Maame might end up being one of my favorites of 2023! It’s hilarious, sad, heartwarming. It’s almost like a coming-of-age, except Maddie’s 25.

Things I especially loved:
• Maddie’s relationship with her father. It was complex but hopeful. Maddie bore the brunt of taking care of her ill father but she never treated it like a burden.
• Maddie’s inner voice. She is so funny!
• Maddie’s relationship with her nickname, Maame. As she grew and changed throughout the story, there were times she both loved and hated the nickname her mother gave her.
• Maddie’s mother. She frustrated me to no end, but I appreciated her by the end of the book.
• Ghanaian traditions and language (Twi) sprinkled throughout the book.
• Maddie’s tendency to google everything. I love that the author added in so many google responses in the book. Many of them made me laugh out loud.

Maddie is such a complex character and naive in many ways, so it was a fun and interesting journey reading about her self discovery. There were many times I wished I could reach into the pages and give her a big hug.

Maddie/Maame is a beautifully complex character who speaks honestly, at least inside her head. She's the sort of messy, unfinished, and imperfect main character that needs to feature in more stories more often. I found her journey through grief to be deeply compelling and reflective of a more honest reality of what we experience in grief, instead of the processed stages that are so often presented. All in all, beautiful. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This book was so beautifully honest.

Maddie is a twenty five year old in a rut. She is the sole caretaker for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's, because her mother is back in Ghana and her older brother always has an excuse at the ready.

After being unfairly let go from her disappointing job, she has the opportunity to move out of her home with her father and start anew --- an opportunity she takes, despite her feelings of grief and guilt over leaving her father. She starts dating, starts saying yes to social invitations, starts drinking, and starts trying to find her own happiness.

Of course, this is a journey filled with ups and downs -- disappointing dates, conflicts with flatmates, family turmoil. But there is also newfound strength in standing up for herself and going after the things in life she deserves.

I loved how real Maddie felt as a character -- from her deep emotions to her curious Google searches as she begins to navigate the world on her own.

A well done novel about growing up, family and finding oneself.

Maddie also known as Maame to her family, is a 25 year old women living in London and caring for her father who suffers from Parkinsons disease. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, returning to london about once a year. Her brother James lives nearby but is rarely in contact. Maddie decides it it time to live her own life and finds a flat with roommates and a new job. Dating is also new to her as she finds her first real boyfriend.

Maddie has always been the responsible one and learning to live only for herself does not come naturally. After her fathers death, Maddie and her family must come together to find out what went wrong all those years and how to move forward. Maddie is a well drawn character who develops at a good pace.

I thought this was a very fresh coming of age story centered around a well-developed character. However, I found the writing inconsistent and a little flat. Sometimes it read very YA but other times were lovely, particularly about grief and her family. The first person to diary entry voice perspectives were a bit out of place and jarring. I think this author will be one to watch as she finds her voice.

This was such a delightful read! When this stellar debut novel opens, Maddie (whose family calls "Maame," which has several meanings in Twi, including "woman") is a young woman living in London with a dreadful job and serving as the primary caretaker for her father, who is suffering from advanced stage Parkinson's. She and her father have a special connection, and I loved their tenderness and affection for one another. Despite being the youngest in her immediate family, she has shouldered much of the burden while her older brother James and her mother have avoided much of the responsibility, After her mother returns from her latest trip to Ghana to take a more hands-on approach in caring for her husband, Maddie leaps at the opportunity to strike out on her own and finally start living.

The story is heartwarming, touching, and full of up's and down's as Maddie navigates life outside of the home she grew up in and has an opportunity to check off some important "firsts," such as changing jobs, dating, expanding her circle of friends, and renting an apartment with roommates. Maddie talks directly to the reader as she explores adulthood and I could not help but root for this kind, intelligent, funny, and sweet young woman to succeed. This story has layers and depth, and tackles difficult topics in a deliberate and thoughtful way. I adored spending time in Maddie's London and very much look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this stellar debut early!

A solid debut, Maame by Jessica George is a coming-of-age story about Maddie, a woman in her mid-20s navigating her career, relationships with family and friends, and dating for the first time. Maddie's also the primary caregiver for her father who has Parkinson's.

I thought this book shone when it described some of the poor treatment Maddie received at work (where she's often the only Black person in the room) and her experience with grief. I didn't always love the pacing and was frequently frustrated by all she had to endure.

I''d recommend the novel especially to fans of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams and Yinka, Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn.

I did not expect this book to be so emotional and relatable. Maddie (also called Maame by her mother, which gave her a little too much responsibility at too young an age) is at a turning point in her life. She's been the primary caretaker for her father, who has Parkinson's, while her brother doesn't help at all, and her mother has been living in Ghana for the past year. Around the same time that Maddie gets fired from her job, her mother lets her know that she will be coming back to stay with Maddie's dad for a year. This is Maddie's chance, to move out, meet new people, start dating, and live the life she wants to live. But not too long into this new life, something happens to upheave everything.

Maddie was such a sweet, relatable protagonist. She is constantly putting others ahead of herself, and doesn't even realize that she might be depressed and anxious until someone else tells her so. She's just trying to figure out how to live an independent, fulfilling life, and immediately, grief finds her. She's navigating new friendships and relationships, and even a new job, but how she's been raised has her in a mindset that doesn't inspire a lot of personal growth. Watching her work through all of these things was hard and emotional. This is a work of literary fiction that really focuses so strongly on the main character, that it feels like she is real, like this could be a memoir.

My favorite bits are the reality of the grief, Maddie's best friends, and the fact that Maddie immediately has to google everything she thinks of, because same.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

4.5 ⭐️

Loved the culture, coming-of-age themes, and honesty of this one. Heavy on the heart, but I was rooting for Maddie the whole time. It felt like I was reading/listening to a friend. This book is a gem. Many readers will enjoy, relate, learn, and grow with Maddie on this journey.

Great debut, would make a fabulous book club pick. Would love to see Read With Jenna pick this for February!

"Maame" is the powerful, emotional story of Maddie, a Ghanaian woman in her mid-twenties whose people-pleasing nature is frequently taken advantage of-- from her family leaving her alone to shoulder the burden of caring for her invalid father to struggles in social life, romance, and the workplace.
This novel is intensely introspective, like a coming-of-age story but with a protagonist aged 25 instead of 15 and truly experiencing the world-weariness of those extra ten years. As the daughter of an immigrant family myself, I found it all too relatable, and couldn't help supporting Maddie even through her cringe moments and awkward attempts at reshaping herself.
My main issue was that the concept of "Maame" wasn't focused on as much as I expected it to be from the title, but Maddie's uneasiness with the nickname is resolved satisfyingly by the end. I also found myself skimming all three of the romances, which slowed the pace a little too much. Overall though, I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity to read it and will be recommending it in the future.

A beautiful heartfelt debut, coming-of-age story. Maame is about 25-year-old Maddie who is the primary caregiver for her father with late-stage Parkinson’s, while her mother and older brother are largely absent. Maddie is unselfish, always living her life for others. She is in a job she doesn’t like, romance is a bust, and she carries feeling of guilt about family duty. After her mother returns from Ghana.. Maddie moves out on her own.. encountering many firsts in her life. This takes her on a slew of complicated hits and misses to forging her own path in life. Tragedy and grief find her, but this only propels her forward to discovering what’s most important in life—her own happiness. As Maddie travels on this journey of self awareness you can’t help but cheer her on while feeling the multitude of her emotions along the way. ❥ 4.5 stars — Pub. 1/31/23

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Maame is a breath of fresh air. Maddie feels instantly relatable to me, although our circumstances are very different. Her constant Google searching had me laughing out loud because I do the same thing. This book captures the messiness and hopefulness inherent in being a twenty-something. At every step, Maddie's struggles were so real: navigating workplace trouble, romance, friendships, and family. Watching Maddie learn to use her voice and stand up for herself was a joy- it felt like seeing a little sister find her place in the world.

Beautifully written. I could have read more of Maddie's story. Her journey through just a few short weeks in this book took on so many personal challenges, and her growth through each of them was real and relatable.

This was a fresh take on a modern woman of color trying to make her way in life. From an interesting perspective, she tackles microagressions at work, being fired, dating, getting dumped, losing a loved one, depression and mental health, all while not feeling too heavy. I fell in love with the main character, and I enjoyed hearing from her perspective. It wasn't too preachy, but rather engaging, and I loved every minute of it.

Maddie takes care of her father who has Parkinson's disease. Her mother visits very rarely and Maddie's life is filled with taking care of her father and working. When her mother finally comes to London, Maddie gets to live her life. This was an emotional read as Maddie experiences everything! I loved Maddie. I think her mother and brother are very selfish people. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

“Fun doesn’t equate to happiness; at the very least, it lends you happiness and I want to know how to keep it. I’ve googled “How to be happy”; I’ve taken walks in the park and written long gratitude lists; I’m consuming more fruits and vegetables and going to bed early; I’ve given out compliments and practiced mindful breathing. I have tried to fix myself.”

I’m a white woman, not Black or Ghanaian like Maddie in this book but I related to her so easily.

She has a distant yet overbearing mother, who she ultimately needs therapy for (amongst other things). She didn’t really have a childhood and was the responsible, dependable one.

She was a caretaker for her father and then once she moved out, she was trying to find a place for herself - had a list of how to be an adult and googled many things, including how to be happy.

This book explores many things: grief, guilt, regret, fresh starts, finding yourself, standing up for yourself, relationships with family and others and most of all, hope.

This coming-of-age book was so emotional and heartbreaking. Maddie went on quite the journey in this book and it was interesting to read. Maddie was sweet, naïve, and also depressing. While I enjoyed reading about Maddie and all of her family, friend, and dating issues, there were times that the book was a little slow. I was amused that Maddie Googled so many things she had questions about - that was completely relatable for me. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

This book started off slow and I didn’t love the narrative voice, with small asides as though our main character was talking to the reader. However, about one-third through, the tone shifts significantly and I began to really enjoy the book.

I appreciated Maddie as a character so much — she is incredibly empathetic and I wanted better for her so badly. Her growth was inspiring to see and I loved how realistic it was, not just a linear healing process or journey to self-discovery. There were many moments where she felt far younger than 25 though and sometimes her “life lessons” seemed to come through monologues from friends rather than more organically. I was glad to see Maddie explore her experiences as a Black woman and daughter of immigrants, but again, there were a few too many monologues for my taste.

Overall, this was a super emotional and relatable coming-of-age in your 20s. I was so happy for Maddie to find her strength, even as a work in progress and messy journey. If the book had started as strongly as it ended, I definitely would be rating it closer to 5 stars!

This book was very hard for me to read and I have an excellent relationship with my mother. I would genuinely caution anyone with strained parental/familial circumstances to poceed with caution. My heart consistanty broke for Maddie all throughout Maame. Then as she started finally to develop and stand up for herself, she was treated so poorly and knocked back down. (TW: For the close family death… l had to put this book down for a solid week to grieve and process WITH Maddie while grieving the recent passing of my own grandmother.)
But, as painful as this book is, it’s also so beautiful. George described Maddie so vividly and created her world and life in London with such detail, I felt incredibly connected to her. That probably made the heartbreak so much deeper. When Maddie questioned herself, I wanted to encourage her, when she hurt, I wanted to hug her, when she stood tall, I wanted to cheer for her.
This book is difficult, but wonderful.
It’s a family drama and a coming-of-age and I feel like is a really important read for so many. Maame addresses topics of racism, sexuality, cultural differences, immigrant parents, illness, mental health, dating, and so much more. It sounds overwhelming, but it’s so well-written and flows between so many important issues with grace and intelligence.
Highly recommend.

I did not finish this book. I stopped at 39%. The story was very much boring. I would fall asleep reading it. There is no conflict nor does the story hold my attention. While reading a book, I expect to feel something for some of the characters and I am not connected at all.