I’m so happy I came across this book! I devoured it in a single day. I loved Maddie’s character. I loved how vulnerable and open she was. Even with having different childhood backgrounds, I found her character to be so relatable; in that she always put pressure on herself to be the best version of herself and was a bit of a homebody afraid to try new things.
I liked seeing her step out of her comfort zone and her grief after her father passing. I loved how the story was written and will be recommending this book to others!

🇬🇭 BOOK / REVIEW 🇬🇭

Y'all. This book 🥰 I am freaking obsessed with Maame - what an incredible, funny, charming, heartwarming and also REAL book. I did not have this one originally on my radar and was immediately drawn to the bright colors and graphic book cover. The story was just the icing on top!

This book deals with a lot of complex issues - caring for a loved one with Parkinson's, moving out and being independent at a slightly older age, difficulty finding yourself while also seeking love (and losing your virginity along the way), as well as the power of incredible female friendship. I love the culture and history woven into this book as well.

I really, really loved this one. It was an easy and rather quick read - a great poolside book!

I didn't know what to expect going into this book. It was an interesting premise, and the cover grabs you. We meet Maddie, 25, lives at home and on the precipice of a whole new world. She navigates her father’s Parkinsons, struggles with her distant brother and mother, roommate drama, switching jobs, dating. It's raw and real and while I'm very different from Maddie I could relate to her so hard. All of the internal conversations she has, the overthinking, the not wanting to be lonely but scared of putting yourself out there. This book made me cry. In public. On an airplane. So much of this utterly wrecked me while still having messages of hope! I had no idea what i was getting into but I found myself loving every page, every nuance of Maddie and reading this was looking into her soul. This book will stay with me for a long time I can already tell.

Maame, a.k.a. Maddie, is 25, but with an old spirit. Maame means "woman" in Ghanaian, and Maddie feels like she's been asked to be a woman from the moment she could walk. When she was a child, maame felt like a compliment. Now, in her mid-twenties, having never lived away from home, had a serious boyfriend, drank alcohol or smoked a single cigarette, her nickname has started to feel like a burden. Maddie is the responsible one. Her brother, James, is hardly around. James travels and spends money with impunity; he never worries about the rising financial and emotional costs of caring for their father who has been disabled by Parkinson's Disease. Maddie's relationship with her mother is a roller-coaster. Loving, but filled with pressure: <i>can Maddie send some money to her? When will Maddie marry? Maddie should stop spending all her time at home taking care of her father. Has Maddie been going to church?</i> Mom spends most of her time in Ghana, helping run a family business, but to Maddie it feels like an evasion of responsibility.

The reader immediately learns Maddie is depressed. She is one of the few Black employees at her job and is faced regularly with micro-aggressions. Her boss is mentally ill, but Maddie is supposed to ignore it, even though it often causes Maddie to take the blame for something she didn't do wrong. In spite of her heavy life, Maddie manages to carry on. But you know, as does she, that she is not really okay. Maddie is just not allowed to talk about it, so she evades, tells white lies and lies of omission, and Googles how to live more happily.

I loved Maddie's character. It was easy to sympathize with her, root for her, and want her to find satisfaction. Even though the story is about someone in their mid-twenties, it felt a lot like a coming-of-age story to me because we are watching Maddie come into her own in the same way, only it's on a delayed timeline. Maddie's girlfriends Shu and Nia are wonderful; we all deserve friends who love us as unconditionally as these two women love Maddie. I also enjoyed the hints of Ghanaian culture, the sentiments about being a first-generation immigrant, and the ways Maddie learns the difference between a silent 'ally' and an active anti-racist.

There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments for me despite the threads of sadness that wind their way through the book's entirety. I've shared some of those quotes below. Triggers for painful sex, racism, depression/mental illness. Highly recommend. Thank you. to the author & publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some favorite quotes:
<i>"I see that they don't make an effort to recycle, so sadly they themselves are trash."

"I almost tell her that fun doesn't equate to happiness; at the very least, it lends you happiness and I want to know how to keep it."

"Sometimes I lie in bed at night and briefly wonder what it was I did to her, even though it doesn't bother me enough during the day. For some reason, at night, when you're meant to be sleeping, your brain wants an answer to everything."

"If you have the suite in your wardrobe, an opportunity to wear it will present itself. I'm certain that's how manifestation works. </i>
<b>Google</b>: Where do you wear a yellow suite?
To work.
On a date.
To a wedding.
The theater.
Around the house, like the bad boss, bitch that you are.
</i>Right. Add to basket then."

"'Do you believe in God?'
'Yeah, course. Got to.'
'Why?'
'Because,' she says, 'I can't carry on living believing human beings are as good as it gets.' She looks at me. 'We're the worst.'"

"'A person's troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them.'"
"

This is the story of Maddie a young woman living in London and her experiences of looking to branch out on her own while balancing the responsibilities that have been put upon her by her family. Maddie's family is Ghanaian and stress the importance of keeping family matters private, which makes it hard for Maddie to truly connect and be honest with friends. Maddie is finally given the opportunity to live on her own and enters the world of dating, living with flat mates and finding a career. This book was funny, heartbreaking and I couldn't put it down.

I read this book in one day. I found the main character very likeable in her innocence. I also highlighted quite a few memorable lines from the book which is rare for me. Overall I would give this book a solid A.

This story made me laugh and made me cry. The characters were vivid in my mind and I was engaged from the first page. The plot was believable and I couldn’t put the book down!
The girl in me celebrated this lovely young woman and the grandmother in me wiped a tear from my cheek. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Maame. I am impressed that this is the author’s debut novel. I found it to be extremely moving.

This book about family dynamics and how the protagonist overcomes challenges and finds her voice. She is really lovable and you can’t help but root for her.

Highly recommend

Maame is a charming and compelling coming-of-age story that stands out because of its darling, vulnerable, and completely lovable protagonist Maddie.

We follow Maddie as she tells us about her life as a 25-year-old Black woman in London. She lives with her father and helps care for him (he has Parkinson’s). Her brother is busy gallivanting around the world as a member of a musician’s entourage. Her mother is in Ghana, seemingly avoiding being in London as much as possible while still managing to boss Maddie around via text message and phone calls. Maddie works in a publishing house and she can’t quite place it, but senses she might not be treated fairly. One day, she decides it is time to gain more experiences, to move out of her familial home, to start dating, to really start living…

It was a joy to root for Maddie as she discovers more about her needs and wants. Maame is a moving portrayal of love, grief, and self-discovery.

Highly recommend this gem of a novel! Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

If this book does not make major booklists, I will be shocked. It would also be an excellent choice for a book subscription club. Maame is much more than a coming of age story. I'm surprised by short reviews stating Jessica George's book is entertaining. (Don't mistake this Jessica George for Jessica Day George who does write entertaining young adult books.) Entertaining to me suggests one is amused for a couple of hours and then forgets what is read and moves on. Maame is far more than the typical rom-com. It's what you hope a solid fiction book will be. Yes, I chuckled at the beginning...until situations started happening to Maddie (Maame) that weren't good.. Journeying with Maddie is eye opening and heartbreaking until it becomes eye opening and heart encouraging. Non-fiction books by underrepresented voices are flying off the shelves (and for good reason). Jessica George's book Maame takes some of the same non-fiction realities and reaches into the heart and soul of the reader.

Themes for a book club to discuss abound: caregiving, employment and social injustices, family relationships, friendships, love/romance/sex/distorted romance. Take that last and realize there can be triggers in this book including the real sense of grief.

I almost only gave the book four stars. There is a moment in the book where a mom is offended by a particular phrase. I won't write more than that, not because it is a plot spoiler but because it is a moment worth experiencing fresh. The lack of the final star would be to honor my mother who doesn't read books with sex in it (or books with the 'f' word). I changed my mind after having coffee with friends and discussing reaching young women about sex trafficking. Sex trafficking does not happen in this book, but discussing that situation made me realize that the sex in this book has its place for good reasons. It's not there to be entertaining. I know my first thought after reading the first sex scene was that I wished my high school girls would read this book before heading off to college. (Good luck with that.) It's not for middle school students, but anyone currently reading rom-coms has no excuse for not reading Maame on the basis of sex in the book.

The writing is excellent: I was caught up in the story. I cared about the characters who seemed quite real to me: rounded and complex. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. The publication date is Feb. 6, 2023.

I was asked to review “Maame” by Jessica George, which was taunted as a “moving” coming of age story.

Maddie, like many twentysomethings, has found out being a grown up can really suck. Besides a difficult job, she struggles to care for her critically ill dad while her mother manages to be domineering even from long-distance Ghana. Needing a change, she flees the nest so she can experience more of a “normal” life of a young woman, but it’s not so easy to escape her upbringing. Can Maddie achieve her dreams while still satisfying her family’s needs (or does the latter even matter?)

There is a lot to love about this story, in particular the character of Maddie who is the right balance of quirky but also fragile. The author does an awesome job of balancing the heavier subjects with plenty of humor. I also learned a lot about the Ghanaian culture.

Maane is available February 7, 2023. Thank you Jessica George, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this novel.

Wow!!! Amazing!!! I did not want this novel to end. Maame was a different type of coming of age story because the main character is older. However, she is still relatable because she is realistic. I am looking forward to part 2.

I wasnt sure if i would like this book or not but i LOVED it. It was a quick and entertaining story.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
Wow, I was really blown away by this debut novel. The writing and the emotions hit me so hard while reading this book. Maddie is an amazing character and is so raw and real that I connected with her almost immediately. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

WONDERFUL novel. Madeleine is 25, slow to launch because she's weighed down with responsibilities dumped on her by her self-righteous (but nuanced) mother and her selfish (but maturing) brother. Maame is a coming-of-age story with great depth, including a window into what it's like for a Black girl in a White world, and how the Ghanaian culture influences her life. It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's negative but with hope. Above all, it's relatable in the context of family drama, guilt, duty, self-doubt, workplaces that take advantage, finding friends and love. This book is written with great skill. The "villains" aren't 100% bad, the good guys aren't purely good, it's a matter of degrees as with real life. I was riveted to the end. This is George's first novel. I look forward to more.

Maame (Maddie) is a young, black girl growing up in London with the cultural influences of her Ghanaian heritage. Her cares for her father who has Parkinson’s disease, her mother is always in Ghana and her brother has fled the family.
When her mother returns from Ghana, she takes the opportunity to move out and embark on a journey that will lead to happiness and self-fulfillment and figure out her place in her family and job.
Maddie is incredibly relatable, as she Google searches her way through figuring out life on her own. It also deals with aspects of mental health and the dive into strained family relationships beautifully. As an immigrant I relate very much to Maame – being torn between familial obligation and a desire to fit into this new world you’re living in.
Would highly recommend and I look forward to future books!

What an absolutely charming coming-of-age tale! The author’s engaging voice captured me right away and pulled me into the story of Maddie, who wrestles with the challenge of breaking free from her childhood responsibilities to navigate living on her own for the first time at age 25. Maame, which means “woman” in Twi, is Maddie’s nickname, and with her mother living in Ghana much of the time and her brother living his own life, Maddie has shouldered the adult-sized duty of caring for her father and raising herself for most of her life. When she finally breaks free, she enters the world with a combination of exhilaration and trepidation, and we have the pleasure of joining her journey.

Jessica George has created real-life, complex characters. By the end of the book, I felt as though I knew them all; even the more minor players had distinct personalities. With the same nuance, George explores with compassion, humor, and insight the nature of profound grief, friendships, romantic relationships, racism, and family dynamics. Reading this lovely story was a rare treat.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

Maame by Jessica George is a gorgeous story I won't soon forget.
Such a great book! I loved the strong women characters, I felt myself tearing through the pages.
I laughed, I cried, I was surprised, I was riveted! This is one a phenomenal story and I devoured it in two sittings.
Beautifully written, engaging characters and a story that is so unforgettable.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

St. Martin Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow, WOW... wow.. This book blew me away


The fact that this is Jessica George's DEBUT novel is extraordinary.. Here is why this book really moved me..

I love a well written story about self- discovery book.. For too long these books have been about white women finding themselves and LUCKLY things are becoming more broad and we aren't just reading about white people coming of age and the mistakes and joy we find growing up..

We meet the main girl Maddie, who is such a fabulously written character, growing up in London with the cultural influences of her Ghanaian heritage... The struggles that she faces were beautiful and hard and at times funny.. From an early age, she had to take care of herself because her mother spent most of her time in Ghana, while Maddie’s older brother, James, stayed with friends until he was old enough to be on his own. For the past 8 years, Maddie has also had sole financial, physical and emotional responsibility for her father, who is suffering from Parkinson’s. As a result, she still lives at home so she can take care of him.

Maddie's mom, who splits her time between London and Ghana, comes to London for a year to help take over the care of her father and Maddie moves out for the first time in her life and gets to live for the first time in her life.

Please preorder a copy and read this incredible book.

Maame is a powerful, deep book. I felt a lot of different emotions while reading this one. I found this to be a very touching read. I am a huge fan of coming of age storylines so right off her bat I knew this was a book I had to either buy, or try from NetGalley.You would never guess that Maame is the first book written by Jessica George. She has a beautiful writing style. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m excited to see the well deserved hype over this book once it is published.