This book is soooo good! Jessica George did a thing with this. I love the writing style, the storyline, the character development. Bonnie Garmus said prepare to fall in love and I did. Absolutely gorgeous writing. I love how the delicate topics of grief, depression and finding oneself were handled. Read this!

I am going to find this book quite difficult to review without giving any spoilers. We first meet Maddie at 25 when she is living at home helping to care for her father who is suffering with Parkinson's. It soon becomes apparent that Maddie lives a fairly sad and solitary existence but believes that is the way it has to be I n her Ghanaian family.

Maddie takes us on a journey where we meet her very selfish mother who spends a year at a time living in Ghana and realistically only contacts Maddie when she wants something, usually money. There is also her brother who does nothing to help either and seems to be cut from the same cloth as his mother.

We then see the developing life of Maddie as she moves into a house share, starts a new job and has her first adult foray into the dating world. Maddie does all of this whilst battling depression and anxiety.

The book, in my opinion, you will take in one of two ways. You will either take to Maddie and feel sorry for her or just want to shout at her to get on with her life. There is a very strong race theme running through the book but doesn't actually make any difference to my views. I actively disliked the mother and it made no difference when she explained why she behaved the way she did. The brother however did gain a little of my sympathy due to the fact that he apologised and tried to atone.

I was glad that Maddie eventually found her voice.

Maame by Jessica George is about Maddie's complicated family relationships, her sense of belonging and identity.

This is the story of Maddie. A young black woman who feels stuck and unsupported. She was born to Ghanian parents and the traditions of her family sometimes feel too much, Her mum lives one year in Ghana, one year in London, while her dad is suffering from Parkinson. Her brother is not reliable and the full care of her father falls on her shoulders. She loves her father, but she does feel stuck and unable to live her life.
This is a strong read and it deals with racism, family expectations, friendships and mental health. I really enjoyed this book and I found the characters well developed.

Absolutely gripped by Maame, the debut from Jessica George. You start off expecting one sort of story, but by the half-way mark it's turned into something else - visceral, thought-provoking and poignant. Genuinely couldn't put it down.

This is the best thing I’ve read in quite a while and I haven’t fallen in love with a character like I did with Maddie for ages. This is a beautifully, sensitively and hilariously written book that I really didn’t want to end. I laughed and cried multiple times throughout the novel and I absolutely loved sharing Maddie’s journey with her. I wish I could start it all over again. Highly recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

25-year-old Maddie is the child of Ghanaian immigrants and since her overbearing mother spends a lot of time in Ghana for work, she takes care of her father who has Parkinson's. She finally gets to 'start' her life when her Mother returns and suggests she live away from home. It is her time to experience many important 'firsts". Then tragedy strikes...

An intimate 1st person POV like a friend sharing their life story. Maddie is relatable and instantly likeable. I understand her on another level since I was my mother's carer (she had dementia and passed a few years ago).

Beautifully funny, a running commentary on struggles with your career, socializing, familial relationships, generally life in today's world. You sympathize with the protagonist for she is lost due to inexperience in many of these departments. You enjoy her newfound curiosity for what life has to offer. Her awkwardness and honesty are endearing. I enjoyed the intermittent Google searches that help us delve creatively into the thoughts and needs of the protagonist. It has a very clever formatting including how texts, lists etc are presented.

Though it is also heart-wrenching, honest and thought-provoking. Showing how tragedy can turn your life upside-down, how guilt can be debilitating. We all deal with it differently. You face who you really are and how much stronger you are than you think. It was interesting to see how Maddie was caught up between 2 cultures. The character evolution was a wonderful thing to read.

It is about prejudice in ugly and obvious and not-so-obvious forms. The importance and comfort of friendship. About taking care of yourself.

A heartfelt, totally engaging story about figuring out who you are and being that person full of meaningful life lessons.

A beautifully moving coming-of-age novel about Maddie, a late bloomer who has spent too long carrying familial burden without complaint. Stuck in an unrewarding job with a frankly mad boss, she decides to take charge and start saying ‘yes’ to things, only to realise that she’ll also have to eventually tell the truth. Really stood out amongst many other novels of this type, I loved it!

Maame is the story of Maddie, a 25 year old daughter of a Ghanian family. She is still living at home despite having a first class degree in English Literature as she has to care for her father who has parkinsons disease. Her mother spends all of her time in Ghana and her elder brother is always too busy to help. However, her mother returns home giving Maddie the chance to spread her wings and actually start to live.

We follow Maddie along her journey as she finds a room in a shared flat, a new job and a boyfriend. Her life is made more difficult by the fact that she is the only black person in her company and she struggles to get the recognition that she deserves, feeling that maybe she was employed as the token person of colour. Her lack of wordly experience makes her naïve in relationships although she does have two amazing friends who are always there for her in a way that her family never have been.

Mental health is a big theme of this book and we actually see Maddie in some of her therapy sessions as she struggles with depression. It’s a hard read in places as things go wrong and she makes some questionable choices along the way. However, ultimately it is an uplifting read as Maddie finds who she is and more, what she might become.

This was a great debut novel and I’m grateful to Net Galley and the publishers for providing my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such an amazing read!

Jessica George’s writing was so incredibly compelling, it really let the reader feel like they were in the pages right alongside Maame.

Although, it is important to note that it was an emotional rollercoaster. You feel sorry for Maame, whilst simultaneously feeling excited at her prospect of finally navigating life - George did so well in creating such a likeable character.

Themes of racism, parental absence, and grief are tackled honestly, but also effectively. The penmanship is certainly worthy of note.

I just think everyone just needs to read this book now!!

Many thanks to Hodderbooks and NetGalley for the digital copy of this beautiful novel.

Thank you so much for granting me access to this book. Maame was a slow burn for me, it took a while for me to be able to empathize with her, the other characters didn't affect me much but her character development slowly crept up on me. I enjoyed the pacing, wasn't a fan of the narrative technique used but I still appreciated it. I'm looking forward to more work from this author

I reread the end of this and i’ve upped my rating to 3 stars. I think the disappointment affected my earlier opinion. I still think it was flat at some points but the end made up for it.


This was alright.

Just alright. And that was disappointing for me because I had high expectations. I’m Ghanaian British, the author is the same and I even have the same name as the protagonist and the title! So I was warm at the thought of the representation but it fell really flat. Some of the story was alright but I couldn’t really connect with the main character at all and because the story was written in her voice, it made the entire reading experience a little grating. I thought it was a story with a lot of potential but ultimately, Maddie (Maame) was a little disjointed S a character. It’s like she was trying too hard to be relatable and then there were parts of the story like her sexual experiences, that made me uncomfortable because I didn’t see the point of their inclusion in the story.

It could’ve been so much more but ultimately It’s a sad no for me.

Absolutely adored this book! A beautifully written story of grief and self discovery. Really loved the way Maddie’s character was developed throughout and I loved to see a believable happy ending!
Fully intend on purchasing a physical copy of this when it’s released.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC.

I was really excited to get stuck into this debut coming of age novel, in which we meet Maddie - a British Ghanaian twenty-five year old grappling with life.

Many reviews describe this book as funny but I think that’s misleading. Right from Chapter One what actually emerged for me was a deep undertone of sadness. With strong themes of caregiving, Parkinson's, mental health, grief, religion, abandonment, race and relationships, this is by no means a light read, it’s an intense exploration of character.

Maddie has a lot on her plate. She is living in South London, caring for her father who has Parkinson’s, trying to find her way in the professional world battling common microagressions, and feeling completely unsupported by her family (namely her mother and brother). She’s immediately conflicted being quite a young twenty-five despite the weight of her responsibilities and the way these had forced her to grow up quickly in other areas of her life. The book is very much about her coming of age but also learning to stand up for herself, and have some agency in her life.

It has taken my a while to unpack my feelings about the experience of reading this book and Maddie as its central character, it’s an uncomfortable and emotional read. I think we the reader are supposed to sympathise with Maddie but feel quite frustrated by some of her actions, as that was the main feeling I had whilst reading it. You might feel she is so passive in some respects but I think this can all be attributed to the struggles she is having with her mental health, and the lack of support from her mother and brother. We get good insight into her emotions and the conflicts that cause her to become so distressed.

These insights are was further illustrated through the various uncomfortable relationships explored in the book. Maddie seems so isolated from the rest of her family, and I did wonder where her cousins, church friends or even school friends were?! I will say in terms of friendships I really wanted less of the flatmates, and more conversations and development of Maddie’s relationship with Sam, Nia and Shu. Her romantic relationships served to convey her naivety and highlight some important learnings about consent and the emotional side of sex.

The little I know of Ghanian culture gave me a little background to the complex relationship Maddie and her mother have, but it was difficult to sympathise with her or James, who both came across as self-centred, and content for Maddie to carry them, using cultural traditions as a guise. The strength of this feeling is a testament to the way in which the author makes you root for Maddie and want better for her life. It would have been nice to see something positive about Ghanaian culture also as I think the view of it provided is only trending towards the negative.

The shift in plot focus from Maddie beginning to live her life, to Maddie processing a huge and sad life moment meant that some of the other themes were overshadowed (perhaps consciously so in keeping with the emotion)? However, this did leave me feeling that the story ended too soon. There are a few aspects that I would like to have known more about - namely how Maddie continued to work on her mental health, how her romantic relationship continues, what happened to her list, and also with her aim to get her writing published. Maybe there is a sequel in the works?

Overall, this is a harrowing but clever debut. It was really good at taking the reader on Maddie’s journey, putting you in the emotional ringer with her, and opening up the conversation around mental health in the Black community, and the need to reduce stigma around therapy and seeking professional help. There is room her to see what happens next for Maddie, so I hope we meet her again.

I look forward to reading more of Jessica George’s work.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review.

A debut novel with heart, depth and a loveable main character. Maddie is a young Black woman working as a PA and going home to take care of her father, who has Parkinson’s. Her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her brother never seems to show up when needed, leaving her as the sole carer for her father. As events unfold, Maddie finds herself making new friends and relationships, all while gradually falling apart. This book tackles complicated family relationships, mental illness, being a carer, and learning to survive the changes of being in your 20s. It is a painful, honest and heartwarming portrayal of life, which left me very fond of Maddie and sad to let her go in the end.

I am wondering how many more Maames are out there, without anyone noticing them...

The author's bio shows obvious similarities with the book - this explains why Jessica George's writing reads like real life. This is an emotional, delicate yet funny coming-of-age story, which I enjoyed immensely.

Being the sole carer of a parent with Parkinson's is already a mental load, and our main character has a lot more on her plate. Finding her place in the world in terms of career and human relationships is a long journey, with several obstacles and a genuine sense of humour.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an Advance Review Copy.

This is the story of Maddie, a twenty-something Londoner with Ghanaian parents. Since childhood, her mother has spent a lot of time in Ghana, her older brother has left home, and now her father has Parkinson's so she is left to run the house and look after him on her own. Maddie takes this on without complaint but doesn't have much of a life outside of work because of her caring duties.
Her mother returns from Ghana, which allows Maddie to leave home, and she joins a flatshare with Jo and Cam, which allows her to have more fun and start to have relationships with men.
Maddie has a really hard time because of her family, work and new relationships. She gradually learns to stand up for herself, and grow up.
I enjoyed the book, and Maddie's stoicism. Recommended.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but this wonderful debut novel by Jessica George has pulled me out of it.

Maddie Wright is 25 and the main carer for her dad. Her brother is always too busy to help and her mum flits back and forth from Ghana.

With few friends, a job she dislikes and never having had a proper boyfriend, Maddie sets about reinventing herself and starts a journey of self discovery.

This book will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. I loved her character, her naivety, self doubt, sense of humour, honesty and her constant googling for answers to life’s questions.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

I loooved this novel! I couldn’t put it down for most of it. Really interesting insight into grief and family, as well as choosing your own path in life. Would recommend to anyone!

I think I just found my favourite book of 2023 already. What an amazing book I just got lost in Maddies coming of age story. I was nearly late for school pick up today! That's how good it is.