“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.

his was INCREDIBLE. I devoured it in a night.
Maame, is late bloomer coming of age story, with light hearted bits and some heartbreak sprinkled in. The story touches on so many interesting topics such as children of immigrants, first love/heart break, over bearing parent(s), the struggle for acceptance from said parents, unintentional and intentional racism and micro aggressions. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

What a delightful and fresh story of Maddie, a 20-something living in London, wanting to experience what young single women do, but she is living at home taking care of her father who has Parkinson's. Her mother is in Ghana running a business there and travels back and forth. Her brother is living on his own in London, but her father's care falls entirely on her shoulders while working full time too. When her mother plans to come back for a year, Maddie jumps at the opportunity to move out and experience life as a young single. I did laugh at how many times she has google all the questions in her head! I think being single in a big city would be very overwhelming! But this story shows the reader the good and bad of finding friends, dating, finding a job she really wants and still wanting to love her family. The audio was very good and enjoyed it paired with reading the story.

My thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of the e-book and audio book! Pub Day Jan. 31, 2023

Maame, set in London, is about Maddie, a young woman caring for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s, while her mother is in Ghana and her brother is never home. Maame (her family calls her this) means woman, and she has never liked being called Maame. Maddie struggles to make ends meet, work a thankless job, and care for her father all without help from her family.

Her mother finally returns from Ghana and Maddie decides to finally get a place of her own. This leads to a new job and a new love interest. But, as it is in life not everything is going to be easy or without pain. Maddie goes through some difficult and traumatic experiences but eventually finds herself in a good place.

I thought this book was a beautifully written debut novel and I look forward to reading more by @jessicabgeorge !

Pub date is January 31st! Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advanced digital copy!

Maddie was a true gem of a character, she gets 5 stars. The journey the author took her on however gets maybe, 3.5 stars.

The emotions ran high in this book making me laugh, cry and really feel the emotions she went though. I think it was a highly relatable book for most women. A lot of the plot felt like real life and went as expected but I was disappointed with the ending, having felt Maddie didn't reach her full potential that I spent most of the book rooting for.

This was a gorgeous book. It's a hard book to read, but it is an absolutely enthralling book and I think one that needs to be read. It's painful because her life is painful. She's a little bit cringeworthy and you kind of want to help her out, help her get through her issues. But that, I think that vulnerability, that rawness, that kind of naivete of the character just makes this book really beautiful. Her googling every problem that happens to her is such a wonderful characterization of her loneliness and lack of circle that its funny yet so rea;. It's not an easy book, it's sad, but I think you'll get quite a lot of out of it.

one of my favorite quotes: regardless of how you behave a lot of things are going to be out of your control because this world was made to test you. /protect your peace in whatever everyway that you can.

“There is a right way, a preferred way, for each individual to love and be loved by someone. But there isn’t only one way.” ✨

Title: Maame
Author: Jessica George
Format: e-book
Rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️💫/5
Pub Date: Jan 31, 2023

WOW okay, this debut was fantastic 🙌🏼

I loved our MC - Maddie. She is easy to root for & I loved seeing her grow throughout the book. 💖 I was able to relate to how she tries to be a people pleaser & the emotional toll that can take. YOU KNOW I was cheering when she started to stand up for herself and live her life the way SHE wanted to! 👏🏼

The writing style was amazing and descriptive - I almost felt like I was in the book alongside Maddie. 💗

There are so many themes and topics covered in this book & has some great representation 👏🏼 Highly highly recommend!

p.s. I saw someone say that this could be in contention for book of the year & I 100% agree - you’ll want to get your hands on this one 😉 (and I think it’s a predicted pick for BOTM in February ☺️)

Read if you like…
- mental health representation 🧠
- minority group representation 🫱🏾‍🫲🏿
- Ghanaian culture 🇬🇭
- themes of personal growth 🌱
- themes of loss & grief 🖤
- contemporary fiction ✍🏼

*thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie's Dad has Parkinson's. She is his care taker and her mother is rarely present flying back and forth to Ghana. Maddie is the only one who takes care of her father. Her Mom assists in Ghana where she is running a hostel for her uncle. Maddie is twenty five years old and lives in London. Her brother does not help her at all with the care of her father. Maddie's Mom visits her every other year and is always criticizing her waiting for her to start her life. She starts out as a very naïve young woman, trying to navigate family, career, dating, and the freedom to be an adult. Maddie's pain is palatable and believable. She lacks confidence and tries very hard to be a people pleaser. She struggles with grief and panic attacks. She makes unwise dating decisions. Through the help of counseling and her own self-determination, Maddie learns to become the type of "maame" she wants it to mean.
The story allows the reader to take a journey with Maddie from her childhood home to blossoming into the butterfly she is meant to be. Reading her journey the author paints a young lady that through trial and error finds her voice as well as her confidence determining her path moving forward. I have recently loss my father so the discussions on grief and death were saddening but thoughtfully put forth and says many things that people can't put into words. This is a great debut book and the journey is very well laid out.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review.

This is the touching coming of age story of Maddie, a 25 year old Ghanian woman living in London. She acts as caretaker for her father who has Parkinson’s.

We watch Maddie grow throughout the story in her career as an editorial assistant, her love life, in her friendships and as the Maame of her family. She will make you laugh and cry, and have you rooting for her until the last page.

The author says this book is near and dear to her heart and you can tell. It is a character driven story full of life. I wonder if much of it parallels her own actual life and that’s what makes it so heartfelt.

Pick this up for your first official book cry of 2023. Maame got me. 😭 This would also make an excellent book club choice.

I am SO thankful to have read this book early!

What a beautiful, impactful debut. I think I will be processing this for a while, but this is what character-driven books should be! A moving story featuring a lovable and endearing main character, through the ups and the downs of this complicated journey that is life.

George’s writing and character development are flawless. I laughed out loud at times, teared up, and found myself raging on behalf of Maddie. The explorations of race, mental health, and coming of age are all spot on. Readers will have much to take away from this beautiful book.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this one early!

While reading Maame, I found the beginning to be a bit slow. But I pushed on, and I am glad that I did. In the beginning, Maddie seems shy, meek, and willing to do whatever anyone asks without asking anything in return. By the end, she has started standing up for herself and finding her voice.

When Maddie was a small child, she was given the family pet name Maame. The name means woman and carer. She finds herself as more the mother of the family than as the daughter. It is a toxic family dynamic, but sadly one that is more common than many people realize. After a significant family shake-up, Maddie stands up for herself and makes the nickname her own.

When I first read the synopsis for Maame, I bypassed it because it seemed too serious of a book for me to want to read at the time. The second time the book presented itself to me, I decided to give it a chance. Boy, am I glad that I did! You will be surprised to realize this is George’s debut novel, and I look forward to reading more by her.

Powerful, emotional, pulling on all the heart strings. Days later I’m still thinking about it and still struggling to put words to all the feels this book gave me. There are so many themes and layers and nuance….and oooof the visceral portrayal of grief absolutely gutted me. The whole things is just ahhhh, so beautifully and poignantly written and covers such a universally resonant spectrum of human emotions.

I related so deeply to Maddie’s sadness, grief, depression…her confusion and not understanding, and feeling lost in, so many social situations/cues/rules. The googling everything was so endearingly relatable. To me, Maddie felt ASD coded, I don’t remember seeing anything in blurbs about it specifically but as an AuDHD person so many of the things she struggled with deeply resonated with my own neurodivergence.

Some of my favorite bits throughout the book were the parts with Nia and Shu…their friendship was so wonderful! And the ending was so sweetly satisfying, I was really happy with it!

Excellent coming of age/becoming an adult while trying to find your way between two cultures. The writing is superb, the characters feel like people you could meet. Maddie straddles being Ghanian and British, and often what it means to be the only black woman in the room, while also trying to navigate a complicated family. Maddie really comes into her own by the end of the novel, and the transformation of the 25 year old felt real.

"Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils––and rewards––of putting her heart on the line."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This was so raw and vulnerable. There were so many points when I genuinely gasped out loud. Loved it! I can't wait to read more of George's work :)

I absolutely adored this book! Maddie was the perfect character, full of personality and genuine curiosity in life. The Google searches killed me!! I loved the writing style. It was so different and fresh. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone. Thank you so much to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.