Slow start and I really couldn't decide if I was enjoying it, and then it became entirely absorbing. I can't decide if it was the writing that took a while to find it's rhythm, or if it was purposeful as the main character had to sink into herself and find her voice more. Immigrant story in England covering some heavy topics with grief, guilt, first sexual experiences, and dysfunctional family dynamics. I was definitely rooting for Maddie and appreciated her arc. Impressive debut.

This book was decent, not as great as I was hoping for. Someone had compared it to Ghosts by Dolly Alderton, and it certainly has that vibe, but without the punch and fun of Ghosts. I found the main character to be a little too naive and unlikable. Culturally, however, there's a lot to learn from this book.

this was absolutely beautiful. stunning writing, loved watching maddie grow. i had a great time reading this, a really moving reading experience.

Maddie who is the main character is a 25-year-old living in London, working, and trying to have a normal life despite her troubled family life. Her life is not that of an average 20 something, Maddie’s life is depressing - she cares for a father with advanced Parkinson’s, her mother is in Ghana for a year at a time, but still is overbearing, and her boss is cruel and she really has no one she can lean on or talk to.

When her mother finally returns to London, Maddie decides to begin living her life. She finds a new job that allows work-life balance and a flat with some great roommates that encourage her to find herself. She experiences new friendships, her first love, and her first heartbreak, and learns that people aren’t always what they appear to be, which is a valuable lesson at any age.

But as she begins to live her new life so much of her old life and the experiences she's been through begin to take a toll on her mental health. We see this as she struggles to become whole, and define what being a maame (woman) truly is.

And its heart this book is about self-discovery, finding your voice, and cherishing relationships.

I found Maddie (also known at Maame) to be sweet, funny and admirable. Maddie wants to do the right thing but wants to be one of the crowd...something that has alluded her for years. Her mother rotates life overseas and home with Maddie and her ill father. There is a tragedy and Maddie was find where she truly belongs. A very good example of a young person and the ups and downs of becoming a true adult.

Maddie, 25, is the youngest child born to Ghanaian parents who emigrated the family to London, a family that's always been unconventional at best. Maddie is called Maame within her family, a name meaning "the responsible one". Despite her youth, Maddie is the one that is looked to to take care of things, to make things better. It is a heavy burden for a young person and she feels the weight of it on her soul.

After years of caring for her father who is debilitated by advanced Parkinson's Disease, Maddie's mother decides to come back from Ghana and stay for a year. Maddie finally gets the chance to be young, free, live the life she chooses, to date, to discover who she is and what she wants of life; it is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

This is a gentle but powerful, poignant, and astute read. It's a book about being part of two cultures; racism; accepting our families for what they have and have not, can and cannot, give us; how our past chapters work to prepare us for our future ones; and the power of friendship. Above all, it's about recognizing who we are, and who we are meant to be.

I think you'll fall in love with Maddie and cheer for her throughout the book just as I did! An excellent read!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book via NetGalley. The book is scheduled for publishing on 2/7/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are given freely.

Maame read more like contemporary fiction than literary fiction. I had expected a complex character juggling family, career, and romantic relationships, so I was surprised to find that the 25-year-old protagonist with back pain read quite juvenile. While the protagonist was faced with several heavy, “adult” challenges that were ambitious in breadth, her responses felt wanting in depth. The light tone and simplistic/impulsive attitude felt inadequate and aimless. Though I understood that she was lacking in life experience, I had hoped for more beneath the surface.

My alternate expectation was a playful, upbeat, adventurous story following the protagonist as she ticked a bunch of “firsts” off her list — something like a contemporary romance. I wasn’t expecting anything too wild and was prepared to take pleasure in the mundane joys of life, but I quickly tired of the protagonist’s naivety.

I think I was let down by misaligned expectations, and given the glowing early reviews, it’s on me. Perhaps this book would be more compelling for mature YA.

Maame might end up being one of my favorites of 2023! It’s hilarious, sad, heartwarming. It’s almost like a coming-of-age, except Maddie’s 25.

Things I especially loved:
• Maddie’s relationship with her father. It was complex but hopeful. Maddie bore the brunt of taking care of her ill father but she never treated it like a burden.
• Maddie’s inner voice. She is so funny!
• Maddie’s relationship with her nickname, Maame. As she grew and changed throughout the story, there were times she both loved and hated the nickname her mother gave her.
• Maddie’s mother. She frustrated me to no end, but I appreciated her by the end of the book.
• Ghanaian traditions and language (Twi) sprinkled throughout the book.
• Maddie’s tendency to google everything. I love that the author added in so many google responses in the book. Many of them made me laugh out loud.

Maddie is such a complex character and naive in many ways, so it was a fun and interesting journey reading about her self discovery. There were many times I wished I could reach into the pages and give her a big hug.

Maddie/Maame is a beautifully complex character who speaks honestly, at least inside her head. She's the sort of messy, unfinished, and imperfect main character that needs to feature in more stories more often. I found her journey through grief to be deeply compelling and reflective of a more honest reality of what we experience in grief, instead of the processed stages that are so often presented. All in all, beautiful. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This book was so beautifully honest.

Maddie is a twenty five year old in a rut. She is the sole caretaker for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's, because her mother is back in Ghana and her older brother always has an excuse at the ready.

After being unfairly let go from her disappointing job, she has the opportunity to move out of her home with her father and start anew --- an opportunity she takes, despite her feelings of grief and guilt over leaving her father. She starts dating, starts saying yes to social invitations, starts drinking, and starts trying to find her own happiness.

Of course, this is a journey filled with ups and downs -- disappointing dates, conflicts with flatmates, family turmoil. But there is also newfound strength in standing up for herself and going after the things in life she deserves.

I loved how real Maddie felt as a character -- from her deep emotions to her curious Google searches as she begins to navigate the world on her own.

A well done novel about growing up, family and finding oneself.

Maddie also known as Maame to her family, is a 25 year old women living in London and caring for her father who suffers from Parkinsons disease. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, returning to london about once a year. Her brother James lives nearby but is rarely in contact. Maddie decides it it time to live her own life and finds a flat with roommates and a new job. Dating is also new to her as she finds her first real boyfriend.

Maddie has always been the responsible one and learning to live only for herself does not come naturally. After her fathers death, Maddie and her family must come together to find out what went wrong all those years and how to move forward. Maddie is a well drawn character who develops at a good pace.

I thought this was a very fresh coming of age story centered around a well-developed character. However, I found the writing inconsistent and a little flat. Sometimes it read very YA but other times were lovely, particularly about grief and her family. The first person to diary entry voice perspectives were a bit out of place and jarring. I think this author will be one to watch as she finds her voice.

This was such a delightful read! When this stellar debut novel opens, Maddie (whose family calls "Maame," which has several meanings in Twi, including "woman") is a young woman living in London with a dreadful job and serving as the primary caretaker for her father, who is suffering from advanced stage Parkinson's. She and her father have a special connection, and I loved their tenderness and affection for one another. Despite being the youngest in her immediate family, she has shouldered much of the burden while her older brother James and her mother have avoided much of the responsibility, After her mother returns from her latest trip to Ghana to take a more hands-on approach in caring for her husband, Maddie leaps at the opportunity to strike out on her own and finally start living.

The story is heartwarming, touching, and full of up's and down's as Maddie navigates life outside of the home she grew up in and has an opportunity to check off some important "firsts," such as changing jobs, dating, expanding her circle of friends, and renting an apartment with roommates. Maddie talks directly to the reader as she explores adulthood and I could not help but root for this kind, intelligent, funny, and sweet young woman to succeed. This story has layers and depth, and tackles difficult topics in a deliberate and thoughtful way. I adored spending time in Maddie's London and very much look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this stellar debut early!

A solid debut, Maame by Jessica George is a coming-of-age story about Maddie, a woman in her mid-20s navigating her career, relationships with family and friends, and dating for the first time. Maddie's also the primary caregiver for her father who has Parkinson's.

I thought this book shone when it described some of the poor treatment Maddie received at work (where she's often the only Black person in the room) and her experience with grief. I didn't always love the pacing and was frequently frustrated by all she had to endure.

I''d recommend the novel especially to fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and Yinka, Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn.

I did not expect this book to be so emotional and relatable. Maddie (also called Maame by her mother, which gave her a little too much responsibility at too young an age) is at a turning point in her life. She's been the primary caretaker for her father, who has Parkinson's, while her brother doesn't help at all, and her mother has been living in Ghana for the past year. Around the same time that Maddie gets fired from her job, her mother lets her know that she will be coming back to stay with Maddie's dad for a year. This is Maddie's chance, to move out, meet new people, start dating, and live the life she wants to live. But not too long into this new life, something happens to upheave everything.

Maddie was such a sweet, relatable protagonist. She is constantly putting others ahead of herself, and doesn't even realize that she might be depressed and anxious until someone else tells her so. She's just trying to figure out how to live an independent, fulfilling life, and immediately, grief finds her. She's navigating new friendships and relationships, and even a new job, but how she's been raised has her in a mindset that doesn't inspire a lot of personal growth. Watching her work through all of these things was hard and emotional. This is a work of literary fiction that really focuses so strongly on the main character, that it feels like she is real, like this could be a memoir.

My favorite bits are the reality of the grief, Maddie's best friends, and the fact that Maddie immediately has to google everything she thinks of, because same.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

4.5 ⭐️

Loved the culture, coming-of-age themes, and honesty of this one. Heavy on the heart, but I was rooting for Maddie the whole time. It felt like I was reading/listening to a friend. This book is a gem. Many readers will enjoy, relate, learn, and grow with Maddie on this journey.

Great debut, would make a fabulous book club pick. Would love to see Read With Jenna pick this for February!

"Maame" is the powerful, emotional story of Maddie, a Ghanaian woman in her mid-twenties whose people-pleasing nature is frequently taken advantage of-- from her family leaving her alone to shoulder the burden of caring for her invalid father to struggles in social life, romance, and the workplace.
This novel is intensely introspective, like a coming-of-age story but with a protagonist aged 25 instead of 15 and truly experiencing the world-weariness of those extra ten years. As the daughter of an immigrant family myself, I found it all too relatable, and couldn't help supporting Maddie even through her cringe moments and awkward attempts at reshaping herself.
My main issue was that the concept of "Maame" wasn't focused on as much as I expected it to be from the title, but Maddie's uneasiness with the nickname is resolved satisfyingly by the end. I also found myself skimming all three of the romances, which slowed the pace a little too much. Overall though, I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity to read it and will be recommending it in the future.

A beautiful heartfelt debut, coming-of-age story. Maame is about 25-year-old Maddie who is the primary caregiver for her father with late-stage Parkinson’s, while her mother and older brother are largely absent. Maddie is unselfish, always living her life for others. She is in a job she doesn’t like, romance is a bust, and she carries feeling of guilt about family duty. After her mother returns from Ghana.. Maddie moves out on her own.. encountering many firsts in her life. This takes her on a slew of complicated hits and misses to forging her own path in life. Tragedy and grief find her, but this only propels her forward to discovering what’s most important in life—her own happiness. As Maddie travels on this journey of self awareness you can’t help but cheer her on while feeling the multitude of her emotions along the way. ❥ 4.5 stars — Pub. 1/31/23

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Maame is a breath of fresh air. Maddie feels instantly relatable to me, although our circumstances are very different. Her constant Google searching had me laughing out loud because I do the same thing. This book captures the messiness and hopefulness inherent in being a twenty-something. At every step, Maddie's struggles were so real: navigating workplace trouble, romance, friendships, and family. Watching Maddie learn to use her voice and stand up for herself was a joy- it felt like seeing a little sister find her place in the world.

Beautifully written. I could have read more of Maddie's story. Her journey through just a few short weeks in this book took on so many personal challenges, and her growth through each of them was real and relatable.