4.5, rounded up. I put this one off for a while because I knew it would be heart-wrenching, and it is. At twenty-five years old, Maddie is not only the primary caretaker for her father, who has Parkinson's disease, but also has no support from her mother or older brother, both of whom are conspicuously absent at inconvenient times (her mother in Ghana and her brother in...various places) and contribute nothing financially. On top of this, she loses her job for an infuriating reason.

Through Maddie, Jessica George explores the themes of racism, sexism, and abuse in an occasionally funny but often devastating way; I wanted to both hug Maddie and scream at her to remove herself from dangerous situations. While a little slow at times, the way George structures Maddie's days feels organic; her development is believable, which makes what she experiences all the more frustrating. If you're worried about this feeling like a depressing slog, don't be; the ending is incredibly satisfying.

Maame is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story that tackles heavy and important subjects but will also leave you feeling uplifted.

I found this story to be equal parts heart wrenching and heartwarming. I absolutely loved Maddie’s character, and thought Jessica George did an amazing job of writing her as so real and raw and relatable. The book notes that George based Maame on her own experiences, and I am grateful that she chose to be so personal with her readers.

Maddie is the child of Ghanaian immigrants, living in London, and taking care of her father who is ill. With this difficult experience alone, she has been forced to grow up faster than she should have. I felt like this was an aspect of the book that many can relate too, specifically those who are children of immigrant parents. There are many challenges that come with being first gen and having to help your parents navigate a new world, and I am glad this book helps validate those hardships for so many.

In this story, there is also a heavy emphasis on mental health, including the ways in which we (especially women, and especially women of color) can overlook our issues because we don’t feel we have the right to be struggling. I thought this was so important to read, and I thought it was perfectly depicted through Maddie.

With all the seriousness of this plot, I loved that it had much humor and lightness dispersed throughout, too. Maddie’s relationships with her friends, Nia and Shu, were so fun to read; we all need friends like that in our lives. I also liked how Maddie occasionally addressed the reader directly in the writing, as well as getting glimpses into her Google searches and text messages.

Overall, this was an excellent debut novel, and I would highly recommend giving it a read. It is officially out tomorrow! And I’m pretty sure it is also going to be a @bookofthemonth pick for February, so be on the lookout.👀
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Thank you to @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of this book and the opportunity to support another woman of color.💛

Maddie Wright is stuck. At 25 years old she’s stuck at a job she hates, stuck at home taking care of her father with Parkinson’s. Stuck with all the responsibilities of life. Not that Maddie minds, she loves her father, but just she wasn’t the ‘Maame’ that everyone relied on to keep things together. As her father’s condition worsen’ s, Maddie is given a chance to branch out into the world. But will the new life challenges that come with experiencing the world be too much for Maddie to juggle?

Maame, was nothing and everything I expected.

This was a fantastic debut & WOW, just wow. I don't even have the words for the way this book made me feel. While the book started out slow for me, it ended up packing a punch. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were going with Maddie’s story, but honestly, I’m glad I read it slowly and went in with zero expectation. Reading it slower really allowed me to absorb the events/ thoughts Maddie was having and continuously reflect back upon my own life. So many of the things Maddie is struggling with are things so many readers can relate to, especially those in their mid-20's. For me the portrayals of grief and sadness really hit home, especially where her dad was concerned.

I don’t know how George did it, but she packed so much into a little more than 300 pages. The story of Maddie deals with depression, grief, loss, identity, family, cultural norms, race, sexual orientation, and so much more. I loved it & even though Maddie & I are completely different people so many of her thoughts are things I could relate to when I was in my mid-20s. Maddie’s grief consumed me but there is also so much hope, love, and humor in the book which is a great representation that life is never one thing. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this wonderfully written debut.

I also loved all the ‘Google’ references because that’s exactly how I live my day to day, lol. I did a combo of Audio & reading & both ways are great! The narrator was fantastic!
Maame comes out January 31, 2023. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

At the young age of twenty-five, Maddie Wright has a lot on her shoulders. She's had the nickname Maame, which means woman, since childhood. She has been the responsible one in the family her whole life and now resents being called Maame as she felt she was forced to grow up way too soon. When we meet Maddie, she is living in London with her father and helping with his care as he suffers from Parkinson's. Her mother spends most of her time in her homeland of Ghana and while Maddie's older brother James lives close by, he rarely visits or contributes to the family. Maddie's admin job in the theater is a thankless one. And her love life is non-existent. She seeks advice by searching Google. She faces subtle forms of racism in the workplace, where she is often the only Black person in the room; and in the dating arena. When her mother returns home, Maddie decides to move out on her own into a flat with two roommates. When life seems to be getting better, Maddie is faced with tragedy and needs to find a way to set herself on a new course requiring her to rethink her life and her relationships.

Maame is an incredible debut by Jessica George. Not only did I adore Maddie, but I loved George's writing style which was filled with many heartfelt moments sprinkled with humor. The book tackles grief, sadness and depression in a realistic, moving manner. There were sections that had me sobbing and other parts cheering Maddie on. I highly recommend reading this unique coming-of-age book that expresses many universal themes so well.

An exemplary and outstanding coming of age story! You will root for Maddie this whole story and her triumphs become yours as well. Highly recommend! Definitely purchasing this for our collection!

Title: Maame
Author: Jessica George
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Maame" by Jessica George

My Sentiments:
'Maame' was one profound story that would be humourous and sad. All that Madeleine Wright, 25 years old, living in London, had to go through was quite painful, losing one's father [to Parkinson;s disease] and having an absent mother [living in Ghana] and brother [who also lived there in London]. Maame had to be the caregiver to her father, who was ill until her mom returned from Ghana. Now, why was this ... story going in the direction it did, where we find Maame's life was torn between her life and her family. We find Madeleine was the one that sacrificed her family, her home, her jobs, and her friends. And while at home, where were her mom and brother? It was interesting to learn more about her mother, brother, and even father, who loved his daughter and had to become a woman too soon. We find Maame [who met a woman] was also busy working on 'self-development, handling grief and struggling to find love and acceptance.'

The story will feature 'racism, dysfunctional family, and grief, with one finding their way in life, family, friends, and culture.' Will Madeleine [Maame] make it out of this situation she has been placed in by the end? This story will be long, so be prepared for a read that leaves everything by the lot.

This is where I say the reader will have to pick up this author's first novel, "Maame' to see how well this author brings it all out to the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St Martin's Press, for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie has a lot on her shoulders; absent mother, distant brother, caretaker of her ailing father, dead end job with a horrific boss, very few friends. When her mother returns, she jumps at the chance to move out and start living. But, fate steps in. She must face harsh reality and cruel lessons.

Beautifully written book that touches on so many hard hitting subjects; racism, dating in a modern world, friendships, family obligations and growing up In an ethnic family, mental illness. To see Maddie grow and find her voice is done beautifully. Such a wonderful debut novel by an author I look forward to reading again! May be a little slow at the beginning, but before you know it you are immersed in Maddie’s life. Don’t let the hard subjects turn you off, the author handles these with wisdom and some wit. You’ll find yourself tearing up and cheering Maddie on. This book is so different than my normal reads, but so glad I read it. It will stay with me for a while.

Thanks to Ms. George, NetGalley, Edelweiss, St. Martins Press for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone

Maddie Wright is a young woman balancing a complex familial relationship, becoming independent, dating challenges, friendship, and asserting oneself in the professional sphere in Maame, a timely novel. Maddie's father's health is declining from Parkinson's disease and she is the primary familial support for him, with her brother somewhat disengaged and her mother spending long periods of time back in Ghana. When her mother returns, Maddie takes the opportunity to become more independent- moving in with roommates, starting a relationship with a man she is intrigued by, and beginning a new job. After tragedy strikes, all aspects of Maddie's life are affected and we chart her journey through grief and changing relationships with the people in her life.

Maame in many ways is an interior novel. Maddie comes across as quite introverted, and because she often isn't frequently having conversations with others about her feelings, her thoughts are dictated through internal conversations and compulsive searching the internet for advice (a plot device that starts to grate). Grief is messy and I appreciated the journey the author took us on with Maddie- it wasn't linear and I really felt for her as a character. I particularly enjoyed the strength of her friendships and her journey in the workplace.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Absolutely adored this novel! Maame is a wonderful coming of age story about a young woman of 25, who is Ghanaian and lives in London. Maddie is just trying to find her way in the world. Her family life is complicated, (Mom is in Ghana almost all the time, her dad has Parkinson's and her brother is no help.) Maame is a word in Ghanaian that has many meanings but mostly, woman. It's a nickname her Maddie's mother has bestowed upon her but it seems hard to live up to; especially when she is the one taking care of everything. You will fall in love with Maddie and root for her.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

𝗠𝗔𝗔𝗠𝗘 is a such gorgeous debut. This beautifully written coming-of-age story revolves around Maddie, a 25-year-old Ghanaian woman living in London who's trying to navigate taking care of her father, who has Parkinson's, finding love, making friends and how to succeed professionally. Jessica George has created such a memorable and realistic character in Maddie, and her journey to becoming Maame (woman in Twi) is emotional and powerful.

I loved listening to this story and highly recommend the audiobook - the narration is just perfection.

4.5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and libro.fm for the copies to review.

In this lovely debut by Jessica George we meet twenty-something year old Maddie Wright as she navigates her multicultural upbringing and growing into herself. I couldn’t help falling in love with Maddie and rooting for her every chance I got.

While Maddie’s childhood nickname “Maame” has numerous meanings in Twi, it commonly means “woman”. For Maddie, this has meant she’s been burdened by family responsibilities from a young age instead of being allowed to experience the freedoms of childhood and young adulthood.

As a result, when we meet Maddie, she’s struggling to deal with her less than desirable job, her minimal social life, and her role as main caregiver for her father who has advanced Parkinson’s. Her brother and mother are noticeably absent and unhelpful- her mother spends most of her time in Ghana managing a hostel and her brother just avoids any and all responsibility.

When Maddie’s mother suddenly decides to return and take over her father’s care, Maddie seizes the chance to move out and finally start living the life she has wanted and experiencing all that she’s missed. Unfortunately for Maddie, she is forced to deal with a few life lessons real quick and then a tragedy which throws her into a guilty spiral.

The narrative from then on has Maddie finally confronting how the word 'Maame' has shaped people’s expectations of her, her relationships with family and friends, and, most importantly, her own sense of identity.

This story did a fantastic job digging into the complexities of a bicultural upbringing, race, gender, and family as well as growing up and self discovery. So much of Maddie’s story and her observations resonated with me—both as a Black person, woman, and child of African immigrants who has had to balance the culture of my family/heritage and the culture I grew up in. My family may not be from Ghana, but many of the family dynamics Maddie had to deal with felt like they were plucked right out of my life.

This was an engrossing read that was equal parts heartbreaking, funny, and honest. I was 100% invested throughout because of Maddie. Her character shone through so well and she was impossible to dislike as she faced each challenge and grew from them. Highly recommend this one! Many thanks to the publisher/Netgalley for an ARC. Looking forward to more books from Jessica George!

"We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed."

wow such a real and raw coming-of-age story! I thought that this story was an incredible debut novel because the storytelling was just so powerful, exploring many complex topics including family dynamics, grief, race, cultural expectations, love, loss, and self-discovery.

maddie's family life is complicated to say the least. with her mother spending most of her time in ghana, leaving maddie as the primary caretaker of her father who suffers from parkinson's, maddie finds herself in a different position in life than the rest of her peers. at 25 years old, she has yet to experience adult life on her own - going out to parties, finding a partner, and pursuing her dream career. through the story, we get to see maddie put herself out there as she finally moves out of her childhood home. but as struggles arise and tragedy strikes, she realizes that it's not exactly how she had hoped and must endure some trying challenges.

seeing maddie go through all she had to endure in this story was very eye-opening and touching in many ways and I truly felt for her the whole way through (even if sometimes I wanted to shut the book to prevent somethings from happening to her). i loved seeing her grow through and discover what she really wants from life. the discussion around figuring out where you belong was very poignant and i was rooting for her to discover her independence and find something that truly fulfilled her.

a story about self-growth, I thought this book was extremely raw and intriguing, especially from someone who had no previous knowledge of ghanaian culture. i will say that this book definitely contains a lot of deeper subjects that could often be difficult to see someone go through, so make sure to check trigger warnings before picking it up (e.g., death of a parent, panic attacks, depression, mention of suicide, family problems, etc.)

this would be a great pick though if you are looking for a really raw and impactful coming-of-age novel!

Maddie was the primary care giver for her father who is suffering from Parkinsons as well as her own boss who was struggling with some mental health issues. With all this going on, she didn't have much time for friends, dating, or even herself. It is a mixed blessing when her mother returns home to help take care of her father and Maddie is fired from her job for something that wasn't her fault. Pushed out of the nest, Maddie starts trying to figure out what she wants for herself. Despite a few friends, Maddie's best resource for all things is Google. With such a potentially stressful story, Maddie's searches provide a humorous interlude between dealing with dating apps and applying for jobs she isn't sure she wants. While there were parts that were a bit predictable, the writing and wanting to know exactly what was going to happen with Maddie kept me turning the page. Despite Maddie being in her mid-20s, this truly is a coming of age story as Maddie figures out who she wants to be and stands up for herself.

As the book opens, Maame (also known as Maddie), lives with her father … working in an unfulfilling job during the day and taking care of her father at night and on the weekends. She has a family, but they’re not really present, despite her father’s advanced Parkinson’s. Her mother’s in Ghana most of the year and her brother is out living his own life in a different part of London. The nickname, Maame, was given to Maddie at a young age by her mother and means woman in Twi - a reflection of Maddie’s caretaking role in the family since she was a young child.
Once her mother returns to London, Maddie’s finally able, in her mid-20’s, to live a life more typical of someone her age for the first time. It’s not difficult to see how her life has been stunted, to some degree, due to her responsibilities at home and the need to walk a fine line between her Ghanaian upbringing and the life of a young woman in London.
Maddie/Maame does a lot of googling as she starts to live her life, which was an interesting approach by the author, although it was distracting for me (and I had trouble believing she was really that naive). Maame tackles some difficult subjects along the way, including racism, mental health and serious illness. This is Ms. George’s debut novel and I look forward to her next book!
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read Maame in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this novel. It is completely character driven, so know that going in, but it’s such a beautifully complex story of Maddie becoming her own woman at the age of 25. She is written so honestly, and so poignantly. We watch her navigate traumatic grief, complicated family dynamics, career changes, friendship and men, and each step of this journey is beautiful and believable. I am so glad I read this, and I won’t forget Maddie.

This certainly has all the makings to be a dull, depressing book and yet it is exactly the opposite. In Maddy, the author has given us a fully realized character that you can't help but root for. Maddy has some growing up to do, but she starts and continues from a good place. Her struggles as a black woman in a white society are enlightening. I really enjoyed this book and am so happy I came across it.

Maame by Jessica George is a coming of age story about 25 year old Maggie living in London, who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Even though she is the youngest in her family, she is the sole caregiver of her father who is suffering with Parkinson's. Her mother is in Ghana where she spends alternating years and her brother enjoys the comfort of friends more than his family. Maggie's nickname, Maame (pronounced ma-meh, meaning woman) puts a label on her filled with responsibility and expectations.

Told in first person through Maggie's experiences with grief, heartache, moving out and making friends. Maame is an emotion read about finding one's way through life.

While I really enjoyed Maame as a whole, there is always something about coming of age stories that makes me feel like I want something more. This was a short read, but it is slow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maame (pronounced ma-meh, meaning woman) is a coming of age story of a 25 year old young woman living in London, caring for her father who has Parkinson’s disease. Maddie’s mother has spent much of Maddie’s life living in Ghana, coming back every year. Maddie has spent much of her young life shouldering the responsibilities of paying the bills,, running a household and taking care of her father with minimal help from her older brother and mother. So while Maddie has had to grow up fast, in many ways she is naive and innocent. Maddie’s mother comes back to London giving Maddie the opportunity to move out, meet new friends and start dating.

The bulk of the story deals with Maddie’s relationships with her family, friends, work colleagues and men. Told in the first person, Maddie is an introvert and spends a lot of time in her head and also googling as a way to get her questions answered. The story moves quickly. The ending is a bit too perfectly worked out but all in all, a book worth reading. I will definitely read more of Jessica George’s work. I don’t know the background of the author but a couple of hints in the novel seem to indicate that a lot of Maddie’s story is her story.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this gem!

I really enjoyed Maame and its heartfelt storyline. Maddie is a Ghanaian woman living in London, and Maame is her young adult coming of age story. Maddie is 25, and has been taking care of her father who is living with Parkinson's disease. She has missed out on a lot of experiences since she has almost sole responsibility over of her father and their house. Her mother is living in Ghana, and her older brother is living his own life. When Maddie's mother comes back to London from Ghana to help take care of her father, Maddie finally is able to move out of the house and experience the world of her young adult peers.

There are lot of heavy topics covered in this book including grief and racism. In parts, it was a very heavy read. I enjoyed seeing Maddie grow and overcome some major obstacles in the books, which really made this a must read for me. I love the fresh perspective, and Maddie was easy to love!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review :)

Twenty-five years old and carrying the weight of the world, or at least of her Ghanaian family, Maddie does not live that London life of excitement most in their early adult-hood hope. Beholden to her father who is homebound by Parkinsons, and an absent mother and brother, Maddie lives a very narrow experience in life. That is, until her mother comes home and Maddie has the chance to finally go out on her own where she finally gets to find herself, lose herself, make mistakes, and have fun. Along the way, she grows to begin to understand the complexity of those she has known forever and those she has just met.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this beautifully written and moving novel.