I really enjoyed this one! This story follows a young adult named Maddie, who has always been the dependable one in the family, despite being the youngest, as she takes care of her ailing father and works at a job where she is treated poorly. Her character shows so much growth over the course of the story and I loved seeing her learn how to speak up and stand up for herself. I am so glad that I decided to read this fantastic novel.

Maddie goes through so much over the course of this story. I hated the way that her family treated her at the beginning of this story. They didn’t worry about how her father would be cared for or how the bills would get paid because they knew that Maddie would handle it. When Maddie finally does something for herself and moves out on her own, tragedy strikes. She has to deal with family issues, and dating problems while learning to experience life as an independent young woman.

I listened to the audiobook and Heather Agyepong did an amazing job with this story. She did such a great job in bringing Maddie to life which pulled me into the story completely. This is my first experience listening to this narrator’s work but I would not hesitate to listen to her work again. I found her voice to fit this story perfectly and believe that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very thought-provoking story that packed a big emotional punch. I am so glad that I was able to take this journey with Maddie and would love to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

I always love the stories where young girls find themselves. This coming-of-age story was right up my alley. Maddie also known as "Maame" meaning woman, was given to her as a child along with those expectations to act more mature instead of being a child. This caused more issues for her as she tries to find herself after being a people pleaser most of her life. Her mom was away in Ghana, and Maddie was left to care for her ailing father. When mom decides to return, Maddie decides to venture out on her own. Like most of us these days, she looks to Google to answer some of the questions she has with her new life experiences, dating (online), career (in a mostly white office), or life in general that she finds herself dealing with.

I enjoyed this one and loved reading how Maddie handled her new experiences. There were some funny moments, but also sad moments as well because, of course, she had to deal with struggles along the way.

This was a solid debut and I look forward to seeing her future works!

This story was good, writing was good, character development good. At times I was annoyed with how immature the mc was coming across, but I realize it was a coming of age story... despite her being in her mid-twenties. The story beautifully conveyed the nuances of family dynamics, especially non-American.

Overall 4 stars. A lovely debut novel. Excited to read more from this author!

Maame by Jessica George
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Maddie is a 25 year old woman who lives at home and takes care of her dad, who has Parkinsons. After her mother returns from Ghana, Maddie moves out on her own for the first time where she is forced to aak herself who she is, and who she wants to be.
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This was fantastic and such a stunning debut.
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I really struggled at first with Maddie’s mom and brother. I had some STRONG FEELINGS about them. But I love how the author made me feel what Maddie felt, and see things from her perspective. The responsibility and then guilt that sometimes parents can put on us.
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I loved, loved, loved how it ended. I teared up several times reading this, and felt all the feelings.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, I just absolutely LOVE this book cover! I also knew I had to request this book after reading the description.

Maame was very emotional. Maddie was such a well-developed, heart-warming character. Through Jessica George's writing, I felt as though I could feel everything Maddie was feeling. This book covers so many topics: familial duty, cultural expectations, friendship, grief, and finding your purpose in life. Jessica George's writing was excellent, kept my attention the entire time, and the story moved at such a quick pace for me.

I highly recommend!

Wow, I can’t believe this is a debut novel! I laughed, cried, and rooted for Maddie the entire novel. The character development is perfect with Maddie, but also with her mom and brother as well. I especially loved the Lizzie McGuire reference thrown in there!

A touching story about a young woman, trying to navigate her world with familial and social pressures. I loved her continuous use of Google. I really liked Maame’s character. She was an interesting person and a people pleaser. I admired her dedication to her dad and also when she decided it was time to let herself experience life on her own. Parts were heavy but they added to the story’s depth.

I wanted to give this book a try although I wasn't necessarily in a place for a literary fiction novel. I found the main character's daily life a bit too strained to continue past the 15% mark.

What a fantastic book to end the month on!

This book takes you on such a wave of emotions. You love some characters and hate others *cough BEN*, and the writing was so powerful, I had so many highlights in my ebook.

Maddie is a responsible, independent young woman, because she has to be, with her mother constantly leaving and her brother disappearing, and she remains to take care of her father. Despite having to grow up too fast, she has this innocence about her, because she missed out on so much.

Maddie navigates trying to discover who she is when she is finally allowed, standing up for herself while managing guilt, grief, and depression, and finally acknowledging her mental health struggles. In the end while working with a therapist, she comes to the realization that she has people who love her and who are there for her, and she is worthy of that love.

This book is beautifully written, and you go through this journey with Maddie wanting the best for her the entire time, because she deserves it.

I want to note that Maddie references her subconscious Maddie, described as how Lizzie McGuire had a cartoon Lizzie, and it’s SUCH a great thread throughout the story. I loved it so much.

Loved this book! This is out tomorrow, January 31. 📚

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Maddie has always been the one to hold everything together, evidenced by her family nickname, Maame. For years she has been in London taking care of her Dad who has advanced stages Parkinson's while her Mom spends most of her time in Ghana. At work, she is feeling unfulfilled and being blamed for everything! When her Mom decides to make a trip back to London, Maddie jumps at the chance to finally break away and live her own life. She moves into a flatshare, goes out for drinks with friends, and even meets a guy. However, the feelings of being responsible for everything don't fall away that easily, and she will have to learn to do things for herself and let others take care of themselves!
This was a really good story! It was funny and sad, hopeful and encouraging, and all around very real! Maddie is naive in her experiences, but we learn along with her the importance of taking care of your own needs first! I appreciated the author not shying away from some tough topics and dealing with them honestly and providing hope for those readers who may deal with similar things.
This story comes out tomorrow (31 Jan), so definitely add it to your list and get a copy!
#NetGalley #Maame

"I was raised to be a daughter, sister, caregiver. Maame. Now I want to be me."

Given adult responsibilities at an early age, Maddie has always been the caretaker of her family. Her mother even gave her the nickname Maame, the Twi word for woman, as a child. So, it’s no surprise that she is the primary caregiver to her father, who has Parkinson’s disease. While her mother and brother could and should help, they don't. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, and her brother prioritizes everything else over family. Freed of her family responsibilities, twenty-five-year-old Maddie is finally starting to live her own life.

Maddie is such an authentic and lovable character. You can't help but root for her to find her voice and put herself first. Her transition into the “new Maddie” has its ups and downs. She deals with challenges around friendships, dating, career, race, life-changing events, straddling two cultures, and family duty. I appreciated that the author weaved in some much-needed humor and levity throughout the book. Maddie’s Googgle searches to help her navigate uncharted waters were a personal favorite. I loved seeing Maddie grow stronger throughout this emotional journey. Most importantly, she learns how to protect her peace.

While this coming-of-age story is heavy and focuses on character development over plot, this impressive debut is full of insights as an endearing character comes into her own.

I received an early copy from St. Martin’s Press.

You know what this book is?
Utterly charming.
It’s also an honest book about the difficulties in putting others before yourself, even and especially when you want to. Maddie’s love for her family knows no bounds, but she is put in a situation where she can finally move out and start to live her own life. She learns a lot of lessons along the way about compassion and self-respect and I adored her for her mistakes as much as for her dreams and successes.
Maddie is the well-meaning daughter in all of us who just needs a break. And while this book can feel slow, I think it’s important so we remember the details in our own lives by watching hers; so we remember to slow down and experience the moment when she does. This book is simply about life, as complicated and uncomplicated as that can be, and it sure was heartfelt, honest, and very hopeful.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jessica George for an ARC of this book!**

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."-Henry David Thoreau

In the English-Twi dictionary, "maame" means mother, and can also mean to bring "to bring up a child with love and care." And although Maddie has had this nickname for many years, the role of caretaker isn't necessarily one she feels born to fulfill...but she does so anyway. Maddie's father has late stage Parkinson's, and with her mother traipsing back and forth between London and Ghana (where mom runs a hostel), Maddie has been the steadfast, reliable daughter who puts her own aspirations on the back burner more often than not to be the rock her father needs to get from day to day.

When Maddie's mother finally decides to return for more than a fleeting moment and put down some sort of roots, it feels like a sign, and Maddie is ready to break free. Free of what, though, she isn't sure. She starts with embarking on a new career and moves into her own place with two roommates. But grappling with a new career as an admin at a publishing company isn't quite the drastic switch she was hoping for...and when romance taps her on the shoulder, Maddie isn't exactly sure she's ready for that either. And when a tragic situation shakes up Maddie's world for good, she begins to question EVERY choice she's made in this new life. Will Maddie's 'failure to launch', coupled with the timing of this tragic incident, keep her mired in depression and paralyzed by fear? Or can this instead become the true watershed moment she has been so desperately seeking?

I'll admit that I knew very little about this book going in and wasn't exactly sold by the cover, but I have to say by about 10%, I KNEW this was going to be on my 2023 favorites list. George's writing is smooth and effortless, and with the way this book is narrated, I felt like I truly UNDERSTOOD Maddie as a character almost immediately. Her style of first person narration is simultaneously charming and conflicted, and I was invested in her journey immediately. I think part of the reason I grew to care for Maddie so quickly was that I saw so much of my younger (and to some extent, current) self in her and above all, I just wanted to see her THRIVE!

Though somewhat misguided and a bit too reliant on Google, Maddie has a pure and loving heart and a selfless nature, and it's no wonder that even in her mid-20s she is struggling to find her voice and her place in the world. So much of her past is heartbreaking, her relationship with her family members is as twisted and convoluted as most, and yet...even in the wake of her worst decisions, I just wanted to reach out and reassure her that the answers DO come...at least, for the most part.

People often say to "be the person you needed when you were younger"...but in terms of this book, this felt like the READ I needed when I was younger, but I am still so grateful to get it now. George has just the right balance of silly moments and humor (at times Maddie's inner dialogue and angel on her shoulder reminded me of Zach Braff a la Scrubs and his 'daydreams', which was always delightful) and yet, she handles heavy topics like depression and finding personal fulfillment, what it means to be family and what you can (or can't) expect from those you love, and the joy AND pain that can come from navigating through your first real relationship.

This is bildungsroman the way it was meant to be written: moving, impactful, thoughtful, emotional, and as ever-evolving as life itself. A truly effortless and beautiful debut!

4.5 stars

Maame was such a beautiful and moving coming of age story. It may only be January, but I can already tell this will be one of my favorite books of the year.

Maame follow Maddie, a young 25 year old woman who’s been forced to grow up quickly, but is still very naive in a lot of ways. She’s the lone caretaker for her father, who though still young suffers from Parkinson’s disease. When her mother returns from Ghana, Maddie decides (through her mother’s suggestions) that she will move out and start living more. The year of Maddie! It’s not long before Maddie begins learning life’s hard lessons.

Maddie was such a likable and relatable character. I felt her heartache during those soul-crushing moments she faced and really hoped she would stand up for herself more. Even though this book dealt with some heavy topics the author still managed to keep it light and threw in some funny moments (Maddie’s google history must be out of control). This book also offered commentary on racism in dating and the workplace and the microaggressions you may not even realize.

10/10 stars. Very impressive first novel and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This book. Wow. Wow. Wow. Where to even start? This book addressed important topics such as grief, mental health, racism and family duty in such a powerful way without ever feeling dense as it really did go down easy.

At times this book was darkly funny in a way I appreciated, but fair warning, it does get pretty bleak. Now, I love a “depressing” book, so that didn’t bother me, but fair warning to make sure you’re in a good place for this one.

I loved Maddie as a main character. She was relatable and endearing. I thought she was so well-developed and I really felt for her and wanted to give her a hug. She is in her mid-twenties but this really was a beautiful coming-of-age story.

I absolutely adored this book and can’t recommend it highly enough. Is it too early to say this will be a strong contender for favorites of the year?

Maame is such a beautifully written story, and the way it described grief hit me right in my core. Maame is just trying to find her place in the world, but her family certainly isn't making that easy. Being the oldest daughter myself, I related to the expectations placed on Maame. She sacrifices so much to take care of her father - works at a job she doesn't like, has a limited social life, and still lives at home. Meanwhile her brother and mother are off doing whatever they want. So Maame is finally getting a chance to break free from that life and carve her own path, but life gets in the way. It is rare for me to find a book that so relatedly discusses grief, a beautiful yet complex relationship between a father and daughter and finding ones way in the world. The mother and daughter relationship also was really nice, though the mother was quite a frustrating character but I loved the way we got to know her better and I liked that ending. So there was a relationship in the book that I didn't like - Maame and the boys. This part is where I really struggled, it made me deeply uncomfortable and I had to really skim through parts of this (for my own sake, not because of the writing).

Overall though I loved this book! I don't think I've stopped raving about it. I loved learning about the Ghanian traditions and culture, the intersection between British and Ghanian cultures, and the way that Maddie struggled with the name Maame as a way to describe her struggles with the two parts of herself. It so beautifully discusses the experience of so many children of immigration. I definitely recommend you pick this one up!

This debut novel was beautifully written and captivating. My heart was instantly with Maddie and the characters in her life. George’s writing is what kept me coming back for more, as I found the book slow to start. I’m not sure why I felt this as you can tell from the first page it is going to be an excellent and moving read. I think I just wasn’t in the mood for this book at this time. But once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. I was always rooting for Maddie and loved this coming of age story. Thank you for this advance copy. I’ll be sure to be telling my book club how they have to pick this one up!

Jessica George's debut Maame is beautiful. While my background is very different from Maddie's, there were many aspects of her story that resonated with me. It is so challenging to be a young woman trying to determine who you are and what you are meant to do in the world. Sometimes the weight of the expectations is crushing and I wanted to give Maddie a hug and the promise that it will get better. George's writing feels honest and real-Maddie feels like she could be someone you know, your best friend, or maybe even you.

Interwoven in this coming of age story, we see Maddie grapple with complex family issues including taking care of her father who is severely ill and requires near constant care. Additionally, she often has to navigate predominantly white spaces as a young black woman who has often been told to make who she is smaller to fit in.

I found it difficult to put the book down because I was so happy to see Maddie grow and come into her own. When she started to claim her space and trust herself enough to finally communicate her feelings and needs, I felt a surge of pride. Maddie is able to take some of life's most difficult challenges and come out stronger, finally finding the happiness she has been searching for all along.

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio and @librofm for these #gifted copies.

Say hello to my first 5⭐️read of the year!!!

Powerful, authentic, tender, and fresh. George’s debut is a deeply affecting yet lighthearted must read.

In the words of Juliette, “What’s in a name?”

Maddie was called Maame, or woman, at a young age. Much too young to assume the responsibilities inherit to the term. And yet, those stresses landed firmly on her young shoulders.

The juxtaposition in which we find her is intriguing… able to run a household and care for an ailing parent… but socially naïve and deeply immature in comparison to others her age.

With Google as her guide, Maddie seizes an opportunity to strike out on her own resolute on saying yes to new adventures. Along the way, this late bloomer experiences many firsts, comes to terms with her past, and gets to know the woman she wants to be.

George completely captivated me with this poignant coming of age story. I laughed. I cried. I *rooted* for Maddie with everything in my being.

With a strong and distinct voice, Maddie came fully alive to me. She was multifaceted, and her inner dialogue felt deeply resonant. I was charmed by her awkwardness, and fully dedicated to her through her most vulnerable times.

I loved every aspect of Maddie’s arc… the naiveté, the mistakes, the successes. The funny parts. The sad parts. But in those sad parts, those moments of devastation… George’s writing really shines. Not many authors have the chops George has… that ability to unpack heavy, pertinent topics with humor and lightheartedness.

Seeing Maddie’s growth was deeply rewarding and a powerhouse mental health representation.

My first 5⭐️ read of 2022 became a favorite for the entire year. Even with 11 months left on the 2023 calendar, I have bets that the same could happen with Maame this year.

🎧 I alternated between the physical and audiobook versions and both were engaging. Narrated by Heather Agyepong, the audiobook brings to life the Ghanaian tone. But some areas, such as the Google searches, were easier to digest in print.

Our protagonist Maddie, a 20-something British girl with Ghanaian parents, struggles to find her place in the world. She’s treated differently among her peers because she’s black, but she also doesn’t feel as connected to her parents’ culture and language as they (specifically her mom) think she should. When Maddie’s mom comes back to London after her half-year in Ghana, Maddie moves out for the first time in her life. On her own, Maddie grapples with loss, grief, friendships, and love.

This was a beautiful, real, sad, and often funny story of identity and self discovery. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, I loved it!