This was a beautiful novel about Maddie, a young woman living in London. Her father has late stage Parkinson's disease, and she is one of his primary caretakers until her mother returns from a trip to Ghana. Mama is heartbreaking but also charming, and I found myself rooting for Maddie as she faced hardships and new experiences as a young adult.

I don’t read a lot of literary fiction. I find I feel they drag and nothing happens. Maame made me want to keep reading. I didn’t want to put it down. The story of Maddie and her losses, depression, and her journey through the depths of darkness were raw and unique. As someone who also lost a parent in my 20s, I found myself really understanding Maddie and her feelings and frustrations. There was so much about grief and it’s different nuances that spoke to my still fragile heart. Grief never goes away, you just learn to live with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.75⭐️

Maddie (Maame) is certainly not loving her life in London. At work, she’s the only black person in her office, and has a boss who isn’t very nice to her. At home, she’s the primary caregiver for her very sick father, while her mother has mostly abandoned their family for a shinier life in Ghana. When her mother decides to return home, Maddie thinks she’s been given an opportunity to finally experience the life she’s been dreaming about. But when tragedy strikes, her life is turned upside down once more, and she must figure out a way to get herself through it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a highly anticipated debut novel that I am almost positive will be scooped up by one of the major book clubs. It is filled with complex characters, thought provoking subjects, and therefore loaded with discussion topics.

I love coming of age stories and while I was intrigued by the premise of this book, it tackled one too many topics and moved just a little too slow for me. Given the buzz around this one and based on the description, I was expecting an engaging and hopeful story, and this just didn’t hit that cord for me.

With that said, I have read lots of glowing reviews of ‘Maame’, so when this book is picked for your next book club, I would definitely recommend giving it a read and seeing what you think for yourself 😉

All the stars! What can I say about this that hasn't been said already? This is a beautifully written novel and is definitely a book that will stay with me for awhile. I don't want to give anything away so just trust me when I say you need to pick this book up once it publishes and read it. Can't wait to see what this author writes next, I will definitely be reading it!

Maame by Jessica George tells the story of Maddie, a mid-20s office worker who has always taken care of others at the expense of herself. She comes from an unconventional family—a mother who was often absent, a father who was often reticent, and a brother who left as soon as he could. Now Maddie is left in the care of her ailing father while her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her brother works an unpredictable job. Then her mother returns, freeing Maddie to move out and start to live her own life.

Maddie is sheltered and awkward, inexperienced and isolated. And as she determines to try new things, she makes a lot of mistakes. The important thing is that she learns from these mistakes and continues moving forward. When tragedy strikes, Maddie is left to re-evaluate her role in her family and in her own life.

I felt the main theme of this book is the search for identity. I especially appreciated Maddie’s realization that the identity she has been living in may not be what she would have chosen. Maddie has to come to terms with her life as a Black woman, an aspiring professional, a sexual being, a friend, and a daughter. As frustrating and hopeless as her life feels at times, the reader is ultimately left with a sense of hope for Maddie’s future.

Maame is a book that touched me in several ways and helped me see the empowerment that comes from reclaiming the self. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this to read. Set in London, Maame is a coming of age novel that follows a young woman learning to navigate the delicate balance of family loyalty and independence. We watch the main character grapple with love, loss, and identity learning to make her own choices and having to live with the consequences.

- 3.5 Stars -
For a debut novel with this level of difficult topics in it, I can honestly say that I think Jessica George handled them beautifully. There was a parental death, discussions on mental health and racism, there were descriptions of active panic attacks, and there were very real conversations with those that Maddie (our protagonist) needed to have with those she loved. All of these areas were written with tact and with an insurmountable amount of heart behind them. I was rather impressed by this specific area of the book.

I found Maddie’s life experience to be a little interesting because while yes, there may have been some things she did not experience up to the point of the start of the novel in her fictional life, there were definitely some things that she seemed a little too unrealistically inexperienced in. She had a job, friends, is responsible for her family, and is a mature young adult - she has life experiences. Her constant need and wonder of “what should I do?” “how does this work?” “can you do _____?” was interesting as she never seemed to go to her friends with these questions, but would rather turn to our favorite search engine Google. While some of the things she looked up gave me a chuckle, other things had me wondering why she didn’t just ask a living, breathing, human being…

Overall, this book was a well-done debut and had all the right things in it to be considered a coming-of-age story. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is the book for you!

⚠️TW: death of parent, death, panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, racism, infidelity, abandonment

Thank you @macmillan.audio , @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

While not my usual reading choice, I was glad to have been given the opportunity to read this book. What Maame had to go through just to survive, especially when her mom and, at first, her brother, did nothing to help her get through the day/month/year. Well-written, a story of what so many women face today and feel they have no options. Hadn't read this author before but will look for her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC at no cost. However, my opinions are my own.

This debut from Jessica George was incredible. This book touches on grief, racism, love, and trying to find out who you are. This book would be a great pick for a bookclub, I highly recommend reading it.

10/10.

My favorite book of 2022. This book had me ready for more. I cried when the main character cried. I was so sad when it ended because I wanted more. Please read this amazing book!

My first Jan. 2023 book. Unique and well written! Easy to read and George does a good job telling Maame’s story. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for the purpose of this review.

This book made my top 5 books of 2022 with an advanced reader copy from Netgalley. It was such a real and raw telling of a real life story.

Maddie is a 25 year old single woman living in London taking care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. She’s been forced to grow up before her time because her mother goes off to Ghana to run an orphanage and her older brother is off doing his own thing. So everyone leaves it all to Maddie, who has lived up to the nickname Maame, which she was given as a young girl. It means strong woman. And she truly is. When her father dies, she doesn’t know how to deal with it or how to go on with living a life that doesn’t involve taking care of him-a life of a normal 25 year old. She struggles with racism at work while she deals with the depression from losing her father and the lack of support from her family is all too much to bear. Eventually she tries online dating and opens up to her friends and her emotions are all over the place as you would expect with subject matter like this, and I was struck by the strength she modeled while coping with so much. I liked seeing the growth in her relationships with her brother and mother once she finally found her voice and stood up for herself and I really enjoyed learning about the culture and traditions.
I highly recommend this one.

Ever want to read a book but you’re a little reluctant to start it because you know it will be intense, and you don’t know if you’re in the headspace for that? That’s how I felt about Maame. But oh man, I’m so glad I opened the book and started it because once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Maddie is going through it all - family dysfunction, a sick father, the weight of family responsibility, a job that undervalues her, and a life unfulfilled or experienced. And when she finally gets that first breath of freedom, she experiences a few firsts until the unthinkable happens. Following along with Maddie as she tries to navigate her new life and emotions, you will be put through the wringer…but the ending is so worth it! Jessica George has a fresh voice and Maddie is a unique lead character that I found to be so refreshing. Run, don’t walk, to grab this book and read it for yourself. This book will be talked about in 2023.

This book follows Maame, a young American woman with Ghanaian roots who is learning (through much trial and error) what it means to be an adult. I loved how realistic her interactions were with other people- everyone felt real and fully developed. We get to see everyone's flaws- including her own- as she navigates work, dating, friendships, and family. Overall, a great read.

Maddie is twenty-five with no real life of her own. Her mother stays and works in Ghana, abandoning her ailing husband into the care of her daughter. Her brother shows no interest in either their father’s illness or helping the family. However when her mother finally comes home, Maddie seizes the opportunity to finally go out and live her life.

This is a beautiful late coming of age story. We go through every emotion as we deal with familial expectations, gender roles, cultural expectations, love, grief, and just everything you could expect. We watch as Maddie fights through the ups and downs of life, and her struggle to become the woman she wants to be.

This is definitely a book you should read especially if you love novels that touch your own emotions.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book transported me back in time to my first job after graduating college, navigating relationships with roommates and friends. The author does a great job of honing in on the insecurities and everyday realities of this time period in a young woman’s life. In Maame, our heroine is a young woman who is establishing her professional life specifically as a young black woman, while juggling family responsibilities including caring for her ailing father. Although I don’t identify as someone whose parents are estranged and whose mother lives most of year in another country, I could identify with Maddie wanting to keep family matters private, and the angst and anger she navigates when dealing with her immediate family members throughout the book. The author also well captures what it’s like to fall for someone the first time you leave home, and how fragile you feel sharing any of your new feelings with roommates who are basically strangers trying to be friends,

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read and review this lovely tale!

Wow. Just wow. Jessica George’s debut novel blew me away. From the exquisite writing, to the lessons we learn while trying to grow up, to the oldest child ‘syndrome;’ all of this felt so relatable to me. Despite not being a black Ghanaian, I completely connected to so much of this book. I won’t soon forget this incredible debut novel.

Maddie is a young woman referred to by her mother as Maame, meaning woman or “responsible one” and Maddie definitely fits this description, being her father’s primary caregiver while her mother lives in Ghana and her brother is absent. When Maddie’s mother returns to London, Maddie takes the opportunity to move out of her family home and face the challenges of growing up. With a coming of age theme, Maddie deals with conflicts with flatmates, dating and how to be assertive in her job. When tragedy strikes, she takes on more burdens placed on her by family and puts her own needs and feelings aside until she becomes overwhelmed.
This book almost has a YA theme as Maddie is coming of age as a 25 year old woman. At the same time, she takes on tremendous responsibility in her family and at her job, all of which is initially unappreciated. Maddie tends to make some poor decisions around relationships especially once she is overcome by grief. I liked Maddie’s character although it was difficult not to get frustrated with her at times. She makes some bad decisions and is treated like a doormat and as a reader, I wanted her to be stronger and more assertive but considering that she is only 25 and previously very sheltered, her actions make sense. Overall, I think the book is well written and entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader Copy.

When I began reading this book I didn't know much about Parkinson's disease. I loved that I learned something when reading this one, specifically that more often than not, Parkinson's is idiopathic and NOT inherited. I thought that was interesting.

Here are some quotes that I enjoyed:

"Somethings are not meant to be saved from, somethings are lessons."
"Brothers have a level of audacity sisters couldn't possibly reach or get away with, even if they tried."
"How someone shows you love has less to do with you and more to do with them."

This book is very relationship focused. It deals with heavy topics like sexuality, grief, racism and sexism. The way the author does this makes it a very compelling and interesting read. There was an element of enlightenment to the novel as well.

Maame's character has such depth. I liked how she talks about her anxieties and we get to tap into her inner monologue. Maame is naive from the outset but we get to see her learn and grown as she wades through life and truly finds her voice. Maame is an inquisitive person but not in an obnoxious way (as some other inquisitive characters in books tend to be).

I could not stand Maame's mother or brother, they just left her to care for her father and never had one thought about how much work and responsibility her father was. They were so unapologetic about it too, which really struck a nerve with me. It's a very real look at how family can sometimes behave during hard time and during the loss of a family member.

Maame got tired of picking up the pieces, tired of being overlooked and not considered. The moment she found her voice was such a pivotal point in the story and I was really rooting for her. That naive girl we see at the beginning transforms into a woman who can stand tall and hold her head high and advocate for herself. .

For anyone else who has found the last year or so trying....this book is for you.