Jessica George’s debut book kept this reader engaged in an emotional story of twenty-five-year-old immigrant, Maame from Ghana, who is trying to cope with life in London. The author uses stream of consciousness for the first part of the story and moves to first person for the second part. Maame has a lot on her plate. She has a full-time job and takes care of her father who is bedridden with Parkinson’s disease. He does have a part-time care giver. Her mother spends more than half of her time in Ghana and her older brother is of no help except an occasional call. I found myself trying to have a conversation with Maame so many times. You will cry, get angry, and laugh as you read Maame’s journey to find herself.

At times, I did think the author did not go deeply enough into the characters and plot that she introduced. Overall, it was a satisfying read. I could definitely see a second book set five years later to see what happens to Maame. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Growing up, my grandfather had Parkinson's and, like Maddie, I assisted with his care part-time (during my senior year). I can't even imagine the complexities of doing that daily for years, especially for the person who is supposed to be taking care of you. Often called Maame by her mother, meaning "woman" in Twi, Maddie has been made to grow up far quicker than others her age. As an introvert, she spends most of her time at home with her dad, as her mother leaves for long periods of time supposedly for their family business. Her mother often critiques her for being single at her age (I'm sure a lot of minority children are quite familiar with this tactic) but doesn't really give her the means to go out and change that by coming home. She finally comes back though, allowing Maddie the chance to start her life the "right" way! She moves out, starts investing in friendships again, and begins talking to boys. She finally gets into a field of work that could interest her and starts writing again. I love how she begins to see that it's her own time to figure out who she wants to be after years of sitting on the sidelines taking care of everyone else. Without getting too much into it, despite life knocking her down a good bit along the way, Maddie finally begins to hold her own and take what she deserves! This book was so moving and emotional in the best way. While it was a bit difficult for me personally at times to read at times, the experience was so well-described and thoughtful to what caregivers can go through, especially in the familial way. It was a coming-of-age story without her age really having anything to do with it, but with all the same inspiring changes and growth! Absolutely amazing read and would recommend to anyone.

This book is going to be everywhere - rumored to be a Book of the Month pick, a celebrity book club pick, and already so many readers are predicting this to be a favorite of the year - and deservedly so.

Not to be cliche but I laughed, I cried, I had all the feelings while reading this book. I was rooting for Maddie to find her place in the world.

Debut author, excellent writing and character development - this book is just so good. This is a unique coming of age story because Maddie is already 25 when we meet her. While her mom calls her Maame - meaning mother or woman, Maddie is still very young and inexperienced for her age. The book tackles so many big issues (grief, sex, mental health) with humor and grace. Maddie’s google searches are the best. I highly recommend!

This was definitely an absorbing story and so many frustrations of family, friends and work relationships. Maddie seemed to be used by everyone and she just did what she was expected to do. But there is a limit and her grief once her father passed was it. Honestly there should be an industry of funeral planners like wedding planners because trying to plan a memorial and all the arrangements when you are in a fog of grief and shock is just bizarre.
I loved her friends but the other people that were around her didn't deserve her. That dude she was dating, at the company event gave me a flashback cause I was her to a guy once and it is the worst feeling, iykyk.
Also, the amount of Google searches that she does and the range of answers sounds so accurate.
This was so cathartic at times. The grief, the therapy, finding yourself with positive messages being through it. It's hard to find the light sometimes but there's always a new day.

Wish there were more pages!

Thank you stmartinspress and netgalley for the e-ARC for the honest and voluntary review

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jessica Goodman for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an older adult, I just wanted to jump in the book and tell Maddie that everything would be fine, but solving life’s trials is just part of growing up. Living in London should have been exciting for Maddie as a young adult; but, having a mother who spends most of her time back in their hometown of Ghana, a brother who has his own selfish agenda, and a father with Parkinson’s, whom she loves very much. Maddie works an unfulfilling job while home health cares for her father during the day, and then she takes over for the night-not the best life for a girl in her 20s.
Maddie’s mother decides to move back to London for a year or so and Maddie sees her chance to have her own life. Now, the adventures begin: losing a job, finding a job, losing a boyfriend, finding a boyfriend, learning how to live with others, and, most of all, coming to terms with her feelings for her father and discovering what a worthwhile person she can be. Maddie is a strong female character who will inspire other young women who read her story.

This book is INCREDIBLE. The story of Maddie, a young woman living in London on her own for the first time after her mother moves back home to take care of her father (which she has been doing for years), this is somehow both starkly written and emotionally involving. We see that Maddie is flawed, but it only makes us care for her more and want a better life for her. I am truly thrilled to have gotten to read this book before it was released so I can shout it out from the rooftops when it is published. Which I just did!

The weight of the world is on the young shoulders of Maddie Wright, a twenty five year old native Londoner of Ghanaian heritage. Her mother and dad are estranged. Her mom left her family in London and returned to Ghana to run a business. James, Maddie’s brother, is too self centered to contribute his time or money to help out. Maddie needs to earn a living, look after her father who is Ill with Parkinson’s disease and try to make time for friendships and possibly romance. Maddie is known to her family and friends as Maame , a Twi word, meaning “woman” which in and of itself reveals the dilemma at the crux of this story. Is it possible for her to enjoy her youth or is she stuck being a woman with overwhelming responsibilities? Is it obligation or love that drives her actions?
In this perfectly lovely debut novel, the author brings some questions to the reader. Is a child responsible for other family members? Can love be real if it’s unspoken? What defines a real friend? Does google contain the answers to life’s questions?
The narrative has a flow of language that kept me reading into the wee hours. Jessica George ( who is a real life Londoner of Ghanaian descent) is a talented author. I look forward to reading her future books.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The perfect coming of age story for those feeling lost in their mid twenties. A fantastic debut and I can’t wait to see what this author writes in the future!

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book. Maame falls right in my sweet spot - a relatable family drama that explores the day to day stressors and connections of adult children and their immigrant parents.

Maddie is a twenty-something living in London with her father who has Parkinson’s. With her mother living primarily in Ghana, Maddie is her father’s caretaker while also working full-time. Maddie’s brother also lives in London but consistently dodges any family responsibilities. When Maddie’s mom moves back to London, Maddie moves out on her own to start her own life.

Maame explores the complex dynamics of Maddie’s family and Maddie’s identity within her family and the implications of that identity as Maddie finds her place among friends and in the workplace. Maddie is so likable and caring that you can’t help but root for her as she navigates her new life outside the family home.

Maame has depth and heart and I adored it. If it’s not on your list, it should be.

I know it's early to say this, but I can already promise this will be one of my favorite books of the year.

It's a unique twist on the coming-of-age novel, this time told from the perspective of a sort of weird loner character (I mean that in the most loving way possible) who I spent the entire time rooting for. You'll get to watch her figure out who she is and what she wants out of life -- and what she doesn't want. It's also about family, and setting boundaries, and love, and friendship and so many of the messy things that come with being in your 20s.

Maame is an incredibly fresh, engaging, and powerful novel that delves into the complexities of family, grief, self-growth, guilt, and regrets. It is truly memorable and unique, playing a beautiful melody with the strings of your heart and embracing your soul with a newfound perspective. Through its captivating story, Maame encourages readers to start anew and find solace in the power of resilience. It is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

The character development in this novel was outstanding. When we first meet Maddie, she is on the verge of moving out of the family home where she has grown up and is now caring for her father. Although she has graduated from university, and worked as an underpaid p.a., she is still deeply under the influence of her family and their mores.

A new job, a new apartment, new flatmates and a list of intentions later, Maddie is like a newly hatched chick stumbling around the yard. It was wincingly painful to go shopping with her, as she tried to clothe the "new Maddie." I was increasingly anxious for her as she made bad decisions (aided by googling for internet advice.) But as she dealt with the consequences of her mistakes, and dealt with some really bad things happening to her, she began to find her confidence and her voice.

I highly recommend this debut novel by Jessica George!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had the chance to duel reading and listening to the audio version, narrated by Heather Agyepong. Agyepong gave a voice I never would’ve pictured for the main character. Even after finishing the book weeks ago, I can still hear Agyepong’s narration ranging in my ears. She did a memorable job.

Long story short, it wasn't for me. I almost DNFed the book. It was prolonged initially for me and didn’t start to pick up until after tragedy struck. I want to say it’s because I couldn’t fully connect with the character. If anything, I resonated with Maddie’s brother and his selfish ways.

I did appreciate the conversations and topics about mental health, female sexuality, adult peer pressure, and family expectations. The more and more I read books with these types of issues with open dialog, the more I feel like the world is learning to talk about the elephant in the room freely.

I’m in complete awe of this story (and the fact that it’s a debut novel what!!) 😍

jessica crafts a beautiful characterization of her plot, characters, and realistic portraits of daily emotions of being a Black woman today. the grief subplot was a lot to read, especially from someone who is suffering through grief herself, but she wrote it so effortlessly that I felt completely emerged in the story! and I loved the journey that everyone went on right along with them …

this was the perfect book to open up black history month for me (even though we should be reading black authors all year long!!!)

while the length was a little long for me, I felt so in touch with every single part of the story that I didn’t mind in the long run ☺️ such a beautiful beautiful plot omg I can’t stop saying that

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: south african chenin blanc

Maame, by Jessica George, follows a young woman whose life has been put on hold while she cares for her family. Naive and insecure at age 25, Maddie moves out of her family home, determined to embrace new opportunities and actively live her life.

The reader is first introduced to Maddie when she is living at home and caring for her ailing father. She cooks, cleans, goes to work, feeds her father, helps him to bed and starts the routine over again the next day.

In an effort to escape her constant sadness, Maddie finds a flatshare, a new job, new friends, and her first romance. But when everything crashes down, she is forced to face her depression and examine her life.

There were times when I wanted to take Maddie by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. And it was a stretch to believe that a 25 year old black woman living in London would be new to the idea of racist microagressions. But eventually (and somewhat predictably) Maddie starts to stand up for herself.

The book’s best characters are her two true friends Nia and Shu, who show love and support when Maddie finds herself adrift.

Maame’s biggest strength is how George both realistically and respectfully depicts depression and anxiety. And Maddie isn’t the only character suffering. George includes a supporting character at the beginning of the book who refuses to take time and seek treatment because it would make her appear professionally weak.

This was a well-written story and enjoyable read, despite the heavy themes. At times it felt a little too familiar. I found myself comparing elements of Maame to Queenie, Such a Fun Age, and The Other Black Girl. Maame, in contrast to those earlier titles, lacks their sarcastic bite. With its casual first person narration and straightforward prose, Maame is sure to be a general crowdpleaser.

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

Maame
Author Jessica George

Thank you, @stmartinspress and @netgalley, for the arc of this gorgeous debut! I finished this one earlier this month, and it is my first 5 star read of 2023! I loved Maame so much.

Maame (translates as woman in Twi) is a poignant, tender, and moving coming- of- age story told of Maddie's life in London. With her mum back and forth from Ghana to London and her brother no longer living at home, Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease. She works in publishing, is typically the only Black person in the office, experiences a myriad of prejudices and inequalities, and is unaware of how to stand up for herself both at home and in her workplace.

When her mum finally comes back from Ghana, Maddie decides to leave home and live on her own - she's never experienced real friends, dating a boyfriend- even going out socially. She has the quirkiest and funniest inner monologue and gets most all of her advice frrom google, which is just so witty and hilarious.

There's just so much to love about Maddie- her innocence, her sense of family obligation and her Ghanian culture, her kindness and love for her father, the relationship she forges with her mum and brother, her humor and wit along her winding path to self- discovery, and finally, her understanding of who she is and where she belongs.

Written with compassion and insight covering some heavier themes of grief and mental health that are completely relatable, Maame is a January must read! I couldn't stop rooting for Maddie, and now, weeks later, I can't stop thinking about her either.

5.0 out of 5 stars Maame is Daddy's Girl!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 31, 2023
Maddie is the primary caregiver for her father. Her mother lives in another country and her brother can't be counted upon to do their share or provide financial support so it all rests of Maddie's shoulders.

She dreams of a new normal where she can date and meet people her own age. Nearly at her breaking point her mother finally returns to care for her husband, thereby releasing Maddie to go out and experience life.

Socially awkward with strangers, Maddie gets her chance to live, love and make mistakes. Just as she starts to find her footing, the family patriarch dies and it destroys the already shaky foundation she's navigating. His death releases some long pent-up feelings and only when she goes through the stages of grief does she come out on the other side with more clarity of her life and what she wants. Read it.

Maame by Jessica George

Maame is a novel about a young woman named Madeline (Maddie). She is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants who are now settled in London. As the story begins, Maddie’s mother is in Ghana running hostels, Maddie is the one who is entrusted to take care of her father. Her father has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and doesn’t communicate much to her. Maddie works during the day at a dead-end job that she eventually gets unfairly fired from. Her mother returns from Ghana for a year, finally allowing Maddie to get a flatshare with some girls her own age. At the age of 25, she can finally begin living a life of independence. As the story progresses through Maddie’s point of view, we go on the journey with her as she navigates this new freedom. She finds herself a new job in publishing, she begins to date and meets up with friends.
Maddie feels that she needs to please others, often putting her own needs aside. Unfortunately, she had devastating news while enjoying her new freedom, one that gives her so much guilt that she becomes depressed.
This story is heartbreaking at times, as well as hopeful. Maddie is finally strong enough to stand up to her mother and complain about all that she has done to keep the family going. She resents that her mother calls her “Maame” which means woman in Twi. It made her try to live up to that name and put her own life and desires away.
It is easy to like the main character, Maddie. She is thoughtful, generous but also naïve and inexperienced. You can feel her pain as she struggles with her grief and depression.
This is a debut novel by Jessica George. She certainly has me cheering for this book and I look forward to reading what she writes next.
Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Maame in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Maame is a heartwarming, nuanced examination of a young woman coming of age. Maddie is a character who elicits so many emotions--she is frustrating, deeply lovable, relatable, etc. This was a slow start for me and I struggled with Maddie's naiveté at the novels beginning. However, the development of Maddie and the exploration of family dynamics is so well done over the story's arc. The ending was very satisfying and this is a great addition to the shelves of anyone who loves a character driven novel.

What I loved:
✨Coming-of-Age: Maddie’s journey is messy and heartbreaking, yet her self-awareness and growth offer hope while learning to understand, forgive, and love people who hurt you.
✨Underlying themes: familial obligations, racism, mental health, and grief. Maddie’s mental health journey, while realistically dark and heartbreaking, shows that people want to help. Sometimes those people come from unexpected places in your life. Opening yourself to others is sometimes the most challenging part.
✨Narration: Heather Agyepong for the win! She embodies all of Maddie, from her sheltered introverted personality to her longing to find the “new” Maddie (I found these moments hilarious) to the dark times driven by grief and loneliness. Heather’s range amazed me!

Highly recommend both the book and the audiobook! You cannot go wrong with either.