An incredible debut novel by Jessica George!

Maame follows Maddie Wright, a refreshingly authentic protagonist who’s overly reliant on Google. Equal parts moving and humorous, this book captivated me immediately. Well-written, perfectly paced, and poignant are just the start of my praise.

George beautifully captures the joys and conflict in discovering who you are (i.e. wanting to live your life to the fullest while wondering if you’re being too selfish). At the same time, she effectively explores numerous facets of life - love, loss, sexuality, familial responsibility, racism, micro-aggression, and the struggles of second-generation immigrants.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of Maame in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie is a 25 year old woman who spent her entire childhood being sheltered by her parents and her entire adulthood taking care of her father who has Parkinson’s disease. With her mother spending most of her time in Ghana and her brother spending most of his time traveling for work Maddie is the person who holds their household together and takes responsibility for caring for her father. When she’s 25 her mother returns from Ghana, and Maddie is excited to move out and start living a “real” adult life. This book is about Maddie trying to break away from her family while also trying to come to terms with some of the difficulties she had to deal with while growing up with them.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that Maddie’s level of naïveté is unrealistic. I’m just going to assume that those people have never met anyone who had no freedom until their mid twenties. I thought Maddie was a great portrayal of a late bloomer. Every book I’ve ever read that focused on a list of experiences the main character wanted to have to feel more mature has always been about teenagers (“things to do before I start high school!” “Things to do before I graduate from high school!”), so it was refreshing to watch an adult try to do the same thing. I like Maddie as a character and I was always rooting for her. I hate her family, but I think it was intentional on Jessica George’s part to give Maddie an unlikable family that Maddie still seeks approval from. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that experience. The narrator felt like a the perfect portrayal of Maddie’s inner thoughts.

My biggest complaint is that I don’t like how much Maddie’s “adulthood” focused on her love life. I do appreciate that the entire book spent a lot of time on her relationships with her family, her friends, and her potential love interests, but I think it could’ve spent slightly less time on the love interests. And although this is not at all a flaw on the book’s part, the hype surrounding Maame made me think it would be better than it is. It’s a good book. But it didn’t stand out all that much to me.

I do recommend that you read Maame. It’s one of those books that somehow manages to be both lighthearted and fun and heavy and sad, and it has a fairly likable main character. So I think a lot of people will find something to love in this book.

Like most 20-somethings, Maddie wants to find her place in the world. Between serving as her ailing father’s primary caregiver and living on the whims of her difficult mother and nightmare boss, she’s ready to make some changes. If you enjoyed Such a Fun Age, you’ll love Maame and how it brings in culture, familial responsibility, and trying to find a meaning of your own. 5 ⭐️ read for me! If it wasn’t for the great narrator, I would not have felt the same emotions as I did.

Loved this. Maddie learns to navigate demands of family while building her own life. Her mother re-enters Maddie’s life after being away in Ghana for years, and her father is quite ill. The reader gets to see as Maddie begins to date, and she balances all of the demands placed upon her. Quite poignant, and it sucked me right in!

This is an amazing debut novel. Maddie is twenty-five years old, and she’s working in a job she dislikes and spends most of her free time taking care of her father who has Parkinson’s disease. Her mother is off in Ghana and her brother rarely visits. She has no boyfriends and does few of the things a young woman her age usually does. It’s wearing on her. In secret, she writes and she hopes that, someday, she’ll find a job as an editorial assistant.

This book is a breath of fresh air. It follows Maddie through a transition period in her life, as she begins to experience a little freedom. When her mother returns to London, Maddie moves into an apartment and finds a new job. She also meets a man that she likes. As she tries out new things while working through her grief, Maddie finds herself growing in confidence.

Her mother is rather controlling. She wants Maddie to hand over her money to pay for her father’s funeral, to fund her mother’s work in Ghana, and to pay other bills. Maddie finds this control stifling. When she takes a new job and is encouraged to use the psychologist the company provides for employees, Maddie begins to come to terms with what she wants to do with her life.

This book made me cheer for every step forward Maddie took. It kept me reading/listening and wanting to know what happened next. It found me pulling for Maddie to find the life she wanted for herself.

Maddie was an amazing character. I could empathize with her, and I wholeheartedly wanted things to work out for her. The ending gave me hope that that's exactly what might happen.

Maame is a word that translates into woman in English. It’s a word that comes with pressure to take on the burdens that face families. It isn’t in and of itself a bad word, but it carries a weight that someone so young shouldn’t need to carry.

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book for an honest review! Representation is powerful and that is why I appreciate Jessica George for writing this! Maame is a coming of age book about a young woman who is learning how to navigate life outside of taking care of her ill father. Maame means woman and Maddie's mother calls her because she is essentially the woman of the house while her mom explores Ghana months at a time without thinking of her husband and children. She was very selfish and felt entitled.

Maddie is very naive about certain things in life and I found it funny how she relied on Google to guide her. I felt for her because she seemed so lost and made some questionable choices. I was rooting for her success though! I was glad she was rewarded for her efforts and eventually figured out how to make life somewhat easier.
The book is partially written as if Maddie is speaking directly to the reader. Other times, first person POV. Maddie has an unhealthy reliance on using Google for everything and we are subjected to her searches.

Overall, this was a solid debut novel with plenty of character develop for Maddie. It tackles some difficult themes (grief, racism, depression, parental absence, self-esteem) with insight, strength and compassion. I am glad it was beautifully written.

Maame is a moving coming of age story about a young woman struggling to balance family obligations with her personal desires. This character driven novel follows Maddie as she navigates a tragic loss, her ever worsening mental health and her complicated relationships with her mother, flatmates, and the men she dates. Maddie is a lovable and relatable character and my heart broke for her. However, I loved seeing her transformation as she slowly begins to understand who she is and finds a place in the world. Maddie’s mental health and the effect it has on every area of her life is central to the novel and Jessica George does such a good job of describing the struggles that so many women face. This novel tackles many important themes such as family duty, racism, the importance of friendship and the complexities of love. I absolutely loved George’s writing style, her voice is clear in this stunning debut novel! I also enjoyed the narration by Heather Agyepong, she did an amazing job of bringing Maame to life! Maame isn’t just a good story but an important one that needs to be widely read!

I know it’s still early but I’m going to go ahead call it and say that Maame will be one of my favorite books this year!

So great as an audiobook! Loved the narrator! This is a very moving later in life coming of age story with many laugh out loud moments! The characters and their issues feel real! Maddie is a main character you relate to and root for. Several difficult topics are dealt with but overall the book is uplifting. Very well written by Jessica George! I look forward to more by this author!

This is a good coming-of-age debut novel about 25-year-old Maddie (aka, "Maame") who's living and working in London while also serving as the primary caregiver for her ailing Ghanian father who has Parkinson’s.

Maddie's mother is mostly out of the picture as she still works in Ghania part of the year. (She's a piece of work).

Meanwhile, Maddie has the weight of the world on her shoulders while she is thrust into adulthood. She has barely any time to figure out who she is vs. who she wants to become.

What she needs is freedom. Then she gets it unexpectedly, and it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Because it adds additional stress.

That said, she also gets the chance to be 25.

Sometimes, Maddie is hilarious. Other times, she's stressed and struggling and feeling behind her peers.

She must endure racism, cross cutural familial issues, guilt and grief. (Themes young adults must go through, especially young women of color, but Maddie has them all happen to her at a very young age!)

But thank goodness for friends and overcoming failure.

"'Maame’ has many meanings in Twi, but in my case it means ‘woman.’ I’ve been called Maame ever since I can remember and I loved being referred to as a woman when I was still a girl.”

Overall, I think this is a very recommendable read from debut novelist Jessica George, and I am excited that it was picked up by Jenna Bush Hager as her the February pick.

I read both the advanced reader copy and listened to the audio narration by the very talented Heather Agyepong. (I even got a signed copy of the hardcover book as a First Editions pick from the indie bookstore, Book Passage!)

3.5 🌟 rounded up

Absolutely adored this book! I felt so represented within this book! George smashed it. Such a great read!

Maddie is someone who each of us know. Although many don't have any idea that so much pain, suffering, regret and sorrow are inside. Maybe Maddie is even one of us. The lack of nurturing from a parent, the need to care for an adult parent, the chosen sibling with no responsibility! How can so much time have passed and you're in the same place? Maddie's dad suffers from parkinson's and mom spends every other year in Guyana living her own life, with her brother disassociated until his mother comes back to London. Maddie's career and love life and by on tepid fizzle for years. How will she get through this latest tragedy? Beautifully written and deeply felt, Maame is a treasure!

I really enjoyed the narrator on the audiobook version. I did not love this book, so feel like an outlier with other reviews I read. I found the story hard to get into, so may try reading a hard copy of the book later to give the story another try.

Maame is a contemporary fiction about a young woman who is trying to find her place in life. Our Mc is stuck at home caring for her father who suffers from end-stage Parkinson’s disease while her mother and brother are both out living their lives. She’s also stuck in a job that doesn’t fulfill her and her love life is non-existent. When her mom returns, she decides it’s finally her chance to leave and make some changes.

What follows is the emotional story of a young woman discovering herself. She’s often caught between what she thinks she’s supposed to be and who she really is. Life is hard for her and she gets knocked down pretty hard.

I loved that this book touched on some very important topics. It covers racism in the workplace, the burden daughters carry within the family structure, and the importance of sexual pleasure for women. It also delved deep into mental health and comfort around getting therapy. It wasn’t preachy in any of these areas, but discussed them in honest and thoughtful ways.

All in all, I thought this was a well-written book and would recommend it to others. Moments in this book were like watching things myself and some of my friends have been through, and I expect most women will find it equally relatable.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for access to an advance reader copy and audiobook of Maame. In exchange for a fair, impartial review of the work.

Maame follows the story of Madeleine/Maddie who is a young British Ghanaian woman as she navigates a less than conventional family dynamic and grief. It is a coming of age story despite Maddie being in her mid-twenties. She is primary caregiver to her ailing father. Her mother divides her time between London and Ghana. Maame is a Twi term of endearment that her mother refers to her as. There are multiple meanings to the term, in the case of Maddie, means “woman.”

Mattie grapples with navigating through a life that is all but consumed with her father’s care. Her identity is virtually wrapped up in her roles to her immediate family members. The sudden passing of her father throws her life into a tailspin and into the murky waters of grief. On top of that, she is unsure of who she truly is without her father. The remainder of the book follows her journey of self discovery as she purposes to learn the answer.

I was able to listen to this book on audiobook thanks to NetGally. I loved the narrator.

The main character, Maddie, is a daughter of Ghanaian immigrants that settled in London. She is responsible for taking care of her sick dad as well as trying to start a career (although her job may not be the career she looking for). Maddie just wants to find love and become an adult where her responsibilities are her own and not her parents. This coming of age story started off very engaging. I was very interested in Maddie's life and where it was headed. As the story went on, I found Maddie whiney and making the same mistakes and having the same frustrations without resolutions throughout. I did like the family resolve in the end and it saved the book for me.

Maame was someone I could root for, but I also felt incredibly sorry for her. There were severe consequences for putting her own personal development on the back burner for years while she took care of her sick father. She finally moves out and as she tries to navigate single, independent life, she's vulnerable and victimized in disturbing ways. After a family crisis, she falls into depression and struggles to pick up the pieces of her life.
Following all of the trauma, it was good to see a few examples of healthy relationships, true professional support and some good fortune for Maame.

First of all, thank you to #NetGalley for a free copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Interest

This just sounded good!
The Story

Maddy, aka Maame (pronounced somewhere between Mame and mammy) is the child of Ghanian immigrants–who moved to London for a better life for their children. Her mother returns to Ghana for up to a year at a time to run a business. Her father, now stricken with Parkinson’s is at home in London. Maddy’s older brother has his own life elsewhere in the city and does little to help her with the care of their father. Maddy gave up the chance to go away to “Uni” (college) opting instead to go to a University in London and live at home. Her degree in English Literature, predictably, hasn’t gotten her very far up the career ladder yet. She is a personal assistant (secretary). When her mother returns to London this time, Maddy decides this is “her” time and takes a room in a shared flat with other young professionals. She begins dating. But then….NO SPOILERS…..
My Thoughts

I liked Maddy. I liked her reluctance to stray from home or from “the rules,” but I also understood her angst about missing out on what people her own age were doing. She is young and naive in many ways, too grown up in others. Her naivete causes her to miss a red flag or two–the sorts of things we all could miss at 25. I loved how she would Google stuff to decide–who hasn’t done that these days? I also felt everything when her work situation wasn’t going the way she wanted–especially regarding “intellectural property.” (Trying not to have spoilers).

Her faith matters to her–it matures as she matures in the book. She learns the difference between smoke/mirrors and doing what has to be done. Upon losing her virginity at the grand old age of 25, Maddy is beset with some predictable angst and engages in some deep searching within herself..

“What does God think of me now… Is [he] religious? Does he know that I am? What I call a modern day Christian, a Christian who wants to get into heaven without doing any of the dutiful stuff because surely believing in Him is enough of an entry requirement and its really hard to go to church every Sunday and then read the Bible every day, too. and not drink, smoke… gossip, lie and watch tv and listen to music with none of the aforementioned….” [quote taken down from the audio–punctuation may be incorrect]

I liked that quote, but was left wondering–is it only ok for non-whites to be Christians today? Would a white girl have been given the same respect for waiting “so long” to have sex in a book today?. I wonder. But, maybe the Christian dissing isn’t so bad in the UK for anyone? I don’t know.

I also cheered her as she dealt with the truly hypocritical aspects of her mother’s faith. I want to be clear, we are ALL hypocrites–every single one of us, in some way. I do not buy into the modern mantra that ALL Christians are “this” or “that.” But her mother truly was caught in the type hypocrisy that can give Christians, at least here in the US, a bad name.

If I had a print or ebook copy, I’d give the long, delightfully skewering quote on the funeral industry. It was absolutely perfect.

Ignore the truly ICK comment from the friend described as “…a serial over-sharer” early in the book–it is an apparently obligatory mention of such to make a bestseller. There are a few other such moments–just endure, the “normative construct” and “bi-erasure” guy especially. I didn’t mind the last of these scenes–it fit the story, showing what is out there on dating apps. The other seemed part of a check list. I also did not object to the scene at the end of the book–it fit the story so well.

Another debut that is hard to believe IS a debut novel.

My Verdict
4.0

Only at 20%. Absolutely excellent so far. 24 year old taking care of father with dementia.

This is Jessica George’s first novel! Just fabulous!

Updating/completed. Its taken me a couple days to want to come back to writing a review. I don't want to provide any spoilers. Jessica George definitely does not shy away from anything in her writing. Her main character uses "google searches" in wonderful way and additionally educates the reader in regards to both the story and the main character. Really a great way to take the story in many different directions and not "lose" the reader.

I'm definitely going to follow Jessica George and I'm anxious for future books from her.

As a white female, I'll never understand what it feels like to be black. But the part about serving tea really will stick in my brain for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance “listen” of the audiobook. Narration (by Heather Agyepong) was perfect! Once again, many thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to a new-to-me (and everyone else) author. Thank you to the author Jessica George and Macmillan Audio for approving my request for the advance "read" copy of the audiobook. Loved it!

This book is amazing! I got so many quotes from it. I was skeptic at first based on the fact that I knew it was going to be a little about grief but I loved the conversations about racism, the conversations about grief, the conversations about bisexual erasure, and the conversation that the US definitely needs to bring up about universal healthcare, especially since I have never heard of a in-office psychiatrist or doctor until this book. I have only good things to say about this book.

I did not enjoy this book at all. The narrator was good but that’s about all the positive things I can say. This book is marketed all wrong because this book is downright depressing. Most of the book is her dealing with her dads death and her guilt about it and the other half is her dating truly horrible men and having horrible sex with men who don’t care about her. Also this book is biphobic as hell and I’m surprised that this day and age that this was deemed ok to publish.