I love it when books I read seem to come at the right time. Maame felt that way for me.

In this book, we meet Maddie (called Maame by her family) who is a sheltered, 25-year-old who has always been the responsible one in her family and has not done much to push herself or put herself first. Throughout the book, we follow her journey as the "new" Maddie as she works through grief, heartbreak, and rejection.

"Some things you're not meant to be save from...some things have to be lessons"

I've read many books where the main character goes through something difficult, learns a lesson, and we get a window into how they're processing. Maame approached that same trope but with more innocence because Maddie as a character is more naive. Maddie working through something seem more raw and real because she was unsure of what to do with her emotions and did not realize if what she was feeling was depression. George handled these topics with mastery and reading how Maddie approached these difficult emotions helped me work through some of my own.

I highly recommend this book if you like reading stories about family dynamics, coming of age stories, and books that make you think more deeply about the world.

I found myself continuously impressed with this story as it progressed. Each character was well developed and vivid, and their dialogue and encounters were realistic and moved the plot along nicely. I’m failing to put into words how much this book wow’d me.

Our MC is Maddie Wright, a mid twenties British Ghanaian woman who has been caring for her ailing father since she was a teenager. Putting her own life experiences on hold while her mother and brother live out their lives. She is encouraged by everyone to move out and start living her own life, without said encouraging people offering to help with her father. However, she finally does so early on in the book. Cue self discovery and experiencing some “firsts”.

There is so much to digest in these choices she feels she can and cannot make. The cultural aspect - especially the cultural stigma around mental illness, was well depicted and I’m happy to see this topic being shared more.

Maddie’s voice in particular, her silent humor and wit, was perfectly done. Her character shows that a woman can be self-aware and intelligent while also being depressed. Both can be true. I loved her. I get it.

The humor sprinkled throughout worked. I especially enjoyed her Google searches. I related to the crazy ride that is grief and I felt the cultural obligations in my bones.

For fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maame, the debut novel by Jessica George, is a gem of a book about coming of age and finding yourself. It is both hopeful and heartbreaking. Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book absolutely broke my heart. This is not a light book by any means, but it does have its own light moments. It was so beautiful and tender and I loved every minute of it.
After I finished reading, I realised that I have found a new comfort read.
Highly recommended!

I got this from Netgalley, so I feel obligated to do more than just rate it. I really didn't enjoy the first two-thirds of the book because I found Maddie so annoying and frustrating. I know plenty of people with self-esteem issues (including myself), but I don't think I've ever known anyone quite that bad at life.

Posted 8/4/22 on Goodreads

A wonderful and poignant coming of age story that highlights the complexity of grief and depression, love and family and the struggle of attaining self acceptance and respect. Maddie is a deeply relatable character navigating her mid-twenties after being the sole caretaker of a increasing ill father. This novel explores numerous heavy topics such as subtle racism and grief after losing a loved one via a lonely but loveable narrator.

Maame is extremely fresh, engaging, powerful novel! It’s about family, grief, self growth, guilt, regrets, starting over! It’s inspirational, memorable, unique, playing a marvelous melody with the strings of your heart, embracing your soul, presenting a different approach!

Maddie Wright is not happy to grow up early, carrying extra responsibilities of life! At the age of 25, most of her friends left the city for going to the college, flirting, partying, going out, sharing a loft with room mates, exploring the life, traveling around the world.

For last 8 years Maddie’s life completely changed after finding out her father’s Parkinson diagnosis. Her mother kept leaving the country to help her brother in Ghana to take care of family business for at least one year and coming back later as her brother kept spending time with his friends’ family for years.

And now her father’s health condition gets deteriorated as her brother keeps making excuses not to visit his family home and her mother keeps insisting she’s so busy in Ghana unless she calls for borrowing money from Maddie’s saving account!

She is the only one who takes care of her father, getting trapped in PA job at theater company, dealing with the mood swings of her boss.

Her mother calls her Maame which is a word in Twi language with different meanings. But most common meaning is woman and Maddie resents her nickname because she doesn’t live her life as a naive, inexperienced young girl and directly grew up to be a woman.

But now she has an opportunity to take a break from her all responsibilities and do things like other 25 years old young woman do! Her mother flies back from Ghana and advises her to move another apartment to live her independent life. For the first her mother will be the one who will take care of her own husband!

This means Maddie can start from fresh. She already made her list.
Here’s the new Maddie’s independence manifesto:
-Drink alcohol when offered
-Always say yes to social events
-Wear new clothes
-Cook new food
-Have different experiences (Travel? Brunch?)
-Try weed or cigarettes at least once (but don't get addicted!)
-Wear makeup
-Go on dates
-Lose your virginity.
Challenge accepted! Maddie is ready to shine! But you know what they say: you make plans and God laughs!

There’s a new and more challenging chapter is about to open in Maddie’s life. Will she get through new challenges life throws at her?

This is incredible, thought provoking work with genuine and realistic approach to the grief, dysfunctional family relationships, becoming minority at the work place, exploring sexuality, romantic involvements, your capabilities and your unfinished search for happiness.

During my reading I felt for Maddie! I gritted my teeth when I witness her communication with her family members and some of her friends. I felt sad for her but I also respected her!

Overall: this well written, perfectly developed book definitely deserves five stars or more!
I loved Maddie’s compelling journey!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Maame means woman in Twi, and it is also Maddie’s nickname since childhood. She’s been struggling under the weight of her family’s expectations for her entire life. She is a caretaker for her ailing father, a main financial contributor for the family, and the one who is present and dependable. Not only that, but Maddie wants to figure out who she truly is and what she wants out of life. Throughout the course of the novel, Maddie is faced with difficulties such as grief, depression, regret, and racism in the workplace and in relationships. Her strength, wit, and inner monologues will resonate with so many.

This is an achingly beautiful, tender hearted debut novel. I truly loved it. It’s such a well written coming of age story embedded with loss, grief, romance, friendship, and finding the place and people you belong with. Maddie is a narrator who you can relate to, laugh with, cry with, and empathize with. Ultimately, this story is full of heart, laughs, tears, and satisfaction. I’d recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m so grateful!

MAAME by Jessica George is a coming of age story about Madeline, a British Ghanian woman. At twenty-five, she is still living at home and caring for her father with Parkinson's disease. When her mother announces that she will be coming back to England after spending a year in Ghana, Maddie decides to move out for the first time and become a "New Maddie." MAAME explores what it's like to be a young Black woman dealing with life's neverending curve balls.

I struggled with this book because I find Maddie to be an unlikeable character. She lies constantly, and she doesn't think about how her actions will affect others. She also lets other people walk all over her, which annoyed me because I really wanted her to stand up for herself. Maddie does grow and mature as the book goes on, but the changes do not appear until the last few chapters.

Moreover, I feel like MAAME tries to tackle too many topics within one book. For instance, the story discusses race, grief and death of a loved one, mental health, sex and relationships, family issues, friendship issues, work issues, etc. There was so much going on at once, and I think the book would be stronger if it focused on a few of these important issues instead of glancing over all of them. The discussions on race, grief, and mental health are especially helpful, and I wish they were further explored. I loved learning about Maddie's Ghanian culture, and how she sometimes has trouble fitting it into her British life.

Overall, MAAME is a solid debut novel by Jessica George. While it was tough to follow Maddie's trials and tribulations, I think that in the end she does become a "New Maddie," even if it's not the version she expected.

Writing: 5/5 Plot: 5/5 Characters: 5/5

In Twi (one of the languages spoken in Southern and Central Ghana), Maame means “woman” or “mother” or “Responsible One”. And that is the name by which Maddie is known (and treated) within her (somewhat dysfunctional by many standards) family. This story of the 25 year old dutiful daughter of Ghanaian immigrants in London is beautiful, insightful, humorous, and utterly engaging. Maddie is finally ready to strike out on her own after several years of caring for her Parkinson’s debilitated father whilst her brother and mother have managed to find urgent excuses to be elsewhere. With a new job, a new apartment (with new flatmates), and a few boyfriend experiments, Maddie feels ready to transpose herself into “fun” Maddie and “happy” Maddie, though her true (intentionally stifled) feelings alway manage to seep through. With deft and spare prose, the book delves into deep issues of how we become the selves we want to be, rather than the selves that have unintentionally emerged while we were making other plans.

The story explores the roots of Maddie’s desires and unhappiness — seen through the lens of multiple cultures, friends, family, religion, and … the ultimate source of all knowledge … Google. Some honest and new (to me) discussions of racism, from a personal point of view rather than a strident, social justice approach. I loved the first lines: “In African culture — Wait, no, I don’t want to be presumptuous or in any way nationalistic enough to assume certain Ghanaian customs run true in other African countries. I might in fact just be speaking of what passes as practice in my family, but regardless of who the mores belong to, I was raised to keep family matters private.” In one fell swoop George outlined Maddie’s personal context in the many layers of identity to which she belonged.

I absolutely love George’s writing. Great structure with most of the content deriving from interactions (in-person, text), reflections (including some great conversations with “subconscious Maddie” who can be quite flippant bordering on rude), and extensive (and intriguing) “conversations” with Google. I love her use of vocabulary — the exact right word at the exact right spot in the prose. I love that Maddie’s flirtation with one man made extensive use of accurately placed semicolons. I loved Maddie’s Voice — so real and so individual. The language conveys essence and experience skillfully, without resorting to tricks of plots and constant emotional tugging. It feels genuine — that rarest of literary attributes.

So many excellent quotes — here are just a few:

“When Waterloo station approaches, I brace myself for another day at a job Google itself has deemed deserving of a bronze medal in the race to unhappiness.”

“We were friendlier at first, joked around a bit more, but that dried up like the arse of a prune on a date and time I still can’t stick a definitive pin in.”

“For some reason, at night, when you’re meant to be sleeping, your brain wants answers to everything.”

“It’s mentally exhausting trying to figure out if I’m taking that comment on my hair or lunch too seriously. It’s isolating when no one I know here is reading the Black authors I am or watching the same TV shows.”

“Still, that doesn’t change the fact that although I didn’t think I’d be rich I expected to be happy and the failure to do so has left me gasping for air most of the day.”

“I only suffer a few hiccups, mainly with the printer because they’re all bastards and will likely lead the technological charge in the eventual war against humans, but I’ve finished everything before Penny returns from her last meeting of the day.”

“I’d googled what to do when your flatmate is dumped by someone they’re casually seeing, but Google seemed very confused with at least two parts of the sentence.”

“I know what to do, how not to bring attention to myself. I’m skilled in assimilation, though my subconscious is quick to remind me that it’s nothing to be proud of. I have spent the entirety of my professional life in predominantly white spaces. As a bookseller, a receptionist, at the theater, and now a publishing house. Over the years, my instinct has been to shrink myself, to make sure I’m not too loud, to talk only about subjects I feel well versed in.”

“She frowns. ‘I don’t know why you’re offended. Gold-diggers are our nation’s hardest workers; do you know how much effort goes into pretending to give a shit about some guy for his money? A lot. Hoes are Britain’s unsung heroes.”

“It’s about what love is. Which is trust, commitment, empathy, and respect. It means really giving a shit about the other person.”

“I’m late, arriving halfway through, and he’s speaking Fante, which when spoken quickly is like trying to catch bubbles before they pop.”

“I cut the conversation off there because the way I see it, apologies only benefit the beggar. They get a clear conscience, and I get a sequence of hollow words incapable of changing anything.”

“Okay,” she says, and for a word that is often spelled with only two letters, she makes each syllable work hard. I slightly hate her.”

“I think when working in white spaces we can feel programmed to not rock the boat; like, we got a foot in the door and we should try to keep that door closed behind us. Which means you begin assigning any and all problematic issues to just being a part of the job….”

Maame is one of the best books I've read all year. I am so glad I was approved to review it, and will absolutely post about it on my Bookstagram/review for Goodreads... review for Amazon... and wherever else I happen to be eligible.

This book, a coming of age/troubled twenties story about the 25-year-old British daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, was absolutely wonderful. As the eldest daughter of an refugee... there was a lot I could relate to in this book. But whether you had similar experiences in your family or not, there was something in this book for everyone, from beginning to date to making friends to figuring out a new workplace to moving in with new roommates. I genuinely think there's something in it for everyone.

The author absolutely nails the main character, Maddie. Her voice sounds authentic, witty, and aware of everything going on around her, even when people seem to think that she doesn't see it because she's on the quieter side. Maddie's having new experiences throughout the book, and reflecting on them as she goes. Maddie's emotional range is written beautifully - from guilt to joy to anger to just being so overwhelmed, everything felt really well done.

This book has a lot of events happen, but I wouldn't say it's plot-driven - it's definitely a story about Maddie growing up. Still, I thought the events were handled well, and the side characters were allowed to have depth that you don't always see.

This is a great book. Highly recommend.

When I think of women'sfiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

If you read only ONE book this year, READ THIS BOOK!

Oh my goodness...this book is so good. I loved it. I loved that the character had so many tragic things happen and she still pushed on. I absolutely loved how she would google things that she was uncertain of.
My heart went out to the character to all of her burdens from taking care of family, taking care of herself, her friends, her work....yet everything always seemed to backfire.

I think this book is going to win a TON of awards and it should. The writing is beautiful, the emotions are raw and unburdened, and I think that just about every single person on this planet should read the book!

I love a good coming of age story and this debut novel started off strong.

Maame, also known as Maggie, spends most of her time caring for her father with Parkinson's, while her mother is in Ghana and her brother lives his own life. But, being in her mid-twenties, Maggie wants more for herself. She moves out in an attempt to create her own path, but struggles with the guilt of her newfound independence overshadowing her family commitment.

You don't read about the Ghanian culture very often, so I enjoyed this aspect of the book. For me, however, things started to derail when one too many characters came into the picture. It just took away from the story and made this just an ok read for me. Props for the cover.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I felt this was an absolutely wonderful book. We really got to learn about the main character of Maame/Maddie, as she went on a quest to know herself. I felt the family and career aspects of the book were both on target and I found this book hard to put down as I just had to know what happened next. Modern and current topics were dealt with with just enough emphasis without shoving anything down my throat. The chapters were just the right length and I found the writing style pleasing. I also felt that as a book based in England it was very readable for an American; sometimes British books are too heavy handed for me,, Having just experienced a similar situation in my life also gave it a lot of relevance, I would highly recommend this novel!

This is a perky, contemporary read about Madeline, known to her famile as Maame. She is British with Ghanaian ethnicity and is working to put her heritage together with her experience of being raised in Britain. The main struggle in the book is finding out who she is, as she has often put aside her own needs or desires to be the glue holding her family together.

There is a lot to like about the book. The voice that the main character tells the story in feels fresh and flows well. The subject, about race and identity is important and a good way to get a view into what that life could be like. However, I also felt that the book had several flaws. The majority of the book is Madeline struggling to figure out who she is, and making increasingly poor choices. I some point, I wanted to be like "girl, you need help, what are you doing". It seemed like most of the book was her just being naive and getting in deeper and deeper, then without any real development/character arc she suddenly pulls herself up and starts to get back on track. It didn't have the gradual build and change of a book like Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I found the mother extremely annoying, and both her and the brother a little over the top. I would also personally have loved if it went deeper into Ghanaian culture or experience; although perhaps that is out of the scope of what the book is about

Although I did enjoy the book overall, it really slowed down and didn't leave me with the feeling that I'd been on a deep emotional journey. Still, the writing was interesting and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it

Author Jessica George has set the bar high with this first foray into the world of literary fiction-meets-women's lit. Maame is surprisingly mature for a debut, which is owing to the strength of its central character's voice. Maddie is contemporary in her existential angst and listlessness, yet she possesses a real depth, stemming from having to become an adult at far too young an age. I think the juxtaposition between her having taken on so many responsibilities, but also being so far behind in other ways, is what makes the character most compelling. She's seen so much, but also has so much to learn in terms of exploring her body and sexuality, and navigating the world of living on your own. My only fault with the novel was that it does feel quite bleak for most of its duration, so it wasn't a book I was excited to keep coming back to each chapter-- it was good, but not enjoyable, if that makes sense? It also annoyed me that when there's a tiny windfall of money, the only 'socially acceptable' thing to do with it is to give it to charity... If it had been millions, I would've completely understood the altruistic approach, but it felt like at such a small amount, it wouldn't have made a dent in a charity, whereas it could've been something that helped ease the burden on Maddie's day to day life.

I think this will be a real hit for fans of such books as: You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, Sorrow and Bliss, These Impossible Things, and Nightcrawling. The central character isn't as sexually liberated as some of the women in the aforementioned books, nor does she have as much edge-- she's far more depressed, a la Sorrow and Bliss or something you might see in an Ottessa Mossfegh novel.

Maame is such a deep and powerful book. Maddie’s self-discovery is so heartbreaking and beautiful. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and thought they were all relate able. The author handles many complex issues wonderfully.
Highly recommended for readers who like coming-of-age stories.
Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Maame is the progression of a young sheltered woman who is about to embark on an awakening. The awakening of herself. It’s a slow read with impactful moments that aren’t filled with theatrics. Just day to day interactions with those around her and the simplicity of it is what actually is the beauty of this book. I was half way through when I thought hmmm… will this pick up but quickly realized “it” (the magic of books) was happening all along. I absolutely loved the character of Maddie. Quirky and innocent and brave. She reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant and Molly from Prose’s The Maid. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how she developed into a true maame. This would make a great bookclub book. So much to unpack!

I absolutely loved this book! I highly enjoyed how Maddie’s character was so relatable and how she confronts coming of age that provides current life scenarios intertwined with the right amount of humor!!!! It’s phenomenally written to the point where it struck a nerve and had me tear eyed from time to time. If I could re-read this for the first time I would, can’t wait for it to be released so I can get a copy.