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!

I really enjoyed Maame by Jessica George. Maddie might be one of my new favorite characters. This book is a powerful read about family, love, and coming of age. Maddie has been living at her parent's home and caring for her father while her mother travels back and forth to Ghana. She finally decides to step out on her own, and we get a first hand account of her life as she navigates living on her own for the first time. This is such a memorable book and it will stick with me for a long time.

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 is 25 years old, living in London working to support her parents. Her mother is in Ghana. Her father is home due to Parkinson’s. Her mother is taking turns yearly of the running of a business her father gave her and her brother when he died. When Maame’s mother calls her, it is usually to ask her for money. It is a burden for Maame. Maame means “woman” in the native language of Ghana. She likes her name but is often called Maddie. Her older brother James is no help in any way especially money. He has separated himself from home and family for the most part. Maddie goes to Google with her questions that can’t give her the answers she needs. Google can’t help her as she wants it to as Google doesn’t understand about demands of a religious yet remote African-born mother. The answers Google gives are somewhat helpful. When Maddie loses her jobs d tragedy happens, she questions the limits of family duty and what she can make of her life.

The author shows how racism a young Black woman can face in the British workplace. The novel shows how cultural barriers can stand in the way of contemporary life such as understanding and even depression. I couldn’t be more proud of Maddie’s freedom. It is an awkward yet funny coming-of-age novel. It was a terrific story to read.

Not a lot to say that hasn’t already been said. This was beautiful and I feel lucky to have read it! Thank you!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It’s one that gives you all kinds of emotions. There were parts that made me giggle, then parts that upset me. I liked Madeline’s character, I felt like she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. I also felt for her because I have a grandmother that suffers from Parkinson’s, and it is not easy to watch. I will say that some parts of the story dragged on a bit for me, but then it would pick up pace. All in all, a good read!

Maame is the enjoyable debut novel of Jessica George. Maddie is a twenty five year-old black woman who had far too many family responsibilities hoisted on her at a young age. As a result, she is very mature in some ways and totally out to lunch in others. We follow her as she makes her way in the world; dealing with the loss of her father, a toxic mother and self-centered brother, work relationships, friendships and romance. Maame will particularly appeal to the twenties and thirties crowd.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

A beautiful coming of age story of Maame (Maddie) who is so busy being a caregiver, a student, and an employee that she no time for herself, until she does. She discovers who she is, what her heritage means to her, the world around her and what makes her happy. A beautiful story.

Maame was such a delight to read. An unconventional coming of age story about a daughter, Maame, who has become the primary caregiver for her father who has Parkinson's. Maame (Maddie) is struggling with all of the things that come with being a young adult - job issues, romance, roommate troubles, and family. This book portrays a family that is flawed and real and really captures the feelings of isolation that come with being a carer for an aging parent. Maame is poignant and funny - I loved it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

I don't even know what to say about this book that will give it the praise it deserves. I just loved it.

Maddie is 25 but has spent her time living at home caring for her ill dad while her mom is "working" in Ghana and her brother is skirting all his familial responsibilities. She works at a job that treats her like garbage, has pretty much no social life, and then takes care of her dad. When her mom returns from Ghana, Maddie moves out, makes a few friends, starts dating, gets fired, finds a new job, and finally starts living for herself. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Maddie blames herself, and has to find a way to live with her new normal while dealing with loss - and her mother, who is quite difficult.

I flip flopped from feeling terrible for Maddie and wanting to shake her. She is such a naive character, and grows so much in this book, but there were times that I was like "what EXACTLY are you doing???". I think that says a lot for a book; when you feel so much for a character, whether it's frustration, joy, sadness, hate, whatever.

Read this book. It's amazing, and will most likely be in my top books of the year.

** Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to review this book. **
Maame means woman.

The book world can’t stop talking about Jessica George’s debut novel, Maame. I have been in a slump lately, so I really wanted to read something amazing so I could give a 4- or 5-star review. With all the hype surrounding Maame, I thought that this would surely be the book to get me out of my slump.

It wasn’t.

But to be fair, I’m not the target market.

Maame is about 25-year-old Maddie, who is navigating young adulthood with some pretty heavy burdens on her shoulders. She has been caring for her dad, who has Parkinson’s Disease, by herself and funding much of his care. Her mother has been living in Ghana under the guise of helping her uncle run a business. Maddie’s brother, James, is a bit of a deadweight who doesn’t offer to help often. With no one else to tend to him, Maddie takes the burden of her father’s care on herself.
At the beginning of the book, Maddie is stuck as an executive assistant for a manager who is a bit unhinged. During this time, her mother calls her and announces that she is coming back to the United States to live with Maddie’s dad, so Maddie can finally move out. She finds a flat with two roommates, Cam and Jo. Right after signing the lease, she gets fired from her job for something that was not her fault. Luckily, she finds a job at a small publishing company. She has to begin her career doing administration, but her new boss promises her that she will have opportunities to expand her career.

Around this time, Maddie also meets Ben, a handsome (and rich) man who becomes Maddie’s second boyfriend ever. Maddie is a virgin, something she attributes to her lack of a social life. She decides to sleep with Ben after a few dates. The sex hurts, but Maddie doesn’t say anything. However, this is clearly a moral failing of Ben. There is an underlying insinuation that he should have read her mind and knew she wasn’t enjoying herself, but that kind of messaging is a pet peeve of mine. I get that Maame is about Maddie’s journey to find her voice, but that doesn’t mean those around you are guilty of crimes that they are unaware that they committed in your head. Ben ends up getting caught with another woman. I think you can make a case either way on whether he was cheating on her– I mean, they never said they were exclusive, but it wasn’t a chivalrous move by any stretch of the imagination. At any rate, whether Ben is worthy of Maddie’s intense ire is up for debate.

At the tail end of Maddie and Ben’s relationship, Jo asks Maddie and Cam to go out drinking with her one night. Maddie reluctantly agrees. She wanted to stay in and bake a cake for her father’s birthday the next day, but Jo pleads with her to go. So, Maddie relents. Once out, Maddie has a couple of drinks. The group wants to move to a new location, and Maddie tells Jo that she wants to go home. Jo again pleads with her to stay, and Maddie once again relents. At the next place, Maddie proceeds to get REALLY drunk and REALLY high off edibles.
Predictably, Maddie wakes up the next day with a massive hangover. She looks at the clock. It’s 2 p.m.– well past the time when she wanted to arrive at her dad’s house for his birthday. Then, she gets a call from her mom. Maddie’s dad passed away that morning, alone because her mom had gone out to “run an errand” (aka meet another man). Maddie is torn with guilt because she knew that she might have been able to save him if she were there. When she tells her flatmates, they are sympathetic. Then, Maddie suddenly turns on Jo and blames her for keeping her out. Because Maddie had a hangover, she was not there when her dad died. Therefore, it was Jo’s fault that Maddie’s dad died alone. Jo and Maddie have an awkward relationship from then on.

The rest of the book involves lots of depression, therapy, and anger at her new job for supposedly holding her back. I could go into more detail, but honestly, I’m already tired of writing about it. Yes, Maddie gets taken advantage of by several people around her, mainly her family. Her mother and brother expect her to pay for the majority of her father’s funeral, for example. Her boss uses one of her ideas and then doesn’t involve her on the project. Her flatmates are awkward around her after Maddie blames Jo for her father’s death. But, Maddie herself is kind of a terrible person. While she is “finding her voice,” she lays false blame at every turn. I’m sorry, but your flatmate begging you to stay out does not make her responsible for your father’s death. Your job not giving a junior employee a seat at the table right away, even if you have a great idea, is not wrong. You are not experienced in your career field– expertise and seats at the table have to be earned. In fact, her boss, in my opinion, was awfully nice for not firing her when she simply stopped working after her father’s death without any communication on a return date. They even hired a psychiatrist for her to talk to once she made it back to the office. Oh, and did I mention that she started dating Jo’s casual fling and didn’t care if it hurt her? In the process of discovering her true self, Maddie does a lot of terrible things to people, yet she never seems to suffer any consequences. There is a glorification of Maddie without any acknowledgment of her poor choices. Instead, we are supposed to focus on her trauma and her newfound discovery of self. We’re supposed to yell, “Slay, boss babe!” and ignore how unfair she is being to those around her. If it improves Maddie’s life, it is an unquestionable moral good.

As I said, I am not the target market for this book. I did not read it and walk away with good feelings about dealing with personal trauma and finding your voice. Instead, I saw a lot of themes I disagree with. I believe you shouldn’t do something as morally repugnant as blaming another person for your father’s death because you regret your own choices. I believe that success must be earned over a period of time. I believe that people can’t be blamed for the unspoken offenses that they have committed in your head.

The writing was good. The story was entertaining. I read most of the book believing that I would rate it highly at the end. But, as I closed the cover, I slowly discovered that I actually didn’t like it very much. It may not be a popular opinion, but it is my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for gifting me with an ARC of Maame by Jessica George. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

I admit the wonderful cover art initially caught my eye and then the buzz surrounding this debut led me to request a review copy. I began with the E- copy but decided to purchase the audio, which really brought the richness of George’s prose to life. Print and audio are both fantastic.

Maddie, a twenty-five year old Ghanaian girl living in London with her parents and older brother is a late bloomer. While her friends went off to uni and have begun to live out their lives, Maddie has remained home to care for her father, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. When an opportunity arises for Maddie to move out and begin to carve out her own life she learns adulting isn’t easy but there are wonderful rewards too. This story is full of familial love, self love, acceptance, aspirations, grief, growth and ultimately happiness.

While I enjoyed plenty in this book unfortunately it felt a bit recycled. I do believe George is a new talent and an author to watch for.

I requested this arc months ago after reading the synopsis and being drawn in by the beautiful cover, so I was excited when Jenna picked it as her February selection and shared that she’s adapting it for t.v.

Did I like it? Yes. Will I watch its adaptation? Sure. Was it as amazing as Jenna made it out to be? Um, nope.

How did it rate for me on a scale of 1-5? When it comes to the writing and storyline it’s a 3, maybe rounded up to 3.5 for the cultural references and educational tidbits I scooped up throughout.

Maddie is living in London and is the primary care taker for her father who is deteriorating from Parkinson’s. Her mother spends much of her time in Ghana and her brother can’t be bothered with family responsibilities. Maame means “mother” or “woman” in Twi, a term Maddie soon comes to resent as she struggles with the burdens cast upon her.

When the time comes for her to move out, start dating, and meet new friends, Maddie must navigate this new world of “firsts.” Jenna compared this to a Bridgette Jones laugh out loud storyline, but it didn’t even come close and is much heavier in content and desperately lacking in humor.

What worked for me: Maddie is loveable. She honors her family despite having to have taken on adult roles early on and a mother who is self absorbed and absent. I enjoyed learning about their life in Ghana and family traditions.

What didn’t: The whole story felt pretty cookie cutter. You knew where every plot line was going and how every character was going to act. There wasn’t anything really new here and definitely more overhyped than I expected.

Madi a 25 yo British-Ghanaian woman living in London. She is the primary caretaker of her dad- he has Parkinson's and so she spends a lot of her time at home making sure hes tended to and pursuing a career she's not crazy about -but it's paying the bills. Unfortunately, a lot of the responsibility falls on her shoulders because her mom spends time between London and Ghana and her brother is kind of doing his own thing, so she is very much the responsible one in the family.

The book starts as Madi is finally taking a leap and moves out of her family home and tries to start her own life and find out who she is. she makes new friends and goes out on her own a bit when -unfortunately- tragedy strikes and it makes her reevaluate everything.


i cannot stress enough how much i loved this book. A comp for it would be queenie by candice carty williams, but i liked maame even more. I cant think of 1 bad thing to say about it. Madi and the other characters feel real. There are real issues and it’s not saccharine…. There wasnt a bow that resolved everything at the end…shes just a real woman finding her own way. I loved the exploration of madi’s culture and her relationship with her mom. This book is a perfect quarter life crisis book. Its about Putting yourself out there and about finding yourself. This one definitely made me cry. Be sure to check TW if youre curious- about specific scenes that could be upsetting to some readers. I have to say i think it will end up on my best of 2023 list. Maame jessica george

Uplifting and encouraging coming of age story told with real emotion and love. Spanning a brief time period, but including an amazing amount of growth and change in that short period.