This is a beautiful, powerful but heavy story. It's about family expectation and how that can shape who we become. It's about grief and loss but also about growing up and finding your own way. Maddie is a powerful character because she is stable, quiet and comfortable. She is the one in the family that is the foundation. She's taking care of her father, continuing to put her life on hold as she lives at home and commutes to work. She is fixing meals and spoon feeding her father. Even though she has back pain, she is lifting him in to bed at night.

It isn't until thing start to unravel - the job, the family, her father - that Maddie begins the see the cracks in her life. She's not happy, why isn't she happy? Why can't she just continue to smile through it all? It's only through the love of friends, the work through guilt and the forgiveness and accpetance of family that Maddie finally starts to dig through it all to see who she is. It's raw and real and so moving to read. And every time she said "okay?" to her dad, I couldn't help but smile. This one was so good!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Maame is me and i am here!! My God did this novel gag and read tf outta me!! I think almost every first/second gen child of immigrants can relate the hell of out Maddie and her complex relationships with her parents and siblings. I am just blown away by the writing and these fleshed out characters! Maame’s not perfect and never claims to be but she has suffered under the immerse pressure of being the present child! Of being the present daughter! Of carrying her family’s burdens and problems and ignoring her wants and her desires and her need! A people pleaser! A classic case of high functioning depression! Maame is raw and honest and i loved when Maddie decided to move out and live her life! Her awkwardness, anxiety, dealing with micro-aggressions in interracial relationships, her professional life and that of her flatmates. I am very bias hence the 5 stars. Im rooting for all my Ghanaian sisters especially those who can write their ass off. Miss George has written a relatable novel that inspires hope, flesh out grief and leaves you feeling seen! Maame, to me, is an unforgettable novel, that also humanizes parents and their sacrifices without taking away too much from the points that need to be driven! Overall an amazing and enjoyable novel that I highly recommend!!! Cannot wait to see what else Ms.George has in store!! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review!!

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Great book! It is so well written! I loved the character -Maddie. This book checks every box for me as a reader. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

Maddie, a young naive black woman, works and cares for her dad with Parkinson’s so.she has very little time for herself. She starts building a life for herself by speaking up at work, finding girlfriends to go out with, and having a sexual relationship with Ben. She uses ‘Google’ to ask questions about relationships,etc.

This book does not have enough plot and is very slow. There is too much focus on planning a funeral and on negative social experiences.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: February 7, 2023

This book reminds me of Elenor Oliphant so I think fans of that book should definitely give this one a try! We follow Maddie as she tries to navigate life while trying to care for her sick Dad but abandoned by her mother.

The synopsis of this book sounded like something that I would enjoy but I'm starting to think that these types of books aren't for me as a reader. I loved the idea of learning more about Maddie's life and seeing how she can process each thing that is thrown her way.

However, as a reader I struggled with all the internal monologue and how choppy/jumpy the writing seemed. I think the author was trying to make it seem like we were inside Maddie's thoughts but it left me feeling disjointed.

Perfect for fans of: Eleanor Oliphiant is Completely Fine, Queenie, internal thoughts, women's fiction

This book was oh so beautifully written, with so much heart and soul! You walk through the growth of the family an the grief , self doubt, and then the grits of starting over! It was absolutely everything and more! I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with a book as much as I have this one!
Sweet Maddie had to grow up way before her time. After years of caring for her I’ll father, her mother finally sees fit to come back home an let her daughter live her life, as she should have been all along! This is a book of sacrifice, to show just what you will do for the ones u love, but there are always consequences to doing so! I can’t emphasize the heartwarming and heartbreaking beauty this book is! Read it. You will be forever changed ‘

Maame, by Jessica George is a coming of age novel about 25 year-old Maddie, who has spent much of her life being an adult, without actually living the life of an adult. She is smart and talented but finds herself trapped in jobs where her supervisors have different ideas about her career trajectory.

Maame is the story of how Maddie escapes the expectations of her family, friends, and employers. Although she is 25 years old, Maddie has never experienced life, which means this coming of age novel begins a complicated and sometimes unhappy period of growth for a woman, who is naive and often depressed. This novel is both heart-warming and sad. The descriptions of characters are complex and nicely detailed. The setting is London, and Maddie, who is Ghanan, navigated both her families rich heritage but also life in London, where most of the population is white.

I do recommend this book. I found it nearly impossible to put down Maame. Maddie captured the imagination of readers, who will learn about the ways in which traditions and heritage find a balance in London life.

I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you also to NetGalley for introducing me to another writer, whose prose is beautiful to read.

A first novel for the author and really good.
The central character -Madeleine-Maddie-Maame (twi in her native Ghanian language) is the central character in the book.
Through her, George covers so many topics-illness and the toll on the caregiver, marriage dynamics, racism, pathologic family relationships, depression, true friendship, work discrimination, and Maame’s sexual growth and maturation. There is something in this book that everyone can relate to. In short, a book I was hesitant to read and didn’t think I would enjoyed-wow, was I surprised.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher. This is my honest review.

Honestly I don’t know how I feel about this book. It had potential, I felt I had a bit in common with the main character (especially taking on being the sole caregiver for a parent). I assumed it would mostly be about how Maddie navigated her personal life through out her father’s sickness. But less than half way through I was bored & started disliking the MC. She lied about unnecessary things which in doing so just made her life more difficult. The obsessive googling was ridiculous and annoying. I had to force myself to finish the book because I felt obligated to since it was gifted to me.

The dating scenes were too fantastical. No they didn’t have happy ever after endings but it’s hard for me to believe Maddie was capable of being so cheeky on dates and every guy she met was instantly falling for her when she had a hard time making friends or simply communicating with others in her daily life.

But the book does bring up very relevant & important topics (depression, people pleasing, microagression, racism, abandonment, adult peer pressure, imposter syndrome, ect). I know life is messy but maybe there were too many topics taken on by the author.

This is more of a 2.5 if it was possible to give half stars.

This was a beautiful book that I enjoyed more and more as a read further. It handles mourning and mental health so delicately and in such a raw way, and by the end I cared so deeply about protagonist Maddie. If you’re looking for a novel with emotion, depth, and growth — this is it.

Maddie is a 25 year old child of two Ghanaian immigrant living in England. She has assumed responsibility of her ailing father, who is sick with Parkinson’s. The book begins as a slice of life, until - spoiler? - Maddie mother returns for a visit from Ghana and her father dies — and as the challenges she faces simmer together, we learn alongside Maddie that her increasing symptoms can be attributable to depression.

I appreciated the reality of the book - the way the author discussed loneliness, and Maddie’s raw feelings. The start was slow for me (where is this going? Maddie felt one dimensional) but it turned into a beautiful story about honesty, communication, and frankly growing up. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy in this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Maame" is a tour de force of a debut novel from Jessica George. It touches upon so many themes, but in a wry, poignant, and stark way. George's book reminds me a lot of 'Queenie' by Candice Carty-Williams in it's unabashed view of life as a 20-something young black woman in London.

The story revolves around Maddie, a young black woman of Ghanaian ancestry living in the UK. She is the primary caregiver for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's, and her mother and brother are constantly MIA. She's stuck in a dead-end job and her romantic prospects are not looking much better.

In this debut novel, George packs so many themes into a quick, digestible read. (I devoured this in one sitting!) She touches upon dysfunctional family drama, cultural and racial minefields in work and society, online dating (ugh!), sexuality, grief, and depression. I thought the sections about caring for her father and her mother's abandonment were especially well-written. Unfortunately, not a full 5 stars for me because I do think there were a few too many themes to be fully given their due and the romantic entanglements sometimes took the book into rom-com territory which clashed a bit with some of the other sobering themes.

But, definitely an enjoyable, worthwhile read. And excited to see what else this author has to come! A solid 3.75 stars (rounded to 4) on my end!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There are some books that are so relatable that you cannot put it down because you are just rooting for the character. This was the book that for me.

I grew up similar to Maddie by being a late bloomer who constantly questions their thoughts, feelings and actions and how it effects others. But this story is more than just a coming of age story with a likable main character. The author does a great job of examining race, culture, familial relationships, guilt, and mental health.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what this author does next!

It was a solid 4.5 stars throughout but the ending was so… happily ever after. It felt like everything wrapped up too neatly in an unrealistic way. But I did really enjoy reading it.

Maame is Jessica George debut novel about a young London Ghanaian named Madeline Wright or Maddie as her friends call her or Maame as her family calls her.

“Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.” Jessica George

As a young adult of twenty-five Maddie has not had the same lifestyle as other young adults her age. While many of her friends are off to the city to live, out partying with friends, finding romance, traveling, and just exploring life, Maddie has had the responsibility for the past eight years of caring for her father with Parkinson all the while working for a boss with mood swings in a theater company. Maddie receives no help from her brother that promises to visit but never shows up; a mother that can find time t0 call and ask Maddie to send money from her hard-earned savings account but is too busy in Ghana helping her brother and his family business to return to London to help with her husband’s care.

When word arrives that her mother plans an extended return to London, Maddie jumps at the chance to move out of the family home into renting a room with two other flat mates. In addition, Maddie is forced out of her dead-end theater job to finding a new job in a small publishing company. As Maddie starts to explore all the things a twenty-five year can do without all the responsibility, she makes up a The New Maddie challenge list …

-Drink alcohol when offered
-Always say yes to social events
-Wear new clothes
-Cook new food
-Have different experiences (Travel? Brunch?)
-Try weed or cigarettes at least once (but don't get addicted!)
-Wear makeup
-Go on dates
-Lose your virginity.

Maame follows Maddie as she explores numerous successes and difficulties .. proving herself at the new job, learning to speak up for herself, working at new friendship, keeping up with old friends, dealing with a dysfunctional family, discovering romance, dealing with love, loss, and grief, discovering sex, and understanding her own self-worth.

Maame was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed reading about Ghanaian culture and while this was a coming-of-age novel I found the beginning slow and very hard to get into. Truthfully, I had a hard time connecting with Maddie, I found her to be juvenile in in actions – googling even the most mundane questions. I just wanted her to stand up for herself instead of being the doormat she was making herself be .. which she finally does at the very end. I found part of the story rush and other parts just dragged on.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Release date for Maame is February 7, 2023.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and publisher, St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publishing: February 7, 2023
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 320

This debut novel by Jessica George was soooo wonderful.

Maddie Wright, nicknamed Maame (means woman in Twi) since childhood gets the chance to move away from home to discover what life feels like and who and what she wants to do with it. She is a door-mattish type of person who takes on a passive observation of her own life as you get into the story. At first, I said…another naïve person who gets walked all over but as you get deeper into the story…I related to Maddie and her circumstances.

She is thrown into adulthood early when most of her friends have either left the city, gone off to college, enjoying the party life, becoming roomies and even having the occasion romance or two. Maddie’s transformation into a grown-up life came when she learned that her father had Parkinson’s disease and she is left by her mother and brother as his sole caretaker. With a non-existent brother who never visits, and a money moocher mother who’s been in Ghana for over a year, and unlikeable boss at her theater job…she feels alone and trapped. The story takes a happy turn when she finally is afforded the opportunity to break away from her prison and live a life that she believes most 25-year-old young women should live.

I loved this book so much and could relate to Maddie’s family dynamics, relationships with her family members, exploring the sexual side of her, wanting romance and hopefully feeling what happiness is all about. Such a heartwarming, well-written story for a debut novel. This story makes you think, cry, empathize, angry, smile and laugh. At certain parts of the story, I found myself teary-eyed and loving Maddie and her plight the more. So not what I expected but glad I had the opportunity to read this beautiful 5-STAR debut…did I say debut 😊. Highly recommend this one.

Maame is a beautifully written debut novel written by Jessica George. I picked this book up as an ARC through NetGalley knowing nothing about the novel. This turned into a book that I could not put down. Maame is a novel about a young woman name Maddie from Ghana navigating through her young adult life in London. Maddie is the primary caregiver of her father who is living with Parkinson's disease. She has been living at home with him while her mother lives in Ghana helping with a family business and her brother does he own thing rather than offering any help. When Maddie's mother finally comes home from Ghana for an extended stay she begins living a life that she has been missing out on.

While living on her own Maddie is faced with many difficulties. I truly enjoyed watching Maddie work through these difficulties while also working to figuring out who she was and where she fit in. I enjoyed the ties to Ghanian culture and look forward to reading more from Jessica George.

Maame is a glorious coming-of-age story from debut author Jessica George. At 25, Maddie Wright makes the decision that she's going to try some new things and experience life in an independent, care-free way that she has yet to have the opportunity to do.

Maddie is a real, fabulous protagonist whose journey will make you laugh and cry. I hope everyone has the chance to read this because it really sings.

Maame is a uniquely written story that allows the reader to watch the character unfold as she goes through so many different situations. Some are common firsts and some are heartbreaking. There are so many points and situations to relate to from a unique perspective. There are some really beautiful moments and powerful messages. I truly enjoyed this book.

I loved this book. This coming of age story of a young woman in her 20s, Maame, flips the messy protagonist script, instead introducing us to a character who has been overly responsible in her young life.

The author tackles generational trauma, aging parents, caregiving, and complex family relationships within a Ghanaian immigrant family in the UK. It was both enjoyable and gratifying to follow Maame as she untangled the complexities of her relationships and career.

If you like coming of age stories, armchair travel, complex relationships, or exploration of diaspora cultures, you will enjoy this one.

MAAME
BY: JESSICA GEORGE

"Maame," by Jessica George was a delight to read and it is a novel that at first I didn't think I was the right audience for it. It turned out that I LOVED IT!. It took me back in time when I was trying to navigate my life during my early twenties throughout my later twenties. It is a coming of age story where one is trying things out and seeing what works and what doesn't. It isn't without getting hurt, which makes this novel so fresh and relatable. I was definitely entertained while I vicariously experienced Maddie's growth. I thought at first, that this was more for a younger demographic, but couldn't help feeling nostalgic for the past, younger me.

Madeleine Wright is living in the United Kingdom where a lot of responsibility--I thought too much was forced upon her at only twenty-five years old. Her mother spends too much time in Ghana, coming back to criticize Maddie and tell her how to conduct her life. Maddie is ultra responsible as she is tasked with taking care of her father who is afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Without any moral support from her mother and her older brother James, it all falls on Maddie and a male carer to see that her father gets taken care of. I thought it was poignant and sweet how much Maddie loved her dad and personally made sure that he received all the help that he needed. I also at the same time felt that it was too much of a burden for someone so young to share alone.

Maddie's mother comes back from Ghana and Maddie finally gets the chance to move into a flat with two other young women her age named Jo and Cam. She starts to really get the opportunity to begin exploring the kinds of age appropriate things that she wasn't able to do while living at home. She starts having fun and experimenting. It is that Maddie is a late bloomer and she looks to Google to find answers to the dilemmas that she faces. She goes out to nightclubs and has her first taste of alcohol and she meets her first boyfriend named Ben. I really felt bad for how Ben treated her. She reminded me of myself where she displayed over trusting that she was exclusive with Ben. I felt heartbroken for her when he invited her to a work event and she discovers that Ben has also invited another young woman after giving him something special. I was proud of the way she rallied with the help of two close friends to not let it be something that was lacking about her. It couldn't have happened at a worse time because a tragedy takes place right before Maddie is faced with Ben's betrayal.

Part of what happens is something we all face at one time in our lives. I thought Maddie was stronger than she thought she was. This turned out to be a very real portrayal of life's milestones that we all face. I enjoyed watching Maddie's growth and her ability to realize that she isn't supposed to be the person that everyone expects her to be. She starts to realize that she can be herself and with some help she reaches the stage of self actualization. It is not without some of life's challenges. I really ended up thinking that this was a very well written novel that deals with obstacles that we all face during our lifetime. Jessica George has written a very real contemporary novel that is fresh and deals with many themes. In the end I am so happy that I kept reading, because I think that no matter that I felt it to be for a younger crowd, I think that I was wrong and people of all ages can relate to this fun and feel good slice of contemporary life. Maame is a nickname and a term of endearment and I would read whatever Jessica George has written already and anything that she writes in the future.

Publication Date: February 7, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Jessica George and St. Martin's Press for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Maame #JessicaGeorge #StMartinsPress #NetGalley