What a delightful and fresh story of Maddie, a 20-something living in London, wanting to experience what young single women do, but she is living at home taking care of her father who has Parkinson's. Her mother is in Ghana running a business there and travels back and forth. Her brother is living on his own in London, but her father's care falls entirely on her shoulders while working full time too. When her mother plans to come back for a year, Maddie jumps at the opportunity to move out and experience life as a young single. I did laugh at how many times she has google all the questions in her head! I think being single in a big city would be very overwhelming! But this story shows the reader the good and bad of finding friends, dating, finding a job she really wants and still wanting to love her family. The audio was very good and enjoyed it paired with reading the story. My thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of the e-book and audio book! Pub Day Jan. 31, 2023

Powerful, emotional, pulling on all the heart strings. Days later I’m still thinking about it and still struggling to put words to all the feels this book gave me. There are so many themes and layers and nuance….and oooof the visceral portrayal of grief absolutely gutted me. The whole things is just ahhhh, so beautifully and poignantly written and covers such a universally resonant spectrum of human emotions.

I related so deeply to Maddie’s sadness, grief, depression…her confusion and not understanding, and feeling lost in, so many social situations/cues/rules. The googling everything was so endearingly relatable. To me, Maddie felt ASD coded, I don’t remember seeing anything in blurbs about it specifically but as an AuDHD person so many of the things she struggled with deeply resonated with my own neurodivergence.

Some of my favorite bits throughout the book were the parts with Nia and Shu…their friendship was so wonderful! And the ending was so sweetly satisfying, I was really happy with it. Also, the audiobook was fantastic! The narrator did a phenomenal job capturing the essence and voice of Maddie so well, I really enjoyed listening to the story!

🌺REVIEW: Maame by Jessica George🌺

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Digital & Audio
Length: 320 pages, 10h10m
Read: Jan 16-20, 2023
Pub date: Jan 31, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio
Genre: Bildungsroman

“Maame” has meant meanings in Twi but in my case, it means “woman.”
Maame. The responsible one. The woman. The mother. Often before her time.
Madeleine Wright, Maddie, is a very naive 25 years old. She lives in London with her father who she helps to care for since his Parkinson’s diagnosis 10 years prior. Her mum lives part of the year in London with them and the rest of the year back in their homeland of Ghana where she runs a hostel with her brother. Maddie’s brother James is a music manager and travels. Therefore, most of the responsibilities have fallen to Maddie to care for the house, bills, and most importantly- caring for her father.

Now, Maddie’s mum has come home for a year (we hate her😏) and she is moving out with new flatmates and essentially living for the first time as an adult. She is trying to find her way in friendships, dating, her sexuality, and in a new job where as a black person in a white dominated industry she can’t seem to find her footing and then begins to wonder if she’s being discriminated against. When tragedy strikes Maddie has enormous guilt and anxiety along with having to be responsible all over again.

I absolutely fell in love with Maddie. Her voice is so strong. She is funny and endearing and just like us (those Google searches y’all!) and then the next minute she’s breaking our hearts. I wanted to curl her up in my arms and give her the biggest hug.

Jessica George has written a love letter to children who care for their parents. This may be a coming of age story, but as a 51 year old who lost my mother last year and lived with her for the last three years of her life to help care for her I was SO moved by Maddie’s story. There is so much guilt in wanting to live your own life and wanting to care for them at the same time while also thinking you’re not doing enough. Reading this has been total catharsis for me, so thank you for that Jessica.
What everyone fails to mention about the grieving process— I still have to live.

I read this as an immersive read with both digital and audio and I can’t recommend the audio more! Heather Agyepong was phenomenal. Flawless. Impeccable. Read me anything.

Out January 31st! I believe this will be a huge success this year and based on the artwork on their site will be a BOTM pick for February. Don’t pass up your chance to meet Maddie.

I love when a debut author hits a book out of the park. You get to see Maddie’s story unfold right before your eyes. This story will bring all the emotions. You will cry, laugh, and even get angry. Exactly what a book should make you do. One of my favorite parts of the book was the Google searches. I loved every time Maddie did that. And the Author even made it a little spicy. 🥰

Review: Maame 🌸

I started a book journal this year, and so far, Maame has the most notes written about it (notes that range from favourite quotes - swipe to see some - to musings like, “I KNEW THAT GUY WAS GARBAGE!!”)

I went in blind with Maame and ended up absolutely adoring it. At its core, it’s a coming-of-age book about a 25-year old Ghanaian woman who is caring for her father, who suffers from Parkinson’s. This book tells the story of Maame’s growth as she realizes the weight of the burdens she carries as a Black woman, as the carer in her family, and as a young professional trying to make her way in the world.

I rarely ever change my star ratings but after initially giving this book four stars, I realized how much I was still thinking of Maddie’s story of love, growth and friendship (Shoo is maybe my favourite character of all time) and rounded it up to 5 stars.

Thank you to @netgalley, @jessicabgeorge and @stmartinspress for the Advanced Listening Copy. The narrator was fabulous!

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)!

This book was a super quick read/listen. I enjoyed the audiobook!

In this story we explore themes of love, family, grief, friendship, womanhood, mental health, and finding your identity.

I related to Maddie being a people pleaser (it’s me. Hi the problem is me 🙋‍♀️🎶) but I found her character to act/think more like a 18/19 year old and not a 25 year old? That was my biggest reason for not giving a higher rating. Some of the things she was Googling?? Odd lol. I had a hard time buying that even though she was caring for a family member, she was THAT excluded from the world to not understand basic socialization skills. 😂

That aside, there were great aspects about this book!! The unique dynamic with her family, relatable conflicts at work, dating for the first time, and understanding when to seek mental health support… all done beautifully.

I think many will like this one! And it’s a debut (bonus points)!! Excited to see what this author does next.

Thank you SMP and Libro.fm for my gifted copies!

What an amazing coming of age story. I am so glad to have met Maame and walked with her through some extremely relatable scenarios for young ladies.

Leaving home for the first time, independent living, disagreements with mom, finding a job, coping with roommates, first romances, first romantic ends. It’s all there and it’s all as complex and sad and frustrating and confusing as we all remember those times being.

Maame will break your heart, make you laugh, and everything in between. George finds a way to give her a strong yet naive voice and you can’t help but want to protect her all the while.

Wow, just wow. This was an incredible debut novel and I loved every second of it. I alternated between reading it physically and listening to the audiobook. Both ways were equally enthralling. I will say the narrator was great if you are an audiobook lover! Fans of "Olga Dies Dreaming" and "Luster" will absolutely adore this heart-wrenching, funny, and poignant work of art.

Maddie's life feels very unsatisfactory. She was born and raised in London to Ghanian parents, and has complicated relationships with her parents. Her mother is usually in Ghana and constantly relying on Maddie for financial support while also judging her and spouting religious rhetoric. Meanwhile, Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who is dying of Parkinson's disease. She was landed with an inordinate amount of responsibility from a young age and has had little time to learn who she is and enjoy life.

I absolutely adored everything about this book. The writing style kind of reminded me of the show "Insecure." With that being said, there was drama, but the deep, insightful kind. Maddie's growth throughout was everything and her thought processes were very relatable. Maddie started as very no-nonsense because she had to grow up too fast. Her nickname in her family is "Maame" which translates to "the responsible one" and is very apt in comparison with her brother and mom, who casually pile everything onto Maddie. This is a very interesting look into how different cultures impact family dynamics, relationships, and how we view ourselves. As Maddie starts to think less about what others need her for and more about what makes her happy, her fulfillment starts to increase in a way that is beautiful to see. I was rooting for Maddie so hard and this book impacted me so much!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this audio ARC!

Touching and sympathetic. As someone who also cares for an aging parent, I found “Maame” true to some of the things caregivers go through, such as how saying “yes” to an invite can feel selfish, and when you do happen to go out, you can’t help but worry and never completely enjoy the moment. The pacing was even and kept me listening (audiobook version). The only thing that annoyed me was how much thought some of the characters put into race. I’m Chinese and don’t think I’ve ever put that much thought into my race as some of these characters. Maybe it’s an age thing. Oh well, to each their own.

George's novel was so addictively enjoyable, even as the themes get deeper and more affecting. The obligatory existence of Maddie as daughter/caretaker, her reserved and naive character, and the slow way she blossoms as the story goes on.

I love her core friends who leave an impression even though they aren't on the page for long, I wanted more from them and wish they had been involved more in the narrative, but what was shown was amazing. Her mother is infuriating and the way she handles and handled her relationship with her children and husband had my teeth on edge.

But with compassion, George takes us into Maddie's life, her insecurities, her struggle with acknowledging the stress and weight of being the foundation for her father and the lack of support from her mother and brother. What drew me into this story was the premise of family and how obligation can become an unwelcome and almost physical millstone. As a person of African descent, this exists in my world as well and the familial dynamics were all too real for me. There was humour, moments of self-doubt, and vulnerability that will make this story stick with me for a long time.

The narrator also did a great job of infusing emotion and tonal shifts as needed which made it even more enjoyable.

What an amazing debut! I was just savoring this one and enjoyed reading it so much. This is personally one of the most relatable books I have read and I feel most people could find something to relate to in Maddie’s story. Such a beautiful character driven novel and I need more from Jessica George immediately.

Maame by Jessica George #debut #literaryfiction #newrelease

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

This book centers around Maddie. She is 25 living in London, working a job she hates, and spending all her free time taking care of her father, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. When her mother comes back from a year long trip to Ghana, Maddie finds the opportunity to move out on her own and start living her life for the first time.

This is a very unique coming of age story. Maddie is dealing with the traditional roles she must fill but also wanting to find her own voice. I loved Maddie and her journey to really be able to go for what she wants. As the reader, we are able to really get into Maddie's head and feel her feelings. This is a very heartfelt and beautiful debut.

I alternated between print and audio on this. Either format is a win.

At first, I thought I wasn’t going to like this book because of all the inner monologue that was going on in the beginning, and I was not liking it, but once we get introduced to other characters, and our main character starts to want to explore and have different experiences of all of the stuff that she has missed the book gets so good. This was a great coming of age story. We see our main character Maddie go through so much and it really takes us on a roller coaster of emotions. Like I had all of the feels, and I love when a book is thought-provoking and has such a realistic approach to so many of the challenges that we have to face when it comes to family relationships, our work environment, our sexual explorations, and just searching for who we want to be as a person in this life. It was so fucking good. Our girl gets her happily ever after, and it just brought me so much joy.

I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC.

25 year-old Maddie, daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, hasn’t really lived life yet, because she’s been busy being the responsible one in her family, and being the primary caretaker of her ailing father.
Maame follows Maddie’s journey to discover herself and find her way in the world. There were parts of Maddie’s journey that I found enthralling, and parts that dragged for me. Overall, however, Maddie is a fresh voice and this book is definitely worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for my complimentary review copy.

This book was a beautiful coming of age story! It tackled a parent’s illness, how our culture impacts our life and navigating life and loss. I love how the author wove in the character’s Ghanian culture throughout the book. Despite our difference in cultures, Maddie was a relatable character in so many ways for me! Her wit and inner dialogue were so well written!

The narrator for the audiobook was authentic and captured me from start to finish. It was the best audiobook that I have ever listened to. This book has book of the year qualities written all over it!

This book is released to the public on January 31,2023! It is a must read! Thank you to Jessica George for writing this beautiful story! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC!

I have surprisingly little to say about this engaging and interesting debut novel. Bottom line: I recommend that you read it for yourself.

Maddie is a sympathetic character. We (perhaps especially those of us who have the benefit of double or more her years of lived experience) don't always relate to or approve of her thoughts and actions. But, we care about what's happening to her and we're rooting for her life to improve. It hurts to read the number of people who hurt Maddie and the atrociousness of certain of those acts of harm. The book is nearly 80% over before Maddie finally stands up for herself. We know she's going to be okay.

3.66⭐

Commentary unrelated to the quality of this novel: Brace yourselves . . . I'm going to get crabby about genres again. This book is classified as belonging to the women's fiction genre. Yes, I understand that it is a book about a woman's experiences that is directed at women readers. I call that “fiction.” Why shouldn't men be interested in Maddie's story? Perhaps many would be. Perhaps some should be, in order to gain a perspective other than their own. Publishers and booksellers: Please stop classifying fiction as “women's fiction”!

Another tangential note: One of the promotional blurbs for Maame was written by Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming, another fiction debut with which I was impressed (and honored to read and review before its publication).

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected January 31.

I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Maddie lives in London with her brother and her father, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Her mother spends most of each year back home in Ghana, returning only a few times a year to her fasmily in London.

Maddie is the younger of the two siblings, but is the primary caregiver for her father. She keeps house, cares for him, and generally keeps the family together. This is a heavy weight for her to carry.

Her relationship with her mother is complicated - as her mother still dictates her behavior from afar. Maddie is clearly resentful that her mother is not present, and is not carrying the lion's share of the caregiving tasks, and yet still feels able to chastise Maddie and instruct her on how to be a good Christian girl, and more importantly, a good Christian girl who follows Ghanaian ways. Maddie is clearly stuck between the two cultures, and between the two generations.

When Maddie is let go from her job, and her mother briefly returns to London, Maddie seizes the chhance to move out from home and share a flat with new flatmates. She tries to fit in with people of her own age. When her father dies suddenly, and Maddie finds he was alone when it happened, she is overwhelmed with guilt that she wasn't there. Still her mother tries to leave a lot of the arrangements to her daughter, and the financial burden too. It is a lot for Maddie to carry,

Maame is the nickname given to Maddie by her mother - and it means "woman" in their native language. Maddie feels like she has had to be the grown up since she was small.

I found this a fascinating novel that explored the way women can be stuck between generations and cultures. The narrator did a wonderful job - and I enjoyed the rich sounds of the main characters.

A solid debut, Maame by Jessica George is a coming-of-age story about Maddie, a woman in her mid-20s navigating her career, relationships with family and friends, and dating for the first time. Maddie's also the primary caregiver for her father who has Parkinson's.

I thought this book shone when it described some of the poor treatment Maddie received at work (where she's often the only Black person in the room) and her experience with grief. I didn't always love the pacing and was frequently frustrated by all she had to endure.

I''d recommend the novel especially to fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and Yinka, Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn.

While I liked the narration by Heather Agyepong, sometimes it was hard to tell whether Maddie was simply thinking to herself or whether it was Subconscious Maddie. There was one passage in particular where Subconscious Maddie was anthropomorphized that stuck out as awkward; it's possible this element flowed better via text than audio (where her thoughts were more clearly identified using italics).

Sometimes a book is so good, I regret the other five-star reviews I've given because this novel is just SO much better than those other. Maame is one of those novels that I wish I could give six stars.

Is it fair to call a book a coming of age story if the main character is 25 years old? Late bloomer Maddy, raised in London by Ghanaian parents, is referred to in her family by the endearment Maame, which means woman in Twee, because she's "always been so mature and responsible." Maddy has delayed her launch into adulthood because she's stayed home to care for her father, who has Parkinson's. She has a degree in English Literature but hasn't been able to advance beyond administrative assistant roles at the publishing company where she works. She's a virgin, doesnt drink. and has few friends because she doesn't feel able to date or spend money, responsible as she is for helping to support her family. Her mother spends every other year in Ghana, and her older brother is moved out with his own life, leaving Maddy feeling solely responsible for her father's care. We meet Maddy just as she's beginning to spread her wings.

In a thoroughly modern treatment of how a young adult navigates the modern world, Maddy is constantly googling every question that pops into her head: how to help a roommate who's been dumped, how to ask for a raise, how to fill out a dating profile online, and so on. The results are hilarious and touching at once, relatable as we all do this nowadays and poignant in how they illustrate how alone Maddy is in finding her way in the world.

I love how particular and yet universal Maddy's story is. Obviously I am not a young, Black, English woman struggling to get a foothold in my career, dealing with a disabled father, dating for the first time-- yet I thoroughly related to Maddy's guilt, anxiety, inner critical voice, work frustrations, and sexual yearnings-- while at the same time feeling grateful I was being given a window into a life so different from my own. Maddy is a vulnerable human you cannot help but root for-- a bit like Bridget Jones but deeper and more thoughtful and lovable.

As an aside: I loved the sexual tension that builds as this 25-year-old character is just beginning to explore her sexuality. One of my secret fantasies involves an innocent girl, first times, deflowering, etc., but I suppress those fantasies because it seems wrong to fantasize about a sexualized young teen, even if the teen in the fantasy is me. How clever this writer was to put all of these experiences on a grown woman; this has opened up a whole new pantheon of fantasy possibilities for me! I also loved the realism of how unfortunate some of her early sexual experiences were.

I loved her friends and acquaintances, her co-workers, her family relationships, her career struggles, and her financial issues. I just loved everything about this fully rounded woman-- and watching her actually become one. I highly recommend this novel.

Ahhh, this book was a delight. The characters are very well done. I also loved the writing style. I really connected with Maddie and saw similarities between myself and her. It made the story flow quickly for me. I foresee great things for this author