I didn’t think I would enjoy this book because there are many mixed reviews out there. However, it worked for me. I found the main character to be very relatable, even though she was VERY VERY VERY naive at times and relied on google to help her make the most basic decision.

Like if you have to google should you go to a man’s hours for the first date the answer is NO 😂

The only thing I would change about this book is the ending. I felt like it ended too nicely and the main character didn’t get to confront any of the people she had real issues with.

Also Ben needs to go to hell!

Maame is the nickname given to Maddie by her mother. In her native tongue it means woman and in Maddie’s case it means she was never allowed to be a child. She has always shouldered the burden of taking care of her ill father and his household while her mother leads her own life in another country and her brother pursues his dreams. It was heart wrenching to read her story of finally being allowed to live but still struggling with what she thinks is expected of her. But wonderful to have a character that felt like she was my own child and I wanted her to succeed in everything.

Maame is a novel you will not soon forget. It examines inter-generational conflict, the toll that care-taking creates in an individual and a bi-continent family.

The evolution of these characters, the choices that must be made, and a protagonist who seeks to balance her own life while remaining a character to her father who has Parkinson's disease, make for a thoughtful read.

(4.5) As a firstborn daughter who occasionally (okay, often) feels like she grew up too fast, this book really resonated with me. Twenty-five-year-old Maddie — nicknamed “Maame” (which, among other things, means “woman” in Twi) — feels lost and broken and desperately wants to find happiness, or at least some semblance of it. Maddie cries when chopping up peppers, telling herself, “if sadness is your natural state, what does that say about you?” She’s been weighed down by expectations and her family’s belief that they can all be broken and messy because she’s strong enough to hold everything together and can pick up everyone else’s pieces… with no one considering how that belief might affect her. She Googles things such as “happiest jobs” and seeks out lists on how to be happy, and she says at one point, “…although I didn’t think I’d be rich, I expected to be happy, and the failure to do so has left me gasping for air most of the day.”

Maddie used to love being called a “woman” and being seen as an adult while still in girlhood, but now she thinks she might have grown up too fast and missed out on too much. Her mom only calls her to ask for money, to encourage her (currently nonexistent) search for a husband, to remind her how much things are worse in Ghana, or to spew some Bible talk at her. Her dad has Parkinson’s and requires constant care, which Maddie provides (with the sometimes help of a care aide) while her brother begs off, saying he’s busy or short on money. The “Maame” label, she says, “made me grow up when I should have had more time. It made my dad overlook me when I was a child, my mum leave me behind, and my brother get away with doing the bare minimum. It made me lonely, and it made me sad. It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, if given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.” So when Maddie’s mom returns to London from Ghana for a year, Maddie takes the opportunity to finally move out of her family’s home and to find out who she really is and who she wants to be.

It’s a testament to Jessica George’s writing that she’s able to adeptly portray internal and external conflict and turmoil. And even more impressive is how she’s made Maddie leap off the page — she’s sweet and complicated and sad and kind and is really trying to do her best. Her grief and struggles feel real and familiar. Both the writing and the story are bold, and George doesn’t shy away from talking about the messy and hard topics that permeate everyday life, especially the everyday life of a young, Black woman in London whose life is influenced by her Ghanian culture. There are plenty of rich side characters (although only some of them are lovable) and complex relationships that just make the point that, as much as we wish otherwise, life is hard. Really, really freaking hard. And George tackles that wonderfully in insightful ways and by using wit and heart to tell a moving and compelling story that’s equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking.

I’d say Maddie is suffering from older daughter syndrome — not that I’d know *anything* about that — but she’s the baby of her family, which almost makes all this worse. But her journey toward finding herself and navigating a complicated, sometimes horrible world is a good reminder that it’s never too late to put ourselves first and live the lives we want, not the ones that have been forced upon us.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I know there are a lot of mixed reviews on this one but it really worked for me! I found the MC to be relatable if a little immature. The exploration of micro aggressions in the workplace and daring life was spot on. It did feel like it was missing something but it was still a hit with me and I would definitely recommend.

I really liked Maame! The author did a great job with the main character, Madeleine and how she was dealing with her grief and depression. It all was so real. The supporting characters Nia and Shu were a great balance and so supportive. The online dating and bad work environment were well done. And yay happy endings!

Lovely book, very character driven story of a young woman, poised for a big life yet taking care of her father, her family and friends. I was so invested in Maddie’s life. This was a very full, Rick book that I really enjoyed.

I absolutely loved this book so much. Jessica George really painted the scenes so nicely. I could picture everything happening in my head and I appreciated that the book felt so realistic. Nothing seemed overdramatic or unrealistic. It was perfect.

This has to be one of the most gorgeous book covers I’ve seen! I sadly didn’t get a chance to read this gifted ARC before the book published - thank you to St Martin’s Press for giving be both access via NetGalley along with a physical copy in exchange for my honest opinion! Maame was chosen as the Read With Jenna book club pick for Feburary, too! I finished reading it over the weekend, in a mix of both listening to the audiobook and reading it. Maame means woman in Twi, and it has been Maddie’s nickname for as long as she can remember, well before she was an actual “woman.”
I don’t know if my expectations were too high after reading rave reviews or that some themes had recently come up in another read, too, but this book didn’t live up to my hopes.
Things I did enjoy: Maame is a story where the reader gets to view Maddie’s coming-of-age as she figures out what she wants her life to be. The pressure Maddie feels to live into her parents’ cultural expectations as well as her own desires to fit in with her friends and coworkers were portrayed in an understandable manner. In addition, the audiobook narrator @heathatrottlives did a fantastic job - once I started listening to her narration I wanted to continue and not switch back to reading it myself!
I am having trouble putting into words what didn’t work for me. If you read this and loved it, I would love to chat with you about it!

Maddie is 25 years old and her life in London is far from rewarding. She’s the primary caregiver to her father and her mother spends most of her time in Ghana. When her mom returns from her latest trip, she’s finally had enough and is ready to put herself out there!

I questioned Maddie a lot during this book, but she really grew as a person and it was beautiful to watch. This one felt more like a memoir than a book (especially after those acknowledgements)! It was definitely a unique read and I don’t think I’ve read anything like this before. This would have been a 5 star for me but my only qualm was I ended up enjoying the first half of the book way more than the second half!

I have recently been given an ARC for Jessica George’s story Maame. I was so excited to read this coming of age story of a first generation American girl. As we find our protagonist, she is the sole caregiver of her ailing father, with a mother who lives away in Ghana their homeland most of the time. When Maddie spreads her wings she quickly finds how sheltered her life has been. It is great to see how Maddie’s character develops and the storyline is really good. I feel there is a bit too much chaos at times, with ALL the issues addressed from racism, sex, death… The constant Google Q/A format interspersed with the story will not be for everyone, but provides a creative glimpse into our character’s mental health and development. I personally will not put this at the top of my list for the year, but can see how others may love it. All opinions are my own, 3.5 stars.

It was heavy, it was hard, it was good, it was relatable. This was such an amazing story, especially for a debut novel. I felt so connected to Maddie throughout the book. I was rooting for her, smiling for her, crying for her and laughing for her. I felt all the emotions with this one. I so appreciate that this felt like an adult coming-of-age story. This was about a girl in her mid-twenties finding herself and figuring out life and I wish there were more books like this one out there. Life and family are messy and it's not all magically solved when people hit adulthood.
This was so impactful in so many small ways. It didn't hit you over the head with any of its messages but each one was still so well delivered. I'II be thinking about this one for a long time.

"Maame" is a name Maddy's mother calls her because in her native Ghana it means woman, or mother. It's supposed to be a term of endearment but Maddy hates it because it seems her mother has pressured her all her life to be the grown up in the family while mom is off on long trips to her homeland. Maddy's older brother has moved out and she has to live at home taking care of their infirm father. Maddy has little money of her own, but the mom and brother still make her pay for more than her share of things and loan them money. She's twenty-five years old and really hasn't started living her own life yet. When she finally gets to move out and experience what most her age went through years ago--new friends, lying boyfriends, sex, money problems, and a challenging job--she is faced with uncertainty and depression . As she grows and matures, one can't help but cheer her on and anticipate her new life.

Jessica George did an amazing job here on her debut. I was thankful for a comp ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley; but I chose to listen to the audiobook instead, which was quite well done.

Loved this story! Everything about Maame - her struggle to care for her father, finding her voice, finally living instead of sleep walking through life will resonate with so many.

I am so late to the hype on this but all I think I need to say is that is it absolutely worth it. What a beautiful coming of age story. Go read it!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Maame by Jessica George is a fresh coming-of-age novel. Such a fantastic debut novel. This is one of the first novels I’ve read where the main character is a caregiver for her father with late-stage Parkinson’s disease. I work with people with Parkinson’s disease. I felt this book did well describing the condition and how it can impact the person and the family. I did need to pause reading because it was triggering for me as I was reading it around the anniversary of my father’s sudden passing. I highly recommend this book and audiobook. It was narrated very well. TW: loss of a parent.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for my gifted copies.

QUICK TAKE: loved this coming-of-age story of a British-Ghanaian woman who finds herself at an intersection in her life and must take control of what is most important to her in the wake of the death of her father. Powerful, emotional, funny. An easy favorite of 2023 so far!

Maddie (aka Maame to her family) lives in London with her father with Parkinson’s while her mother spends most of her time in Ghana. When her mother finally returns home, Maddie can move out and start to live her life without worrying about her father’s care. I’ve seen so many rave reviews of this one, but unfortunately I didn’t love it. A lot of that is more about me as a reader than about the quality of the book. On one hand, Maddie’s father’s illness hit very close to home, and her grief, which was well-written, was beyond devastating to read. I had to put the book down at times because it was more than I could handle, so I would urge caution if you have anxiety or triggers around parental or familial illness. On the other hand, a lot of her coming of age was difficult for me to relate to, maybe because I’m old enough that I’m too far removed from that stage of life. As far as the book itself, my biggest complaint is that it felt too heavy handed - basically anything that could have gone wrong in Maddie’s life did. I also wanted Maddie to get better mental health support. While this wasn’t a book for me, a lot of people have loved it, so if you want a devastating, messy, coming of age story, it may be worth picking up Maame. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

⭐️⭐️
IDK what all the hype is about with this book. I struggled to finish. There were variety of topics such as caring for a parent, racism, peer pressure etc. I felt there was a lot going on for one book and those topics where being forced. It was all over the place and not solid. Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins Press for ARC read in return for my honest opinion.