Maame by Jessica George is an extremely positive and heartwarming novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. The story follows Maddie Wright, a young Ghanaian-American woman who is struggling to come to terms with the death of her grandmother, Maame. Maddie is forced to take on more responsibility in her family, and she begins to question her identity and place in the world.

George does a masterful job of portraying Maddie's journey of self-discovery. The book is full of humor, heart, and wisdom, and it will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lost or alone. I especially appreciated the way George explored the themes of grief, family, and culture in such a nuanced and sensitive way.

Maame is a must-read for anyone who is looking for a beautiful and uplifting story. It is a book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Here are some specific things that I loved about the book:

- The characters were so well-developed and relatable. I found myself rooting for Maddie and her family, and I felt their pain and joy as if it were my own.
- The writing was beautiful and lyrical. George's words painted such a vivid picture of Maddie's world, and I felt like I was right there with her on her journey.
- The themes of grief, family, and culture were explored in such a nuanced and sensitive way. I learned so much about Ghanaian culture, and I felt a deep connection to Maddie's story.
- The ending was both heartwarming and hopeful. I felt like I had been on a journey with Maddie, and I was so happy to see her find her way.

Overall, I absolutely loved Maame. It is a beautiful, uplifting, and insightful novel that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Maddie is a Ghanaian Londoner who has taken her nickname of "Maame" as a duty to dedicate her life to her family. As she gets a taste of freedom, it feels much like the Amish Rumspringa. She begins to take advantage of what it really means to be young and free all while still feeling the overbearing weight and guilt of needing to take care of her family. A coming to age story that is awkward and endearing. Perfect for fans of family dramas and black fiction.

3.9. Hard to get into and a little boring through through most. It picked up a bit at the end, although I thought the ending was a bit contrived. The premise was good—the young woman who notwithstanding family challenges takes the gauntlet and grows to be fiercely independent on her own terms. A good debut for this author Thanks to Netgalley for proving me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

In this story you follow Maddie as she navigates life on her own for the first time. This is definitely a heavier read but so important. Maddie has to learn how to come to terms with things, stick up for herself, and learn to love herself for who she is/wants to be. The topics that were discussed is relatable in some ways. It was definitely an interesting read and I learned a little about another culture.

I've had this book in my to-read pile for an embarassingly amount of time. With that, let me start this review by saying - Do not be like me. Find your way to this book as soon as possible. This book is just a beautiful and captivating journey through the spectrum of human emotions told through Maddie's life. I don't want to say too much about what those emotions include as what I loved so much about this was how each plot point elicited different feels from her - positive and negative. This was just absolutely fantastic, and I'm so very glad I finally read this. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this one that I waited way, way too long to read. I'm so glad I can now say I've read this one now.

A lovely coming of age book. Nice character driven book. You root for the main character through her struggles in family, love and life.

This is definitely one of those books that stick with you for a long time, and even after finishing it I have not stopped thinking about it. In this book we follow Maddie- who is a 25 year old living in London with her parents who has never really had the opportunity to live life on her own because she cares for her father with Parkinson's disease. So after she's fired from her job she finds another and decides she wants to live her life a little different so she moves out of her parents into a place with roommates. This book was so well written and very accurately displayed what its like trying to figure yourself out in your twenties.

Maame is the story of a Ghanaian woman living in London and caring for her father who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. Her parents are married, but her mother spends much of the year in Ghana. Maame is a nickname, meaning woman. Maddie doesn't like it, as she feels it caused her to grow up too soon.
After Maame moves out, the family dynamic changes, and Maame feels incredible guilt. She has relationships, but they are unsatisfactory. Finally, she meets Sam, but there is a snag, as he is her roommate's friend with benefits.
Maame is the story of a woman dealing with grief and guilt, while trying to find herself.
I enjoyed it.

4.5 stars

What is an eye-opening novel! It’s told an almost a stream of consciousness, narrative by a young woman name, Maddie, a Londoner of Ghana heritage. She stuck between two worlds, the expectations of her family and the expectations of the society she lives in.

As an American, I see our racial struggles, from the point of view of a white woman. This novel demonstrates that the struggles we face here in America are not unique, and how we must make a global effort to be anti-racist.

I loved Maddys growth throughout the novel. The only thing that kept it from being five stars, in my mind, was this sort of glossing over of the hazards as of unsafe sex. Pregnancy is not the only potential outcome, the need to practice safe sec to avoid sexually transmitted infections is ignored.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a slow burning, yet heartfelt coming of age story. Loved the character development and storyline. Highly recommend!

Maame is 25, living in London as her father's caregiver. She is somewhat immature for her age, as she's never left home to live a life for herself. We are taken on a journey of Maame coming into her own. This character really stayed with me.

I especially loved Maame's 'Googling'. The inner workings on her mind really bring her to life.

While the 1st half of the book was rather slow, I was so invested in Maame's life by the end.

This was a top read for me in 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan for the ARC!

This book was different than I expected based on what I had seen on Instagram and other social media sites. It started off slowly for me and I wasn’t sure it was my cup of tea, but then I found myself really rooting for Maddie and invested in her story. Definitely a story with more weight to it, and a lot of potential for good discussion if you’re reading it with a group.

Really enjoyed this heartfelt yet funny novel about family, grief and growing up. The author's note at the end led me to believe this was a bit of an autobiographical story which made it all the more meaningful! The truths in here about family and grief were very profound and it's hard to believe that this is the author's debut novel. It's so polished. I hope she has many more! She has such an authentic voice.

Twenty-five-year-old Maddie lives in London and is the child of Ghanaian immigrants. She is the main caregiver for her father who is suffering from Parkinson’s and she also supports the family financially. Her mother is often in Ghana overseeing family business and her older brother is off chasing a music career. From a young age, Maddie has had unfair responsibilities and unrealistic standards imposed on her. The consequences of growing up too fast caused Maddie to develop a myriad of psychological, emotional, intellectual, and social problems and she understandably cracks under this unbearable weight.

This is a poignant story about coming-of-age in your twenties and learning how to live for yourself. Maddie was such a well-crafted, lovable character who is learning the importance of setting healthy boundaries for herself. I could relate to her character in many ways and was rooting for her to find happiness. This novel celebrates Ghanaian culture and thoughtfully tackles love, loss, depression, grief, racism, identity, sexuality, and personal growth. It’s a beautifully written story with a truly unforgettable protagonist. Highly recommend!

Jessica George did what needed to be done!

If it wasn’t clear, I thoroughly enjoyed Maame. Maddie was a naive and innocent 20 somethings but I didn’t find her annoying. The story felt authentic and the writing was comforting. I think all of the characters were well done even when they didn’t have full backgrounds. I loved the friendship between Nia/Shu + Maddie - really highlighted relationships with women. I appreciated that Maddie got a “happy” ending in every aspect and her exploration with grief. The sex scenes were semi graphic but at least two were uncomfy for me.

Overall, I think this was a great read. Anybody with complex familial relationships could understand and relate to Maddie’s story and should read this book.

Wow. This book was incredible. It will be going on my top books of the year list 100 percent.

Maddie is living in London as the primary caretaker for her father, who suffer from advanced stage Parkinson's. Her brother has moved out, and her mother spends most of her time in Ghana, while still managing to be overbearing. When her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie has the chance to get out of the family home and finally start experiencing life . A Self-acknowledged late bloomer, Maddie makes a list of important "firsts" and is ready to check them off. But just as she is saying yes to all of the things she might say no to in the past, tragedy strikes. Maddie must come face to face with the true nature of her unconventional family, standing up to her boss, and putting her heart on the line.

One of my favourite parts of the book was watching Maddie grow, inserting her voice and becoming stronger. You can't help but root for her. Maddie's therapy sessions are insightful, heartbreaking, and encouraging. The messy relationships in the book are honest, raw, and refreshing.

I was taken back in time when Maddie struggled with new experiences, they were emotional, but at times you couldn't help but smile and silently send encouragement.

Awkward and beautiful, I still can't believe this is a debut novel. I highly recommend the audio, and I thank @librofm for my copy.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for my beautiful physical copy. I can also see why this is a @readwithjenna pick.
and for my Netgalley copy!!
5 ⭐️

This book is beautifully written -- Jessica George is so talented. The evolution of Maddie's relationship with her mother is so heartbreaking but poignant at the same time. Major trigger warning for anyone with a tumultuous relationship with their family but if it doesn't both you this one is definitely worth picking up.

4.5

Loved the British-Ghana audiobook narration for this book. It was a breath of fresh air and such a poignant look at grief and caretaking as a daughter. As she grew into her own, I was routing for her. I can see why so many people (and Jenna) loved this one and this author’s pov for Maame (who goes by Maddie).

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
I couldn’t read this one fast enough. Often, its usually the thrillers or the romance books that I have a tendency to gobble up, but this was one of those books that I couldn’t seem to put down.

I immediately felt a kinship with Maame. Her character was written in such a way that it allowed for an incredibly immersive experience into Maame’s mind, and created a true understanding of her thoughts and feelings. It also offered the opportunity to truly apqpreciate how her Ghanian culture ( and the way that her mother parented ) impacted the way she viewed or behaved in certain situations.

The moniker of “coming-of-age tales” are usually reserved for those grow-up and glow-up novels starting from a young age, but I find these adulthood coming-of-age stories to be incredibly relatable. While your childhood and youth experiences certainly shape your adult lens, so much “growing up” is done in those early twenties. You learn so much about your strengths, weaknesses, and resilience, and it highlights the idea of what it means to know yourself.

I always value a good mental health spotlight and felt like the subject was tackled honestly and realistically, which isn’t always easy to do. I specifically loved the relationships that Maame had with her friends Shu and Nia in this regard, and they showed the power of having supportive people in your life through good times and bad.

There was something about this book that just spoke to me - Maame as a novel and as a character was relatable and distinctive, and I encourage you to pick this book up.

~👩🏻‍🦰

This witty, charming, heartwarming coming of age memoir kept me engaged throughout, and left me with a smile on my face. It’s easy to relate to the life lessons that she encounters as we were all young and inexperienced once.
Maddie, nicknamed “Maame” by her mother, is a second generation Ghanaian living in London. Though she longs to spread her wings and fly, her launch into life has been postponed because of her duty to care for her father, who has Parkinson’s. Her mother has been flying back and forth to Ghana, spending a lot of time there, and has rarely been present or willing to help Maddie with his care. Now Maddie is 25, and her mother has returned to London permanently, so Maddie is finally able to move out and begin trying out her new wings, later in life than most.
Most people can relate to the difficulties of early adulthood, of finding one’s way with jobs, friendships and love for the first time. It is bittersweet watching her experience the ups and downs of all these things. In addition, she also has to navigate between the expectations of Ghanian culture and the necessity of surviving in modern London. She earnestly tries her best to make good choices, but it’s still turbulent. She is a wonderful young woman and I was rooting for her the whole way.
Highly recommended.