This is well written. I just couldn't get in to it. Tried to read it when was in the mood for rom coms or thrillers so was just not the right time for me and this book. Will pick it up later when I'm in a different mind set.

Wow! This was a great read. Such heavy topics but aptly interspersed with fun and levity. I laughed, and I cried. It has a very relatable and likeable main character, and you will be rooting for her to the end.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A quick and interesting read about a young Black woman in London, dealing with finding herself, grief, fitting in and family responsibility.
Maddie's mother spends a lot of time in Ghana leaving her to tend to her ill father, while her older brother shrugs off any of his family duties (this I feel!). She also is trying to understand relationships, growing up and standing up for herself.
I liked it, it just felt like something I had read before.

I really loved reading this book. Jessica George has done an outstanding job bringing her reader along on Maddie's (Maame's) path of development. This is a book that is engrossing and easy to read, even while it tackles some really timely (timeless) themes of navigating familial duty, navigating the world as a young, Black woman, navigating friendships, navigating the best way to earn money while still keeping one's self intact... It was just great. I related to it a lot, and I think my students would also relate to it. I would not assign it for a class, but I would definitely recommend that they read it for fun.

Many coming-of-age books center on adolescent protagonists so it was refreshing to have a different perspective. Although Maddie has long been the emotional and financial rock for her nuclear family, the book follows her as she ventures on her own - moving into an apartment with roommates, finding and navigating a new job in a field that interests her, exploring relationships. In addition, there's an additional layer of her immigrant story, her ties to her Ghanaian heritage in a white, British community. As. a reader, we experience Maddie's loyalty to family while she stands on her own. It's an enjoyable read and I especially appreciated the glimpses into her Ghanaian culture.

What a beautiful book- I highly recommend reading Maame by Jessica George. It is about a mid-20 year old, black woman named Maddie "Maame" and her search for freedom/a new career/boyfriend and so much more. She is her father's main caregiver and when her mother returns from Ghana, she is finally able to move out and pretty much start over. It is mixed with love, grief, friendship and a lot of laughter. Some of the one liners had me cracking up! I lost my father suddenly in January 2021 and this book really hit me hard and at times I had to put it down before I could finish. I gave it 4 stars just because she almost felt too sheltered as a 25 year old and some parts dragged a tiny bit- but still one of my new favorites!

This is a good book. It took a minute to get started, but you truly see the world through Maddie's eyes. She is young(ish) and naive to the real world with immigrant parents and a different upbringing. She is her ill father's caretaker by default, with her brother living his life and her mother living in Ghana. She finally gets out into the world and it is a big world. The narrative is told through her eyes, thoughts, and actions. She lays it all out there and you think through everything with her. It is very well done. You get some family strife, but also some funny snippets and a touch of snark when she starts to find herself.

I got to read a prepub copy for my honest review. I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it. I'll probably go to my local indie book store to buy this one in hard copy.

5/5

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

Maame was SUCH a beautiful novel about growth and love and finding yourself and who you want to be apart from your family. Maddie, a “late-bloomer” makes the big leap to live outside of her home for the first time, after having been the sole caretaker of her father with late-stage Parkinson’s and the sole money-provider for her, her father, and her (overbearing) mother in Ghana. Her mother nicknamed her “Maame”, which in Twi, means woman, often because Maddie (although the youngest in her family) was the main caretaker. With this move, Maddie learns to find community in the people around her, does things she had never done before, and begins to discover who she is apart from her being Maame.

I thought this story was so beautifully crafted and took us through such an important part of Maddie’s journey. It was amazing to see how Maddie grew away from being the person who carried everyone on her back, constantly full of guilt and fear of failure, into this confident young woman who stood up for herself and her needs. Her journey of learning to open up to those around her was really special to me as someone who has struggled with the same. I really loved how important community and care were in this story as well- Maddie’s friends were always so supportive of her and always gave her the space to just be. I also adored the romance at the end with Sam, someone who made her feel cherished and seen.

Overall, would so recommend this beautiful story!! <3

I have had a hard time starting my review of Maame because I had such mixed feelings about it. I had a really hard time getting into the story. I didn't love Maddie in the beginning and didn't feel really interested in her life, I was bored. But I am so glad I stuck with it because I absolutely loved the second half of the book! I loved the changes in Maddie, the way she was finally able to stand up for herself and really recognize what she wanted. I loved the complex family dynamics, and especially Maddie's relationship with her father. I loved Nia and Shu. The writing was so beautiful and the story so emotional. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing more from Jessica George.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sharing the digital review copy with me!

A wonderful book but long in places. Maddie lives in London with her father. Her mother is involved with life in her birth place Ghana and not true to her marriage. She goes back and forth between London and Ghana. This leaves a 24 year old Maddie handling her sick father and not exploring life. She begins to experience life and due to circumstances feels guilt. A beautiful read.

Maddie is 25 and the primary caretaker for her father who has advanced Parkinson’s. This means she has spent all of her coming of age years taking care of others. At long last she is given the chance to move out and live her life and it’s a tough learning curve.

So I have mixed feelings about this one. The beginning for me was slow and arduous. The MC is a doormat and it’s infuriating and cringey at times. Which I know is the point but it made it hard to pick up and continue. It wasn’t until about 50-60% of the way in did I get hooked. I couldn’t put it down!!Maddie finally found herself and I was rooting for her! Her character growth is the saving grace here. There are some major truth bombs dropped at the end that I thought were worth highlighting.
I enjoyed the writing style. It felt true to the current twenty something culture. The cover is gorgeous.

This book is heavy on the depression and grief so be aware.

Medium spice 🌶

Maame is set to release February 7, 2023. I think you should pick it up and give it a go.
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica George's debut novel Maame follows a woman in her mid-twenties, Maddie, trying to find herself and have independence while being the backbone of her family. Maame is beautifully realistic, candid, and will have any reader rooting for Maddie in her search for herself.

A realistic coming-of-age story for people who for one reason or another feel like 'late bloomers'. Maddie begins the book caring for her ill father-- and being the only one to do so, even though she has a mother and a brother. After acting basically as his caretaker for almost eight years, she is given a chance to leave home when her mother returns from Ghana. She has to balance living her own life and becoming a 'New Maddie' and the responsibility she feels towards her father while her other family members are not willing to help. The reader follows Maddie's conflicting feelings towards the responsibility she has been given, while still loving her family, and trying to make a life for herself after living for others for so long.

Maame is really one of the most realistic books I have read, in the best way. Its a truly compelling story about grief, family, love, relationships, hardship, living as a black woman, and trying to find oneself. George's style of writing is so personal I had to make sure it was not a memoir-- Maddie's narration really makes you feel as if you two are friends talking to one another and not like she is a character on pages. The many real life elements did not feel overwhelming even when life was overwhelming for Maddie, which I find many authors have trouble balancing. It felt like I was following her busy, quick-changing life while not getting lost. The ending is perfect and makes you so happy for Maddie-- not everything is perfect for Maddie in the end, but when is life ever perfect?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Maame is a tender story of a young lady named Maddie who grew up in a difficult family. Her father was sick with Parkinson’s and her mother was largely absent and her brother, James, was largely absent as well. This left Maddie to care for her father, with the help of a caregiver, leaving Maddie with little time for a fulfilling life of her own. When Maddie is 25, she begins to venture out on her own and she then begins to decide what she wants for her own life. Maame beautifully takes the reader on a journey of grief, duty, responsibility, growing up, and figuring out life and all that it holds. The look at the Ghana culture was also very interesting. This is a well written book. Plenty to laugh about, cry about, think about, and wonder about. A marvelous journey!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica George’s debut novel MAAME, scheduled to be published early February, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press, was a delightful, easy read about a young woman facing difficult life circumstances with grace and aplomb. While just 25 years old, the young protagonist Maddie has spent much of her life isolated, taking care of her severely ill father and their house on her own, raising herself, attending school and graduating from university, earning money and paying their expenses, with virtually no help from her mostly absent mother and older brother. In fact, she’s often called upon to help them with their financial difficulties. It’s only near the end of her 25th year that she’s finally given the opportunity to move out on her own and experience life as an an independent woman, when she finally learns about relationships, sex, and love, and how to assert herself in her relationships with her family and with her work.

I’d like to thank Ms. George, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced free digital copy of MAAME for me to review. The book is well-written and compelling; I empathized with Maddie as she navigated her way through the many obstacles thrown her way, and I cheered her small insights, successes and victories along the way. I’m confident Ms. George will continue to mature in her writing skills and produce even more interesting and complex narratives in the future, and I look forward to reading them

Great look into the life of the daughter of immigrants in the UK. Different experiences than in the US, where I live, but insightful nonetheless. As a teacher, I think that my students could see themselves in the main character, despite the main character being older than they are (she is 25, but in a work and relationship rut).

Maame is a fantastic, heartwarming, hilarious at times, touching (all the good adjectives, really) coming-of-age novel that I’d recommend to anyone. Maddie lives in London and is in her mid-twenties when she begins to spread her wings as an adult after spending much of her life caring for her father who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease with her often-absent mother and older brother not sharing the caregiving load. The novel follows Maddie’s journey as she moves from her family’s home, begins dating for the first time as an adult (with all of its ups and downs), and pursues her career goals in the face of unreasonable bosses, idea thieves, and microaggressions. Reading this novel was like chatting with a good friend, one with a great sense of humor about often difficult situations and circumstances. The prose is excellent, and this was a very fast read for me. I think this would make a wonderful book club book.

Thanks very much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. This was a wonderful read and I’ll look forward to the author’s future works.

A very soulful story from the eyes and mind of the main character Maddie. Her insights on her life are telling and rarely delightful as she painfully comes to terms with all she has been burdened with by her absent mother and brother and with the care of her very ill father. When she finally has the opportunity to move out of her family home, her naivete and her lack of understanding the subtleties of single life create pitfalls and stumbling blocks.
It is a very deep novel and not one to read lightly.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the best kind of book for a bookclub- A lot of thoughts, feelings, and discussion to be had! Highly recommend.

This was a very intriguing coming of age story. It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did it read very quickly. I’m sure that I wasn’t the target audience, but I did really enjoy the story.