This story was beautiful. Right from the beginning I was pulled in by the writing style, the raw truth and emotion in Maddie’s story. I enjoyed this coming of age story because Maddie’s a bit older than the teen version of these stories that I’ve read before, so I appreciated the writing of seeing these moments through an adult’s eyes but still for the first time.

There were some challenging topics brought up in this book such as sex, depression, and grief - all of which I thought were handled so sensitively as Jessica George navigated them through Maddie’s eyes. The insight into the culture was interesting as well, especially in the context of ‘Maame’ and the different views of the “woman” of the family. In addition, to the way Maddie was culturally expected to react to the above challenging situations.

Overall this was a wonderfully written book that was entirely relatable, and I really could have read Maddie’s story all day.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. To be posted on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts this week!

This beautiful book contains a story about Maddie, known as Maame (woman – the nurturer) to her family, was immersive and beautifully complex. It is a charming, vividly drawn, and poignant coming-of-age tale about a 25 year old people pleaser starting out in London’s publishing world. Dealing with friendships vs. family secrets, racism in the workplace vs. expectations of a junior employee, racism in relationships – a toke or a trophy vs. being loved for oneself, familial obligations packed into biblical quotes vs. finding oneself as the only one trying to actually fulfill the obligations, and grief, the loss of a parent, but also for the need to alienate, to set boundaries - this story was simply wonderful.
It was fabulous to see Maddie finding her inner strength and learning to prioritize herself and her dreams, learn to speak up for herself, step by step.

Struggling with family responsibilities and a ho-hum job, Maddie moves out of the family home and strikes out on her own. Through pluses and minuses, she finds herself learning about life and love. Well written and recommended.

4.5 stars

I read most of this on my own, but the audiobook came in and I ended up listening to the last 30% of the book. As much as I was drawn into her story on its own merits, the audiobook really added to my experience.

This was an adult coming-of-age story with Maddie never really having a childhood. As a result, she is mature beyond her years, but so innocent in many other ways, especially with regard to dating, as well as her dreams of working in publishing. Maame means woman in Ghanian, which is fitting since she raised herself after her mother moved back to Ghana and her father was mostly absent, lost in his work, and her older brother hopped around his friends' homes.

This story covers many themes, and it does it well. These include racism, workplace discrimination, terminal illness, grief, depression and suicide, sexuality, difficulties with roommates, true friendship, familial and cultural expectations, forgiveness and acceptance, arranged marriages, and navigating the workplace to make your voice heard. The story moved me to tears more than once, and I cheered for her as she found her voice. As serious as many of these issues are, somehow the author found a good balance and even when I was crying for her, I never felt like the book was stifling. In the end, I felt like I had read a heartwarming story as Maddie comes into her own.

My short experience with the narrator, Heather Agyepong, was so positive that I will probably go back and listen to the whole thing.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Maddie is young black woman of Ghanaian heritage, living in London and caretaking for her father who suffers from Parkinson’s. Her mother and brother are mostly absent. When her mother returns from one of her extended trips back home to Ghana, Maddie finally gets her chance to move out of the family home, stop being a caregiver and get to experience the challenges of roommates, lovers, friends, work challenges and figuring out who she is within and outside of her family. Maame, meaning ”woman”, is the name her mother calls her, a name that Maddie sees as a burden. A terrific read. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy.

Maame is a solid debut novel, focusing on a 25-year-old Londoner of Ghanaian heritage, Maddie. She has been the main family member to help care for her ailing father, who is suffering from an advanced case of Parkinson’s. Her brother makes excuses. Her mother is out of the country, running a hotel in Ghana, more often than she’s in London. So it all falls on Maddie’s head (yes, there’s a health aide that comes to help out too). When her mother arrives in London and says she’s staying for a long time, Maddie takes the opportunity to move out and try to start her life. In a way, this is a delayed-coming-of-age novel.

I liked this book but didn’t love it. I did enjoy learning more about the Ghanaian culture and the Ghanaian diaspora in England (although I would have liked to learn more!). Maddie is pretty immature socially for someone in her mid-20s, someone who has a university degree, even though she’s mostly been a homebody, not completely by choice. She habitually consults Google for answers to questions about social situations, which I found odd (but perhaps someone younger wouldn’t think it odd). Examples: “How to be happy” and “What to do when you’ve been fired” and “How long do guys wait before asking a girl out on a date?” She really wants to fit in and lets her new flatmates drag her into situations that make her uncomfortable, in an effort to be more “normal.” There is a big deal made of the fact that she’s still a virgin at 25. A positive aspect was how the author treated mental health issues, panic attacks, grief and so on. And her treatment of the everyday subtle racism Maddie endures was another good part of the book.

Her mother was a mostly unlikeable character and we didn’t really get to know her dad at all, due to his advanced illness. I realize that in many (most?) cultures, it is expected that the daughter take care of the parents, but her brother was worthless and that really annoyed me, in addition to her mother being out of the picture. Maddie shows a lot of growth, both interpersonally and at work, over the course of the book, but it really only shows up in the later portions of the book. I think people in their 20s and 30s will relate to a lot of situations that arise in this story.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Heather Agyepong.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Twenty-five-year old Maddie has always lived at home. Her older brother lived his own life elsewhere, while her mother flew back and forth yearly from Ghana where she ran a business. Her father has Parkinson’s disease, so Maddie must struggle to pay bills, take care of him, deal with discrimination at her job and hold down the fort. For years Maddie has had dreams of what it would be like to have her own place, to live her own life, and to finally have a boyfriend.

Years later, when her mother decides to return home to care for her ailing husband, Maddy finally has the chance to leave and become the woman of her dreams. What she finds is that life with roommates, a new job and a boyfriend is not what she had expected. Now faced with new struggles, including death, betrayal and depression, Maddie must figure out her place in this new world she’s entered and live up to her ancestral name.

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

WOW, Jessica George sure knows how to pack a book with great topics that women have to deal with:
• 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 (𝘎𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒)
• 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺
• 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦
• 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩
• 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴
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Maddie is the type of friend you just want to nurture and look out for. I wanted to literally stick up for everyone who made her uncomfortable or spoke out of line.
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Maddie is “coming to age” (even though she’s in her 20’s) by living on her own after being her fathers caretaker for so long (Parkinson’s). She is experiencing life for the first time naively while having to google her way through situations. I won’t spoil some of her google searches.
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Jessica did an amazing job capturing the reality and severity of many topics while keeping it full of humor and lightness. This was such a raw and truthful experience of how hard it can be to navigate between two lives and two cultures while finding yourself. It is never too late to find yourself and love what you’ve survived.

"......... it's easy to conflare being well-liked with being well-loved. There's a misconception to be well-loved, the love has to come from multiple sources, when truthfully, one or two people can love you with the strength of ten."

Maame means woman or little mother in Twi. She received this nickname as a child. This nickname has been okay but she now feels the weight of it suffocating her and she has been going by Maddie.
The caretaker of her father she was forced to grow up fast. Her brother is busy with his life and doesn't have time for their father. Living in London she is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrant parents. Her mother who is frequently gone, living in Ghana helping her brother run a hostel. Her mother is usually gone for a year at a time or more and Maddie has had to be the responsible one, forced to be mature and raise herself. Their family is private, and she has no one to speak with about her cares and concerns. As her father's health deteriorates, he depends on her more and they become closer in a way they had not been when he was well.
She must suppress a lot including depression and anxiety. She feels like she is being held back socially as she has always put others needs ahead of her own.
Thrilled when her mother returns home she is ready to take charge and live her life including getting her own flat and starting to seriously date.
Maddie experiences many first and starts to come into her own.
The author handles grief, loss and racism in a way that will make you want to examine the way you handle these. This book vividly brings to life the culture and ideals of the mother land. Heartbreaking and healing this book is emotional and poignant. There are a lot of tough subjects that the author deals with in a respectful way.

Pub Date 31 Jan 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Jessica George
St. Martin's Press
Pub Date 31 Jan 2023

Jessica George's Maame is a delightful, heart-tugging novel full of the pressures of tradition and a host of other family issues that will make readers laugh and cry.

This is a surprisingly quick read that had me alternating between tears and laughing out loud. The main character, Maddy, finally moves out of her parent's house in her mid-twenties, is searching to find who she is outside of what her family has always expected.

I can see why this book has quickly been selected for numerous book club selections for Feb.
If you love a good story about family, finding love, finding inner strength, and dealing with grief then this is certainly for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

What a phenomenal debut. I went in a little blind with this one, so I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. Maddie was such a relatable character; her independent solitary nature really resonated with me; there were numerous times where I felt her thoughts mirrored my own and I was rooting for her to find her way and find happiness the entire time. The writing was impeccable - alternating between funny, heartbreaking and insightful and touched on so many universal issues - family drama, grief, job struggles, dating, friendships and mental health. It's a brilliant, unique coming-of-age story that I think everyone will be able to identify with. I highly recommend it and it will easily be one of my favorites of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies.

A story about a young woman trying to “find’ herself. Her life revolves around taking care of her father and going to work. She doesn’t really have a personal life between her father and work.
To top it all off, she isn’t happy in her work life nor her personal life.
As she is given the opportunity to strike out on her own, she has to learn how to navigate being on her own. She’s always been the responsible one, the people pleaser, the good person. In many ways, because of her upbringing, she is very immature in so many ways. She resorts to Google to answer the most mundane questions.
For me, this was a ok read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I just finished Maame yesterday and really enjoyed it. I’d describe it as a coming of age story for twenty five year old Maddie. She lives at home taking care of her dad who has Parkinson’s while her mom is living in Ghana. I really liked her sense of humor amidst some heavier topics. The book touches on race, depression, dealing with grief and the desire to find one’s true self. Jessica George does an excellent job of creating a character that’s true to life and Maddie’s journey is heartfelt.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the electronic copy of Maame by Jessica George. Maame touches on grief, racism, family, love, and friendship. Our main character, Maddie, lives in London and is the primary caretaker of her father who has Parkinson's. Her mother spends the majority of her time in Ghana. Her older brother is no help. She feels stuck at work. Her mom returns home and Maddie finally moves out of her house and begins to find out who she is.

Since reading this, the book was chosen as a Read With Jenna pick so you know this one is going to be popular.

When a book is talked about so much, expectations become high. This book met those expectations as it is powerful and heartfelt. Maddie is the daughter of Ghanaians, living in London with her father. Her mother spends a year in Ghana, alternating with a year in London, having left Maddie to grow up quickly with a deep sense of responsibility. Maddie wants to move out and experience what other young women are experiencing. Depression, family and racial issues are all approached with honesty. I highly recommend this well written, emotional book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a stunning debut and may be in contention for one of my favorite books of the year. This novel follows Maddie, a 25 year old woman, tasked with caring for her ailing father, while her mother and brother live their own lives. When her mother returns, Maddie takes this as an opportunity to escape a job she hates, move out of her family home, and just find her own way.

This novel covers hard topics such as racism in the workplace, depression, death, cheating, and grief. But it does all this through the lens of a character that is both real and wry. Maddie is trying to find herself and her way and it's so beautifully done. I specifically loved the lines relating to female pleasure and sex and how upfront talks of mental health and therapy were in this novel.

The last 25% of the book had me ugly crying to the point where my husband asked me why I read, and while I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a sad book, the look at grieving someone your love wrecked me. Maddie is a truly stunning character and I'll be thinking about this one for a long while.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the review copy.

I absolutely loved this book. It was phenomenal. Jessica George writes Maddie as if she is speaking to an old friend. She is hilarious, honest, real, and is trying to figure out who she is. As the caregiver aspect and having to navigate stages of grief, this novel really struck close to home with me. At twenty-five, Maddie takes on so much more than she could have ever expected to and has to find out who she is and who she wants to be without pressures from her over bearing (and self centered) mother and selfish brother want her to be.

This novel is one of my favorite reads and I would highly recommend it! In my post on my Instagram, there is a mistake where I put 4/5 stars instead of 5/5.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

I love family dramas and this was a good one. When it started out with an aimless 20-something, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to relate to Maddie but I very quickly began to root for her. Maddie goes through a lot in this book and I really enjoyed the authentic vulnerability and realistic character growth that she experienced. There are a lot of good insights in here about complicated family relationships, mental health, acceptance, maturity, and self-confidence. Definitely would recommend this one!

I absolutely fell in love with Maddie. I adore books set in London, and Maame (pronounced ma-meh) beautifully melds Ghanaian culture with modern UK life. Maddie is a lovely young woman caught between two worlds... well actually multiple opposing aspects of her world. A daughter of immigrants, she is navigating her family culture while wanting to be a modern and independent young professional. She is a primary caretaker of her father who has advanced Parkinson's and is navigating being a dutiful daughter while disappointingly dealing with her family's lack of physical and financial support. As a Black woman, she aims to fit in with her mostly white colleagues and struggles with how to showcase her unique talents and qualities as something she can contribute to her workplace. She navigates dating, sexuality, flatmates, microaggressions, racism, faith, depression, and grief with brutal honesty, hilarious Google searches, and pure innocence which makes you just want to wrap her in a warm hug. Maame is a "coming of age in your 20s" story that just drives you to become Maddie's #1 cheerleader. Along her journeys, she grows up to find the value in the people who have been truly supporting her all her life and also finds there are new people willing to go to bat for her if only she opens herself up to the possibility.

This is the book for all of us who have felt a little lost and tramped down by life, who faltered in our own naivety, and who have struggled with our inner voices. Like Maddie, we can overcome our adversities, both real and in our heads.

Just a wonderful debut novel that is perfect for book club discussion!

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I finished Maame a day or two ago and I just had to sit with it because wow. What a beautiful, heart-wrenching, real, and captivating story. When the book starts out we’re introduced to Maddie living her life but not really living it. Throughout the course of the book we see her go through a number of life-altering events and experience the beauty of life’s greatest joys as well as the heartbreak of life’s biggest losses. Anyone who has experienced immense grief will tell you how real this book felt and how incredibly moving it was to go on the journey alongside Maddie. The story also deals with race, culture, religious and familial guilt, and it was all done so well. I can’t say too much more without giving parts of the book away so I’ll end this by saying I hope you pick up Maame, and I hope you see a piece of yourself in it, but even if you don’t, I hope you appreciate the journey. Because at the end of the day, we’re all just humans, trying to figure it out as we go.