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.

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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