Family can be messy.

Maddie is the primary care giver for her father who has Parkinson’s, while her mother resides most of the time in Ghana. Her brother, James resides locally but is not very involved. Maddie also has a job but finds it to be unfulfilling.

Her mother is overbearing to say the least. She wants Maddie to date and get married. She also cites bible verses and always seems to know what is best for her daughter, even though she has been absent for a huge portion of her life.

Maddie is a people pleaser and does not put herself first. She is mature beyond her years in many ways, and not mature at all in others. When her mother comes back to London, Maddie moves into a flat and experiences living with roommate. Maddie makes a list of things the new Maddie should do and embraces them. Along the way, she has many new experiences - some good; some bad.

When Maddie and her family are dealing with horrible news, Maddie must face some "truths" and begins to grow in many aspects of her life.

Maddie was an interesting character, and I wanted many times to tell her to stand up for herself and be strong. To make her voice known and put her foot down. I felt her brother and mother were constantly asking too much from her yet never really took the time to get to know her. I enjoyed and cheered for her as Maddie began to grow and find her voice and footing.

This was a coming-of-age story that looks at culture, family, friendship, responsibility, loyalty, love, and growth. There is also the aspect of the power of a name. Our names are huge part of our identity. Maddie is called Maame from an early age. A name that means woman. She felt the responsibility and power of that name all her life. I found this to be a very interesting part of the story.

I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first part, mainly because I was happy to see change occurring.

My favorite book this year. Maame is a complex, yet not complicated story of Maddy. She is in her twenties and attempting to find her way in life. Her triumphs and insecurities are explored as she moves out of her parents’ house, gets a new job, navigates the death of her father, attempts to date and just be a “normal” twenty-five-year-old. One of the best parts of the writing in this book is Maddy’s use of google and texting It is current and believable. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

I really, really loved this one. Maame manages to be moving and insightful without ever losing its fun and humor. Maddie is a new favorite main character for me and I absolutely loved reading from her point of view. Watching her grow into her own was so rewarding, I can’t even remember the last time I was rooting so hard for a character. The novel touches on grief, friendship, romance, racism, sexism, workplace issues, family drama etc. and all are handled incredibly well. I hope this book gets all the attention it deserves and I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

Charming, poignant, profoundly moving, thought-provoking, and insightful!

A fresh new voice of fiction, author Jessica George's luminous debut, MAAME, will resonate with many and inspire you. Maddie's journey will make you laugh and cry as she speaks from the heart.

From grief, loss, regrets, despair, and love to growing up and finding your way the best you can! Self-identity, starting over, and second chances.

Meet Maddie Wright. Age 25 and carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders with family responsibilities. She missed out on all the fun stuff with her friends.

Madeleine "Maddie" Wright’s family is hard on her and they have high expectations. The daughter of Ghanaian immigrants settled in London, Maddie, is working a dead-end administrative job, and is responsible for the care of her father, whose Parkinson's Disease is now at an advanced stage

Her mother (not a nice person) has left the country to help her brother in Ghana to take care of the family business. But her brother is not helping out and she has the full burden of caring for her father, which she loves.

Maddie is shouldering the financial responsibilities – paying the bills and well as sending money to her mom in Ghana, where she runs a hostel with her brother.

Her father's condition has deteriorated and no one is helping her. She is the sole caretaker on top of the bad job, until the day she has no job.

It is time to recalculate. It is time for her mother to take care of her husband.

Maddie is going to break free and live life on her terms. Move out, get a job in the literary world, write, get some flatmates and an apartment. Even try out clothes, foods, travel, sex, drink, makeup, date, and friendship. Live independently.

However, can she do so without guilt? What does it even look like?

Maame” is her mother’s nickname for Maddie – in their native Twi, it means woman—the responsible one. This name has defined Maddie not only in how she interacts with others but how she perceives herself.

Beautifully rendered and captivating, a book of triumph —you will laugh out loud. I was completely invested in Maddie's character and her journey to self-acceptance. She is wise beyond her years and you will root for her—a highly relatable heroine!

George pens a winner out of the gate with excellent storytelling —a coming-of-age debut while exploring the complexities of navigating two different cultures and workplaces with humor and compassion.

AUDIOBOOK: I read the e-book and switched to the audiobook narrated by Heather Agyepong. The accent, dialogue, and voices were highly authentic and highly entertaining! Highly recommend the audiobook for the whole Maddie experience.

Jessica George is an author to watch—I cannot wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #SMPInfluencers for a gifted ALC and ARC.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Jan 31, 2023
My Rating: 5 ✨ STARS
Jan 2023 Must-Read Books

This one is based on the life of Maddie, a London born Ghanian. This book touched on the Ghanian culture, but mainly how the family structure works.

Maddie is 25 and living at home taking care of her dad who has Parkinson’s. Her mother spends most her time in Ghana, and her brother is too busy with his own life to help often. Maddie is stuck in a dead-end job with a nightmare of a boss and is sick of being the only black person in the room. Everything changes for Maddie when she gets fired and decides to start living her life for herself. Shortly after moving out, tragedy strikes, and Maddie is forced to face the unconventional nature of her family.

This is a book of hope, and it does so with humor. I loved the google searches – it reminded me of, me! I will search everything on google trying to figure things out and learn and Maddie did the same. This book was complex and explored friendships and families and all the ups and downs associated with them. The grief that Maddie felt when things turned tragic, also hit close to home for me, and I appreciated how the author portrayed it.

Celeste Ng called this one “An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys – and the guilt – of trying to find your own way in life” and I totally agree - this one is fantastic and so moving.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher St Martin’s Press, @stmartinspress, for my advanced copy in exchange for this honest review. Check this one out January 31st!

I thought this book had so much depth and feeling. I did feel like the description was a little misleading, it is quite grim dealing with elder care and chronic illness for the first part and I almost put it down. The characters were solid so I kept going and it lightened up a little in tone.

The character seems very young, she is lying about her father's condition and that was very frustrating for a long portion of the book. It eventually makes sense but it was a bit much.

I really enjoyed it as a character study

This is the story of Maddie, a woman in her mid twenties that has both had a lot of life experiences and also very few. As a Black woman living in London, she knows what it is to be the only Black person in many spaces and what it is to live with a largely absent mother. On the other hand, Maddie has always lived with her family, has never been romantically involved, and doesn't have much of a social life. Throughout the course of this book, we watch Maddie experience many firsts and "come of age" as a woman while experiencing many of life's dualities.

Maddie's voice is the best thing about this novel. You know who she is pretty deeply within just a few pages, and the pages go down quickly. This also felt fairly YA to me and a tad surface level at times. That being said, this book has so many themes for every reader to relate to. It's funny, it's sad, and I know it's moving some readers greatly. For me, it was a solid 3.5 star read, and I will definitely read this debut author's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / MacMillan Audio Influencers Program for an eARC and early access to the audiobook of Maame by Jessica George in exchange for an honest review.

CW: death of a parent, terminal illness, mental illness, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, racism, grief, biphobia, homophobia, infidelity, see full list on StoryGraph.

This is one of the strongest books I’ve read all year. Our main character, Maddie, is navigating her “second coming of age” i.e. mid-20s, and is trying to figure out her life as a single, working woman, while also caring for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. This novel expertly explores grief and new adulthood in a way that felt reverent and understanding of its unique brand of difficulty. Maddie is so overwhelmed by this process of differentiation from family, as we all inevitably find ourselves, and yet handles being thrown back into the tumult with graceful and honest communication, striving to the best of her ability to be her authentic self.

Maame means woman in Twi. It’s also the name that Maddie’s mother has called her from an early age.
The book was described as humorous. Well, heads up. There’s nothing humorous about the first section of the book. Maddie’s life is depressing - she cares for a father with advanced Parkinson’s, her mother is in Ghana but still is overbearing, her boss is a cruel idiot. I couldn’t figure out why Maddie lies. She tells no one, not even her close friend, how poorly her father is doing. When she hurts her back lifting her father, she even lies to the doctor. But later in the book, even she realizes why she’s doing it and it makes so much sense.
In many ways, she’s very innocent and young for her age. Oh, I wanted to just take her aside and explain things to her. Although, as one of her friends states, some things you just have to go through yourself. As the book progresses, she starts to find her voice and speak up for herself. As one responsible daughter watching another, I was definitely rooting for her.
The book is partially written as if Maddie is speaking directly to the reader. “You’ve now met my mother, so are at least partway to understanding why I can’t tell her…” Other times, it’s just a straight first person narrative. Maddie has an unhealthy reliance on using Google for everything and we are subjected to her searches. Some of the instances were humorous but I also felt like George was trying to make a point but she was hitting me over the head to make sure I got it.
Overall, this was a lovely debut novel with a fully realized main character. It tackles some difficult themes (grief, racism, depression, parental absence) with insight, strength and compassion. I loved the ending.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

A fascinating look into how family cultural expectations can clash with the desire for a life as a contemporary single in London. Maddie Wright is the responsible sibling in a Ghanaian family in London.
Her brother stays distant and her mother spends years in Ghana, leaving Maddie (Maame) to care for her father with dementia. When circumstances allow her to finally move out, she jumps at the chance. What ensues gives us a look at the conflict of young adults attempting to live their lives, while being pulled by families ruled with historical ideas of correct behavior.
I wanted Maddie to succeed, and laughed and cried at her attempts.
I definitely recommend this book and look forward to more by Jessica George.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

Maame is an absolutely amazing debut novel from Jessica George. This is the type of book where the story and the emotions stay with you long after you turn the last page and you just want to tell everyone you know to read it so that you can have more people to talk to about the book. The story is written in a raw and emotion laced way that makes you feel like you are really inside of Maddie's head sensing all of the conflicting feelings fighting for air. Maddie is the glue that keeps her family together even if it means putting her entire life on hold and making sacrifices for people who would not do the same in return. When she is given the chance to finally step out on her own she is forced to ask her self who she is and who she wants to be, without her family. A series of life lessons hit her all at once with tremendous force and threaten to destroy the hope she had for becoming someone new, but its in this darkness that her true self begins to shine through. Maddie is a beautifully complex character that I am sad to leave behind but I'm also happy because of how much she has changed and grown.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

Maddie, a 25-year-old British born Ghanaian, has always been the responsible one in her family. With her mom in Ghana and her brother living his own life, she is the one who is living with and caring for her father who has Parkinson's disease. Her family situation has severely stunted her emotional and social growth so when her mom comes back from Ghana, she jumps at the opportunity to move out. Readers will laugh with her, be frustrated with some of her choices, cry with her, and cheer for her as she navigates family, loss, love, and adulthood.

A lovely debut about a young woman finding herself amidst the pressure of family, culture and society. So much of the writing made me pause and smile - a lovely balance of conveying unique, complex feelings with humor (aren’t the best writers able to do just that?). I loved the way the author described that fine line to walk on between assimilating with life in the world with your family culture. There’s a beauty in that fine line. A wonderful debut. Thanks to St Martin’s for the advanced copy. I’m grateful.

I so wanted to love this book... I did enjoy the first 25% or so, but as storylines start, then are quickly abandoned for other plot points, I got very frustrated.

The main character Maddie has a really tough life, however at 25 she has the naivety of an early teen, as well as zero backbone. I really struggled with how badly she was treated and how she did nothing to discourage it or give herself any respect at all. It really felt very YA-like throughout most of the book.

My biggest issue was how the story kept bringing up "big" issues/topics: relationships/online dating, caring for a sick parent, grief, mental health friendship issues, major work drama, etc- there are even MORE, then just abandoning the topic soon after. And the ending is FAR too neat and tidy, which made me mad as well.

This is not a BAD book, but definitely not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy!

This is one of those "quiet reads" of fiction narrated in the first person which connected with me as a reader. It centers around a young woman of twenty-five named Maddie who lives with her disabled father in London. Her mother mainly lives in her native Ghana running a hostel, only returning to London every other year. The Mom has been wont to call Maddie "Maame" since she was about twelve, a native Twi term for "woman". Maddie's brother James works in the entertainment industry and is a remote sibling- always too busy to help and underfunded to assist financially. Maddie works as an administrative assistant, dividing her time with being a caregiver at home to her father who has Parkinson's disease. There is also a professional carer who fills in the gaps while she's at work, but she's essentially grounded in an existence of responsibility. She hasn't dated in eight years, loves to read and write, and is still a virgin.

Suddenly Maddie's mother decides it's time again to live in London for a year, relieving Maddie from most of her duties for the time being. Mom urges Maddie to move out and get an apartment so that she can live a more normal and freeing life for a young woman her age. Maddie's been put in a position of being the point woman for all the work both financially and as a caregiver for a very long time, so she's a bit disoriented at the thought of changing her life to such a degree. It's like she's navigating uncharted waters with personal relationships such as living with other people as a roommate, dating, job advancement and intimacy. She often Googles questions on these topics to provide answers to these various situations.

In fact she has been taken advantage of by both her mother and brother for years and is also a "people pleaser", trying to make other people happy (because she wishes people would also try to make her happy). It was very interesting "watching" Maddie get her feet wet in new situations, adapting to what is thought to be the normal and correct way of doing things. She learned a lot along the way, but it was very difficult mentally and emotionally, especially when tragedy suddenly hit. I connected on several fronts with this vulnerable yet strong character, and enjoyed this thought-provoking story.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

A poignant debut and a beautiful coming of age story. I identified and empathized with Maddie so much. Even though she is 25, and not a teenager like many coming of age stories, I found this story to more truly reflect a woman growing into her own. On top of that Maddie has to endure racism, cultural bias, and familial expectations. It’s no wonder that she is only just now trying to forge her own path and determine her identity. Women, young and old alike, will find it easy to identify with Maddie and root for her as she defines herself as a woman and what she desires in life. My favorite part was Maddie’s growth over the course of the novel and finally finding her voice and speaking up for herself. This should be on everyone’s must read list for 2023. I hope to see it picked up by book clubs for even wider exposure.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. An excellent story about Maddie (Maame) a young British woman, the daughter of Ghanian immigrant parents, trying to find her way and place in life. The novel unfolded through Maddie’s eyes which drew me in and made me feel like she was a friend telling me her story. The plot was well-paced, the writing flowed well, and the characters well developed.

Maddie’s story touched on many interesting issues - living with a chronically ill parent, grief, mental health, familial relationships, friendship, racism, straddling two cultures, and workplace politics. I was utterly absorbed by this novel and the pages just flew by. A wonderful way to have spent the past day in which it took me to read this very impressive debut. Highly recommend!

Thanks to St, Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Maame is out on January 31, 2023.

My Review ✨

Wow this was a beautiful debut. It was a work of literary fiction that, while not perfect, was great.
Jessica George amazingly encapsulated grief and all it’s aspects so we’ll, I truly felt for Maddie. I have yet to lose a parent but I feel like when I do lose a parent I will feel exactly how Madi did, the raw grief was written so well.
The book wasnt all sad don’t think that, it was a coming of age story with laughable moments, tear jerking moments and moments that made me angry.
I love how it felt like we grew with Madi and I really knew who Madi was as a person deep inside. I loved watching Madi grow and become the best person she could be.
I loved how she reacted to obstacles and just kept fighting. She is an extremely strong person.
just like with grief Jessica George did such an amazing job with encapsulating depression as well.
This was such a thought-provoking Raw book I absolutely loved it - there were some quirky moments and I genuinely enjoyed how Madi would Google everything because I do that too.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫