“We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed.”

Wow. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Absolutely stunning debut. DEBUT! 🤯

Maame is a coming of age novel that covers topics of grief, relationships, love & regret, self discovery and heartbreak. The author weaves such a beautiful story of the dynamics of growing up too fast and the emotional depth that can hold.

This is a story that I could say endless things about, but the experience of reading it for yourself is unmatched. I think there is something for everyone inside. I will think about this book for years to come and I can’t wait to have a copy on my shelf to pick up for a future reread.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martins press as well as Libro.fm and MacMillian Audio for advanced copies of this book. I highly recommend the audiobook if that’s your thing!

A friend told me Maame would wreck me, but honestly, I think it helped put me back together instead. Her grief over her fathers death, as well as her people-pleasing ways, were both very relatable to me and finishing this book in tears felt more cathartic then anything.

At the heart of it, Maame is a stunning coming-of-age story about a 25 year old woman who has served as a caretaker to her ailing father and how she navigates leaving home and living on her own. Her growth is stunning and the focus on her therapy sessions was insightful, heart-breaking, and reaffirming all at once.

I especially loved how Maddie navigated all of the relationships in her life. From her dad, her mother and brother, to her best friends, roommates, co-workers, and men - from hesitancy at first to becoming more assertive and stronger, it was one of my favourite threads to follow in this story.

Though I wish we could have gotten more from her relationship with Sam (I feel like these were the scenes we saw the most growth from Maddie), I still wouldn’t change a single thing about this story. A must read that will definitely be one of my favourites of the year. ♥️

This was a good book with a likable main character. Maame is a young woman navigating her father's illness, work and dating. She in some ways is very mature but naive about other things. Following her trials would have been even more relatable as a younger reader but is charming as an older reader. I liked the cultural references and the other characters.

Copy provided by the publisher and. NetGalley

I DNFd at 35%. Although it seems like it was building a good story, I felt the pacing to be too slow. Ultimately, this adult book read very much like a YA book which led to me being less and less interested by the choices/opinions of our main character.

I’m sure this is great, just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley at St. Martins Press for the eARC.

I could not put this book down. I read it in a single day. I have potentially never rooted for main character more in my whole life. Maddie Wright deserves the whole world.

This book tackles grief in such a real way. It was unbelievably good. Will recommend to everyone who will listen.

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.

3.5 🌟 rounded up

This book is brilliant. It will absolutely be one of my top 2023 reads. Yes, I know I read it in February. It was THAT good.

I related to Maddie so much. I went through many similar life experiences in my late 20's. The author beautifully handles som very difficult emotions, and I enjoyed the Ghanian perspective as well. I could write a lot more about this one but I don't want to give too many spoilers, so I'll just say that this is a must read! This is an emotional read but so, so good.

What I'm adding here that's not in my public review due to spoilers--the author brilliantly illustrates the path of early grief from the loss of a parent. I lost my dad at age 29 from vascular dementia and felt SO many of the same feelings Maddie did. I loved how Maddie received support from unexpected people (coworkers, Sam, etc) and her rollercoaster of emotions were so on point. I felt like I knew Maddie. I LOVED what Sam said to her in the end of the book about how you don't get "better' you adjust your life to living without that person.

This book deserves ALL THE STARS. Brilliant!

Also, I was offered this title to review many months before it released. However, my mom passed away in late 2021 and I didn't think I could handle it sooner than now. I'm glad I waited to read it.

Oh my, this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. Always an automatic 5⭐ when I ugly cry. Maddie/maame is trying to navigate her new 25 yr old life after her mother takes over as primary caregiver for her father. We're along for the journey as she tries to deal with job stress/new friends/dating/family drama. I really emphatized with her as I remember being 25 with the highs and lows of this new adult life. She is a likeable character that I was rooting for in each new challenge.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

This book was a DNF for me at 37% Chapter 14. I wanted to give it enough time where I hopefully liked the book. It was a Jenna pick after all. BUT, I just couldn't get into it. I felt the characters were boring and I did not like the writing style the author used. I may one day come back to finish this title but for now, I am marking this one as a DNF.

This book took me awhile to read because I wasn’t motivated to pick it up, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. Maddie’s life is not like others her age. She cares for her father who has Parkinson’s, while other 25 year olds are working, living on their own, and finding love. The journey through Maddie’s self discovery is truly incredible throughout and the authors does a good job balancing the light and dark moments, making it feel genuine.

This was such a fun read! A priority purchase for libraries with a literary fiction readership or cultural interest

I really wanted to love this one but it fell flat for me. An enjoyable read but not one I would recommend or will have a last impact.

Maame is the story of a Ghanaian woman learning how to navigate her 20s in London. Her mother still lives in Ghana and she has been taking care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. The book navigates grief, death, relationships, complicated families, and all the challenges with learning who you are and what you want to be in your 20s.

I just wanted more from this book and had a hard time connecting with the characters. There are points where the humor is cheeky and spot on and others where it glosses over plot twists that are integral to the storyline.

3.5/5 stars

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. As well as a separate Q&A with the author. (see both at links)

I really enjoyed this book and the character of Maddie a lot. It covered so many themes.. I enjoyed the London setting, the cultural themes, and the emotion the author portrayed. I would recommend it to others. Look forward to reading more by this author.

While this may not have been my favorite book to read, I really see why everyone is loving it so much.

Let me explain why it wasn’t for me, and why this was a me thing, not a book thing.

Maame is the story of Maddie, a British 25yr old girl from a Ghanaian family, who is having a hard time.

First of all, I really loved hearing about her culture and the “traditions” of her family, although some may be made up by her insufferable mother.

I really couldn’t stand her mother and wanted to scream at her so many times!! But, I am really glad we got a bit of backstory about her childhood and got to see a tiny bit of change there.

Maddie had a lot of growing up to do throughout this story, even though she’s always been Maame. I’m so glad there are books that discuss the weird rut of depression and how, all too often, we don’t realize how far we’ve drifted.

For me, this was a wrong book and wrong time situation. As someone who has battled depression and anxiety most of her life, it’s not something I enjoy reading about, but especially not when my stress and anxiety are through the roof, like they are this month.

The mental health rep in this book is phenomenal, though, and felt very authentic. It will help a lot of people see they are not alone and that we all need a little help sometimes. 💜

There is a major trigger warning discussed, but I don’t want to spoil it for others, so DM me if you want know.

There was also a lot of talk of God and religion, which didn’t really excite me much, but I appreciate how Maddie dealt with it through her grief.

Basically, I see why this was a @readwithjenna pick and think it will resonate with a large audience, it just wasn’t the right book for me.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review this book. At first, I was not extremely sure where the author was going with this book, but, it ended being such a beautiful book that has caused me to have a book hangover. I will say that if you are currently experiencing grief, this may not be the book for you. However, it is beautifully done and I feel that since I was able to connect with the characters, it made me love the book even more. Definitely a book everyone should read.

Maame by Jessica George is a lovely story about Maddie, who is the primary caretaker for her father who suffers from Parkinson's. Maddie has a job that is very unfulfilling, and she has been very unsuccessful at dating. This story deals with all the different issues that she faces, but in a charming and heartwarming way. The author does an amazing job of making the reader fall in love with Maddie, and I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick
A February Indie Next Pick

TITLE: MAAME
AUTHOR: Jessica George
PUB DATE: 01.31.2023

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

Maame is a character driven story about Maddie, a twenty five year old Ghanaian woman living in London, whose professional life is as glum as her personal life - both of which does not allow her to live a life of a young woman care free and happy.

At home, she is left to care for her father with end stage Parkinson’s Disease, while her mother conveniently prefers to live in Ghana. At work, she can’t seem to fit in as the only black person in the office, often treated as a scapegoat, and just cannot seem to find her place in the world yet.

Financially strapped, and with an overbearing mother pushing for her to marry, Maddie’s life is one disaster after another. Jessica George keeps the story light hearted with many hilarious points like Maddie’s incessant need to google answers to her life’s troubles, lacking the guidance of a parent to advice her in times of need.

Maame is such a delight to read, that I found myself devouring this over a sitting on a flight on a recent trip. I LOVED IT!

There's something very confirming about picking an ARC that is also picked by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) for her Fantastic Strangelings Book Club.  And wow, what a pick!  Maame is like a feminine Catcher in the Rye and I loved every word of it.  Maddie is such a flawed person but she grows and learns and experiences things that scare her but enhance her in ways I am glad I experienced through her words.  Grief, relationships (friends, family, romantic, and work).  I had a little tear in my eye on the last pages. 
Highly recommended!

This book had one or two bumps for me, but overall I did like it!

Maame/Maddie is a unique character in that while she is responsible and smart, takes care of her father who is ill, takes care of all responsibilities for her family, she is also 25 and feels that she has not fully lived her life due to her basically full time caretaking of her dad.

Maddie goes to show that you can be a well rounded, successful woman, and yet there are some things that you inevitably miss out on in life because you have prioritized something else you feel was more important, like family. While caring for her father from her teenage years to her mid 20s, she feels like she failed to partake in normal coming of age activities, and once she is able to move to her own flat and join the fray of 20 somethings, she inevitably makes mistakes and has lots of questions about how to navigate this life that is normal for everyone else her age but neglected by herself. Also while navigating being fired from one job and hired for another, and not being treated as well as she deserves by these corporations.

I think a lot of topics were touched upon in this book, a lot of important topics, but i feel like none of them were delved deep enough into. I think maybe there should have been more depth gone into of Maddie’s story growing up, I think her relationship with her mom and brother should’ve been analyzed more and fleshed out more, and I think her dad should’ve had more of a role in the book and not just in things we are told about Maddie’s life. I would’ve loved to see more flashbacks and family moments worked in to endear us to her family and their lives more. I think most scenes of Maddie dating were used mostly for the topicality in todays dating climate, and I think her friendships she had before (Nia & Shu) should’ve taken precedent over her drama with her new roommates.

But despite these faults, which are just of my own opinion, i thought this book was unique, I think Maddie is going to be a character a lot of people can relate to, and I think anyone in their 20s or 30s that is learning how to live after losing a parent that they helped care for is going to feel very seen by Maddie’s experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley for an E-Arc of this book in return for a review! Glad I got to read this!