25-year-old, Maddie, or Maame, as she is called by her family, is a late bloomer. Stuck living at home taking care of her sick father, dateless, and in a career rut, Maddie decides she wants more out of life. Just as she strikes out on her own, tragedy happens, forcing Maddie to face the decline of her own mental health, family secrets, and figuring out the life she truly wants. I really enjoyed this coming-of-age debut novel by Jessica George. Deeply emotional and also smartly funny, readers will become invested in Maddie and the decisions that she must make to take control of her life and make her way in a world.

Sadly, this book is going into the "not for me in '23," pile, as I found it juvenile and so unbelievable.

The main protagonist is twenty-five and supposedly lived in a convent tucked away in the Himalayas. (just kidding). However, she is ott the top naive, has an absentee mother who rules te roost even though she is never present, a sick father, an unfeeling brother, zero friends, and lives at home.

I don't really know how she got this far is life but then we find out when in doubt ask google, such questions as should I have sex on a third date, (yes, she finally snags a boyfriend). The questions to google are not only stupid but also annoying. I realize this woman was a neophyte in the world but honestly had she never watched TV, gone to a movie, overheard people talk, or even attended a biology class? (although she attended college and graduated with an English Lit degree, she must have fallen asleep during classes).

The transformation of Maddie in the second half of the book happens somewhat instantaneously as she moves out of her family home after tragedy happens, bears a bushel full of guilt, becomes a hot number, experiences racism, and so on. In other words the author followed the "kitchen sink" motif in the story.

I did see potential in the story, and since it has garnered so many 4-5 star reviews, I persisted in listening to this one. All I can say, is perhaps I read a different rendering of this book. So sad to say, I did finish but with a rousing "what the heck" was that?

Thank you to NetGalley for an opportunity to listen to this story.

Maybe this just isn't the book for me, but the only real redeeming factor of this book was a great narrator. There were bits and pieces that I enjoyed, but for the most part I was just bored or aggravated while listening to this novel. Maddie just felt very unrealistic for a 25 year old. I get that she's lived a sheltered life, and has had to care for her sick father. Yet she seems completely clueless about so many things in society. She has a mother who is distant and I think we're supposed to be sympathetic due to certain things revealed later in the novel, but instead I was just frustrated. The older brother was just useless. I also did not love the end of the book, and the scene of oral sex. I get that it's important that she's finally becoming comfortable but it felt so out of place with everything else in the book.

A lovely coming of age story. A little slow to start but very much enjoyed once I met the family. Great character development and ending.

Maame is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I loved our main character. She’s real, flawed, more than a bit naive, but I can’t help but root for her. A gorgeous novel deserving of all the praise it’s been receiving.

Maddie loves and gives with everything she has. But what happens when you have nothing left to give to yourself? So many tough topics are in this book and I wouldn't have it any other way. Racism, mental health, death and grief, family dynamics and friendships/relationships....this book has it all. But even as Maddie wades through of the grit of her life, we see hope and strength and dignity. Thank you @netgallery for this lovely audiobook and @columbuslibrary for having it as a quick pick!

A solid 4.5 stars, rounded up.

What a treat it was to listen to the audio version of Maame. The gorgeous accent of the reader played in my head even when I was not listening. A couple of times I even murmured "Maame" under my voice just to say it. My husband was perplexed.. "what?" But the lyrical way of speaking, the Ghanaen (sp?) accent just lulled me.

Maddie's story is well told. At times laugh out loud funny, at times cringey or infuriating. My heart went out to her often. A youngest child stuck in the position of a caretaker, with not one person looking after her. Family secrets and burdens, doing silent damage as they are kept inside.

I enjoyed hearing Maddie finding her voice, blossoming into her own life and finding her own "seat at the table."

I recommend this book and if you can do the audio, even better!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio for an audio galley of Maame.

This book packs a punch! Maame is the nickname that Maddie's family has given her. It means "mother" and Maddie seems to have found herself taking on that role, despite only being in her 20s. With her mother choosing to spend most of her time in their native Ghana and her brother doing his own thing on the other side of town, Maddie is the main caretaker for her father who has Alzheimer's. When Maddie's mother opts to come back to London for the year, she has the chance to finally move out on her own. and find out who she really is.

What follows is poignant at times, heartbreaking at others. Maddie navigates the trials and tribulations of the dating scene and how far she wants to take that. She learns how to build new friendships with her roommates in the flat she moves into. She works on being her own person while still respecting her Ghanaian roots. And she faces the difficult challenge of being a black woman in a white-oriented workforce. I loved Maddie for her resiliency. She felt like a fully-formed, flawed character that was so beautifully written. Her feelings are real and visceral. Seeing her work through this transitional moment in her life was a true joy and I loved every moment. I highly recommend this well written book if you are looking for a 5 star read.

The audio version, in particular, is stunning. Heather Agyepong has such presence and handles Maddie's story beautifully. Her voice brought me right into the story and kept me captivated. I found myself trying to come up with tasks to complete so I could keep listening. I strongly recommend listening to this one.

This was a wonderful character-driven novel. It follows a young woman as she tries to begin living her own life. Our main character, Maddie, is 25 years old, but has not had many of the experiences that others her age have. She was left to be her father's caretaker from a young age and is the person most responsible for their family.

Maddie has an opportunity to move out of her family home and decides that she wants to try to make a more fulfilling life for herself. Certain things happen in the book that cause her to struggle and ultimately set this coming of of age story in motion.

This was a slow-moving novel, but it was deeply emotional. It was also very realistic with people having mixed emotions and actions that didn't necessarily align with what they really wanted. I would recommend this to people that enjoy family dramas or stories of personal growth.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Heather Agyepong. I thought she did an excellent job with the narration. However, there are sections of the book that are online forums, emails, etc and those do not translate as well to audio. I would probably recommend the physical copy for that reason, but I wouldn't completely dismiss the audio if that's your preference. The inclusion of other formats can be difficult to follow at times, but if that doesn't bother you, then go for it.

Maame was the breathe of fresh air that I was craving! Not only was the story intriguing, easy-to-follow, and relevant, but the audiobook made me feel like Maddie was a friend sitting right next to me. I loved how George balanced the depth of important topics with the lightness of Google searches, witty banters between characters, and a genuine realness.

HIGHLY recommend this book -- especially the audiobook! Thank you Netgalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot even been to describe how much I loved and appreciated this book! Maddie was the most authentic character I think I have ever read, and her humor helped me get through the more challenging, sadder parts of her story. Mostly character driven, but also plot driven, this is the best story I've enjoyed in a long time. I want to buy a hardcopy for my shelves, but also, that audiobook was spectacular - the narration perfection.

Maame is an easy contemporary listen about a Black woman in London finding her way in life while navigating complicated family dynamics. We follow Maddie in the growth of her love life, work life and friendships through the equally funny and devastating turns in her life. “We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed” will stick with me for a long time & this novel only gets sweeter from there.

Early in the book I realized I was probably not in the target audience for this novel, given that its main character is a 20-something woman, still living at home in London, caring for her aging father who has Parkinson's Disease, and essentially having no life outside of her job, which she hates, and her carer role at home. But it didn't take long for Maame to endear herself to me, as she struggled, after her mother returned home from a long stay in Africa, to break out of the mundane rut her circumstances had forced upon her, moving into a flat that she shared with two other young women, and taking tentative steps into the world of socializing and dating. It was a pleasure to watch Maame slowly take charge of her own life and begin to recognize her own value, allowing herself to take up space in the world and follow her own dreams.

The audiobook was very well narrated, and kept me engaged throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this novel.

Maame
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook, Physical Book, and Audiobook
Date Published: 2/7/23
Author: Jessica George

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This story is a poignant, yet uplifting story of loss, grief, love, and discovering who you are. The story opens with Maddie living at home taking care of her father with Parkinson’s disease as her mother is back and forth between London (home) and Ghana, a year at each. When her mother finally returns home, Maddie ventures out in the world on her own. Finds a flat share with roommates, gets a publishing job, and tries her hand at dating. Not every experience is great for Maddie. The author does such an amazing job at looking in the culture and how that influences daily life, along with family expectations.

The story is narrated by Maddie, from her POV. Maddie is a strong, naive, young woman trying to make her mark on the world. Maddie really struggled with inner conflict, as much of us do, and it just developed another onion on this story. There are a lot of characters as Maddie weighs through the world, and each character plays a part in Maddie’s story. The character balance is perfect. This more of a character driven book than a plot driven book. The characters, especially Maddie’s character were well developed with depth, witty banter, connection, and creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, brilliant, thought-provoking, poignant, and just very well written.

The narrator did an amazing job at breathing life into the characters, especially Maddie. The voice variation was amazing and the detail put into the narration really gave you a sense of being immersed into the story. This story is truly amazing. Such an amazing literary piece. This book brings out emotions in you and takes you on this wonderful emotional rollercoaster. This book could be read by such a diverse amount of readers. I highly, highly recommend reading this book as I do believe it will be one of the top novels for the year.

Maame was a very well done late coming of age story. I think the situation and feelings of the MC was very well developed and established. I had trouble liking Maame's mother. When I first tried to read it I had trouble being invested in the story. But thanks to the ALC from MacMillan, I ended up very much loving it. The narration was done incredibly well.

I’ve never wanted to give a book character a hug more than I wanted to give one to Maddie. Gosh, this young woman has been through it and she is so thoughtful and caring towards others, I really admired her in this story. As the sole caregiver to her ailing father, her life has been halted the last years as she cares for him and takes on responsibilities that are left by her mother who lives full time in another country. Maddie finally gets an opportunity to move out when her mother returns and begins to experience the real world, which can certainly be harsh. Maddie slowly learns what she is wanting out of her life, but is held back by feelings of guilt and mental health struggles. She seeks out therapy and I think her sessions in this novel were so well written and eye opening. Maddie is a character you want to root for and as this novel navigates racism, familial duty, sexual orientation, love, and pleasure, you see her grow in such a wonderful way. This novel is powerful, relatable, and emotional, I definitely recommend it to others who love a good coming-of-age story with a more mature and thoughtful take.

The audiobook was wonderful and the narrator was really engaging and expressive.

*4.5 stars*

This was a really beautiful coming of age story about a woman trying to learn who she is after caring for her sick father. Maddie navigates grief, mental illness, complicated family dynamics, and relationships all while dealing with the racism and micro aggressions she faces daily.

I really loved that we got to see a woman in her mid twenties discovering who she is; most coming of age stories come from the view of teenagers so this was really refreshing. The way this book explored grief as a new normal and not something to “get over” really hit home. The family dynamics were so heartbreakingly realistic and a perfect window into generational trauma.

Maddie is an interesting, beautify human character and her inner monologue was written so well. I felt like the first half of the book could have been shorter and would have liked to have a longer second half to explore the characters she opens up to more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Best book so far this year! Absolutely loved this! Highly recommend to everyone. I alternated between reading and listening to this and it was a seamless transition, which I love. The narrator was the perfect voice for Maddy - both her internal and external dialogue. But the story is just perfection - a difficult coming of age story of a young black woman who is facing the sudden loss of a parent while navigating a new social scene after finally moving out to live on her own. Character development is excellent, not just for Maddy, but for all of the supporting cast of characters. I have a feeling Jessica George will be a household name in a few short years. Can't wait to see what she does next!

"Everyone has the element of surprise within them."

Maame is an amazing debut novel from Jessica George! It is an engaging, emotional, and dynamic tale that brings a new voice into contemporary coming-of-age literature. Also look at the beautiful cover!

In the book we follow twenty-five-year-old Maddie Wright as she explores her independence, boundaries, and self-identity. Through the ups and downs of career development, maintaining a social life, and testing the waters of dating in present day London, Maddie must also manage the push and pull of family connection and conflict. As the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, there are great contemplations of culture, tradition, and expectations that provoke reflection by Maddie and the reader alike. Only through a deepening understanding of her family and herself does Maddie find the confidence to embrace her path and power.

The first-person perspective brings us right into the heartbreaking and hopeful moments. It had me rooting for Maddie the whole book. Maddie is relatable yet unique, a friend I’d love to have. I liked the inclusion of mental health awareness, the examples of standing up for yourself in the workplace, and the compelling characters. At one point I remember thinking, "this book has just the right amound of characters."

I will definitely be recommending this to friends and family.. Looking forward to the next Jessica George book already!


Other Favortite Quotations from the book:

"My eloquence only reveals itself when I can take the time to think about what I want to say, write it down, and edit it a few times before hitting send."

"When someone doesn't understand you, how you are, and why you are, you will find yourself fighting losing battles every day. It will seem small at first but you will spend your life watching them grow in size and importance."

"I feel swaddled in my headphones."

“I forget that people don’t just affect me but that I affect others, that I even can affect others. I assume people meet me, I leave, and their world carries on like It did before I arrived.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

MAAME is a bildungsroman about a young woman as she leaves home and navigates life in London on her own for the first time. With an overbearing yet absent mother and an unreliable older brother, Maddie has always been the “responsible one” in her family, and she’s spent the majority of her adult life being the sole caretaker of her father, who has Parkinson’s disease. Her family warned her never to speak about their troubles to anyone, so when she finally moves out and learns to live life for herself, she is forced to confront repressed feelings about her family, friends, and cultural identity, and now she must figure out what kind of woman she actually wants to be.

This book was incisive, engaging, and deeply moving. It deals with issues of grief, mental health, sexuality, race, and complex family rationships with both tenderness and brutal honesty. Coming-of-age tales usually aren’t really my thing since I find them to be long-winded and frustrating, but Maddie’s story was touching and relatable with a satisfying ending (and beautifully narrated by Heather Agyepong). In Twi, the name “Maame” means “woman” or “the responsible one,” and I loved that this was as much a story about her growing out of the nickname as it was about her growing into it.