I loved this story more than I was expecting to, despite some great reviews I'd seen! Maddie's character development over the course of the story was the best part. I love that it had an autobiographical feel, and I was happy she made amends with her family about their shortcomings and was able to communicate honestly with others by the end.
The audio narrator was perfection! Her British and Ghanaian accents were so well done. Highly recommend!

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one grew on me. Maddie has had a lot put on her shoulders at a young age, and now is given the opportunity to start a new job and move into a new flat. However, her family pressures follow her and this is a novel about growth, understanding, and self-discovery.

Themes: 🇬🇭 🇬🇧 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 😞

My thoughts: 😪🥺🙂🙃

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- 3.5 Stars -
For a debut novel with this level of difficult topics in it, I can honestly say that I think Jessica George handled them beautifully. There was a parental death, discussions on mental health and racism, there were descriptions of active panic attacks, and there were very real conversations with those that Maddie (our protagonist) needed to have with those she loved. All of these areas were written with tact and with an insurmountable amount of heart behind them. I was rather impressed by this specific area of the book.

I found Maddie’s life experience to be a little interesting because while yes, there may have been some things she did not experience up to the point of the start of the novel in her fictional life, there were definitely some things that she seemed a little too unrealistically inexperienced in. She had a job, friends, is responsible for her family, and is a mature young adult - she has life experiences. Her constant need and wonder of “what should I do?” “how does this work?” “can you do _____?” was interesting as she never seemed to go to her friends with these questions, but would rather turn to our favorite search engine Google. While some of the things she looked up gave me a chuckle, other things had me wondering why she didn’t just ask a living, breathing, human being…

The narrator of this audiobook version (Heather Agyepong) did an incredible job in bringing this book to life, and I would definitely listen to other novels that she has narrated!

Overall, this book was a well-done debut and had all the right things in it to be considered a coming-of-age story. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is the book for you!

⚠️TW: death of parent, death, panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, racism, infidelity, abandonment

Thank you @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

MAAME by Jessica George is narrated by Heather Agyepong. A solid 4 Stars!

Maddie Wright is a 25 year old London woman who feels a bit stuck in her role. She is in a job she doesn't love and isn't sure she deserves the treatment she receives. She lives with her aging father while her mother has spent increasing amounts of months, now a year at a time, in Ghana where she has roots. Her brother seems to be off doing whatever he pleases while she bears the responsibility of her nickname Maame, meaning Woman, as she has since she was a young girl. When her mom returns home, Maddie takes the chance to step out and live the way she dreams.

This is a story of the moments that lead up to and push Maddie into the places she wants to inhabit, not simply where others want her to be.

There were so many aspects of Maddie that were lovely to watch as she grappled with the constraints of familial responsibility while seeking her own growth. I cheered her on for many of these difficult transitions and felt the tensions of her guilt and impossible expectations.

The one thing that made this story sad for me was what felt like an imbalance of importance set on her sexual activity. I have extensive and complicated thoughts about the emphasis our culture puts on this, and this story continued in that somewhat problematic (for me) but common vein.

This one piece did not deter me from thoroughly enjoying Maddie's coming-of-age story. I absolutely loved listening to the audio as I read with Heather's Ghanaian accents for Maddie's parents, and well as the London accent for Maddie. It was easy to follow and I mostly had it at 1.75X speed with no problems.

I think this will be a crowd favorite! Thank you to St. Martins Press and to MacMillan Audio via NetGalley for the Advanced Copies of the book and audiobook. When it comes out on January 31st, it will be an easy choice for bookclubs and chats with plenty of family dynamics to discuss.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for early 2023.
Whilst I enjoyed the audiobook, and looked forward to reading it, it didn't quite live up to my high expectations.
I loved the characters. Maddie reminded me an awful lot of myself at times, with her social awkwardness. Her father made my heart melt, although I had to search whether Parkinsons has confusion symptoms as I associated it more with dementia. That said, it was a good story, and a hugely relevant one, but when I think back, not a great deal happened in terms of plot. I am much more of a plot reader than a character one, but this I think had to be so.
The narrator was wonderful, she did a great job of conveying the emotions Maddie was feeling through the book, and I would certainly listen to more from her.

Thank you to Jessica George and St. Martin Press for this ARC audio copy in exchange for an honest review. I would say I enjoyed parts of it, but it wasn’t necessarily for me. For the audio, the narrator wasn’t my favorite. I tend to stay away from narrators with English accents. I do know this takes place in London, so it makes sense. I also felt like the book had a slow plot line. At times I felt like there wasn’t even a plot. I did laugh & jaw dropped a few times. I would recommend this book to the right audience. It’s not for everyone. I could’ve passed on some of the texting conversation & some of the sexual content. Just because it was a miss for me doesn’t mean you won’t love it!

Maddie is 25 and has spent most of her life trying to please people. She cares for her disabled father who has Parkinson’s disease while her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her brother is living his own life. She is sad and unfulfilled. She has a demanding boss in a job she doesn’t like. When Maddie’s mother returns home, Maddie moves out on her own to start making her own way. A series of events occur, and Maddie needs to figure out how she can start making better decisions for herself without the crushing guilt she’s always felt from trying to make others happy.

The writing here is brilliant and I was captivated from the start. The narrator is Heather Agyepong @heathatrottlives who has a beautiful voice and her performance is flawless. Maddie is a lovable and realistic character with a wonderful sense of humor in spite of the many challenges she’s dealing with in her life. Some of the themes here are mother/daughter relationships, family dynamics, familial duty and racism. The story in this debut is unique and refreshingly original. I’m thrilled to be kicking off the new year with such a wonderful five star read. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @jessicabgeorge @macmillon.audio for an early audio copy in exchange for an impartial review. I’ll be buying a hard copy for my library as soon as this goes on sale.
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
Audio Time: 10 hours

Maddie is a 25 year old single woman living in London taking care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. She’s been forced to grow up before her time because her mother goes off to Ghana to run an orphanage and her older brother is off doing his own thing. So everyone leaves it all to Maddie, who has lived up to the nickname Maame, which she was given as a young girl. It means strong woman. And she truly is. When her father dies, she doesn’t know how to deal with it or how to go on with living a life that doesn’t involve taking care of him-a life of a normal 25 year old. She struggles with racism at work while she deals with the depression from losing her father and the lack of support from her family is all too much to bear. Eventually she tries online dating and opens up to her friends and her emotions are all over the place as you would expect with subject matter like this, and I was struck by the strength she modeled while coping with so much. I liked seeing the growth in her relationships with her brother and mother once she finally found her voice and stood up for herself and I really enjoyed learning about the culture and traditions.
The narrator did a fantastic job of telling the story and using the accents to keep it entertaining but not cheesy and definitely engaging.
I highly recommend this one.

This was an excellent audiobook. The narrator was great.

When I began reading this book I didn't know much about Parkinson's disease. I loved that I learned something when reading this one, specifically that more often than not, Parkinson's is idiopathic and NOT inherited. I thought that was interesting.

Here are some quotes that I enjoyed:

"Somethings are not meant to be saved from, somethings are lessons."
"Brothers have a level of audacity sisters couldn't possibly reach or get away with, even if they tried."
"How someone shows you love has less to do with you and more to do with them."

This book is very relationship focused. It deals with heavy topics like sexuality, grief, racism and sexism. The way the author does this makes it a very compelling and interesting read. There was an element of enlightenment to the novel as well.

Maame's character has such depth. I liked how she talks about her anxieties and we get to tap into her inner monologue. Maame is naive from the outset but we get to see her learn and grown as she wades through life and truly finds her voice. Maame is an inquisitive person but not in an obnoxious way (as some other inquisitive characters in books tend to be).

I could not stand Maame's mother or brother, they just left her to care for her father and never had one thought about how much work and responsibility her father was. They were so unapologetic about it too, which really struck a nerve with me. It's a very real look at how family can sometimes behave during hard time and during the loss of a family member.

Maame got tired of picking up the pieces, tired of being overlooked and not considered. The moment she found her voice was such a pivotal point in the story and I was really rooting for her. That naive girl we see at the beginning transforms into a woman who can stand tall and hold her head high and advocate for herself. .

For anyone else who has found the last year or so trying....this book is for you.

Maddie's life in London is far from fulfilling. She is the primary caregiver for her father, who has advanced stage Parkinson's, and her mother, who is frequently in Ghana but still manages to be overbearing. Maddie's boss is also a nightmare, and she is tired of being the only Black person in every meeting. When her mother returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie seizes the opportunity to move out of the family home and start living for herself. Determined to experience some "firsts," Maddie gets a flat share, starts going out after work, pushes for more recognition in her career, and begins online dating. However, a tragedy forces Maddie to confront the true nature of her unconventional family and the risks and rewards of opening her heart. "Maame" deals with timely themes such as familial duty, racism, female pleasure, and the complexity of love with humor and poignancy, and explores the experience of being caught between two cultures while celebrating the sense of belonging.

MAAME by Jessica George is a very engaging debut novel! At the end I quite liked this one. It’s about a 25 year old Black woman, Maddie, who lives in London and encounters many firsts in her life. Ultimately this is a coming of age novel as Maddie moves out for the first time, deals with workplace politics, dating and even loss. Some parts were depressing but it fit the character and the plot just as there are those sad times in life. As Maddie finds herself and her place in her family it’s a captivating journey along the way. The audiobook narrated by Heather Agyepong is really great! I would definitely listen to more books narrated by Agyepong and read the next novel by George.

I really enjoyed this book! What an excellent debut novel that I am sure is going to too many favorite book lists this year. It is a relevant and modern story focused on a young woman torn between her life and her family obligations. She experiences so many situations common for many 20somethings. She also has so many family dynamics to balance. In addition she is dealing with racism at work and her social life and also the disconnect from her parents home country of Ghana.
This was so well done and I look forward to more work by the author!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook!

Maame focuses on a Nigerian British 25 year old named Maddie. When we meet her she’s sad, living at home and her life is focused around taking care of her disabled father.

What I liked:
-Maddie was an excellent character. She was easy to like and root for. The voice was strong and I like the moments where she just Googled major questions she had (which is basically what all 25 year olds do).
-The realistic portrayal of grief and depression. I am very critical of how mental health is addressed in any work because of its impact to those consuming it. I was relieved that despite the main character’s initial hesitation, getting professional help and treatment was promoted. The main character’s struggle reminded me a lot of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams.

What I didn’t;
-I have to admit that while our character had a lot of inner conflict, there were a few moments in the book that felt like they were magically resolved. Ex/ Maddie loses her job and very very quickly got a new one. Small issue overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Jessica George, beautifully narrated by Heather Agyepong - 5 stars!

Maddie is known as Maame to her family, which in Twi means woman. Maddie's place in her family is underlined by that meaning because she's had to take charge of her father, disabled by Parkinson's disease, both physically and financially. Her older brother, James, is too busy living his own life, and their mother mostly lives in Ghana. So while Maddie went to university, she has always lived at home taking care of everyone. When her mother moves back home, Maddie finally gets the courage to move out. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is left trying to pick up all the pieces of her life.

This was a fabulous novel, made more wonderful by the beautiful narration. I could not stop listening to the narrator's beautiful voice! There is so much here to love - Maddie is a wonderful, naive character trying to do right by her family, feeling guilty yet trying to come into her own life a little as well. It's a story of grief, trust, family dynamics, mental health, racism, navigating love and friendship. One of my absolute favorite parts is that Maddie consults google as she tries to learn how to be in this world and stand up for herself. There are serious subjects here but they are dealt with humor and truth. This would be a great book club selection. I fell in love with Maddie and this book - can't wait to read more from this author! A must read!

5 rising stars
“Maame: the responsible one. The woman. The mother….It made me responsible and guilty.”
“Google: Symptoms of depression”

From the publisher: 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. Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Jessica George's 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.”

In a world of cliched characters, Maame, aka Maddie, is fresh, honest, real, kind, generous, vulnerable, and she later adds, “cool, audacious, and carefree.” Subtle humor abounds and the contrasting emotions of hope, sadness and anger ring true, without ever being sappy or sentimental. Dialog flows in a natural way. I enjoy getting to know this complex young woman. I’d have coffee or green tea with her.

So many books just end. Jessica George gently and wisely folds this book up, and now… I must wait for more from the author. “It was so different from all the other bestsellers we’ve been reading recently. It was beautiful and raw.”

The narrator’s low voice has a rich resonance and the perfect amount of a slight Ghanian accent. Heather Agyepong’s narration made Maame come alive.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was totally transfixed listening to this debut novel!! The audiobook is narrated by Heather Agyepong and her voice perfectly matches the author's words!

Maddie is a 25 y/o Black woman who has lived a very “limited” life so far. She is still living in her parents’ home in London since she is caring for her father who has Parkinson’s disease.

Although Maddie has gone to University, she was a commuter and didn’t really get that “college life experience”, always having to go to work or come home to care for her dad.

She is tired of being the only Black person where she works and knows that she is working at a job that she is over qualified for, it doesn’t help that her boss doesn’t appreciate or listen to Maddie’s suggestions. She just isn’t sure how to move forward!

Her mother, who goes to Ghana for a year at a time, finally returns! It is finally time for Maddie to find her own flat and live her own life!!

She experiences new friendships with her flatmates who also bring her with them to parties, bars, etc. She experiences first love, first heartbreak and learns that people aren’t always what they appear to be!

The author’s bio states that she was born and raised in London to Ghanian parents and studied English Lit at the University of Sheffield.

I don’t know how much of Maddie’s real life is evoked in this novel but I think it’s a stunning debut not to be missed!!

I received the audiobook from MacMillan audio and the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to listen to and review this novel.

This will be one of my most memorable books of 2022! The thing that stuck with me the most is the exploration of grief, particularly the rollercoaster that is the first few days/weeks after losing someone. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Maame should absolutely be high school required reading. What an amazing coming-of-age story, infused with moments of self-doubt, anxiety, and awakening sexuality. The cultural aspects of Madeline's life add depth and relevance. With this debut, Jessica George will surely put herself on the radar of readers looking for depth and substance.

I really enjoyed this story. One of my favorite parts was when Maddy realized that she was talking to her mother as the daughter of her grandpa, not just her mom. I think this was an important story to shine a light on the ways our parents' upbringing affects how they parent us, and how they see and view the world. I enjoyed watching Maddy "grow up" and loved the justice at the end with her father's will.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was an absolutely gorgeous debut. Jessica George created a nuanced, complicated, and shimmering protagonist who is a “late bloomer” by society’s standards. I really love coming of age stories that show someone who feels like they don’t quite have the script that everyone else does…and the observations of feeling like an outsider when everyone else just seems to “get it”. I found myself really rooting for Maddie and could not stop listening to this—so invested was I in her journey. I found George’s rumination on institutional racism/misogyny, dysfunctional family roles (especially for women), and the chorus of internet searches that only seemed to confuse Maddie more, to be so eloquently written. You can tell this title has been brewing inside the author for a long time and it feels so authentic, fresh, and real. Bravo! Also, the relationship with her father killed me. It really tugged on my heart strings.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I’m also not usually a fiction audiobook person but this was great— I think the narrator was top notch and I felt very connected to their voice. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ARC!