choices to become her own person and "grow up" so to speak in her mid-twenties. I loved watching her become more confident in herself and start doing adult things like move out on her own and follow her heart when it comes to relationships. I found her family so frustrating, though, and I found it even more frustrating how she just let everyone walk all over her. Her mother and brother treated her like crap and took advantage of her kind heart, and it was upsetting to watch her just take it, over and over again. I also didn't expect this book to be so centered on grief and Maddie's grieving process. Having just read Maybe, Someday (very good book but tough for me) I wasn't exactly prepared for this Maame to also have so much grief throughout the book. This book is good, and the writing is really great, but it wasn't exactly the book I needed at the time I read it.

I started this book with not expecting much. I’m 60 and white and this book is about a 20 something, British born Ghanaian woman so I wasn’t sure how much I would be relating to the story as it started to unfold. But I have to say that this beautifully written novel had me both laughing and crying as Maddie navigates love, loss, family, friends and work in a way that is both tender and tragic. Maddie is an endearing and enduring woman that makes you want to root for her in all her successes as well as her failures. She brought me back to so many memories of navigating life at that age. From losing a parent to crappy relationships. Google didn’t exist during my 20s but if it did I would undoubtedly had used it instead of my magic 8 ball for all of the big questions in life. Looking forward to George’s next read!