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saltycoffee's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Chronic illness, Dementia, and Panic attacks/disorders
calamitywindpetal's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault
jjha's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
amalas_bookstop's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a coming of age story of a young Ghanaian woman in her 20s living in London. Throughout the story she tackles work related race stressors, relationships, grief, family, moving out for the first time and finding a voice.
I can hardly believe this is Jessica George’s debut novel. The way she was able to capture grief had me in tears (and I do not cry easy). After reading her forward I realized her dad is no longer with us. Which totally explains how she was able to have Maddie tap into that grief.
I loved how she was able to explain complex topics like love and culture. It was very relatable and her characters felt so real.
If you are looking for a realistic black woman version of a coming of age story, this is it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Drug use
mollyb13's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really great novel delving into grief, caring for an ill parent, moving out on your own for the first time, navigating relationships & friendships. A strong coming of age story - and while mostly heavy, there are some lighter moments to laugh at. I enjoyed learning a little bit about Ghanaian culture and how that impacted Maddie in her life in London. I just wish we had gotten more time with Sam because he was such a well-rounded character, even for the short time we had with him . Glad I finally got around to this one as it had been on my TBR since it released!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide
martapsalvado's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Took me more than a month to read and several in-between books because it's so sad and intense and I'm not in the right headspace 🥲
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, and Alcohol
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm on the fence if I loved this one. It told a realistic story, the responsibilities of caring for a sick parent and not getting to "grow up" in time. I found the main character believable, but I struggled to connect with her. I found for broaching such a dense topic, this book just skimmed the surface level. I wanted more substance to it, and didn't feel I got what I wanted. Take my review with a grain of salt. It is still worth reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
emjay2021's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maddie lives in London. She is the 25 year old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants but is an odd mix of much older and much younger. On the one hand, her family has piled a lot of responsibilities on her that she shouldn’t have had to handle on her own, and on the other, her upbringing has left her too anxious and scared to take the risks involved in developing her own identity separate from her family.
There are a few things that make this book stand out from other coming of age novels. First of all, Maddie is very loveable despite being a frustrating character. I also appreciated the book’s perspectives on racism, grief, and familial/cultural expectations. The writing is simple and the plot pretty straightforward, but there are also bits that are really quite beautiful. I am glad I read it and would happily read another book by this author. I think Maame is quite autobiographical, and the author’s experiences will lead to some rich literature to explore in future.
There are a few things that make this book stand out from other coming of age novels. First of all, Maddie is very loveable despite being a frustrating character. I also appreciated the book’s perspectives on racism, grief, and familial/cultural expectations. The writing is simple and the plot pretty straightforward, but there are also bits that are really quite beautiful. I am glad I read it and would happily read another book by this author. I think Maame is quite autobiographical, and the author’s experiences will lead to some rich literature to explore in future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Bullying, Sexual assault, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
sandysmith's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A great book, the central character Maddie, has Ghanaian heritage. It is a coming of age story, and her development is funny and sad. She's caught between cultures. She is called Maame, meaning woman which she is from an early age. She is selfless caring for her dad, with little to no help, and he has deteriorating Parkinsons. Her mother is absent in Ghana for a great part of childhood and her brother who rarely sees her or his dad. Her mother returns back to the UK, so Maddie leaves home for the first time. Google is her trusted friend. It's about relationships, friendships, family, and deals with all sorts of differing issues, racism, sexuality, grief, and social commentary. It is beautifully written, sad, funny, awkward, painful, poignant, heartwarming, moving cracker of a read. I cant believe its a debut book. Love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content
bethanwx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Maddie is a protagonist I deeply loved to and I found her story so moving. Her growth into the version of herself she wants to be is messy and I was so proud of how she handled everyone in her life at the end. George's exploration into how women can be forced to grow up too soon, whilst men can get away with less, is deeply explored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
Minor: Transphobia