Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the electronic copy of Maame by Jessica George. Maame touches on grief, racism, family, love, and friendship. Our main character, Maddie, lives in London and is the primary caretaker of her father who has Parkinson's. Her mother spends the majority of her time in Ghana. Her older brother is no help. She feels stuck at work. Her mom returns home and Maddie finally moves out of her house and begins to find out who she is.

Since reading this, the book was chosen as a Read With Jenna pick so you know this one is going to be popular.

When a book is talked about so much, expectations become high. This book met those expectations as it is powerful and heartfelt. Maddie is the daughter of Ghanaians, living in London with her father. Her mother spends a year in Ghana, alternating with a year in London, having left Maddie to grow up quickly with a deep sense of responsibility. Maddie wants to move out and experience what other young women are experiencing. Depression, family and racial issues are all approached with honesty. I highly recommend this well written, emotional book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a stunning debut and may be in contention for one of my favorite books of the year. This novel follows Maddie, a 25 year old woman, tasked with caring for her ailing father, while her mother and brother live their own lives. When her mother returns, Maddie takes this as an opportunity to escape a job she hates, move out of her family home, and just find her own way.

This novel covers hard topics such as racism in the workplace, depression, death, cheating, and grief. But it does all this through the lens of a character that is both real and wry. Maddie is trying to find herself and her way and it's so beautifully done. I specifically loved the lines relating to female pleasure and sex and how upfront talks of mental health and therapy were in this novel.

The last 25% of the book had me ugly crying to the point where my husband asked me why I read, and while I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a sad book, the look at grieving someone your love wrecked me. Maddie is a truly stunning character and I'll be thinking about this one for a long while.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the review copy.

I absolutely loved this book. It was phenomenal. Jessica George writes Maddie as if she is speaking to an old friend. She is hilarious, honest, real, and is trying to figure out who she is. As the caregiver aspect and having to navigate stages of grief, this novel really struck close to home with me. At twenty-five, Maddie takes on so much more than she could have ever expected to and has to find out who she is and who she wants to be without pressures from her over bearing (and self centered) mother and selfish brother want her to be.

This novel is one of my favorite reads and I would highly recommend it! In my post on my Instagram, there is a mistake where I put 4/5 stars instead of 5/5.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

I love family dramas and this was a good one. When it started out with an aimless 20-something, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to relate to Maddie but I very quickly began to root for her. Maddie goes through a lot in this book and I really enjoyed the authentic vulnerability and realistic character growth that she experienced. There are a lot of good insights in here about complicated family relationships, mental health, acceptance, maturity, and self-confidence. Definitely would recommend this one!

I absolutely fell in love with Maddie. I adore books set in London, and Maame (pronounced ma-meh) beautifully melds Ghanaian culture with modern UK life. Maddie is a lovely young woman caught between two worlds... well actually multiple opposing aspects of her world. A daughter of immigrants, she is navigating her family culture while wanting to be a modern and independent young professional. She is a primary caretaker of her father who has advanced Parkinson's and is navigating being a dutiful daughter while disappointingly dealing with her family's lack of physical and financial support. As a Black woman, she aims to fit in with her mostly white colleagues and struggles with how to showcase her unique talents and qualities as something she can contribute to her workplace. She navigates dating, sexuality, flatmates, microaggressions, racism, faith, depression, and grief with brutal honesty, hilarious Google searches, and pure innocence which makes you just want to wrap her in a warm hug. Maame is a "coming of age in your 20s" story that just drives you to become Maddie's #1 cheerleader. Along her journeys, she grows up to find the value in the people who have been truly supporting her all her life and also finds there are new people willing to go to bat for her if only she opens herself up to the possibility.

This is the book for all of us who have felt a little lost and tramped down by life, who faltered in our own naivety, and who have struggled with our inner voices. Like Maddie, we can overcome our adversities, both real and in our heads.

Just a wonderful debut novel that is perfect for book club discussion!

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I finished Maame a day or two ago and I just had to sit with it because wow. What a beautiful, heart-wrenching, real, and captivating story. When the book starts out we’re introduced to Maddie living her life but not really living it. Throughout the course of the book we see her go through a number of life-altering events and experience the beauty of life’s greatest joys as well as the heartbreak of life’s biggest losses. Anyone who has experienced immense grief will tell you how real this book felt and how incredibly moving it was to go on the journey alongside Maddie. The story also deals with race, culture, religious and familial guilt, and it was all done so well. I can’t say too much more without giving parts of the book away so I’ll end this by saying I hope you pick up Maame, and I hope you see a piece of yourself in it, but even if you don’t, I hope you appreciate the journey. Because at the end of the day, we’re all just humans, trying to figure it out as we go.

Wow. Life is complicated, families are sometimes a lot at work and cultural differences absolutely at to challenge. The main character Maggie is relatable and realistic. This books tackles many subjects in ways that are sometimes hopeful and sometimes heartbreaking. Great book. Thanks #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

A young woman must juggle her mother’s sky-high expectations with the burden of being her father’s sole caregiver. Along the way she navigates a new job and forays into love while trying to figure out who she is and how her Ghanaian culture fits into her life. Debut author Jessica George leans into her own background as the child of Ghanaian immigrants in the sweet but ultimately middling novel Maame.

In London Maddie Wright is doing her best to keep track of everything: her job as a personal assistant as well as her father’s health. As his sole caregiver, Maddie spends all of her time either at work or at home taking care of her dad’s needs. His Parkinson’s has slowed him down enough that Maddie feeds her father by hand and helps him into and out of bed every day. He’s mostly stopped speaking, so Maddie is never sure that what she’s doing for him is enough or too much or completely wrong.

She resents her mother for leaving them and spending so much time in her home country of Ghana in a travel schedule that mostly benefits her. She lives in Ghana for a year and then returns to London for a year. She also expects Maddie to kick in funds for the hostel she’s running back in Africa. Maddie is living at home, but she doesn’t have much in savings.

Her older brother, James, made the decision to check out of the family early on . He offers Maddie moral support but not much else. Like their mother, James expects Maddie to help him out financially when his job as the manager of a band leaves him short.

Between all of her responsibilities, Maddie is lonely. Her boss, Katherine, expects her to solve all the problems that Katherine herself creates. When Maddie first got the job at the theater in London, she thought she’d have the opportunity to attend the performances. The only performance she sees on a regular basis, though, is Katherine trying to convince everyone she’s totally fine even though she spends plenty of time in the bathroom crying.

Then comes the day that Katherine makes a big mistake, blames it on Maddie, and fires her. Maddie thought things were starting to look up; her mother had called to say she was returning to start her year in London, and Maddie recently made the big decision to move out. But how can she do that when she doesn’t have a job?

Moving out creates its own issues. Although her flatmates are lovely people, Maddie discovers she’s never really learned how to navigate life as an adult on her own. Now she has to do just that, figuring out dating, the job search, whether a person’s comment has racial undertones, and why her mother won’t leave her alone already about getting married. Through it all, Maddie realizes she’ll have to make some hard decisions if she wants to reclaim any of her life for herself.

Author Jessica George draws from her own experience to create Maddie and some of Maddie’s circumstances. Like her protagonist, George’s parents migrated from Ghana. Also like Maddie, George studied English literature in college, worked in a theater, and then found her next job in a publishing company. For both professional experiences, George’s familiarity and ease with those job environments ring true.

Maddie also grapples with her culture at times in a way that feels realistic to children of immigrants. Her need to assert independence while honoring the legacy of her family weighs on Maddie in a way that is relatable. The Ghanaian impact in her life is dealt with as any other life challenges rather than being used as a prop for diversity’s sake.

Maddie’s voice, too, is fresh and interesting. Her naivete will appeal to anyone who has lived through their mid-20s and struggled with life decisions, no matter their cultural background. If anything rings false, it’s Maddie’s self-awareness and her ability to verbalize in crystal clear, succinct prose exactly what she feels about her life’s biggest challenges soon after they’ve occurred.

Instead of messy conversations that lean one way or the other and eventually find themselves upright again, Maddie’s pronouncements about her life stand ramrod straight. After the fourth or fifth time, her declarations feel put on and too polished. They become a major distraction, and some readers may wonder how on earth Maddie could find herself in the scrapes she does if she’s so self-aware. Why can’t she stand up for herself before something happens?

Those who enjoy reading and learning about other cultures in a book that includes witty inner dialogue might want to try this.

I love this kind of book. The kind that long after you finish reading it, it will stay quietly in the background of your memory.
I think so many readers will be able to relate to Maddie - pleasing others and never putting yourself at the forefront of your needs. What I appreciated most, is that Maddie's story is not "perfect". It takes many different experiences, and often even more time, to learn how to be a stronger, better person, how to advocate for yourself, and how to voice your own needs and boundaries.
This book would make a wonderful bookclub discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an opportunity to read this story in exchange for my honest review.

When the reader meets Maddie she is struggling with all aspects of her life, caring for an ailing father with Parkinson’s, pressures of work, racial issues, cultural issues, loneliness due to the stress of caring for her father as her peers are going out, a very poor connection with her mother and her brother. I actually felt the weight on Maddie’s shoulders and was caught up in her quest for change. Change comes, but not in the best ways for Maddie.
Jessica George created an interesting way for the reader to see someone in the throes of depression, the ways it can creep up on people, and the struggles with seeking help.
I was certainly invested in the storyline but struggled to connect with Maddie. George did an excellent job of giving the reader glimpses of Maddie’s childhood that created the hangups she is currently dealing with but I still struggled to connect with her. I totally struggled with her mother until late in the book when I learned her backstory.
Jessica George placed me in a position to better understand the racial and cultural biases that occur in every day life as well as an emotional journey of someone dealing with depression.
Many thanks to Jessica George, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published book.

This book is going to be a real crowd pleaser. Maame is a sweet coming of age story that will be very relatable to most folks.

Maame is a powerful and unique coming-of-age story. Maame lives in London, feels stuck and questions who she is and who she is meant to be.

This is a story about relationships, love and grief. Rooted in family and friends. This story hits on some heavy topics but the author is really thoughtful about the heavier topics - racism, loneliness, loss, depression and couples the story with love, friendship and career.

Definitely recommend this book! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC. Maame will be out this Tuesday, January 31!

📖 This story is told from a first person perspective, main character being Maddie, a mid-twenties Londoner with some serious weight on her shoulders. Part coming of age, finding yourself, figuring out what the heck you are meant to do and be, all while balancing familial expectations and care for an ailing father, there were times I really identified with her but also just wanted to give her a hug. This novel transported me back to that time of my life, when you’re trying to make your own way but with uncertainty brimming at every turn. One of the parts I really loved were her “rules” she set for herself as she made an effort to branch out:

The NEW Maddie

🍹 Drinks alcohol when offered
🙌🏻 Always says yes to social events
👗 Wears new clothes
🥘 Cooks new food
🧳 Has different experiences (travel? brunch?)
🚬 Tries weed or cigarettes at least once (but don’t get addicted!)
💄 Wears makeup
💕 Goes on dates
🔥 Is not a virgin

I enjoyed experiencing Maddie’s growth as she navigated moving out on her own, friendships, dating, and establishing a career. I loved all the thought-provoking themes, including mental health, grief, racism, dysfunctional family relationships, sexuality, and the unfair burden society often places on women.

💜 Overall I found this novel to be beautifully written, and despite tackling some heavy topics, made it equally hopeful and heartbreaking. I could not help but compare it to Queenie as I was reading–I hate to compare books because each is so special in their own way but this is high praise as Queenie is one of my most recommended reads.

❗️ Favorite line:
“I’m sure there was a time when I was happy, but how do you measure that? 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.”

I started this literary fiction last month and it didn’t stick (hello mood reader) but im so glad i picked it up again. It was both saddening and heartbreaking, yet it contained elements of humor that provided elements of relief from the heavy emotions. The combination of heartbreak and humor created a well-balanced reading experience.

Maame (ma-meh) in Twi has many meanings, in Madeline's case it means "woman" but it also means "the responsible one". This name fits Madeline because she's been caring for her sick dad since she was 12 yrs old but you could say the name was predictive of her future.

When her mom finally returns from Ghana Madeline gets the chance to move out and start living a life of "firsts". It doesn't take long for tradegy to strike and for Madeline to spiral into feelings of guilt and depression. Please please research trigger warnings ⚠️ this book deals with HEAVY stuff.

If you’re a fan of literary fiction, you’ll likely really enjoy this book!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my gifted copy!

Maame by Jessica George will be published on Jan 31st and i highly recommend you read it!

A beautifully written novel with great character growth and development. Engaging and moving! A fantastic debut by Jessica George.

<b>Jessica George's debut <i>Maame</i> takes on big issues of race, culture, and the challenges of growing up between two cultures while shining in its details: wonderful dialogue, messy moments, and the main character's hard-won self-discovery and growth.</b>

<blockquote><b>Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.</blockquote></b>

Young adult Maddie's life in London is exhausting. She's the primary caregiver for her father, who has Parkinson's disease; she pays the bills; her mother spends the majority of her time in Ghana yet manages to micromanage Maddie's religious faith and life from across the globe; her older brother never seems to be around to help; and she's the only Black person at work with a boss who shifts all of the blame and none of the accolades her way.

Her nickname, Maame, has long conveyed upon her a womanlike responsibility about which she has mixed feelings, when she stops to think about it. But there's little time for introspection when so much needs doing day to day.

When her mom shows up from Ghana, Maddie jumps at the chance for some independence; a late bloomer, she finds a flat share and revels in finally being on her own. Maddie is inexperienced and has been somewhat isolated in her caregiver role (although she has close friends, who are wonderful characters in the story), so she's got a lot of learning to do and mistakes to make.
But she seems destined to be continually pushed around and taken advantage of--by her family, her boss, her flatmate, and her love interest.

That is, until she decides that she simply isn't going to take it anymore. Tragedy, misfortune, and a passionate desire to take charge of her life together spur a satisfying turnaround--with plenty of realistic missteps--and show Maddie her own inner strength.

Jessica George offers a wonderful story with messy moments of love, some humor, big issues of race, loss, anger, lies and betrayal, and underneath it all, the constant, stressful push and pull between Maddie's two cultures.

<i>Maame</i> explores Maddie's search to establish herself in the world, and I loved rooting for her the whole way.

This is Jessica George's first book. I can't wait to read what she writes next.

The issues of race and of young-woman Maddie making her way in the world in London in <i>Maame</i> reminded me somewhat of <i>Girl, Woman, Other,</i> Bernardine Evaristo's interconnected stories about Black women in contemporary Britain.

I received a prepublication copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

<b>To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-maame-a-novel-by-jessica-george/"><i>Maame.</a></i></b>

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I loved this book. Sometimes books come at the right time, and this one did for me. But I'm not sure there would have been a wrong time. It was all the things: family drama, light romance, coming-of-age, women's fiction, friendship fiction, diasporic fiction, humorous, current ... just everything I was looking for right now.

Maddie Wright is the person in her family who takes care of everything and everyone except herself. Her father has Parkinson's and she lives alone with him while her brother pursues his entertainment career and her mother travels between London and Ghana, where her parents are originally from. Though she has hopes and dreams for herself, Maddie feels strongly that she needs to be the one to hold down the homefront, since no one else seems inclined to do it. Then her chronically absent mother announces that she is returning from Ghana for a year, so she can take over the care of her husband, and she urges Maddie to move out and make a life for herself.

Consulting Google message boards, as Maddie does for most of her decisions, Maddie decides to make some serious changes and become the kind of person she never had the space to become before. She wants to date and lose her virginity, smoke, drink, and take her career in publishing more seriously. And to Maddie's surprise--and the persistent soundtrack of her self-doubt--a handsome suitor presents himself, as does a new apartment with flatmates who could become friends, and the possibility of an unanticipated but exciting development in her career. But even as she embarks on what seems to be a new life, Maddie is still carrying a lot of baggage from the old one. And eventually, it all catches up with her, forcing her to reckon with who she is in her family, and in the new world and life she is building for herself.

With the light touch and tone of a rom-com, Jessica George managed to meaningfully address some very heavy subjects-depression, chronic illness, cultural identity, race, sexual discovery ... like I said, all the things. This didn't read like a debut novel; it read like the work of someone adept at giving readers just enough to understand where the characters are and what they feel without belaboring the pivotal moments in the fear that we won't recognize just how pivotal they are. The dialogue was clever and snappy without being trite, and the main character, Maddie, nicknamed Maame ("Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman."), endearing and relatable.

The significance of the title is revealed in the novel, and becomes key to helping us understand who Maddie is in her family when we meet her, and who we have the delightful experience of watching her become. A great read! Thank you NetGalley!

Audiobook note: I listened and read. Both experiences were equally positive. The narrator is exceptional. I could almost believe she is Maddie.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Maddie is a mid-twenties woman that is not having a good time. Graduated from university - she keeps bopping around Admin jobs trying to find where she fits. On top of that, she has become the caretaker for her father who is deteriorating from Parkinson's Disease. Her mom is back in Ghana running the business she inherited from her father. Maddie's brother is not there, while older, he does his own thing and leaves Maddie to handle it. Maame has multiple meanings in Twi, her parents native language, but the main use is for woman. Maddie has been called that all her life, which implies that she is a woman, capable of handling everything. However, that is not true.

When mom comes back from a year-long trip away, Maddie takes the chance to escape and start her life. Her mom will be home to take care of her dad and pay the bills. Maddie moves out and decides that she is going to start doing a lot of things different. Offer her a drink - sure! Go for a better job - absolutely! Lose her virginity - heck yea!

The book winds through Maddie's time and loss as she navigates her new world.

While the character is a Ghana/British black woman, I completely related to her story on the aspect of putting everyone else first, being a people pleaser, and shrinking when you do not want the spot light.

I loved this book and look forward to her next writing.

Comparisons to QUEENIE are very apt, though I preferred this book. It did take me until the second half to become invested in Maame as a character. There were some lovely meditations on grief.