First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely ADORED this book! This is a debut and it was so beautifully written and was such a wonderful coming of age novel! I just wanted to give Maddie a big hug for most of this book. What I really loved was how Maddie came into herself and found her voice and her strength. The friendships portrayed were also so special. While this was in most ways very serious, there were so many times I laughed out loud, particularly when Maddie would Google. Also, loved the look into the Ghanaian culture as well. This book is being released in January and it should definitely be a Book of the Month selection! I’m excited to see what Jessica George has for us in the future.

Maame is a beautiful coming of age story. But think of it as more of a late coming of age story as Maddie is in her mid 20s. It is her special circumstances that prevented her from being a careless young person.

Maddie comes from a Ghanaian family. Her mom starts spending every other year In Ghana, running her father's hotel leaving teenage Maddie and her brother with their distant father. And her mom reminds her that their family's business should stay private so at an early age Maddie starts keeping everything to herself. She doesn't open up to her friends. She doesn't have many anyway. Then when she was still very young her father gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Maddie finds herself as the primary care giver. Maddie is clearly lonely and depressed. Then her mom comes back to care for Maddie's father and Maddie finally moves out of the house, gets herself flatmates and starts living like a 20something, Her work life is complicated. She feels like her idea's are being used without any credit. Then there is her love life. She mets someone and this relationship goes places Maddie is not yet ready for. Then the worst happens and her dad dies. Maddie starts to wallow in guilt, self pity and depression.

Maddie's story reminded me of Yinka's in Yinka, Where is Your Husband. Maame is less humorous than that other book. While there are similarities in deeply religious mother's pressuring daughters to meet someone and get married and struggling with both Ghanaian and British identities, Maame leans heavily into, caregiver burnout, loss and grief. Maddie acts very young and clueless sometimes and makes mistakes. That is expected of any coming of age story. What set this apart from the others for me is how well the therapy sections were written. Maddie and her therapist Angelina's conversation were really special and eye opening. Not related to the book but I pictured Angelina as the Doc in Ted Lasso:)

Maddie's family, especially her mother and brother behave terribly towards Maddie for most of the book but there is some sort of growth and redemption for them at the end. The way Maddie's romantic relationships written left much to be desired, It made me feel very sad for Maddie but I was glad she found a better match for herself at the end.

My favorite part about this book was Maddie' and the therapist's discussion on the importance of names in their culture. On how this nickname Maame shaped Maddie's personaity. On how much pressure it put on her. "In many ways, they're given to us in an attempt to speak for our future. It seems there is a link between our names and our supposed destinyWe could apply that thinking to the name Maame: the responsible one. The woman. The mother. Often before her time" and how after doing the work in therapy and starting to heal slightly Maddie recognizes she doesn't actually hates the nickname that it was supposed to be a term of endearment but it was her family that turned it into an excuse. She admits the name made her someone she needed to be so she could find out who she wants to be.

I also liked the random Google searches peppered throughout the book. As I said before Maddie is a young 25yo. She doesn't have a lot of friends so when she has a question, she simply googles. These searches helped to keep the tone of the book lighter.

All in all, I think this was a very good debut.

What a strong and captivating debut novel from Jessica George!

From the first few pages, I was immersed into the life of the main character, Maddie. Her plate is completely full from working full time, taking care of her father who has Parkinson’s while her mother has been in Ghana the past year. From here, things quickly change in Maddie’s life: her mother is coming back among other things I do not want to spoil. While she has been busy being a responsible adult, there are so many things she has not experienced at her age of 25. Her mother coming back home from Ghana allows her to move out on her own and experience these firsts, which of course comes along with their own sets of problems.

Maddie is a really likable character, and I was sucked into experiencing her highs and lows. The author’s writing allowed me to feel the grief and happiness Maddie goes through. I read this book in two days since I wanted to see what would happen. Overall, people and life try to hold Maddie back while she faces various obstacles. Maddie tries her best and sometimes things do not work out for her, just like in life. There felt a uniqueness in this novel and plot. For example, I loved that Maddie would Google things since this is something I do too and could relate, especially since some of the searches were funny. I was kept interested and there were plenty of surprises to keep the plot fresh.

I really hope Jessica George publishes more in the future, since I would definitely read her next book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.

Wow - what a powerful book. This was so well written, I felt like I was feeling all of Maddie's feelings with her. Navigating your 20's is hard, dealing with grief is hard, standing up for yourself is. hard. The way that Maddie handled all of these situations was so authentic - talk about character development.

Maddie grew into such a different person by the end of this book. She started as a timid, naive, people pleaser and slowly grew into a much more confident, authentic version of herself. All of the curveballs that life threw her way made her a stronger version of herself.

This book provided such a good look at life through Maddie's eyes that I was able to learn from this book and become more aware of others' challenges. I genuinely think that this is a book I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I was really excited about this book, as it explores themes of grief, race, family obligation, and self-discovery. I started reading and could not put it down for about the first half of the book. Maddie is engaging and thoughtful as she attempts to write a new life for herself. However, around the midpoint I grew frustrated with passages that read more like "explaining" or "telling" than showing - about sex, work politics, stages of grief, and mental health. It slowed the story down for me and left me feeling meh at the end. I did like the resolution of the story, but the writing did not work for me.

This book was such a welcome and pleasant surprise. I don’t use the word “love” loosely with books much anymore, just because I read so many, but I loved this one. If you enjoyed QUEENIE or GHOSTS I think this one would be up your alley. I really saw a lot of myself in Maddie which I think contributed to my connection with this book, which is largely character driven. I understood her inner thoughts and the difficult positions she was in. Her lack of self-worth and parental guilt is something that we can all understand. Her character arc was redemptive and I felt proud of her by the end. Highly recommend if you’re looking for an emotional, character driven, novel with a variety of very real themes.

Maame, at its core, is a coming of age story about 25-year-old Maddie Wright. At the start of the book, her life in London is far from ideal. She lives at home, is her father’s primary caregiver, and has tension with her mother. When she finally gets the opportunity to to move out, Maddie takes the chance and with that, has to learn how to navigate the “real world” on her own. What follows is a journey about self-discovery as Maddie explores dating, a new job and life living with friends while also being faced with the unexpected.

This novel deals with very important topics like mental health, racism, identity and family relationships. Maddie was a character I instantly liked and while her journey is different from my own experiences, there are pieces of her the are so relatable. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was extremely well done and engaging.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the ALC! Pub 1/31

A lovely, unique coming of age tale. I quite liked Maddie as the protagonist of this story and found a lot of her behavior to be relatable given these circumstances; I especially understood the constant desire to Google answers to burning questions as they present themselves. The story allows for Maddie to see not only herself in a new way through her journey, but also life as well as her friends and family to ultimately figure out who exactly she wants to be as an independent woman. I appreciated the inclusion of Ghanian culture and customs into Maddie's perspective.

What I liked about this book was how much I loved the main character Maddie. Her internal dialogue shows a mature young woman who is wise beyond her years in so many ways and immature for her age in so many others. She is also unabashedly human and oh-so-funny. She has two good friends who have her back and are wonderful side characters. I loved how fierce they were and how they helped and stood up for Maddie.

This is impeccable storytelling, in every sense of the word, with themes of family dynamics, sexuality, race, feminism, and growing as a person as well as up. I hated Maddie's mom, and on a smaller scale her brother, with a passion. Her mother was absent, condescending, and just plain rude. Although she has her reasons, to me they just weren't good enough and came across as excuses.

I enjoyed so much about this wonderfully written, heartfelt, and captivating story. I really loved being on Maddie's journey. What a wonderful debut. I can't wait to see what Ms. George comes up with next!

You will NOT want to miss out on this book. If I had a crystal ball, I would see Maame as a number 1 choice in books to read in 2023. This book is about Maddie, a 25 year old Londoner whose parents are from Ghana. Even though she had a mother and father, and an older brother, she was the responsible one. At a young age, she was responsible for taking care of bills, her sick father and the household while her mother spent time in Ghana. She was also told that family does not tell outsiders about private family matters. Quite the weight to bear for someone still in middle school. When her mother finally comes home to take care of her husband, Maddie is told that it is her turn to live her life, get married and have children. What follows is a year in Maddie's life as she works as a PA and assistant editorial staff. She meets men, makes friends but never really feels happy with herself. Her dad dies, she gives up her virginity and tries to come to terms with her grief. This is not a sad book, but rather the book of a fighter who doesn't give up. She also realizes that she is MORE than she thought she was, which makes this novel rather inspiring. The bits about Ghana culture were very interesting to read. Just a really fantastic book that I couldn't put down once I began reading. This book will undoubtably be put in the category of "coming of age" but don't let that deter you from reading it. I shy away from "coming of age" novels, but this one is SO MUCH MORE. I was blessed to receive an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This opinion is my own.

Maddie is ready to start her own life…while her mother is off in Ghana, Maddie is left to take care of her ailing father who has become debilitated from Parkinson’s disease. She’s twenty-five years old, never lived on her own, and hasn’t even had sex before. Her wings are itching to spread, so when her mom comes back to help with her dad, she takes the opportunity to move out. She is forced to figure out how she wants her life to look and quickly finds her voice. Not only did I love Maddie’s character development, I especially loved how George weaved in so many instances of the Black experience and how Maddie was expected to weave her UK identity in with her Ghanaian background. This was a strong coming-of-age debut and I’m looking forward to George’s future works! (This one comes out January 31, 2023!)

In this story the main character Maddie struggles with many heavy topics, racism, familial duty, mental health, and sexuality. Though the book dealt with a lot of difficult topics, it always kept a hopeful note. I really appreciated the portrayal of mental health issues, and what it feels like to struggle and have people in your family encourage you to ignore it and deny it instead of seeking help. I think so many struggle silently this way and don’t feel like they can seek help or talk about it, and I love how the author addresses this. Maddie was such a likeable character, that I was rooting for from the beginning. This was a beautiful coming of age story. My first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I received ab ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Maame follows the life and blossoming independence of a young woman, who finally has the chance to jump out on her own, get some flat mates, and a new life, when her whole world comes crumbling down. How will she navigate her new world? Will dating finally begin to make sense? Can she finally stand up to those around her?

Maame was flawed in the most human way possible. Instead of exuding immediate resilience in the face of adversity, she crumbled before rebuilding a foundation built to hold up those around her. She learned what it truly meant to be loved, and respected by others, even though it took hurt to get to that point.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful debut by Jessica George!

I am a white woman in her 40s with degrees in science. From the outside looking in, I have nothing in common with the main protagonist. Maddie is a Black, 25-year-old with Ghanaian roots living in London, trying to find her way in life and the publishing world...and herself. However, I'm not sure I've ever resonated this much with a character before; I felt incredibly seen by Ms. George, something I've struggled with my entire life. I spent a lot of time reading about Maddie's coming of age against the backdrop of grief and guilt through very teary eyes (and some laughter). Maddie is an incredibly endearing, authentic, and strong protagonist (even when she doesn't realize it) and you will spend this whole book rooting for her and the people that support her and actually SEE her. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Ms. George writes with such a gentle touch, especially on topics of depression/mental health, race, and of course, grief. I still have some complicated feelings about Maddie's mother, but I suppose that's kind of the point. Maddie deals with that relationship with much more grace than maybe her mother deserves, but I think it also speaks to a certain level of maturity that Maddie has had for a long time despite her young age.

This is one of those books that I will end up buying a hard copy of because I want it to live on my shelves with my other favorites. I look forward to adding more novels from Ms. George as she writes them!

Wow, what an incredible read! It's amazing how you can feel a strong connection to a character even if you don't necessarily have a lot in common. The level I was invested in Maddie and understood where she was coming from is a testament to good writing. Judging by the other early reviews, I'm not the only one who fell in love with Maddie.

With her mother spending most of her time in Ghana, and a brother who is never around, Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father who is suffering from Parkinson's. With work and responsibilities at home, she hasn't exactly been out there living her life to the fullest. But with her mom back in London, Maddie is determined to push herself and maybe finally experience some important "firsts". But nothing ever comes easily, right?

Maddie getting a somewhat late start in truly living for herself is something that really resonated with me and why I rooted for her every step of the way. I ran the gamut of emotions with this one. The bits of humor helped lighten the tone so the story wasn't quite as heavy as it could have been given the subject matter.

My review can't do this book justice as it was such a meaningful reading experience that I can't quite put into words. Just go out and read the book!

Oh how I wanted to love this book. The cover is beautiful and the synopsis is promising. However, most of it was just ok for me. I struggled with Maddie the MC. As a 25-year-old who has run her family for years, she's beyond naive. Within her family, she was able to care for her ailing father and shoulder all of the struggles associated with being the parent figure but her life outside her family was fairly frustrating. Perhaps it was intentional that she presented as a teen because her development was stunted due to familial obligations but it made her fairly intolerable for 70% of the book.

I devoured this book in one sitting! Jessica George totally submerged me in Maddie/Maame’s mind from the first moment. I felt her frustrations and sorrow being left alone to care for her ailing father while trying to take care of herself. From such a young age, her emotions and needs were pushed to the bottom, from without and within. When we meet her, she doesn’t know who she is and who she wants to be. That journey was so real and so raw, in almost equal parts naive and profound. I was rooting for her as she connected to her feelings, found her voice to express herself, and ultimately learned to love herself and her life.
Thank you, Jessica George. Your work is a masterpiece and in my top 10 books of 2022! 🏆
*Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance ebook for review.

**Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book.

Jessica George's first novel is a powerful one. There is so much happening in this book, from traditional and cultural values coupled with family dynamics to self-growth, independence, navigating romantic situations, and more. Beautifully woven together, the novel follows Maddie, a 20-something Ghanaian woman living in London and taking care of her ailing father, who is battling late-stage Parkinson's. With an absent mother and brother, the physical and financial burden falls on Maddie, or "Maame's," shoulders.

To see Maddie grow, learn, pivot, and grow some more throughout the course of the book feels so incredibly real. Her internal struggle is one that feels incredibly relatable. Family is complicated, establishing your independence and finding your place in the world is complicated, romance is complicated, friendships are complicated... there's so much explored throughout this novel that is sure to resonate with many readers. I'm also a stickler when it comes to how books end, and this one ended in a really satisfying way—which I don't say often!

You will not regret picking up this book. I can't wait for her to write more!

4.5 I absolutely loved the voice of our protagonist, Maddie. Maddie is in her mid-twenties, living in London and lives a pretty dull life. She is the caretaker for her father who has Parkinson's while her older brother always seems to have more important things to do and her mother lives in Ghana to run the family hostel business. This leaves Maddie to take care of the things that really matter and need to be done, because no one else will do it.

Maddie has little to no social life, and her career isn't what she had hoped for with her undergraduate degree. She 100% cares most for the comfort of her father, to take care of him, to cook for him and do all the basic household needs. Maddie is such an outstanding woman. She is quiet, responsible, cares more about others needs over her own, she is smart, she is considerate, and she's a bit socially unaware. Unaware because she has been so confined to her family by her own choice, but also need.

Maddie decides she needs to move on and do something for herself. Take care of herself, live on her own etc. With that she learns many hard lessons, perhaps a little late in life.

The writing was so easy to read. The words basically slipped off the page as I was so interested in Maddie and her wellbeing. I almost feel like she's a family member now that I've finished the book. I just love her and want the best for her. She learns what true friendship looks like. She is put in some really hard situations and I wept for her as she navigated those.

This is such a heartfelt, hard, yet loving book. This would make for a great book discussion at book club. I don't say this much, but I didn't want the book to end!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance e-copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this novel. The story deals with family dynamics, grief, depression, guilt, regrets, and growth. The main character, Madeline/Maddie touched my heart, and her story and experiences are something that will stick with me.

Maddie is also called Maame by her mother, which in the Twi language can mean woman. For most of Maddie's life, she has been the woman of her family and that title has translated into the responsible one, the caretaker, the fixer, the family's financial resource, etc. Having those roles has really denied Maddie a childhood and being free to live her own life. For the past several years, Maddie has been the primary caretaker for her dad, who has Parkinson's disease. Maddie's mom spends most of her time in Ghana taking care of a family hostel and her older brother is off living his own. life. Because of this, Maddie spends most of her time at home and doesn't date, have very many close friends or the normal experiences of a 25-year-old.

As the story unfolds, we watch Maddie denying her own true feelings, pleasing others and suppressing her own anger/grief. At a point in the story, a tragedy unfolds, and we watch Maddie hit her breaking point and all of the emotions associated with it.

Maddie is a strong person and although her life isn't easy, she is resilient. You don't want to miss this inspirational story and find out more about Maddie's journey.