Whatever I write here won’t do this book justice. It’s so good. Amazing Ghanaian representation. I think anyone in their 20s-30s can find a piece of themselves in Maddie as she deals with grief, finding herself, and mental health. So good.

Publisher Synopsis:

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils––and rewards––of putting her heart on the line.

Review: Oh wow, I loved this book. Maddie's character was charming and endearing and I loved her from the beginning. Love the diversity, love the talk about Ghana and her family and traditions. I thought it was so poignant and her family values were really well represented. I felt for this character so much through finding herself in her mid-twenties and through trying to navigate complex family relationships and dynamics, her career, her life. Loved it all - 5/5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my free digital copy.

I deeply enjoyed this coming-of-age story about Maddie, a 25-year old Londoner who breaks out of her shell and finds herself.

At the beginning of the story, Maddie is her father’s caretaker, an introvert, and concerned about her own mental health. However, through difficult times she’s finds her strength and her self.

This story was uplifting and I imagine will ring true for many of its readers. I know it did for me. I also really appreciated the way the author discussed mental health and the way we think about it as humans and a society. Our main character is one you’ll quickly fall in love with and be cheering for!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for this arc! This book releases Feb. 6th, 2023 so be sure to check it out.

Maame by Jessica George. I didn’t finish this book because the story didn’t grab me and didn’t hold my interest. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

Maame is a very well-written, engaging, emotional ride of a book. Maddie’s anxieties and struggles to find her way out from under the weight of familial obligations and expectations was extremely relatable. I liked the conceit of the google searches for getting outside input when Maddie was feeing isolated. She was an easy character to root for! I would have liked to see a bit more of the evolution of her relationship with Sam - really I just feel like I could have stayed in Maddie’s world longer and wasn’t ready for the book to end!

Maame tells the story of a young woman’s struggle to find her way amidst family expectations that have weighed on her for her entire life. Twenty-five year old Maddie is bright and thoughtful, but her job in London is not what she has hoped for, and her social life is virtually non-existent. Maddie is the caretaker for her father with Parkinson’s while her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her older brother chases his dream career. Maddie feels weighed down by responsibility but guilty about wanting an escape.

Maame is a very relatable story that is both thought provoking and enjoyable. My only very small critique is that I felt that Maddie comes into her own rather suddenly quite late in the book. I wish we had seen more of her growth before the end of her story.

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie (Maame) Wright’s family is not conventional. Her mother lives in Ghana and visits her family in London every other year, while Maddie acts as the primary caregiver for her father, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Maddie’s duties have prevented her from spreading her wings, but when her mother announces her return to London, she sees an opening to leave her parents’ home and start living her own life. She moves out and rents an apartment with a couple of roommates, starts a new job, and sets out to seek new experiences. Soon after, tragedy touches her life, and Maddie starts to struggle with feelings of guilt and regret. As she grapples with pain and disappointment, Maddie discovers that there are no rules when it comes to perceiving or manifesting feelings of love and grief. Her journey will lead her to find the strength to have her voice heard and ask for what she wants in both her professional and personal relationships. As she embraces her new reality, she slowly develops an understanding of herself and of how people affect each other.

Deeply emotional, funny, and authentic, the story presents us with a well-developed, relatable character that deals with issues of duty to family, cultural identity, coming of age, love, mental health, tradition, race, and finding your voice. The plot is honest and engaging, and the pace is more than adequate. In addition, we get an interesting glimpse into some aspects of the Ghanaian culture. Overall, an excellent read that will leave you with a smile.

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book prior to its release.

Maame means woman or mother in Ghana. Our title character, Maddie, also called Maame by her family, is forced to grow up too soon and to put her young life on hold because of her's father's Parkinson's and the refusal of her mother and brother to do their share. When we first meet 25-year old Maddie, she is way behind her peer group in learning about herself, her likes, her dreams, men, and dating. She is also well-educated but in a dead-end job and incredibly unhappy and unfulfilled. Throughout the book, we watch Maddie begin to make changes, take risks, and try new things, some of which work out, many of which do not. The biggest joy is watching Maddie learn about herself and begin to move beyond people pleasing and peel back the layers separating her inner and outer selves. I like Maddie and rooted for her all the way. However, it bothered me that she relied on Google so much to be her close-confidant and main information-source. This seemed impersonal and an easy way for the author to increase the word count.. I also thought the ending wrapped things up too tidily. Even with some flaws, this is a well-written, engaging book about a spunky young woman who teaches us that it's never too late to learn. ( I would give it a 3.5 if I had that option.)

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

It's rare that one can express emotion at this level through prose. Jessica George nailed it. You'll be felling all your feels and then some.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. Loved the characters and the setting, Look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book. I really enjoyed it and it was nice to see Maddie find her way after being adultified well before her 18th birthday. I would recommend this book.

I sincerely haven’t been this emotionally affected by a book in ages. It is remarkable that this is Jessica George’s first novel, and it is obvious how personal Maddie’s story is to her.

Maddie’s life mirrors much of my past, which is rare for me to find. I may not be 25 years old or British Ghanaian, and I’m thankfully out of admin hell, but I was a caretaker from age 16-30 for my mother and stepfather who both had the same advanced chronic neurological disorder. I was similarly held back from fully living life and experiencing intimacy.

Reading about Maddie’s routines with her father who had Parkinson’s as well as the tremendous guilt for daring to do anything new or fun was tremendously cathartic. I cried while reading about her tentative experiences with men. I wanted to be there for her, much like her true friends Nia and Shu. It was lovely to see her have support. I was also pleased to see that Maddie’s awkwardness didn’t ostracize her as is the case in many books lately. Her googling as a way to fumble through what is “normal” in life was so relatable and funny.

Maame focuses a great deal on family and Ghana tradition as well as the racism Maddie regularly experiences. I found the culture and family dynamics fascinating. However, Maddie’s mother was beyond frustrating and I had a very hard time finding any sympathy for her. She took Maddie for granted and expected her to make so many sacrifices at such a young age. It was upsetting, so I was thrilled to see Maddie have opportunities come her way. 25 is sometimes referred to as the “quarter life crisis,” and she truly needed to begin finding herself. She needed to break free of all her burdens and self-doubt, much of which was caused by family.

Maame brought me much closure to my past. Never have I found an author who understands the strange isolation of being a young caretaker. I feel spoiled and honored that this is my first ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

There's a slight possibility that I finished this book in a day and cried at 2am.

Maame is such a powerful story about culture, identity, regrets, grief and starting over. The book follows Maddie who, at the age of 25, has become her father's caretaker while her mother spends the majority of her time in Ghana. She has a brother who doesn't help at all, some emotional turmoil that her mother constantly dismisses and a job where she feels absolutely stuck. While Maddie and I come from different cultures, there were so many things I found relatable about her journey. Having also grown up as a sheltered teenager I had to Google the majority of my questions because there are just some topics too taboo to even mention. I also highly related to her struggles with faith and her complicated relationship with her mother.

I've seen some reviewers mention how Maddie is completely naïve and how overbearing her mother is, which makes me wonder if they paid close attention to the cultural aspect of this story. What might seem overbearing for some cultures is completely normal for others (albeit not necessarily healthy).

I genuinely believe that Maame by Jessica George is a beautiful character study and shows that, no matter how old a person might be, it's never too late to try new things.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This a powerful and moving book that tell about self-growth, family, guilt , starting over grief, Family. I absolutely loved this book. It did not disappoint. It took me through so many thought and emotions and I can’t rave enough about it.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, for the chance to read and review this!

I'm trying to find a way to convey how much I love this book, but I'm at a loss for words.
I wish I could personally thank Jessica George for existing, for writing Maame, for sending it out into the world, and for letting me read it.

I essentially cried my way through this. There are so, so many beautiful moments in this book. Moments that are sad, honest, devastating, introspective, vulnerable, sentimental, angry, beautiful...I could write a whole list of adjectives, and it wouldn't be enough to explain how much this story covers. It feels like Jessica George took everything and put it into one story. I fell in love with her writing a million times while reading this. How she captures hurt, depression, family, friends, culture, loneliness, work, stress, anxiety, literally anything and everything a human being can experience is so profound and perfect.

The end part of the summary states,
"Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong." This is so incredibly on point with what this book is.

Jessica George is an amazing writer for being able to capture all of those things. I felt like I was right there with Maddie the entire time. It was like I was feeling everything she was feeling. She goes through so much, and you're right there with her. I empathized, sympathized, and cried for her the whole way through. I truly fell in love with her as a character and person, and that's how I know this book was done well...because I was rooting and caring for her the entire way through. I ended up feeling very protective of her. It made me wish that fictional characters were real just so I could talk to them in real life (sounds a bit crazy, but sometimes books make us feel that way!).

I think what I loved most was how introspective and honest it was. This story has so many beautiful lines, paragraphs, and moments of realization that feel like a punch to the gut. I have dozens of saved highlights that I want to line my walls with that I want to think about for hours on end over, and that will stay with me for a very long time. Some of them are devastating to read, some feel like a relief, and some make you realize that you weren't alone in thinking or feeling this way, but that it's something that others have felt too. That shared connection, even though you've lived vastly different life experiences, made this book so worthwhile and beautiful to me. It felt like I could have read another 300 pages about Maddie's life, her feelings, and what she's been through, and it still would not have been enough. I wanted to know more about her life even when the book was over.

This story truly has the most beautiful perspective of someone's identity, culture, and life that you will never experience but still get an in-depth and honest look into. I've always loved books because they allow us to see the different perspectives, lives, and experiences of others, and this one allows for that and more. It's seeing the inner state of someone who has felt many of the same things I've felt but also, more importantly, felt and experienced things I won't but still need to know about. I think that's what I'll take away from this book the most; that I have felt so much of what Maddie has felt, but things that I will never feel as well.

So this is all to say that I loved this book, and I think everyone needs to read it. It was actually perfect. Genuinely a masterpiece. I don't say any of that lightly. I cried my way through until the very end, and, at that point, I was just outright sobbing. It was beautiful, honest, vulnerable, wonderful, and made me feel everything imaginable. So thankful for Jessica George and her writing this. I'm absolutely floored. I'm worried I'll never feel the same things I felt with this book with another book again. Dramatic? Maybe. This is one of those books that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Can't recommend it enough!

I love it when books I read seem to come at the right time. Maame felt that way for me.

In this book, we meet Maddie (called Maame by her family) who is a sheltered, 25-year-old who has always been the responsible one in her family and has not done much to push herself or put herself first. Throughout the book, we follow her journey as the "new" Maddie as she works through grief, heartbreak, and rejection.

"Some things you're not meant to be save from...some things have to be lessons"

I've read many books where the main character goes through something difficult, learns a lesson, and we get a window into how they're processing. Maame approached that same trope but with more innocence because Maddie as a character is more naive. Maddie working through something seem more raw and real because she was unsure of what to do with her emotions and did not realize if what she was feeling was depression. George handled these topics with mastery and reading how Maddie approached these difficult emotions helped me work through some of my own.

I highly recommend this book if you like reading stories about family dynamics, coming of age stories, and books that make you think more deeply about the world.

I found myself continuously impressed with this story as it progressed. Each character was well developed and vivid, and their dialogue and encounters were realistic and moved the plot along nicely. I’m failing to put into words how much this book wow’d me.

Our MC is Maddie Wright, a mid twenties British Ghanaian woman who has been caring for her ailing father since she was a teenager. Putting her own life experiences on hold while her mother and brother live out their lives. She is encouraged by everyone to move out and start living her own life, without said encouraging people offering to help with her father. However, she finally does so early on in the book. Cue self discovery and experiencing some “firsts”.

There is so much to digest in these choices she feels she can and cannot make. The cultural aspect - especially the cultural stigma around mental illness, was well depicted and I’m happy to see this topic being shared more.

Maddie’s voice in particular, her silent humor and wit, was perfectly done. Her character shows that a woman can be self-aware and intelligent while also being depressed. Both can be true. I loved her. I get it.

The humor sprinkled throughout worked. I especially enjoyed her Google searches. I related to the crazy ride that is grief and I felt the cultural obligations in my bones.

For fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maame, the debut novel by Jessica George, is a gem of a book about coming of age and finding yourself. It is both hopeful and heartbreaking. Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book absolutely broke my heart. This is not a light book by any means, but it does have its own light moments. It was so beautiful and tender and I loved every minute of it.
After I finished reading, I realised that I have found a new comfort read.
Highly recommended!

I got this from Netgalley, so I feel obligated to do more than just rate it. I really didn't enjoy the first two-thirds of the book because I found Maddie so annoying and frustrating. I know plenty of people with self-esteem issues (including myself), but I don't think I've ever known anyone quite that bad at life.

Posted 8/4/22 on Goodreads