5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Maame was SUCH a beautiful novel about growth and love and finding yourself and who you want to be apart from your family. Maddie, a “late-bloomer” makes the big leap to live outside of her home for the first time, after having been the sole caretaker of her father with late-stage Parkinson’s and the sole money-provider for her, her father, and her (overbearing) mother in Ghana. Her mother nicknamed her “Maame”, which in Twi, means woman, often because Maddie (although the youngest in her family) was the main caretaker. With this move, Maddie learns to find community in the people around her, does things she had never done before, and begins to discover who she is apart from her being Maame.

I thought this story was so beautifully crafted and took us through such an important part of Maddie’s journey. It was amazing to see how Maddie grew away from being the person who carried everyone on her back, constantly full of guilt and fear of failure, into this confident young woman who stood up for herself and her needs. Her journey of learning to open up to those around her was really special to me as someone who has struggled with the same. I really loved how important community and care were in this story as well- Maddie’s friends were always so supportive of her and always gave her the space to just be. I also adored the romance at the end with Sam, someone who made her feel cherished and seen.

Overall, would so recommend this beautiful story!! <3

I have had a hard time starting my review of Maame because I had such mixed feelings about it. I had a really hard time getting into the story. I didn't love Maddie in the beginning and didn't feel really interested in her life, I was bored. But I am so glad I stuck with it because I absolutely loved the second half of the book! I loved the changes in Maddie, the way she was finally able to stand up for herself and really recognize what she wanted. I loved the complex family dynamics, and especially Maddie's relationship with her father. I loved Nia and Shu. The writing was so beautiful and the story so emotional. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing more from Jessica George.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sharing the digital review copy with me!

A wonderful book but long in places. Maddie lives in London with her father. Her mother is involved with life in her birth place Ghana and not true to her marriage. She goes back and forth between London and Ghana. This leaves a 24 year old Maddie handling her sick father and not exploring life. She begins to experience life and due to circumstances feels guilt. A beautiful read.

Maddie is 25 and the primary caretaker for her father who has advanced Parkinson’s. This means she has spent all of her coming of age years taking care of others. At long last she is given the chance to move out and live her life and it’s a tough learning curve.

So I have mixed feelings about this one. The beginning for me was slow and arduous. The MC is a doormat and it’s infuriating and cringey at times. Which I know is the point but it made it hard to pick up and continue. It wasn’t until about 50-60% of the way in did I get hooked. I couldn’t put it down!!Maddie finally found herself and I was rooting for her! Her character growth is the saving grace here. There are some major truth bombs dropped at the end that I thought were worth highlighting.
I enjoyed the writing style. It felt true to the current twenty something culture. The cover is gorgeous.

This book is heavy on the depression and grief so be aware.

Medium spice 🌶

Maame is set to release February 7, 2023. I think you should pick it up and give it a go.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica George's debut novel Maame follows a woman in her mid-twenties, Maddie, trying to find herself and have independence while being the backbone of her family. Maame is beautifully realistic, candid, and will have any reader rooting for Maddie in her search for herself.

A realistic coming-of-age story for people who for one reason or another feel like 'late bloomers'. Maddie begins the book caring for her ill father-- and being the only one to do so, even though she has a mother and a brother. After acting basically as his caretaker for almost eight years, she is given a chance to leave home when her mother returns from Ghana. She has to balance living her own life and becoming a 'New Maddie' and the responsibility she feels towards her father while her other family members are not willing to help. The reader follows Maddie's conflicting feelings towards the responsibility she has been given, while still loving her family, and trying to make a life for herself after living for others for so long.

Maame is really one of the most realistic books I have read, in the best way. Its a truly compelling story about grief, family, love, relationships, hardship, living as a black woman, and trying to find oneself. George's style of writing is so personal I had to make sure it was not a memoir-- Maddie's narration really makes you feel as if you two are friends talking to one another and not like she is a character on pages. The many real life elements did not feel overwhelming even when life was overwhelming for Maddie, which I find many authors have trouble balancing. It felt like I was following her busy, quick-changing life while not getting lost. The ending is perfect and makes you so happy for Maddie-- not everything is perfect for Maddie in the end, but when is life ever perfect?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Maame is a tender story of a young lady named Maddie who grew up in a difficult family. Her father was sick with Parkinson’s and her mother was largely absent and her brother, James, was largely absent as well. This left Maddie to care for her father, with the help of a caregiver, leaving Maddie with little time for a fulfilling life of her own. When Maddie is 25, she begins to venture out on her own and she then begins to decide what she wants for her own life. Maame beautifully takes the reader on a journey of grief, duty, responsibility, growing up, and figuring out life and all that it holds. The look at the Ghana culture was also very interesting. This is a well written book. Plenty to laugh about, cry about, think about, and wonder about. A marvelous journey!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica George’s debut novel MAAME, scheduled to be published early February, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press, was a delightful, easy read about a young woman facing difficult life circumstances with grace and aplomb. While just 25 years old, the young protagonist Maddie has spent much of her life isolated, taking care of her severely ill father and their house on her own, raising herself, attending school and graduating from university, earning money and paying their expenses, with virtually no help from her mostly absent mother and older brother. In fact, she’s often called upon to help them with their financial difficulties. It’s only near the end of her 25th year that she’s finally given the opportunity to move out on her own and experience life as an an independent woman, when she finally learns about relationships, sex, and love, and how to assert herself in her relationships with her family and with her work.

I’d like to thank Ms. George, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced free digital copy of MAAME for me to review. The book is well-written and compelling; I empathized with Maddie as she navigated her way through the many obstacles thrown her way, and I cheered her small insights, successes and victories along the way. I’m confident Ms. George will continue to mature in her writing skills and produce even more interesting and complex narratives in the future, and I look forward to reading them

Great look into the life of the daughter of immigrants in the UK. Different experiences than in the US, where I live, but insightful nonetheless. As a teacher, I think that my students could see themselves in the main character, despite the main character being older than they are (she is 25, but in a work and relationship rut).

Maame is a fantastic, heartwarming, hilarious at times, touching (all the good adjectives, really) coming-of-age novel that I’d recommend to anyone. Maddie lives in London and is in her mid-twenties when she begins to spread her wings as an adult after spending much of her life caring for her father who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease with her often-absent mother and older brother not sharing the caregiving load. The novel follows Maddie’s journey as she moves from her family’s home, begins dating for the first time as an adult (with all of its ups and downs), and pursues her career goals in the face of unreasonable bosses, idea thieves, and microaggressions. Reading this novel was like chatting with a good friend, one with a great sense of humor about often difficult situations and circumstances. The prose is excellent, and this was a very fast read for me. I think this would make a wonderful book club book.

Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. This was a wonderful read and I’ll look forward to the author’s future works.

A very soulful story from the eyes and mind of the main character Maddie. Her insights on her life are telling and rarely delightful as she painfully comes to terms with all she has been burdened with by her absent mother and brother and with the care of her very ill father. When she finally has the opportunity to move out of her family home, her naivete and her lack of understanding the subtleties of single life create pitfalls and stumbling blocks.
It is a very deep novel and not one to read lightly.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the best kind of book for a bookclub- A lot of thoughts, feelings, and discussion to be had! Highly recommend.

This was a very intriguing coming of age story. It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did it read very quickly. I’m sure that I wasn’t the target audience, but I did really enjoy the story.

I loved this book. The voice was so fresh and real. It was a hilarious, easy read for me and I enjoyed it tremendously. I see it as a coming of age novel that many of us raised in another culture can identify with. I also related to the introversion tendencies of the young female main character and her self imposed duty to a family that didn't particulary appreciate her. I see the yearning to belong as a huge theme. My only issue with this book was there was a bit of a preachy tone when it came to assimilation. Otherwise, very well done and I look forward to more from this talented new to me author. Thank you, Jessica George, Net Galley and St Martin's Press. We need more books like this!

This is more like 3.5 stars rounded down.

It took me a long time to get into it, but once i got through the first quarter i really got into the book (i stayed up too late to finish it even!). Still, though, i didn't like most of the characters very much and had a hard time understanding their motivations. This really improved in the last third of the book, but that feels a little late for me. This was a coming-of-age book but for someone in their 20s--i think part of what made it hard for me to relate to was how much of the truth of the book was ENTIRELY happening in Maddie's head, and all of her relationships, even with her very closest friends, were predicated on lies and silence. It was a challenge to connect to a lot of it as a result. But, as i said, it came together well in the end.

I received an advance copy from Net Galley, and let me tell you... I did not enjoy this book. I think the story line was one that I was just not that into. Honestly, it took me a long time to drudge my way through this. I kept asking ,myself, what is the story line here...why are we concerned with Maddie's life... I did not find anything that I enjoyed about this book, and was disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy of this book!

Maame (Maddie) is a young, black, professional who is mature beyond her years, and carries the weight of her family (and the world) on her shoulders. Besides normal stresses from trying to “begin her life”, he dad succumbs to Parkinson’s and she is dealing with early days of that.

This book is fantastic! So realistic, and so many storylines that accurately portrays the pulls on one’s life. Career, family relationships, friends, culture, racial boundaries, finances, love, our dreams and expectations from others, and ourselves, all have pressures - and we feel like we need to succeed in all. We can’t figure out why we are sad and lonely in life! Why do we feel this way? Our life is no worse than anyone else’s, others also have big problems. Yes, but no one person has the exact same combination of stresses, and outside factors affecting our ability to deal with it all at once, and in the time frame it all hits the fan.

My descriptions above makes this book sound depressing. It’s not. It’s real, it’s eye opening, and it has you nodding your head in agreement. You cheer for Maddie, you feel frustrated for her, and I was both relieved and sad to no longer be in my youth. You are grateful for her friends, but also another layer to wade through with that dynamic. Maddie is also dealing with extreme grief and guilt. I found her emotions accurate and real, as well as other’s advice valuable, and reactions to sympathy in her early days. I highlighted several passages that were good advice from friends, touching comments from those who could relate, and excellent comments from the therapist. This book shows how much we are all dealing with, and the need for more mental health services, and removing the shame and stigma of using those services.

I can’t not wait until this book is launched and on sale to the masses. It will be moving and force great discussions. I will recommend it to people in every stage of life, it can resonate with us all. I wish it so much success! 4.5 stars

Maame was a delightful book. It's the story of Madelaine/Maddie/Maame and her exploits with her father and her boyfriends. She is 25 years old and is of African decent. She is also a virgin. Her father has Parkinson's. She has a brother, James, who is no help at all. Her mother spends all her time in Ghana and is, of course, no help either. So all the responsibility for her father is on her shoulders, accept for the fact that he has a carer who is there part time. In the beginning of the book she is still living at home. But as her mother is preparing to come home, she decides to move out.

Not long after her departure, her new flatmates, Jo and Cam invite her out to a pub. After a while she wants to go home because she wants to prepare a cake for her father's birthday which is the next day. But Jo convinced her to stay. She has too much to drink and sleeps in the next day. Her phone wakes her up and it's her mother. She tells her that her father had died. Maddie takes the news badly and blames Jo that she didn't get home in time to see him before he died.

Her first boyfriend,Ben, is the one who takes her virginity, 2hich she shares with her two closest friends, Shu and Tia. With him she comes to realize that she doesn't like sex. It's just too painful. In the course of their dating he invited her to a birthday celebration at work. Apparently, he has forgotten that he invited her, because when she arrives she sees him with another woman. She thinks nothing of it. He goes to her and asks her what she's doing there. She reminds him that he invited her. He then is called on to give a speech. The other woman descends upon her and tells her that she and Ben are dating and that he has taken her to meet his family. This unhinges Maddie and she leaves, and as a result breaks up with him.

Enter Alex. She meets him on-line and learns that he's bisexual. At first she doesn't know what to make of it but decides to go with it. She has sex with him and doesn't like it a any better than she did with Ben. She decides to be honest with him and tells him. This is a non-starter with him. He tells her that sex is very important to him, so that ends that relationship.

Jo is white and she breaks up with her on again off again African boyfriend, Sam. At Jo's birthday party, Maddie and Sam have a conversation that leads to them dating. He takes it slow with her. Eventually they have sex and it's more than she could have imagined.

In the end we find her at her father's graveside having a conversation with him, where she tells him about Sam.

Early on, she had submitted an unfinished manuscript for possible publication which is rejected. At the end of the book she receives correspondence asking her to rework it and submit it again. It is a fictionalized story about her and her father.

I definitely enjoyed this book and will read it again. And I would absolutely recommend it for book club. I give it five stars.

Maame...family caregiver, friend to some, anxious employee, struggling millennial, unsure of herself and others. Once tragedy strikes, Maame allows herself to grow into the woman she was always destined to be--strong, respected, and loved by many. This is a beautiful coming-of-age story full of heart and soul. You will truly find yourself cheering for Maame, grieving with her and hoping her tragic story blossoms into her happily ever after.

In Jessica George's debut novel, 25-year-old Maddie has put aside her dreams to take care of her disabled father, while working in a thankless job as personal assistant to an impossible boss. Her mother spends a year at a time in her homeland of Ghana, working in a family business, and provides little financial or emotional support to her daughter. And her older brother begs off when asked to help out. Maddie has a couple of supportive friends, but her dating life and her personal life have taken a huge hit for eight years.

I was interested in the story at first, and it's an easy book to read, but Maddie's never-ending complaints and failure to take action to improve her life soon wore me down. The problem for me was with Maddie's first-person narration. The way she expresses herself seems flat and didn't allow me to form any kind of bond with her. It's true that Maddie's life is often frustrating and disappointing, but she never seems to demonstrate much personal warmth or engaging personality. In addition, there is not as much about Ghanaian customs and culture I had hoped for. Maddie lives and works in London, doesn't speak the Twi language, and feels out of place and unwelcome when she visits Ghana, so it's up to her relatives to remind her of her heritage. There are also infrequent details about the characters that are fun but never followed up.

The story does lighten up in the latter part of the book, which I appreciated. I believe that the author is quite talented, and I am confident that her style will mature as she continues to write.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.