In Maame we meet Maddie, the second child and only daughter of Ghanaian immigrants. Like many families she grows up with the understanding that family business is private, you don’t ask questions, and mother is always right. When her mother begins spending more time in Ghana than she does at home in London, and her brother moves out to pursue his own life Maddie is left to care for the family ho0me, finances, and her chronically ill father. At 25 she’s stuck in a dead end job with few friends and little hope. Her fiercely religious mother vacillates between badgering her about getting married and badgering her for money, while her brother simply can’t be bothered. When the opportunity arises to finally leave home and begin living her life, her father unexpectedly dies leaving Mattie grief stricken and guilt ridden. Her fragile control over her life begins to slip as she crumbles under the weight of responsibility she carries, leading to familial conflict and eventually, a path to healing.

If you Google the role of a daughter in the family, you will find most often they are expected to take care of the family and be the joy in their parents' lives. This is so prevalent that it has been names “Eldest Daughter Syndrome.” Maame exposes the often-unacknowledged pressure place on daughters; the way that they are expected to take on the roles of parent, caring for and often carrying their family. As the second of two children and the only daughter Identify with the feelings, frustrations, and anger that plague Maddies familial relationships. This amazing book managed to make me laugh, cry, and text my mother. It is a love letter to all daughters out there and carries a message of hope and healing. You can’t help but connect to the main character as she navigates not only her family, but racism, sexism, and the intricacies of female friendship all while learning to look for her own happiness.

This was such a great debut! Maame is a coming of age story told from 25 year old Maddie's perspective that covered so many themes from complex family relationships, grief, Ghanaian culture, mental health and so much more.

I really loved Maddie's character. While she did come off as a little naive at times especially in her social interactions and as demonstrated through some of her google searches (which I thought was a unique addition to the book that I enjoyed!), it was impossible not to root for her. She had a lot of responsibilities starting at a young age and had to grow up quickly to take care of herself and her father. I enjoyed following Maddie on her journey and seeing her growth in the various facets of her life as she dealt with conflicts and issues at work, in her relationships and with her family.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut! If you are looking for a coming of age story that touches on a lot of themes in life including grief, friendships, culture and relationships, check out Maame (out Jan 31!). This one had so many great quotes in it too! Looking forward to seeing what the author comes out with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

MAAME is the story of 25 year old Maddie, a woman from Ghana living in the UK. She is looking after her father with end stage Parkinson’s Disease, with little to no help from her mother and brother. As if this didn’t weigh heavily enough on her, her mother and her friends are always pressuring her to date, go out, and live on her own. But Maddie’s loyalty to her dad is more important to her than living a normal 25 year olds life.

For the duration of this book, we see Maddie growing, learning and getting her confidence. She enters the dating world and gains more independence, all while dealing with extreme guilt of not being there for her father. This novel was heartbreaking, funny, and inspiring. Maddie is such a strong woman who is dealt a lot of crappy cards in life. I loved her tendency to google her life questions, and that the book contained the google searches and results. I loved the back and forth conversations when she dips her toes into the dating pool. I am a big fan of mixed forms of content delivery in books, and it broke it up nicely, as it was a heavier emotional read than others.

I was lucky enough to get both the audiobook and ebook version of this book from NetGalley. I loved both listening to and reading Maddie's story. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.

Thank you, NetGalley and St, Martin's Press, for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Maame by Jessica George is a deeply emotional coming-of-age story of a young black woman, Maddie, in London. Maddie is called Maame in her Ghanan household. Maame has many meanings, but here it means "women." This name has inadvertently burdened Maddie, making her grow up and become responsible earlier than she was supposed to. This story deals with many contemporary and poignant topics like grief, guilt, racism, female pleasure, and familial responsibilities. The beauty of this story is that, though dealing with highly complicated and emotionally draining topics, the book still finds light and hope despite all its adversities.

- Grief can be personal and different for each person. The author does a fine job driving this point with several characters in the book.
- Racism, this particular line struck a chord with me: "You don't want a boyfriend who isn't racist. You need a boyfriend who is actively anti-racist." That is so beautifully said!
- Mental health: the way this book deals with mental health deserves a special shoutout. I have a few of the quotes saved that I know I will be using for a long time, like - "Comparision is no friend of mental health." (or) "A person's troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them."
- Familial responsibility - not all families are alike, and not all family members are alike. But within a family, it is easy for an introvert or a people pleaser to be taken for granted. I have seen this happen, and I admire this portrayal in the book.
- I have been reading a lot recently about the sense of being torn between two worlds that second-generation immigrants face. My focus has mainly been on Asians and Indians, which is personal. But it was interesting to see Ghanaians represented here. Ironically, these second-generation immigrants' plight is still the same - being torn between two worlds and customs.

The biggest shoutout is to the characters in this book. Every one of them is a fully-rounded, well-flushed character. They are not one-dimensional, and each has motives and reasons. That applies to even secondary characters like Cam, Maddie's roommate. That is impressive writing! The author also did an exceptional job with the mother's character - though she was flawed and troubled Maddie, I could still sympathize with her - she was only human!
I am really impressed with the author and can't believe this is her debut novel. This author is going places!

3.5 stars
this is one of early 2023’s most buzzy books and i can definitely see why - a lot of readers are gonna fall in love with Maddie and George’s writing is very captivating and readable. it’s a slice of life story with bits of romance sprinkled in, i think if this had a more ‘litfic’ feel it could’ve been a 5 star read for me but this definitely falls more on the contemporary fiction side - still a great book but just not 100% my personal taste

Read/listen if you like:
🖤 Fictional Stories that feel like Memoirs
🖤 Emotional Coming of Age Stories
🖤 Family Dynamics tied in
🖤 Stories with Character Growth
🖤 Tough Topics Covered

This book was so beautifully put together and told by the author, The way the story was told it truly felt like reading a memoir as we followed our main character through pivotal moments in her life and finding herself and her voice.

The beauty in finding herself in the midst of a horrible loss of her father was so well done. This one truly covers all of the difficulty topics of family, friendships, work, career, job loss, roommates, sexuality, racism and sexism.

I highly encourage everyone to get a copy of this one and experience the journey along with our main character and the understanding of the depth of the impact a nickname like Maame can have on an individual and their relationships.

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

”’Maame’ has many meanings in Twi, but in my case, it means ‘woman.’”

Maddie is 25, and has been raised in London by her parents, who are Ghanaian. Maddie has lived a somewhat sheltered life, and has been taught not to air the family’s personal business publicly. Maddie’s father is quite ill with Parkinson’s, and Maddie spends most of her time caring for her ailing father, as her mother and brother have shirked their responsibilities and made Maddie primary caregiver. Additionally, she works at a job she dislikes in a toxic work environment.

“Although I didn’t think I’d be rich I expected to be happy and the failure to do so has left me gasping for air most of the day.”

Maddie is given an unexpected chance to go out on her own and gain some independence. I absolutely loved going along with Maddie on the journey as she figured out what kind of person she wanted to become in terms of career, romance, family, and friendships. In addition, Jessica George does an excellent job highlighting some of the micro aggressions Maddie faces as a woman or color, both in the workplace and in romantic relationships. This book was incredibly well written with some parts heart wrenching and other parts equally heart warming. I love Maddie’s voice and there’s a sliver of humor woven through the writing, in addition to parts of profound grief and sadness.

This book absolutely blew me away. It was phenomenal, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to read it. I predict that it will be a huge success, and I am looking forward to that. I’m excited to see what Jessica George writes next. A very sincere thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an electronic arc of Maame in exchange for an honest review.

Maame is a heartbreaking, raw story about a young lady who has always lived her life taking care of others. While she is the youngest child and should probably be the one others take care of Maddie (aka Maame) seems to be the only one every one can count on. Her mother for years has been going back and forth between home and Ghana to help out with the family business, her brother left home the minute his mom did barely looking back, this leaves Maddie to take care of her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Maddie is so tired. She loves her father but living with him has not really allowed her to be able to live. She is stuck in a crappy job where there is not much movement for her and she hates being the only black person on staff. So, when her Mum says that she is finally coming home and that Maddie should get her own place she leaps at the chance. Freedom can have its cost though as Maddie tries to navigate a new world one filled with choices she never had the chance to make before.
I love how realistic this book is. Jessica George is not afraid to show the whole range of emotions that Maddie goes through. I think she did a lovely job showing also that mental illness such as depression while it is all called one thing it is going to look so different for each person suffering from it. Maddie’s character growth through this entire story is realistic and easy to relate to. It is nice to see that not everyone’s life is all pulled together neatly. I truly enjoyed this book and getting a glimpse into Maddie’s life.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Maddie is a 25 year old woman living in her childhood him caring for her father (who has Parkinson's) and receiving little to no help from her Mother, who lives in another country and yet still over-bearing, and an older brother who is never around. Maddie finds herself longing to leave home to really begin experiencing life, but tethered to her father who relies on her. Her mother comes back home unexpectedly, giving Maddie a chance to start living life. Maame takes the reader along for the ride with Maddie in this lovely yet heart-breaking coming of age story.

I loved this. I normally am not as drawn to character heavy novels, but this author does such a phenomenal job of carrying the reader along the story and keeping things interesting. I was such a huge cheerleader for Maddie and was rooting for her immensely. I loved experiencing her trials and tribulations and felt connected to her as someone who was a bit late to leave the nest myself. I'm shocked this was a debut and very much look forward to other works by this author. I highly recommend it, especially for readers who enjoy coming of age stories and overcoming grief.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! Loved it!

The main character is in her late 20s and has led a very sheltered life. Once she got a chance to spread her wings, it was intriguing to read about her ups and downs. I especially enjoyed her “ups”.

I don’t think many people could read Maame and not fall in love with Maddie Wright. Maddie is a young woman who holds down a job and takes care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. Maddie has had much responsibility on her shoulders from a young age. Her mother has been mostly absent, as well as her older brother.

The synopsis of this story grabbed my attention initially because I am also caring for a father with Parkinson’s. I was interested to see how his illness progressed and how the family managed. Right away I learned that Maddie had almost no support and that she was struggling though each day.

Maddie was a pleaser, kind-hearted and an innocent. She was certainly a character I wanted to see succeed. I loved how she discovered her family background had meaning to the woman she was and will become. The story touched my heart in so many ways. This is an excellent debut novel that is sure to be a book club favorite, as there are so many relevant topics within the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance review copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this book to other readers.

Maddie has felt tied to home for a while now. Her mom heads off to Ghana, her brother is “just so busy,” and she is left to be the primary caretaker for her father who is in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s. Throw in her awful boss and Maddie is not living the life she dreamed. When her mom finally returns, Maddie jumps at the chance to finally get out there. She moves into a flat, says yes to evenings with friends, pushes her boss to recognize her, and of course jumps right into dating. When the world brings more tragedy, Maddie has to face the ice she left and the life she is living.

This was such a beautiful debut. Maddie really made me think about the fact that it is never too late to decide to change your life. I loved her relationship with her father, and how much love she gave to him while caring for him. Her mom however, whew. Her mom really ticked me off throughout the book. This one really takes you through all the emotions! One of my favorite things was Maddie randomly googling things throughout! It gave me a giggle even when it was a tense point in the book. This is a fantastic read that I highly recommend.

Thank you @stmartinspress , @macmillan.audio , and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC/audiobook of MAAME.

This book started out slow for me. Honestly I thought about DNF-ing it but it had so many amazing reviews that I decided to keep going, and I’m so glad I did. Maddie’s growth as a character is wonderful and while she is painfully awkward at times, you can’t help but root for her to find herself and her place in the world. I adored Maddie’s two best friends and how fiercely loyal they were. We all could use friends like them.

While I overall enjoyed MAAME, there were times during the first third of the book where I wanted to scream “show me, don’t tell me!” as Maddie walked us through what she was making for dinner, what she decided to wear, the whole process for hair wash day. But as Maddie’s confidence grew, her internal dialogue grew as well and the writing changed.

MAAME is smart, funny, insightful, charming and heartbreaking all in one. I tandem read MAAME with an e-galley and the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I definitely would recommend the audio if you have a chance to read it in this format.

MAAME comes out on 1/31/23!

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5261098685

I never wanted this book to end.

Jessica George has a brilliant writing style that I could not get enough of. I adored the characters, the plot- everything.

It was an incredibly powerful, engaging novel that I will not forget for an every long time. Maddie’s character written in such a way that was entirely relatable, she was so vibrant and real that I found myself aching for her- as if she was a real friend of mine.

Maame is a coming-of-age story featuring a GenZ woman navigating a complicated family, chronic depression, early career struggles, dating, and navigating London as a Ghanaian immigrant. All of these plot elements integrate nicely into a compelling story. Maddie is a very likable character - I was rooting for her for my entire reading time. Women interested in complicated family dramas, especially involving immigrants, will like the book.

The writing is generally excellent, but one aspect didn't work for me. Maddie frequently turns to Google to answer questions, so there are sections with the question posed and a list of random people answering (sort of like Quora). I found these interludes distracting and didn't contribute much to the story. They weren't distracting enough to downgrade my rating, and some readers may enjoy these asides.

I look forward to reading future works by this author.

I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

▫️REVIEW▫️

Maame ~ Jessica George

QUICK TAKE:
* Genre: contemporary fiction
* Pub Date: January 31, 2023
* Pages: 320
* Gist: “the responsible one” comes of age

Maddie’s life is a far cry from what other twenty-somethings in London are living. She is primary caretaker for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s, while her mother and brother are seemingly absent. When she finally gets the opportunity to move out on her own, she decides this is her chance to finally live - roommates, after work cocktails, and internet dating. But Maddie, or Maame (“woman” or “responsible one) realizes that responsibility means not only taking care of others, but also taking care of oneself.

Sincere, insightful, relatable, and endearing - I absolutely loved this book! This is Jessica George’s debut novel and I truly believe she is one to watch. Her portrayal of Maddie as a character who desperately wants to know more about herself pulls every emotion out of the reader. She’s the girl you were friends with in college, or your first roommate, or your favorite colleague or she’s you - I wanted to root for Maddie, cry for Maddie, and learn from Maddie. It’s a must get - out January 31!

Maame is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel by Jessica George. The story follows the life of a young Ghanaian girl named Maddie (also called Maame by her family), who is forced to navigate the complexities of her heritage and identity as she grows up in the United States. The daughter of Ghanaian immigrants settled in London, Maddie, working a dead-end administrative job is responsible for the care of her father, whose Parkinson's Disease is now at an advanced stage. Her mother, who alternates between Ghana and London, is constantly critical of Maddie, asking Maddie for monetary help and asking her to send money to her in Ghana where she runs a hostel with her brother. Maddie’s brother who lives separately is self-absorbed and never seems to be around.

When her mother comes back to London Maddie decides to move out and hence starts Maddie's journey as she navigates her way through professional ups and downs, old and new friendships and romantic relationships.

The author does a fantastic job of exploring the cultural and personal struggles that Maddie faces, and the novel is both deeply moving and thought-provoking. Maddie is such a well-developed and relatable character, and the writing is both poetic and evocative.
The novel is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of race, identity and belonging. Overall, it's a powerful, thought-provoking novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

I would rate it a 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars. Kudos to the author for writing such a compelling debut novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica George's debut, Maame, brings to life the struggles and triumphs of moving out of your parents' home and living life as an independent adult for the first time. Maddie is a lovable, sweet and somewhat awkward heroine whose inner conflict over leaving her role as her father's caretaker to become the 'new Maddie' will resonate with readers of any age.

I especially enjoyed the resolution of Maddie's relationship with her mother and how she came to terms with the nickname she had live with for most of her life. Most readers will recognize aspects of themselves in the characters and their relationships.

This book is a strong debut, and I predict that it will become quite popular, particularly with fans of Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine and similar novels. I look forwarded to reading future books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy of Maame by Jessica George. The opinions in this review are my own.

Maame is a beautifully unique and powerful coming-of-age story.  Nicknamed Maame (which means "woman," "responsible" in Twi) by her Ghanaian family, Maddie was simultaneously forced to group up too soon and a late bloomer. Now in her mid-twenties, living in London and feeling stuck and overburdened in life, she is questioning who she is and who she is meant to be.

Maame is about relationships, the ties that bind us to family and friends, grief and love. I loved the format of Maddie's POV, she has an amazing narrative voice that drew me in, sprinkled with emails and her all-too-innocent-for-her-age Google searches. 

Ordinarily, I strongly dislike books with heavy topics and sad plots. I just don't like to feel overwhelmingly sad or have my heart broken watching a protagonist go through the wringer. However, Maame is the exception to my rule. Jessica George artfully and adeptly weaves a tale of illness, loss, grief, loneliness, depression, racism and even the "bread and butter" life challenges such as career, love and friendship struggles. Yes, this is quite the list of heavy topics...and yet, I loved this book. There is truly something special about Maddie, she's one of the best characters I've ever read. I couldn't help but love and root for her.

George's writing is exceptional. Mid-story I realized that although I was reading quickly (because I was so enthralled), I still absorbed and felt the power of every single word. The books that have accomplished this are few and far between for me.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC. Maame will be out this Tuesday, January 31!

*This review will be posted to my Bookstagram account @theonewhereaimeereads.