Reviews - Maame | The StoryGraph

8.47k reviews for:

I found this book interesting, but I’m not sure I liked it. The MC belongs in YA and it was a little too heavy in the trope of everything that could go wrong, does and then magically gets better. But, the Ghanaian perspective and culture was interesting.

jozi_girl's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 stars

Rating rounded up because of the STELLAR audio narration.

I initially found Maddie charming. Due to her dad’s illness and her mom’s frequent and long trips to Ghana, Maddie became the default carer for her father and as such never had the experiences a normal 25-year-old would have.

She is timid at work and gets treated as expendable and when she gets fired from her job at the same time as her mom’s latest visit back home, Maddie takes the decision to move out into a flat share to finally start living her own life.

The frequent Googling and getting information on forums were cute the first two times and after that became annoying and made Maddie sound like socially stunted child. Maddie has one extremely vocal and streetwise friend, so I find it hard to believe the extent of her ignorance about life in general.

Maddie’s first tentative experiences with dating was fine but then the author pushed it into unnecessary awkward territory. The sex scenes were cringeworthy to say the least. Someone should have guided the author on this.

Stories where someone finally grows a backbone always has a level of satisfaction however, I would never have requested this from Netgalley had I know just how YA this novel would be.

sschottel's review against another edition

5.0

Wow, so much to say about this one! I relate to Maddie in a lot of ways. She made me laugh and cry throughout this story. Favorite book I've read this summer!

galpalmal's review against another edition

4.0

I really liked it! A quote from the book floats around the internet, “We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed." However, the next (and necessary) line is often omitted from artsy instagram posts: "I think sometimes we're needed for the wrong reasons.”

crschu's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional funny hopeful slow-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

Maame is a sweet story and a fast read that explores balancing self-discovery / self-love with complex familial obligations in the face of tragedy. the story also focuses on identity with respect to being the child of immigrants and being black in predominately white spaces.

i found Maddie’s mom to be very frustrating, but i did like the arch of their relationship throughout the story. i especially appreciate that her mom was supportive of Maddie seeking therapy and i loved the realizations that Maddie has about the similarities between her mom and herself.

i found the writing style juvenile and i did not like the use of “Googling” — though both of those things reflected Maddie’s maturity level. as the book went on i found Maddie’s innocence more endearing and less annoying.