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.

“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 live.”

Jessica George’s ‘Maame’ is a poignant, hopeful exploration of personal growth through the lens of a woman who has been bound to familial duty at the expense of her own wellbeing.

Maddie’s life is complicated. Mostly left alone by an absentee mother and a free-spirited older brother, Maddie finds herself inextricably tied to the house she grew up in, caretaking for her ailing father. When she finally decides to move out and seeks to figure out, for the first time, who she truly is, she will discover that life can be as painful as it is beautiful.

Oh, how I loved this story. It’s the kind of tale that stays with you long after, that makes you feel and contemplate and return back to the pages to review passages. I loved how George creates a searingly personal story that also taps into universal feelings that all readers experience. Her examination of microaggressions, mental health, cultural and familial expectations, love, and the complicated dynamics of interpersonal relationships is profound in its straightforwardness. It’s as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming and will keep you glued to the page.

You will root for Maddie even as you mourn with her. Even as you feel her frustration as she seeks to grow and mature. And the ending will leave you hopeful, a smile firmly in place.

This is the coming-of-age book that I never knew I needed, and am so glad I read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for generously providing me with an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Maame is a term of endearment in Twi that Maddy's Ghanaian family has always called her. It means the responsible one, the woman, the little mother, often before her time. Maddy has always been taught to put others first so now at 25, she finds herself still at home, caring for her father who has Parkindson's disease and feeling like she has not yet really lived. Her mother is back in Ghana running the hotel she inherited and Maddy's older brother is off to London living the carefree bachelor life.

What has this done to Maddy? 'It made me grow up when I should have had more time. It made me lonely and it made me sad.'

This story, told from first-person point of view, describes what happens when Maddie is finally set free to pursue a life of her own. It is a poignant story, often painful and sad, but I loved the honesty of her feelings and the hope she has for a better life. 'It's not too late to be the person you want or were always meant to be.'

This is a debut work from a remarkable new author. It's really a great description of modern life--the quiet racism, the workforce struggles, issues with family, friends and roommates. With so little experience, Maddie often turns to Google for answers to her life questions. The results are mixed and often quite funny.

I received an arc of this novel from the author and publisher. Many thanks for the opportunity! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a sweet, quasi-coming of age story about a 25 year old in London. Maddie, sometimes called Maame by her mother, is 25 and moving out of the house she shares with her ailing father. She has to navigate having flatmates for the first time, being on her own, making new friends, and starting to date. All while also dealing with her family pressures and dynamics.

It's clear that Maddie always has good intentions, but many of her actions were hard for me to read. I wanted the best for her, was hoping it would all work out in her favor -- and I appreciate that she showed growth as a person and discussed the benefits of therapy.

The side characters really add a lot to this book -- Maddie's friends are endearing, and her family members can be infuriating at times. Maddie also has a habit of consulting google when she was life questions, and some of the responses she shares are very funny. I also enjoyed the glimpse in to the world of publishing through the parts at her job.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Maame was such a good read! I really enjoyed the characters in this book and following along Maame’s journey to find herself. It’s an extremely relatable story and you will find yourself rooting so hard for Maame’s happiness. This was the perfect debut novel and I can’t wait to see what this author writes next! I know I will be picking up a copy!

I'm shocked how quickly this book turned around for me and how much I ended up enjoying it! If I'm correct and the clues Book of the Month we have been given means this is one of their options, I think it will be a good choice for your book pick in February.

This is a coming of age story about a 25 year old girl, Maddie (Maame), who lives in London and her parents are immigrants from Ghana. Her father has Parkinson's and her mother is away most of her life, so Maddie is shouldered with the responsibility of being her father's sole caretaker. She's a bit of a recluse, who doesn't get to enjoy her life like most normal 25 years old do.

The first 30% or so I really just thought this book was just going to be an okay, 3 star read for me and the rumblings I was hearing about this debut was not going to hold up. Initially, although a heartbreaking story, something just wasn't clicking and I was craving more. But then, thankfully, the story started picking up traction, I became intrigued, and I am so glad I stuck with it!

There's grief and sadness in this book, but also hope and love. Maddie is awkward and naive, having to constantly Google every day life experiences and struggles to navigate her social, work, and family life, but there's also funny moments and I quite enjoyed Maddie's witty humor. She's smart and you quickly will be cheering her on from the sidelines and hope she finds and gets what she wants out of life.

I think many people will find something about Maddie to relate to, whether it's the family dynamics, caring for a parent or loved one, struggling to find your place in love and relationships, the pressure from parents and society, mental health struggles, or just your normal day to day routines humans are tasked with. I, for one, am happy I was able to step into Maddie's life for a little bit and be a part of witnessing her story and growth.

I also appreciated how the author advocated and portrayed mental health and fought against the unfortunately common mentality of "just get over it".

Trigger warnings: loss of a parent, depression, suicide, mental health.


**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Jessica George for the ARC! I was a little intimated by this book initially because when reading the description, it sounded a little heavy. While it does cover very deep, raw, and real topics, it’s also so funny and relatable. It’s super readable and I found myself not wanting to put it down. This book covers the boundaries we have with our parents and family beautifully, and it made me think about losing a parent, as it is inevitable.
This book is incredibly relatable for any woman because, at some point in our lives, we’ve been deeply naive, innocent to the highs and lows of romantic companionship but seeking it desperately all the same.
It’s told in first person narrative, and there are asides to the reader that remind me of the wittiness of Fleabag, albeit a much less sexually experienced protagonist.
I would recommend this to any female friend of mine as we have all experienced life as Maddie, regardless of what age we experienced it.