My mom died 11/8/22, so this book hit me it all the right places. It was raw, compelling, and emotional. Maddie’s emotions around her dads death and the processing of grief, guilt, managing arrangements and dealing with family & well-meaning friends… it was all very impactful to me.

That being said, there was so much more to this book. This feels like the kind of book that should be read as mandatory reading in high school or a lit class in college. It touches on massively important issues (death, relationships, racism, sex, depression) and it does so in a relatable way (again, I personally am dealing with stuff right now, but I would venture to guess that most people could relate, at least at some level, to what is written about here.

An absolutely exquisite journey of life and self-discovery.

Beautifully written. The authors understanding of grief was spectacular. The ending was everything I needed it to be.

Maddie's Dad has Parkinson's. She is his care taker and her mother is rarely present and Maddie is the only one who takes care of him. Her Mom lives in Ghana and she is running a hostel. Maddie is twenty five years old and lives in London. Her brother does not help her at all with the care of her father. Maddie's Mom visits her every other year and is always criticizing her.

I really loved this book. There are likable characters and unlikable characters. The characters are very well done. I also loved the writing style.

My favorite character is Maddie. She never cares about herself but always takes care of others. She loves pleasing people.
She goes to the University and is the only black woman in her classes.
Her mother calls her Maame which has many different meanings in Twi, mainly meaning Woman.
Maddie did not have a childhood.

I did not like her Mom at all. She was always criticizing Maddie. I also did not like her brother who always thought of himself.

This was an emotional read for me. It had all of the emotions. I love a book that makes me feel. It also is uplifting and I loved the great messages in this book

I want to thank Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
136 likes

Fresh perspective on coming of age that I really enjoyed.

Maddie is part of a Ghanian family, having grown up in England and now responsible for the care of her ailing father. Her mother lives and works in Ghana most of the time and her brother is conveniently absent.

Life is not great for Maddie right now. She hasn’t had time to be a young adult and she is still living with her Dad. We are with Maddie as more challenges come her way and feel them right along with her.
“I can’t carry on living believing human beings are as good as it gets” She looks at me. “We’re the worst.”

Maddie comes to terms with her life and it is a hopeful, lovely message. This is a light read, with serious topics.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for my advanced reader copy.

This is a book about a young woman navigating her life - caring for an ill parent, feeling heavy responsibility and trying to make better/more fulfilling choices. The voice of Maddie is authentic and relatable. I appreciated the race storylines which were subtle but realistic. The topics of heavy responsibility, family matters and grief are covered with realism. There are some great storylines and characters who I came to appreciate. I loved this novel!

Maame
by Jessica George
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Maame by Jessica George is a moving and deeply insightful novel. The writing is excellent, and the characters are superb. "Maame" is Mother's nickname for Maddie0 in their native Twi which means woman, the responsible one. It is hard to believe that THIS is the debut work of this author. I felt invested in her story grieving and celebrating with her in her moments of triumph. I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.

4 stars

Fantastic debut! This is an emotional coming of age story, vividly described, sometimes a little depressing. Maddie, otherwise called Maame, which means “woman” in Twi, is a 25 yr old woman with a lot on her young shoulders. She lives in London caring for her ailing father, and works full time while her mother continues to live in Ghana running a hostel. Her only sibling, a brother who also lives in England, is a reluctant helper. When her mother finally arrives to take over the heavy responsibilities, Maddie is free to move out and develop a social life and date for the first time. I thought this book was beautifully written and well thought out, and can we take a moment to admire that vibrant cover art?! Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be released on January 31, 2023

4.5+ stars

This is an excellent, emotional book. The characters are real and well-developed, the plot is an intriguing mix of sombre and light-hearted, and the text directly addresses some major social issues without feeling too preachy. It was intense and emotional at times but then light and funny at others. I really, really enjoyed it.

The protagonist is a Black woman, and at one point, she’s dating a white man who (not so openly) is also dating a white woman. When she’s able to confront him about it and about why he took the other woman to meet his parents as well as on more public dates while she only spent time with him in private, she says she thinks she knows why, and he says something along the lines of “don’t play that card” in their situation. She responds with what immediately becomes one of my favourite lines from the novel: “It’s only a card to people who think it’s a game.”

Again, this book is excellent, and I’ll be purchasing a physical copy sometime after it releases. I’ve also already started recommending it to friends. I’m excited to see what else the writer will create in the future.

A good fiction read. It's about the complexities of family. A beautiful black girl, whose descendants are from Ghana, finding her place in London. An introvert finding boyfriends, friends and a career. A book club read for sure, which would lead to great discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. I loved the raw emotion of Maddie as she experienced an entry level job, dating for the first time, living away from home for the first time. Along with these experiences as well as heavier topics like racism and being the primary caretaker for her ill father, I could feel Maddie's emotions through Jessica George's writing. 5 stars, and I would recommend to friends.

3.5 stars. This is a coming-of-age novel focusing on Maddie Wright (Maame), a 25-year-old Ghanaian Londoner who has sacrificed her own “growing up” to be the caretaker for her father (who suffers from Parkinson’s) and the bulwark of her family (which includes her mother and brother). Maddie is enormously unhappy due to the burdens her family life — and her work life — have placed on her, so she finally takes the huge step of moving away from home into a small apartment she share with two flatmates From the point onward, Maddie begins to finally grow up, and the story of her doing so is an interesting and compelling one — one in which she finally learns to stand up for herself and to take her place in the adult world. Her struggles are those which virtually any reader can relate to in some way. Although I found parts of the novel slow going, it was an overall engaging read.

Maddie is a young woman with responsibilities beyond her years. Her dad has parkinsons, and his care falls largely to her. Maddie's mother is in Ghana, and her brother James is living a carefree life. At 25, her life is not going the way she'd hoped it would, but if not for her, who would take care of everything? Maame, the name her family calls her, means woman in Twi after all- she must be the woman of her family.

When Maddie is offered a break, she takes it in hopes to reinvent herself. This book follows Maddie as she experiences a coming of age of sorts in her mid-twenties. Through real struggles of family, grief, heartbreak, love, and growth, Maddie begins to take shape, but does Maame fit her anymore? Did it ever?

I was taken by surprise by Maame! The emotion in this book as well as the changes and growth Maddie experiences gave it a depth that made it hard to put down. I really appreciated how complex this book was in the way it addressed the way Maddie perceived cultural biases from her family and her peers, warring against one another. Deep and emotional, this book offered a lot of insight.

Thanks so much to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. Maddie was sweet and there were a lot of things to love about her and root for (and loved the mental health rep!), and I loved learning about Ghanaian culture and traditions. But Maddie as a character was also just, ugh, annoying, and the book was too heavy handed for me overall. I’m just not sure I like the “naive girl discovers the world” trope. Coming of age is one thing, but the naïveté is just painful for me. I found her character to be so contradictory in ways that just didn’t make sense, and the constant Googling was too cringey for me. I’m not a fan of the preachiness of “now we’re learning a basic life lesson!” I also thought it could have been cut down a lot. This all being said, I’ve seen nothing but glowing reviews so I think I’m in the minority. Again, I really wanted to love it and I hope other people do!

The story follows Madeleine Wright as she navigates life with an I’ll father and an absent mother and brother. Madeleine has always been relied upon to take care of things at home but no one realizes the sacrifices she has had to make; everything from jobs, to friends, to moving out of the parental home, to having money for her own use and even a childhood.

This is a profound case study of life. There is sadness, but also humour. Thee are life lessons to be learned. Perhaps even for the reader.

I thought this was extremely well written with well developed and interesting characters.

I will admit, I wasn’t sure I would totally like it. I was interested at the start and then I felt things kind of took on a slower pace, but that feeling didn’t last. Some of the subject matter is difficult, but by the end, I realized that in order to develop the story properly, time had to be spent on the seemingly more mundane.

Themes of racism, grief, finding your way, family and culture.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

When you’ve been given undue responsibility your entire life, being called ‘Maame’ goes from a term of endearment to a yolk around your neck awfully quick. Maddie’s quest to find herself amidst depression, a dysfunctional family and the death of her father proves to be a bit difficult. Through the many challenges she faces, learning not to people please in order to obtain love, standing up for herself and acknowledging racial awareness or lack thereof, Maddie may just come out of it alright. George’s writing is smooth and witty. Maddie and the supporting cast of characters, Shu being my favorite, have their own personalities which resonate with the story and lend to Maddie’s journey beautifully. Honestly I thought this one was slow to start but about a quarter of the way in it picked up and took off, and I’m so glad I continued. Some heavy topics are dredged up in Maame, but done in an entertaining and intelligent way, and you find yourself rooting for Maddie the whole way. A great first novel for 2023, I highly recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmilliam.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

This was a perfect book to end my 2022 reading. George’s writing was beautiful and covered a lot of different topics in this debut novel. Living two different cultures, grief, loss, racism and learning to be strong for yourself.

Maddie was the main care taker for her father, who had Parkinson’s disease. Her mom returns from Ghana and Maddie moves out to start a life of her own. This is when her father dies suddenly sending Maddie in to a tailspin of grief, conflict with roommates, a new job, and love.

I can relate to the sadness and anxiety that cripples Maddie as I experienced the sudden loss of my father as well. I loved reading how she worked through the grief, the relationships she built and how she came out so much stronger.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #maame #jessicageorge #smpinfluencers

Maddie’s nickname is Maame. It means woman in Twi and that’s what she has always been to her family even though she is the youngest. She is the caregiver to her father, the peacekeeper for her mother. After caring for her father for years she moves out on her own when her mother returns from Ghana. One month later her father has died - and who is she now that he is gone?

This is my first 5 star read of the year. I laughed. I may have cried through the entire last third of the book in a good way. This is a heart breaking but beautiful coming of age story of a girl who has had to become a woman entirely to soon. You will hate some of her decisions but you’ll be cheering for her the whole way as she navigates through love, loss, and personal and career growth. I can’t say enough good things about this one!

Maame is Jessica George's first novel and I can already tell you that I will be reading anything that she publishes. I simply LOVED this book.

Maddie's story is one that I will cherish for a long time. I am Dominican and found so many cultural similarities to the expectations that were put on Maddie because of her Ghanian background.

I highly recommend this book!

Maame is a very well written perfectly developed book. It’s crazy how you can connect so strongly with a character in a book. I was a 100% invested in Maddie. I think anyone that read this book and enjoyed it had a connection with her.
At age 25 Maddie was still living at home and the primary caretaker of her father whom had Parkinson’s. Her mother always left and spent most of her time in Ghana. Her brother was just across town but always had excuses and never helped. Maddie throughout the story was torn between her life and her family.
She’s working on self development, handling grief and struggling to find love and acceptance.
It’s such a beautiful story.
My review just doesn’t do enough for this book it is superb! Everyone needs to experience the story.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with an arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story of a young woman who cares for her ailing father while her mother and brother are away most of the time. She also is working as an admin and trying to advance her writing. After her mother finally returns home, the young woman moves out and tries to make a life for herself.