Poignant and full of learning and self discovery, Jessica George’s Maame is the perfect coming of age novel. Written to truly feel like you are in Maddie’s brain (I mean the Google searches, the text messages, and countless paragraphs of internal monologue) there was never a moment that I felt attached to Maddie and her experiences. I admired the relationships that were incorporated and the lessons that Maddie learned as she journeyed through the novel.
I feel like this novel could bring a lot of healing for those experiencing grief as they encounter their own challenges with “life after the event”. There were words and sentences that I wanted to highlight and save for later, and that’s when you know you’ve got a good book with even greater writing!

This was an awesome debut with one of my favorite new characters - Maddie is such a real protagonist, having spent most of her early 20s taking care of her father with Parkinson’s she’s not able to do the things most her age do - socializing, dating, finding a job she loves. It’s a beautiful coming of age (in your mid 20s) story about life, family, love, careers, friendships and all the beauty and heartbreak they entail.

Maddie is a 25-year-old woman who is eager to experience all that life has to offer. However, that’s going to have to wait because she is also the primary caregiver for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s. With her mother traveling for months, and sometimes even years, at a time, and her brother just off enjoying life, the responsibility for keeping the home fires burning falls squarely on Maddie’s shoulders.

When she finds out that her mother will be returning from Ghana for an extended time, Maddie leaps at the chance to move out on her own. She rents a flat, learns about life with flatmates, meets some guys, goes on some dates. Things are moving in the right direction…but, what’s life without some setbacks? As Maddie takes on some of her biggest challenges ever, she begins learning a lot about who she is, who she wants to be, and how to reconcile these two different versions of herself into the authentic Maddie.

I enjoyed the book. It was well-written and tackled difficult themes head-on. I enjoy reading works from POC authors, as I always learn something. It’s amazing what we can learn when we pay attention to another person’s point of view and experiences. Jessica George shared her unique perspective as a woman living in London, born to Ghanaian parents. Rich in culture, touching and dramatic, but also absolutely hilarious, I highly recommend this one.

Thanks to Jessica George, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

A new favourite!

Oh Maddie…

Maddie is twenty-five and is living in London. Her mom has given her the nickname, Maame, which means “mother” in Twi, while she herself spends most of her time in Ghana. Maddie is left to manage all the responsibilities of her father’s care- he has advanced staged Parkinson’s. Her older brother has also jumped ship, doing his own thing, so Maddie is left to do everything. When her mother returns to London, Maddie has the chance to move out on her own and is ready to experience all the things that come with independence that opportunity has never afforded her.

This story is so earnest and raw. I will admit that at first I wondered where the plot was. Was I just a bystander in Maddie’s life? But things did pick up, and I became more than happy to be along for the ride. Even though there are some heavy topics (I’ll put trigger warnings in the comments), there was such heart and hope. I felt everything for her. And I loved how she Googled absolutely everything. Who can relate?🙋‍♀️

I honestly wasn’t ready for the book to end. I’d love to read a sequel fast-forwarded several years. I want to know where she ends up. Definitely recommend!

You’re probably seeing this book all over Bookstagram right now- and there’s good reason! This is a fantastic coming of age story with a protagonist you will root for. This Read with Jenna pick will make you think.

Maddie is a late bloomer, held back by the obligations her family has placed on her shoulders since she was young. As the only constant in her Dad’s life, Maddie has been prioritizing his health as he battles Parkinson’s Disease. Her absentee mom returns to London from Ghana and tells Maddie she can finally move out and start her life at 25. She finally begins navigating dating, roommates, sex, micro aggressions at work and grief.

Maddie is called “Maame” by her mother since she was a teen, which means woman in Twi. This nickname encapsulates all of the complicated feelings Maddie has about her forced responsibility. The marketing of this novel leans into the comedy on the page, and while there are funny bits, I found it more raw and heartbreaking than humorous. Maybe that’s just me though! I think Maddie will remain a favorite protagonist of mine for a long time.

✨Trigger Warnings: Racism, Death of a Parent, Mental Illness

Maame is really wonderful—there's a real depth in this book, but also a humor that makes it even more memorable and stunning. I really enjoyed reading!

Maame is a thought-provoking book, which I enjoyed immensely. Maddie has cared for her dad since his Parkinson’s diagnosis with virtually no help from her mother (who primarily lives in Ghana) and brother. Shortly after she decides to move away from the family home, tragedy strikes, and she is left sad and trying to figure out who she is. She is torn between family obligations and pursuing her happiness, while enduring racism and learning how to speak up to combat it.

I enjoyed the strong female characters and friendships, the search for identity, and wise messages imparted by certain characters. I think I will be reflecting on the message of the book for weeks to come. Jessica George has written a brilliant novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press and the author for an eARC in exchange for my opinions.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maame is an absolutely stunning debut novel that fearlessly deals with many challenges faced in contemporary society. Maddie is young woman who works a job in a toxic environment by day and takes care of her father, who has Parkinson's disease, by night, while her mother lives and works in Ghana and her brother does whatever he wants.

When her mother returns to London, Maddie seizes the opportunity to move out and start a new life complete with new friends, a new job and a new relationship. What she finds is that years of complicated family relationships, depression and her own insecurities don't magically disappear just because she's turned a new leaf.

Maame is a heartbreaking book filled with radiant hope that we can be more than the product of our upbringing and that none of us have to navigate the most painful aspects of life alone. This book is absolutely a contender for favorite of the year. Lovely, honest, brutal and shining with unquenchable strength, Maame is a story you can't miss.

Recommended for fans of Candace McCarthy Williams, Bernadine Evaristo and Etaf Rum

𝗠𝗔𝗔𝗠𝗘 by Jessica George - With more and more books we’re seeing a new sort of micro-genre: twenty-somethings coming-of-age. Now I love a good coming-of-age story, but typically those have been with younger characters. When the characters get to be in their mid to late twenties, it can be tricky. Sometimes the pieces all fit together and sometimes they’re a little wonky. Even though I really enjoyed 𝘔𝘢𝘢𝘮𝘦, early on something about it just felt a little off to me.⁣
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Maddie, the 25-year old title character, had a lot going on in her life. She was the primary caretaker of her father who had Parkinson’s, her mother spent most of her time home in Ghana, her brother was also largely absent, and she provided financially for herself, her father, and too often her mother. Despite all those very adult responsibilities, to me Maddie skewed YA. She was just SO innocent, constantly Googling basic life questions that you’d normally expect a person of her age and life experiences to know. ⁣
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Don't get me wrong 𝐈 𝐃𝐈𝐃 like this story. Maddie was sweet, earnest, and willing to fight for herself when push came to shove. Throughout the story, she had a lot of growth, which made me like her more and more. I really appreciated that she was willing to admit her own flaws, and also learned to look at those around her without the rose-colored glasses. By the end of the book, I was fully on team Maddie, it just took me a while to get there. Despite a few qualms here, I’d definitely give George’s next novel a try. One last thing - that 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thanks to @stmartinspress for an ARC and to @macmillan.audio and @libro.fm for an ALC of #Maame. (Great on audio!)

Maame aka Maddie takes care of her father who has been afflicted with Parkinson's disease in Maame by Jessica George. Her mother comes and goes every few years back and forth to her native Ghana to supposedly help an uncle run his hostel. Her brother mirrors that behavior in that he's never around to lend a helping hand. It's a lot for a young woman to handle, but Maddie takes it in stride even though her social and work life could be better.

When her mom returns from Ghana once again, she's encouraged to find an apartment and live her life. She's determined to change everything despite any misgivings because she's ready to experience everything that she's given up. That means dating, partying, meeting new friends, accomplishing career goals, and sharing an apartment. She finds all that and learns so much along the way, but then tragedy strikes once again. Will she find her way to happiness in all areas of her life?

I loved this book so much. Maddie is such a likeable, relatable character, and you're really rooting for her to gain more recognition at work, find true love, and enjoy her disappearing youth. It's exciting to be there for all her firsts and the new experiences she undertakes. And the other characters ring true and feel distinctive, so that you're never unsure who this or that person is.

And like a friend, you're there when she does experience heartbreak, work issues, and the challenging relationships she has with her immediate family. You want to be the good friend to lend a helping hand and be her confidante. She's not the perfect girl everyone thinks she is, and it's refreshing to read about such a nuanced character.

I also liked how she's torn between caring for her father and dealing with her other relatives as well as reconciling her African roots with her modern British lifestyle. She wants to live like any other single woman her age, but she does feel responsible for her family and their actions. She understands the importance of her background but feels the pull of the life that's out there waiting for her. It's very realistic and, at times, you feel the same frustration that Maddie does.

The story goes along at a quick pace but is very thoughtful in examining her choices, her hopes, and her feelings about everything that goes on. Maddie's character and voice permeates the writing and feels like you're reading about a real person. And I loved how the book ended--it's fitting and inspirational and ties everything together. What a great book to read! I highly recommend it and cannot wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you for the ARC! I really enjoyed reading this modern coming of age story. I found many aspects of Maddie's character to be relatable despite not having many shared experiences with her. She was flawed and frustrating at times but I loved seeing her grow and develop throughout the book. There were times the book felt a bit slow and predictable but as a whole it was an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend to my fellow female 20 somethings!

If you like books featuring…
coming of age stories
London
Grief and comedy equally expressed and written expertly

Great for fans of…
People Person - book
Sex Education - TV
Act Your Age, Eve Brown - book

This book was so beautifully written and compelling. Journeying with Maddie as she figured out this period of her life and worked to figure out her independence as the caretaker for her family was equally hilarious and poignantly sad. I have handsold this book multiple times in the past week.

“It’s an ordinary week within the most extraordinary circumstances because apparently — and this is what everyone fails to mention about the grieving process — I still have to live.”

Madeline Wright — Maddie — is a 25-year-old woman still living at home as her father’s caregiver as he battles late-stage Parkinson’s. Her older brother moved out years ago, more interested in doing his own thing and Maddie’s mother lives in Ghana, only making the occasional return to her family back in London. Because of this, everything falls on Maddie’s shoulders.

After being fired from a job she admittedly hated and with her mother’s sudden return, Maddie is finally ready to live life. She’s excited to move out, start dating, experience things she’s only heard her friends discuss.

MAAME is easily one of the buzziest books of 2023 and I can see why. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. Maddie came across as more of a main character you’d find in a YA novel; she’s extremely sheltered to the point where a decent chunk of page-time is devoted to her Google searches: what DTF means, how to have sex, if you should have sex on a third date, should you go out with your flatmate’s ex. Despite her naivety, multiple men end up instantly falling for her and every conversation is full of witty banter and flirty responses even though, moments prior, she was googling the most basic of tasks.

Once the novel finally got going, I was hooked. Maddie’s realization that one of the men she was seeing was also seeing someone else — a white woman — and how their dates differed (she met his family and went places, Maddie was only asked out to a dark theater or invited over for pasta) was stark and brutal and a heartbreaking scene to read.

Grief and mental health are the backbone of MAAME and certain scenes/passages hit me hard. I think this part of the book is what’s behind all the praise and glowing reviews — I certainly couldn’t tear myself from its pages.

I went into this one expecting something lighter given how the summary mentions humor, but did find MAAME incredibly timely and poignant in its discussion on race and grief.

This is the sort of book that digs into your soul. Like the main character, Maddie, I've lost a parent, and the way she wrote about grief and dealing with loss felt very real and true to me. I could understand why Maddie was the way that she is. I also loved the friendships in this book, and the way people were reliable no matter what came their way. This is a fantastic read, and I can see why it's getting so much attention!

How do I even start to share my emotions on this book. Jessica George wrote a masterful coming of age story that deals with cultural topics, family, friendships, jobs, and romantic relationships. Maddie was so beautiful to read about as she grew as a person and embraced all that she could be in her life. The importance of learning to love yourself and everything that makes you as a person shined so bright while I read this and I just fell in love with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and uninfluenced.

Maddie is a 25 year old, living in London taking care of her father who has Parkinson’s disease. She never got the college experience or much life experience outside of her parents.

Her mother, who stays in Ghana for a year at a time, returns and tells Maddie to get her own apartment and live her life. She experiences love, heartbreak, friendship, and learns new lessons.

I really liked Maddie and I enjoyed watching her grow out of her shell. The novel itself was funny, but also manages to be sad and heart felt at the time. Some of it was also relatable and I could find myself in Maddie with what she went through.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

3.5 rounding up!

FANTASTIC!!!! This incredible novel "Maame" by Jessica George embodied so much wisdom and relevant topics, I found it memorable and engaging. Depicting guilt, family obligations, careers, friendships, race, traditions, love, and following your heart (as well as utilizing many Google searches), this book was truly amazing. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher. All opinions are my own.

I truly loved this book. There were so many elements and layers to the story. I rooted for Maddie and didn’t want the book to end.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Maame is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Our main character is loveable, flawed, more than a little naive, and I can’t help but root for her. She makes some big mistakes, but who wouldn’t in her shoes? The reader gets to witness her growth and maybe learn alongside her journey.

I tend to really love books from the POV of women in their 20s who are just trying to figure it all out, so when I received an eARC of this one, I knew I would likely be a huge fan. After seeing tons of rave reviews for MAAME here on IG, I bumped it up on my TBR, read it last week in just two sittings and LOVED it.

Maddie is a twenty-something living in London, where she takes care of her father, who has Parkinson’s, while her mother travels back and forth between London and Ghana, where Maddie and her family are from. Maddie has devoted her life to caring for her beloved father, which means that she’s missing out on a lot of the things her friends take advantage of: going out, falling in love, and growing up. When Maddie’s mother announces that she’s coming back to London, Maddie takes it as an opportunity to move out and finally experience the things she’s been missing.

This is one of those books that will make you laugh and cry. No matter what stage of life you’re in, I think there’s something in Maddie’s story that you can relate to — whether it’s her woes at work, troubles with friends, the grieving process, or the ups and downs of dating.

What really shone for me here is the VOICE. George’s writing style feels like you’re reading someone’s journal — very personal and intimate (it’s also a more well-written journal than the ramblings that can be found in mine haha). I’ve seen this book get some comparisons to BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY, and I think those are pretty apt, although MAAME is certainly a more emotional and nuanced version of that book. If you like coming of age novels, I highly recommend this one. Very emotional, but also incredibly witty and relatable. I think it’s impossible not to root for Maddie throughout.