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.

Thank you, @stmartenspress, for this gifted ARC!
BOOK: Maame (pronounced, “Ma-Meh”)
AUTHOR: @jessicabgeorge
RATING: 4
GENRE: #Fiction #Contemporary #Adult #ComingofAge #Family #Cultural #BIPOC
PUBLISHER: @stmartenspress
PUBLISH DATE: 1/31/23
MY REVIEW:
Maddie is a twenty-five year old British woman that comes from a Ghanaian family. She is also referred by her family as, “Maame”, which has many meanings in Twi, but for Maddie, it means, “woman”. At her family’s London home, Maddie serves a familial duty and has become the designated member of the household to be the primary caregiver for her ailing father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s disease. Her mother is away in her homeland of Ghana helping to run a family hostel, and ironically manages to be overbearing with her daughter even long distance. Her older brother James is also away living his own life and rarely helps physically or financially. Maddie juggles this huge responsibility with only a little help from a nurse a few days a week, while also working full-time as a PA for a very unstable female boss. She hasn’t yet experienced the joys of youth the way many have. She’s never fallen in love or even made love before. Her days and evenings are monotonous, and she doesn’t know many of life’s pleasures. To top it off, she’s a minority at the office; surrounded by a sea of white people everywhere she goes. She doesn’t have many friends, and she doesn’t get to spend time socializing. Her paycheck, although quite small, goes into her savings account, and she finds herself having to dip into it frequently when her mother needs money or to assist with the family bills.
Eventually, her mother moves home, and Maddie moves out to begin living her life with two new flatmates. However, tragedy soon hits her family, and it crushes her to her very core, and affects every part of her world. She constantly relies on Google searches for anything in life she’s unfamiliar with, such as how to date, how to proceed after being fired, and what steps are in the grieving process. This beautiful story allows us a window into Maddie’s personal journey as she navigates growth, independence, and womanhood.
I found this to be a sensational, masterpiece debut by @jessicabgeorge! Maame is a beautiful and poignant coming of age story. Although I found her mother to be consistently (and infuriatingly) overbearing throught, in the end, I discovered it’s also what molds Maddie into who she becomes, and I loved following her journey and watching her grow into her own before my eyes.
Be sure to grab your copy on Tuesday, January 31st!
Happy Reading!
#jessicabgeorge
#stmartenspress
#maame
#comingofage
#adultfiction
#fiction
#BIPOC
#family
#cultural
#debutnovel

Maddie, often called Maame meaning strong woman, has had to be the grown-up in the family since as long as she can remember. She's paused her life to care for her ailing father since her mother lives in Gahanna majority of the time and her brother can't seem to be burdened.

After her father's untimely death, Maddie struggles to find her way through life. The intersection she stands is uncomfortable and scary as she hasn't known anything other than being a caregiver. Life lessons await her with men and friendships spiraling her further emotionally. Reluctantly, she enters therapy with the support of her new employer and discovers the strength to use her voice.

This debut novel is a coming of age for a young, twenty-five year old women, learning to navigate family, career, dating and the new freedom to be an adult. Maddie discovers the confidence to be a "strong woman." There are funny moments, tear filled moments and moments of true joy in this story.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy.

Maddie, called Maame by her family, is the one everyone can count on to be responsible, and also the youngest at 25 years old.

I loved the narrative and journey of self realization that Maame goes on to discover her own way and define her adulthood. It's a bumpy road - and isn't that reality? The way tensions, emotions, and expectations were interwoven made you root for her and feel with her along the read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC.

A beautifully written and narrated story of family, friendship love, culture, diversity and finding yourself . I loved listening to Maddie’s story and was rooting for her as she learned to stand up for herself at work, with “friends”, and at home. I loved learning more about Ghanaian culture.

Title: Maame
Author: Jessica George
Genre: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

My Review:

"Accept that your life is different now because of this monumental, irreversible change and that it's okay to feel guilty one day and indescribable happiness another. This is life now. This is how you love."

Maame in Twi means woman and as we progress through Madeline's journey we get to know what other things it can mean. Madeline is struggling without even knowing what she is struggling with. She lives in a status quo with everything in her life till she realizes that she is not happy.

What an amazing book Maame is! As a brown person, I related to this story on so many levels. Protecting the family comes first always, no matter what secrets hide behind the closet is the mantra that all of us are taught early on. This book is a best example of how culture plays a major role in how we are shaped. I strongly believe that culture and trauma work side by side. This book delves into parental abandonment, responsibility, financial trauma, relationships, shame, trying to fit in, racism and grief.

Even though the author Jessica George has written about serious topics, there is an ease to this book that every reader will connect to it on some level. @jessicabgeorge please take a bow. This novel is for anyone who is struggling to find a voice. I found my own voice just last year and I know how liberating it can be when you have it. Please read this novel.

Madeleine "Maddie" Baaba Wright is 25 and lives at home in Croydon just outside London, as caretaker to her father who has Parkinson's. That responsibility plus her admin job don't leave much time for a social life. Her older brother James lives in Putney, and her mother most of the year is in Ghana. Maddie considers herself an introvert, but is making a concentrated effort to put herself out there. When faced with new situations, Maddie googles, hilariously. Her nickname at home is Maame, which has many meanings in Twi, mainly "woman"; she has answered to this title since childhood and doesn't consider its implications until everything gets dire. When life overwhelms, Maddie's best friends Nia and Shu are there for her. Some of my favorite scenes in the book are the confrontational ones with the therapist provided by work and with her family members.

I love how Maddie rises to challenges and overcomes, whether they're social, professional, romantic, or physical, she finds a way and author Jessica George makes it delightful. I found the Wright family dynamics so relatable, as was Maddie wishing she and her brother could speak Twi and Fante. There is humor and heartbreak, karma and character development, the importance of being well-loved, plus great advice on how to do a eulogy. From the first line to the very end, I so loved reading this book.