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.

This was a fresh take on a modern woman of color trying to make her way in life. From an interesting perspective, she tackles microagressions at work, being fired, dating, getting dumped, losing a loved one, depression and mental health, all while not feeling too heavy. I fell in love with the main character, and I enjoyed hearing from her perspective. It wasn't too preachy, but rather engaging, and I loved every minute of it.

Maddie takes care of her father who has Parkinson's disease. Her mother visits very rarely and Maddie's life is filled with taking care of her father and working. When her mother finally comes to London, Maddie gets to live her life. This was an emotional read as Maddie experiences everything! I loved Maddie. I think her mother and brother are very selfish people. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

“Fun doesn’t equate to happiness; at the very least, it lends you happiness and I want to know how to keep it. I’ve googled “How to be happy”; I’ve taken walks in the park and written long gratitude lists; I’m consuming more fruits and vegetables and going to bed early; I’ve given out compliments and practiced mindful breathing. I have tried to fix myself.”

I’m a white woman, not Black or Ghanaian like Maddie in this book but I related to her so easily.

She has a distant yet overbearing mother, who she ultimately needs therapy for (amongst other things). She didn’t really have a childhood and was the responsible, dependable one.

She was a caretaker for her father and then once she moved out, she was trying to find a place for herself - had a list of how to be an adult and googled many things, including how to be happy.

This book explores many things: grief, guilt, regret, fresh starts, finding yourself, standing up for yourself, relationships with family and others and most of all, hope.

This coming-of-age book was so emotional and heartbreaking. Maddie went on quite the journey in this book and it was interesting to read. Maddie was sweet, naïve, and also depressing. While I enjoyed reading about Maddie and all of her family, friend, and dating issues, there were times that the book was a little slow. I was amused that Maddie Googled so many things she had questions about - that was completely relatable for me. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

This book started off slow and I didn’t love the narrative voice, with small asides as though our main character was talking to the reader. However, about one-third through, the tone shifts significantly and I began to really enjoy the book.

I appreciated Maddie as a character so much — she is incredibly empathetic and I wanted better for her so badly. Her growth was inspiring to see and I loved how realistic it was, not just a linear healing process or journey to self-discovery. There were many moments where she felt far younger than 25 though and sometimes her “life lessons” seemed to come through monologues from friends rather than more organically. I was glad to see Maddie explore her experiences as a Black woman and daughter of immigrants, but again, there were a few too many monologues for my taste.

Overall, this was a super emotional and relatable coming-of-age in your 20s. I was so happy for Maddie to find her strength, even as a work in progress and messy journey. If the book had started as strongly as it ended, I definitely would be rating it closer to 5 stars!

This book was very hard for me to read and I have an excellent relationship with my mother. I would genuinely caution anyone with strained parental/familial circumstances to poceed with caution. My heart consistanty broke for Maddie all throughout Maame. Then as she started finally to develop and stand up for herself, she was treated so poorly and knocked back down. (TW: For the close family death… l had to put this book down for a solid week to grieve and process WITH Maddie while grieving the recent passing of my own grandmother.)
But, as painful as this book is, it’s also so beautiful. George described Maddie so vividly and created her world and life in London with such detail, I felt incredibly connected to her. That probably made the heartbreak so much deeper. When Maddie questioned herself, I wanted to encourage her, when she hurt, I wanted to hug her, when she stood tall, I wanted to cheer for her.
This book is difficult, but wonderful.
It’s a family drama and a coming-of-age and I feel like is a really important read for so many. Maame addresses topics of racism, sexuality, cultural differences, immigrant parents, illness, mental health, dating, and so much more. It sounds overwhelming, but it’s so well-written and flows between so many important issues with grace and intelligence.
Highly recommend.

I did not finish this book. I stopped at 39%. The story was very much boring. I would fall asleep reading it. There is no conflict nor does the story hold my attention. While reading a book, I expect to feel something for some of the characters and I am not connected at all.

This is an own voices debut novel, and is a character driven story, focusing on 25 year old Maddie Wright who is called Maame by her Ghanaian mother. The setting of the story is London, England where Maddie lives as the primary caretaker of her father who has Parkinson’s disease. Her mother is compelled to divide her time between London and Ghana which leaves much responsibility on Maddie, for years. As a result, Maddie is immature in her experience with friends, dating, and making independent choices. When her mother returns to London for a longer stretch, it gives Maddie an opportunity to move out of the family home and experience a “new” Maddie, for which she makes a list of dreams and desires.

This book is humorous at times, heart wrenching at others, as Maddie finds her way to independence and figuring herself out. There were a couple of times I was cheering for Maddie, holding my breath to see if she would make and follow through on strong decisions to honor her truth and find her own way.

There are some topics to be aware of such as depression/anxiety/mention of suicide.

I enjoyed this story, and the stunning cover is gorgeous. I look forward to Jessica George’s future work. Thank you to St. Martin’s and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

THIS BOOK! Wow- absolutely fantastic! I was really surprised by this story- I wasn't sure what to expect. The story is relatable, realistic, heartbreaking, funny at times - just overall a great, great read. You really feel for the main character, Maddie, you just can't help but love her. She goes through so much, learns, grows and you certainly experience all the feelings. There are some big topics addressed throughout- grief, racism and social bias, self-development, growing up... I can't believe this is a debut author- but I will definitely be watching for future writings from Jessica George!

Thank you #Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This is a MUST read for everyone!

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This is a powerfully written coming-of-age story by a deeply authentic protagonist. I grew weary of the constant googling of questions but otherwise found it very compelling.

Maame is a nickname for Maddie, whose parents are Ghanaian immigrants in London.

Her mother is MIA back in Ghana and Maddie is the sole caretaker of her father with Parkinson’s despite her broths living in close proximity.

Brutally taken advantage of to be caretaker, financial funder, life-giver-upper, Maddie struggles with building her own life in her mid-20s. Then her mother (who tells her to give everything to God constantly) comes whirl-winding back to London and Maddie has her chance .

This is a story of overcoming, of finding your own way, wrestling with guilt and finding the ties that will ultimately bind us.

This book made me feel-I really hated some of the characters-but that was ultimately ok.

Well done.

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

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. I mean...just incredible. It was a really fantastic coming of age story. I loved seeing Maddie come into her own, and felt so much empathy and frustration for her situation and the people around her.. Book of the Year material.

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought the voice was fresh and incredible for a debut novel. The pacing kept me engaged and the character development and growth were top notch.

I was rooting for Maddie the entire time. She is a quirky, lovable and introverted protagonist. So, you spend a lot of the book in Maddie's head, as she processes the events around her. Maddie is dealing with a lot, she has been caring for her ill father, dealing with her absent but overpowering mother, dating, friendships, and understanding herself.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved this book. I loved Maddie. I loved how unique her voice was, although a voice that we could all identify with in our own way - because aren't we all unique. Her growth is wonderful to witness. It highlights the joys and frustrations of life. The parts to celebrate and the difficult parts that you want to hide from. It was realistic, it was heartbreaking and it even made you laugh at times. A truly wonderful book. I loved Maddie's voice. Her perspective on her own life and her inner struggles. A must read!
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.