Maame is a coming-of-age novel about Maddie, a 25 year old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants living in London. Maddie has spent her life as the responsible one and the primary caretaker for her father, who has Parkinson’s.

As the story begins, Maddie’s mom is about to return from a long period in Ghana, and Maddie is finally given the opportunity to take a break from her role as caretaker and try to catch up a little with her peers. She moves out, tries dating and drinking, and rethinks her career path.

I really enjoyed Maddie’s voice. She’s young and innocent in many ways and very mature in others. She wrestles with figuring out who she is just like any young adult, but she carries a weight of responsibility that not many young people have to contend with. I felt frustrated with her at times, that felt very real.

This book covers a lot of big topics, including mental health, grief, being an outsider, and family conflict alongside lighter moments, like online dating and drinking for the first time. It all felt very natural, as real life contains multitudes. Maame reminded me a lot of Dolly Alderton’s book Ghosts, which I also really enjoyed.

What an incredibly moving coming-of-age story about a young woman who discovers what she really wants out of life. Maddie has a steady job as a P.A at a theater company helps take care of her ailing father and lives a mundane life. When she learns her mom is returning home from Ghana after a year away tending to the inn she runs, Maddie decides it's time to move out and start living.

I don't want to say "Maddie grows up fast" since she's already an adult, however, since she hadn't many adult experiences until that point, it's probably safe to say she learns a lot in a very short amount of time. Maame tackles a lot of tough subjects too - grief, terminal illness, loss of a loved one, failed relationships, and rejection, with a beautifully written story.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Maame. I definitely recommend reading this one.

Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a coming of age story about a woman coming into her own as an adult.
Maddie is the daughter of Caribbean parents. She spends most of her time at home caring for her dad. Maddie finally moves out and works to create a new life for herself. After a tragedy, Maddie must made important decisions with her life.
This book is filled with so many complex topics. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a lovely story about a woman coming into her own as an adult.

After spending most of her time at home caring for her dad, Maddie finally moves out and makes some new moves in her life. She dates, makes new friends, and finds a new job.

After a tragedy, Maddie must make come to terms with her family dynamics and the impact they have had in her life.

This book covered so many complex topics. They did so with a mix of heart and humor.

A lovely debut.

{cw - death of parent, racism}

Thx Libro for the ALC.

I adore this book, reading the journey of Maddie as she navigates her family, friends and mental health. The portrayal of the strong one and what people can damage is the person who can handle it all, Who is helping the strong one.

Maddie loves her father and is taking care of him during his Parkinson's disease. Her mother is gone for years at a time but doesn't forget to call and give unsolicited advice

Her brother is unapologetically not around to help her with the bills and cares for their father. She is all alone and she is supposed to be able to handle it.

when she gets the opportunity to leave home and finally explore herself and have a social life - things go array.

The reason why I loved this book so much - is because as a descendant of Caribbean parents, I understand the burden of being charged with a lot and the toll that can take. We do this to our children and have them take care of grown-up things early in life. The is damaging and dangerous but so commonplace

I enjoyed the journey of discovery to health for Maddie because mental health can be brushed aside in our community and I love the story that highlights this issue

Lastly, I would ultimately call this a romance with Maddie and herself and the inspected love interest.

I adore this book -Highly recommend it - chefs kiss*

MAAME by Jessica George is a stunning debut and a heartbreaking coming of age story. Maddie, born and raised in London to Ghanian parents, has lived a sheltered life. She has been taught by her family to keep family secrets to herself, especially when they can make the family look bad. That is why, at 25, she is a bit stilted and having a hard time asking for help when it comes to taking care of her Dad who has Parkinson's. Her brother is of no help, and her Mother lives most of the time in Ghana. The way Maddie has been abandoned by her family is often infuriating and, trigger warning/spoiler alert - this is not a book to read if you have recently lost a loved one.

Maddie's pain is bare and raw, and dealing with grief, dating (for the first time), living with roommate and micro (and macro) aggressions at work can be tough to read. As a reader, you will want to feel like crawling into the pages to help her. She often has to Google life advice for things that most twenty-somethings should already know, or have the support system to help with. The book is also an interesting look at Ghanian culture, and being a child of immigrant parents, feeling like you are stuck between two cultures. It's a wonderful book, full of heart and light. It's not perfect, but it will charm the pants off of you.

Maame is a really good book, a familiar story but well written and from a fresh perspective. Maddie is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants living in London. She is struggling to find herself as a young adult, feels pressure to be the caretaker for her family (represented by her nickname, Maame) and struggles to stand up for herself in her job, with family and friends and partners. Throughout the book, she learns a lot about her parents and herself - I don't want to give anything away but I want to be friends with her! She is a likable character!

Jessica George's debut novel Maame tells the story of Maddie, a 25 year old who is attempting to balance the various facets of her life--work, home, family, friends, social life. She works at a low paying, stressful job during the day and is the primary caregiver to her father, who has severe Parkinson's, the rest of the time. Life feels like it is passing her by--her friends are moving on with their lives, her mother and brother are relentlessly focused on their own lives and work, and Maddie keeps the household running and provides care, love and companionship to her steadily diminishing father. Maddie's been so focused on everyone else, when will she start taking care of herself?

This is a moving, powerful book. It is about family, devotion, loyalty,, finding your place, and finding yourself. Maddie is a fascinating character, steadfast in her love and devotion to family but conflicted at the same time. She has a very developed arc of character growth through the book and it is gratifying to see her find herself and what she wants as the book progresses.

Maame is an exquisitely written debut novel. Maddie's voice is immediate, distinct, engaging, interesting. She is richly written and characterized. The secondary characters, whether they are briefly on the page or more consistently part of the narrative (like Maddie's mom) are also very well realized, three-dimensional and distinct from each other. The people feel real, relatable, recognizable.

This was heartwarming read but a heartbreaking one at the same time. Maddie is a wonderful first person narrator, with a sense of humor and a distinct personality that grows and develops as the story moves along. Her insights on dating, family, tradition, the immigrant experience, the emotional and mental toll of workplace toxicity and microagressions, the heavy emotional load of caregiving, and the experience of having to grow up to soon/fend for yourself/parent yourself are moving, painfully raw, at times laugh out loud funny, and achingly sad.

The book paints a very vivid picture of caregiving for a parent with a debilitating disease, about dealing with grief and loss and guilt, and having too many responsibilities piled on far too soon. There is nuanced discussion of mental health issues as well.

The writing is excellent. The characters memorable and real. There were twists that I predicted, with mounting dread, that were written very well into the story, so that even though I was anticipating them, they still felt like a gut punch. And there were twists I did not expect that made me celebrate on Maddie's behalf.

This book captured the grief, guilt, heaviness of loss, weariness and load of caregiving while telling a story of profound growth, progress, love, and joy.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

I didn't think I would like this book, but I DID. The story of a twenty-five year old black woman living in London? How will I even connect with this story? But Maame (Maddie) drew me in.

At twenty-five and still living in her family home, Maddie is an anomaly to all her friends. They have all moved on, had experiences, and lived lives. But she still lives at home, in the smallest room in the house, although it is only her dad and her now and there are plenty of rooms to choose from. But Maddie has been abandoned by her mother and older brother, left in complete charge of the house and her ailing Father, and has been led to believe that she doesn't deserve anything else.

Her mother spends most of her time In Ghana, running a guest house she was left by her father and rarely coming back to England, but she still dominates Maddie and has an opinion about every aspect of her life. And Maddie is a good daughter, who will never question anything her Mother says or does. Her brother, although still living not far away, has no time to help with their father or even visit. He only answers her phone calls if she repeatedly calls him.

Now her mother has announced she is headed back home, for at least a year, and Maddie takes the opportunity to finally move out and live a life. She has a list of how she will change her life and sets off to do the things on that list. But that proves easier said than done, as she has no idea how to go about creating a life for herself.

As we follow Maddie - and learn what the nickname Maame means to people of her culture - we root for her to find that life and fully live it.

MAAME is a fantastic coming-of-age story that stays with you long after you've turned the final page. When we meet main character, 25-year-old Maddie, she's living in London, taking care of her father, who has advanced Parkinson's, and working a job she hates. Her mother spends most of the time in Ghana, and her brother is often too caught up in himself to help with anything, leaving most of the responsibility to Maddie. When her mother returns from Ghana and suggests Maddie move out, she's given the opportunity to create a new life for herself and find her own voice.

I absolutely loved Maddie—she's such an endearing, realistic character! Reading her first-person POV made me feel like I was talking to a friend. It was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming to follow her on her journey of navigating love (in all its different forms), anxiety, belonging, loneliness, loss, identity, and so much more. I think that her story will resonate with so many people. This was a wonderful novel, and I'm excited to see what Jessica George writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you so much for an early copy of this absolute gem! I loved it. I have no doubt others will fall in love with this coming of age story as well.

A fresh and authentic story of painful first experiences in the ‘real world’ and the journey to prioritizing oneself.

Read this if you
* Remember how you felt when faced with your first heartbreak
* Have two versions of yourself, what you say vs what you think
* Had to learn how to make space for yourself in your relationships
* Appreciate raw portrayals of what it means to be a Black person in mostly white environments

I’m completely in love with 25-year-old Maddie. She comes of age and makes all the mistakes that I made when encountering the “firsts” of life in the real world. It’s part painful and part nostalgic to watch her navigate the real world on her own for the first time. I remember being in her shoes, and the pain that I felt when the world reminded me that I had a lot more to learn.

We get to know two different Maddies, the one defined by what she says or does, and the one defined by what she feels on the inside. Her internal dialogue reminded me a lot of my own internal dialogue when faced with peer pressure, a painful situation, my first heartbreak, and forces outside of my control.

Maddie’s nickname, Maame, means ‘woman’ in Twi and is a nod to how Maddie has had to grow up too fast and be responsible for her family from a young age. Due to her family obligations, Maddie hasn’t lived the life experiences of other 25-year-olds, and she is woefully behind when she first goes out on her own.

Maddie learns to speak up for herself and exist as her own person. Standing up to others who want her to meet their needs instead of her own, she makes space for herself in her relationship with her mother. Brother. Lover. Roommate. Boss. Colleague. Therapist. Her journey is raw and painful.

⁉️Are there any books coming out this year you’re looking forward to? Maybe some you’ve read ARCs for that you’d recommend?

BOOK REVIEW
Maame by @jessicabgeorge
Pub date: January 31, 2023
320 pages
@stmartinspress

This book was so good, you guys. First of all, after reading Jessica George’s bio, I’m realizing just how much of (MC) Maddie’s story must have been pulled from the author’s own life. This is probably why it read so much like nonfiction.

Maddie, aka Maame (women; responsible one), in her mid-twenties is just getting her first opportunity to create a life for herself independent from her familial responsibilities. Her family lives in London, but her mother is off living her best life in Ghana most of the time, and her brother is focused on his own independent life in the city. Never really having dated, never having lived on her own, Maddie has been left to handle her father’s Parkinson’s care and the bills.

Maddie finally sets out to make a life of her own. Though anxious about her inexperience and saddled with depression, we get to see her navigate the dating scene, her mental health. We see her first experiencing life with roommates and pursuing a career in the literary world.

I identified so much with Maddie’s character, having been a bit of, “the responsible one,” in my family, and I was cheering her on the whole way. I saw a lot of my relationship with my dad in Maddie’s relationship with hers. He, too, was hesitant with his words, but I always knew the love he had for me and think he knew it was well-reciprocated. The guilt she felt, when it came to her family, was also easy to identify with.

Even if so much of this story hadn’t resonated with me, I’d still be raving over this debut. It was smart, at times funny, relatable and effortlessly handled some serious issues while still leaving me with a feeling of warmth and comfort in the end.

Highly recommend
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thanks @netgalley and @librofm for the ARC and ALC!

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I really enjoyed this book. I alternated between the e-arc and the audiobook. I thought this was a fantastic description of grief and mental health issues. There is excellent attention to micro-aggressions in the workplace and toxic/unhealthy relationships. I loved that by the end Maddie was even discovering how to distinguish between positive relationships, negative relationships, and relationships that don't serve you (being able to let go of the hope for a friendship with Jo). There is a lot to discuss with this book and it would be great for book clubs. I will not be adopting it into my classroom due to the mature content and the age doesn't fit - but I will be recommending it to others.

Maddie, also called Maame by her mother, is a 25 year old who has spent the last eight years being the caretaker of the family even though she's the youngest. Her mother spends half of her time in Ghana - only calling Maddie when she needs money wired to her, her brother is doing who knows what in the same city Maddie lives in, and her father has advanced Parkinson's.

As Maddie takes care of her father while juggling a PA job at a theatre company, she wants more. When her mom comes back from Ghana and suddenly decides Maddie needs to move out and be independent, Maddie must learn who she is without being a caretaker and catch up with what other women her age know about romantic relationships and friendships.

Maddie makes a list of things she wants to tackle and sets out on her journey to find herself.

I found Maame compelling and at times laugh out loud funny. Coming of age stories do not always work for me, but following Maddie's journey of finding her voice and confidence was refreshing.

Hoping this one is still sitting in my top ten by the end of 2023.

An interesting read about Maddie who cares for her father who suffers from Parkinson’s and how that relates to her relationships with her brother and her mother, who is gone for long stretches in Ghana.
I found Maddie’s journey to be a bit slow In the beginning.
Her sacrifices are rewarded later and her life begins to have more definition after a certain point.

I picked this up expecting a literary family drama starring a young Ghanaian MC, but all I got was kindle unlimited prose, biphobia, and google searches like: Should You Knock on the Door of A New Flatmate. A shame, truly.

Despite the cheerful cover, Maame is a deep and insightful story about a young woman's first glimpses of independence.

The author covers heavy topics such as grief and racism with grace and poignancy, and the main character is relatable and empathetic.

This is a beautiful story about familial expectations, self confidence, and the bonds of friendship.

Maame is a wonderful debut novel that follows 25-year-old Maddie as she tries to figure out who she is, and who she wants to be. From her largely absent yet controlling mother to the father with Parkinson's whom she cares for, a job she hates, and the social life she yearns for, Maddie's journey is painful, humorous and all too relatable. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

I enjoyed getting to experience new cultures and one young woman’s independence journey in Maame! Her gaining her independence and learning to stand up for herself was great.