This is Maddie.

She's 25. She hasn't moved out of home yet.

She's the reason her mum can please herself and spend so much time in Ghana. She's the reason her older brother James can do whatever he likes.

She cares for and about her dad, who has Parkinson's.

But who is Maddie really? She doesn't even know herself.

But it's time she found out....

Maddie is AMAZING

I really, really, enjoyed reading this book. I laughed and almost cried at certain points. The book follows Maddie or Maame as her mum calls her, as she finally moves out of her home to experience a new life outside of taking care of her family. We see Maddie experience dating, navigate flatmate relationships, and the difficulty and pressure that comes from being a daughter of an immigrant family.
Jessica George has done an excellent job of creating a rich, inner life for Maddie and vivid secondary characters. I almost didn't want the book to end because it was just that good.

Heart-rendering, emotive, sensitive novel with such a soul. I adored it. I adored Maame. A brilliant debut - congratulations to Jessica George!

From skimming the synopsis, I thought this would be a light-hearted, fun book about a young woman in her mid-twenties discovering herself. However, this book was actually incredibly painful to read at certain moments.

I nearly cried several times, reading Maddie slowly learn to become more independent. Unfortunately the author’s note didn’t make it into the ARC, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was closely based on the author’s own life experience.

Jessica George’s writing style was quite simple, but very effective. I also liked the inclusion of Maddie’s google searches.

Overall a good, but very intense book.

In Maame, we follow the journey of Maddie who at 25, is the loyal daughter who lives at home caring for her father whilst her mother and brother are in Ghana, taking care of the family business. When Maddie’s mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie has the opportunity to leave home and start living her own life. However, life is never that straightforward and simple.
This is a heart warming story of a woman trying to find her place in a complicated world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this emotional ARC.

A phenomenal debut novel, Maame is the tale of a woman named Maddie as she begins to gain her independence in her mid twenties and her struggles with her ongoing devotion to family and faith.

You follow as Maddie moves into her own flat for the first time - and, with her independence previously restricted due to a traditional and religious upbringing - explores new ventures. Online dating, drinking, flatmates with mixed intentions - it is a relatable read for just about anybody in their early twenties. The book does not shy away from Maddie’s existence, and the struggles that accompany it, as a Black woman - tackling microaggressions in every form; at the workplace, in relationships, in friendships.

This was stunning and the most wonderful read - I could not put it down, the author writes in a manner that is so engaging and vivid. The storyline is almost mundane - there is no real shock, no real plot twist - this is a journey of grief and adolescence - but its simplicity is what makes it. The writer takes every day subjects and portrays them in a way that is so palpable and brilliant. Each character you feel like you know, there is a whole diverse ensemble who are carved out perfectly that you get to know across the novel.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc.