Let's talk about Jessica George's debut novel Maame. I received a digital ARC to read and review via NetGalley and I am so incredibly grateful.

Protagonist Maddie Wright has left home for the first time and needs to figure out how to experience life and who she wants to be in that life. Though I often felt like she was a passive observer in her own life, the more I read, the more I realized that that was exactly who I was when I first starting living life on my own terms. Following Maddie's story felt like going back in time and reliving that journey into adulthood.

Jessica's writing felt raw and honest, like it came from personal experience (and I have no reason to believe it didn't - my own life experiences feel very similar to Maddie's). Each new character that was introduced reminded me of various people I have met in my own life over the years, grounding the story in deeply into my own reality.

Were there parts that felt a bit predictable?
Yes, but I also read a lot of books and watch a lot of television.

Did that take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole?
Absolutely not.

Maame is the story that we all need right now. It reminds us of the naivety we have all dealt with at one point in our lives and that we all experience life differently, everyone is dealing with their own unique set of problems, and you can never truly know what someone else is going through.

My only complaint about this novel is how much I cried while reading it. Jessica's portrayal of grief and the grieving process was spot on, bringing me back to recent losses in my own life that had me incapacitated in much the same way. But never fear! This story also has healthy doses of humor sprinkled in amongst the heartache.

Love and loss, family and culture, laughter and tears, and a tiny hint of some spice thrown in made this novel a joy to read from beginning to end.

Maame by Jessica George releases February 7, 2023 and is available to preorder now wherever books are sold.

Overall, enjoyed Maame. However, after awhile the day to day break down of the main character 's emotions and tasks became tedious.

Maame's main character is Maddie, a twenty-five year old woman living in London. Her parents are originally from Ghana and have raised her with their traditional values. Her older brother James is off pursuing his own interests and her mother spends most of the year managing a hostel in Ghana. But Maddie is who holds the family together to the detriment of her own life. She has been lovingly called "Maame" by her family her whole life. But the affection of the name is fraught with a deeper meaning: the one responsible to make sure the family is cared for emotionally and financially.

Her father is in the final stages of Parkinson's, she is fired from her job, her mother asks for money and James steers clear of any family involvement. When Maddie's mother finally returns to London to help care for her disabled husband, Maddie has the freedom to move to an apartment, try dating, make new friends and pursue a new career at long last

The story may sound dire but there is humor and tenderness as Maddie navigates adulthood. She constantly Googles for advice about things most women her age understand. She has a special relationship with her ill father and learns about her mother's past which explains why she is far from a typical, caring mother. Maddie and her brother also come to terms with their relationship as well. Friendships, love and career are areas where Maddie grows and matures as well.

This book provided an enjoyable escape. The writing and story line kept me turning pages. I look forward to more from this author. This is a wonderful, if delayed, coming of age filled with interesting characters and heartfelt family ties. You will be cheering Maddie on as I did and wish the story did not end.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this uncorrected digital copy.

This book is slow going. On chapter 7 I am wondering why I am still trying to read it. The book was given to me as a free copy to review. So I keep reading.... Maddie has moved out maybe now it will get more interesting. I read other reviews and some say this is a coming of age novel. Maybe since it has been so long since I "came of age" I cannot relate. I tried and I feel bad, however, I stopped about 75% through. I did rate this as a 3 star as it would not be fair to give it a one star for my preferences. I'm sure there are a lot of readers out there that just love this book. I am just not one of them.

This was a wonderful, emotional book that is heartwarming, heartbreaking, uplifting, hopeful and sometime humorous all at once! Jessica George has created, in Maddie, a wonderful, strong character who struggles to discover who she is and what she wants in life, while caring for her ill father, and working full time. At 25, she is hoping for a real career, to be on her own, and perhaps find love. The author's writing style is unique, modern and very refreshing, as Maddie turns to Google for the answers to many of her life questions, since both her mother and brother are largely absent from her life. Maddie is a character I instantly liked, because she was so honest and real! I loved this book! I did receive an advanced copy from the publisher, author and Netgalley and I am glad I did. Will be looking forward to more books by Jessica George!

Maame. Brilliantly written by Jessica George. A very moving, charming and joyful book. A coming of age story that will hold your attention from beginning to end. I truly enjoyed reading it and it’s a Definite summer pic.k. Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Maame is a beautiful story of a young woman struggling to find her place in life amidst the demands of her sometimes selfish family. She struggles to demand more for herself from her job, her family and her friends. She slowly learns that she must become her own strongest advocate and value herself. It is a strongly moving story of a young woman finding her voice.

Maame is an utterly beautiful story of a woman finding her way with her family, with her career, with her relationships, but most of all with herself. Maddie is so relatable as a young woman who has always been the dependable one in the family. She cares for her ailing father, while her mother and brother are basically missing in action. As a self-proclaimed “people pleaser,” Maddie takes on a lot; her journey of self-discovery is honest and poignant. This book is both funny and heartbreaking (I laughed out loud and shed tears while reading). The themes of racism, family dynamics, sexuality, depression and friendship are handled with so much sensitivity. The character of Maddie will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me feeling all the things. It is a coming of age story and the author is not afraid to handle difficult topics. Maddie is the main character and her self-discovery is beautiful, heart breaking, and still relatable. I can tell this book will quickly be a best seller. Thank you for the opportunity to read this, I can’t wait to get my hands on a hard copy!

"When people are ill to the point of no return to full health, to the person they used to be, some don’t have the stomach to stick around. We don’t appreciate being reminded of our own body’s weaknesses, our lack of control and inevitable mortality."

This is the story of Maddie who's been spending her twenties taking care of her dad who has Parkinson's while her mom is helping with the family business in Ghana and her brother is living his own life instead of helping out. When her mom comes back for a year, Maddie finally moves out and starts living the life she's been missing out on.

I fell in love with Maddie's voice almost immediately. She's struggling yes, and there are cases where she makes choices that absolutely drive you mad and there are situations that make you so sad for her but you also know she's resilient and strong and you can't help but root for her.

"It’s an ordinary week within the most extraordinary circumstances because apparently—and this is what everyone fails to mention about the grieving process—I still have to live."

There are several other topics explored in this story with the central one being around grief, family, racism and friendship. It's a really beautiful novel that I read in one sitting. Can't wait to read more of this author.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so happy I came across this book! I devoured it in a single day. I loved Maddie’s character. I loved how vulnerable and open she was. Even with having different childhood backgrounds, I found her character to be so relatable; in that she always put pressure on herself to be the best version of herself and was a bit of a homebody afraid to try new things.
I liked seeing her step out of her comfort zone and her grief after her father passing. I loved how the story was written and will be recommending this book to others!

🇬🇭 BOOK / REVIEW 🇬🇭

Y'all. This book 🥰 I am freaking obsessed with Maame - what an incredible, funny, charming, heartwarming and also REAL book. I did not have this one originally on my radar and was immediately drawn to the bright colors and graphic book cover. The story was just the icing on top!

This book deals with a lot of complex issues - caring for a loved one with Parkinson's, moving out and being independent at a slightly older age, difficulty finding yourself while also seeking love (and losing your virginity along the way), as well as the power of incredible female friendship. I love the culture and history woven into this book as well.

I really, really loved this one. It was an easy and rather quick read - a great poolside book!

I didn't know what to expect going into this book. It was an interesting premise, and the cover grabs you. We meet Maddie, 25, lives at home and on the precipice of a whole new world. She navigates her father’s Parkinsons, struggles with her distant brother and mother, roommate drama, switching jobs, dating. It's raw and real and while I'm very different from Maddie I could relate to her so hard. All of the internal conversations she has, the overthinking, the not wanting to be lonely but scared of putting yourself out there. This book made me cry. In public. On an airplane. So much of this utterly wrecked me while still having messages of hope! I had no idea what i was getting into but I found myself loving every page, every nuance of Maddie and reading this was looking into her soul. This book will stay with me for a long time I can already tell.

Maame, a.k.a. Maddie, is 25, but with an old spirit. Maame means "woman" in Ghanaian, and Maddie feels like she's been asked to be a woman from the moment she could walk. When she was a child, maame felt like a compliment. Now, in her mid-twenties, having never lived away from home, had a serious boyfriend, drank alcohol or smoked a single cigarette, her nickname has started to feel like a burden. Maddie is the responsible one. Her brother, James, is hardly around. James travels and spends money with impunity; he never worries about the rising financial and emotional costs of caring for their father who has been disabled by Parkinson's Disease. Maddie's relationship with her mother is a roller-coaster. Loving, but filled with pressure: <i>can Maddie send some money to her? When will Maddie marry? Maddie should stop spending all her time at home taking care of her father. Has Maddie been going to church?</i> Mom spends most of her time in Ghana, helping run a family business, but to Maddie it feels like an evasion of responsibility.

The reader immediately learns Maddie is depressed. She is one of the few Black employees at her job and is faced regularly with micro-aggressions. Her boss is mentally ill, but Maddie is supposed to ignore it, even though it often causes Maddie to take the blame for something she didn't do wrong. In spite of her heavy life, Maddie manages to carry on. But you know, as does she, that she is not really okay. Maddie is just not allowed to talk about it, so she evades, tells white lies and lies of omission, and Googles how to live more happily.

I loved Maddie's character. It was easy to sympathize with her, root for her, and want her to find satisfaction. Even though the story is about someone in their mid-twenties, it felt a lot like a coming-of-age story to me because we are watching Maddie come into her own in the same way, only it's on a delayed timeline. Maddie's girlfriends Shu and Nia are wonderful; we all deserve friends who love us as unconditionally as these two women love Maddie. I also enjoyed the hints of Ghanaian culture, the sentiments about being a first-generation immigrant, and the ways Maddie learns the difference between a silent 'ally' and an active anti-racist.

There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments for me despite the threads of sadness that wind their way through the book's entirety. I've shared some of those quotes below. Triggers for painful sex, racism, depression/mental illness. Highly recommend. Thank you. to the author & publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some favorite quotes:
<i>"I see that they don't make an effort to recycle, so sadly they themselves are trash."

"I almost tell her that fun doesn't equate to happiness; at the very least, it lends you happiness and I want to know how to keep it."

"Sometimes I lie in bed at night and briefly wonder what it was I did to her, even though it doesn't bother me enough during the day. For some reason, at night, when you're meant to be sleeping, your brain wants an answer to everything."

"If you have the suite in your wardrobe, an opportunity to wear it will present itself. I'm certain that's how manifestation works. </i>
<b>Google</b>: Where do you wear a yellow suite?
To work.
On a date.
To a wedding.
The theater.
Around the house, like the bad boss, bitch that you are.
</i>Right. Add to basket then."

"'Do you believe in God?'
'Yeah, course. Got to.'
'Why?'
'Because,' she says, 'I can't carry on living believing human beings are as good as it gets.' She looks at me. 'We're the worst.'"

"'A person's troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them.'"
"

This is the story of Maddie a young woman living in London and her experiences of looking to branch out on her own while balancing the responsibilities that have been put upon her by her family. Maddie's family is Ghanaian and stress the importance of keeping family matters private, which makes it hard for Maddie to truly connect and be honest with friends. Maddie is finally given the opportunity to live on her own and enters the world of dating, living with flat mates and finding a career. This book was funny, heartbreaking and I couldn't put it down.

I read this book in one day. I found the main character very likeable in her innocence. I also highlighted quite a few memorable lines from the book which is rare for me. Overall I would give this book a solid A.

This story made me laugh and made me cry. The characters were vivid in my mind and I was engaged from the first page. The plot was believable and I couldn’t put the book down!
The girl in me celebrated this lovely young woman and the grandmother in me wiped a tear from my cheek. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Maame. I am impressed that this is the author’s debut novel. I found it to be extremely moving.

This book about family dynamics and how the protagonist overcomes challenges and finds her voice. She is really lovable and you can’t help but root for her.

Highly recommend

Maame is a charming and compelling coming-of-age story that stands out because of its darling, vulnerable, and completely lovable protagonist Maddie.

We follow Maddie as she tells us about her life as a 25-year-old Black woman in London. She lives with her father and helps care for him (he has Parkinson’s). Her brother is busy gallivanting around the world as a member of a musician’s entourage. Her mother is in Ghana, seemingly avoiding being in London as much as possible while still managing to boss Maddie around via text message and phone calls. Maddie works in a publishing house and she can’t quite place it, but senses she might not be treated fairly. One day, she decides it is time to gain more experiences, to move out of her familial home, to start dating, to really start living…

It was a joy to root for Maddie as she discovers more about her needs and wants. Maame is a moving portrayal of love, grief, and self-discovery.

Highly recommend this gem of a novel! Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

If this book does not make major booklists, I will be shocked. It would also be an excellent choice for a book subscription club. Maame is much more than a coming of age story. I'm surprised by short reviews stating Jessica George's book is entertaining. (Don't mistake this Jessica George for Jessica Day George who does write entertaining young adult books.) Entertaining to me suggests one is amused for a couple of hours and then forgets what is read and moves on. Maame is far more than the typical rom-com. It's what you hope a solid fiction book will be. Yes, I chuckled at the beginning...until situations started happening to Maddie (Maame) that weren't good.. Journeying with Maddie is eye opening and heartbreaking until it becomes eye opening and heart encouraging. Non-fiction books by underrepresented voices are flying off the shelves (and for good reason). Jessica George's book Maame takes some of the same non-fiction realities and reaches into the heart and soul of the reader.

Themes for a book club to discuss abound: caregiving, employment and social injustices, family relationships, friendships, love/romance/sex/distorted romance. Take that last and realize there can be triggers in this book including the real sense of grief.

I almost only gave the book four stars. There is a moment in the book where a mom is offended by a particular phrase. I won't write more than that, not because it is a plot spoiler but because it is a moment worth experiencing fresh. The lack of the final star would be to honor my mother who doesn't read books with sex in it (or books with the 'f' word). I changed my mind after having coffee with friends and discussing reaching young women about sex trafficking. Sex trafficking does not happen in this book, but discussing that situation made me realize that the sex in this book has its place for good reasons. It's not there to be entertaining. I know my first thought after reading the first sex scene was that I wished my high school girls would read this book before heading off to college. (Good luck with that.) It's not for middle school students, but anyone currently reading rom-coms has no excuse for not reading Maame on the basis of sex in the book.

The writing is excellent: I was caught up in the story. I cared about the characters who seemed quite real to me: rounded and complex. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. The publication date is Feb. 6, 2023.