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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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
Book 7 of 2025: My Name is Maame - Jessica George
Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi, but in Maddie’s case, it means woman.
Maddie Wright is trapped in a life of heavy responsibility and taught to keep matters private at all times. When she finally gets a chance to leave home she wants to reinvent herself as a new person who stands up for herself and not Google every life choice, but when tragedy strikes how will she cope with heartbreak, grief and navigating a new life?
Review:
⭐️ 5/5
Wow, this was such a powerful book and I adored it from start to finish. The story is incredibly emotional and heartbreaking, written with a rawness which makes it hard-hitting at a deeper level. I loved the depiction of grief, depression and heartbreak, they were so realistic and accurately written, it’s beautiful to see all of these themes handled so well within a story. I really liked learning more about Ghanaian culture and I felt highlighting micro aggressions in relationships and work was especially important. This book will stay with me in my heart, it made me laugh and cry and Maddie is one of my new favourite protagonists.
Challenges:
📚Books in 2025: 7/100
📚2025 52 Book Club Challenge: 6/52
📚Prompt #25 of the 2025 52 Book Club Challenge: Breaks the Fourth Wall
📚 Nabi Book Club: January - Gabby’s Pick
Book Information:
📖 Pages: 391
📖 Format: Paperback
📖 Type: Fiction
📖 Genre: Contemporary, Literary
Favourite Quotes:
“Mercury is in retrograde? I don’t actually know what that means, but everyone’s saying it”
“It about what love is. Which is trust, commitment, empathy and respect. It means really giving a shit about the other person.”
“Comparison is no friend of mental health”
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
A very sweet read. It’s been a while since I found a protagonist so endearing.
3.8 ish?
It usually takes me a max of 3 days to finish a book.
But this took me more than a month so, mixed feelings.
I loved the depictions of grief and chronic depression and I could relate with Maddie's struggles with her father's illness
It usually takes me a max of 3 days to finish a book.
But this took me more than a month so, mixed feelings.
I loved the depictions of grief and chronic depression and I could relate with Maddie's struggles with her father's illness
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
Loved it! Wish I had read it sooner. Great story, relatable character. Happy with the ending. Excellent all around.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
One of my favorite genres in literature is a good coming of age story, especially when it highlights the fact that we as humans are constantly learning and growing at every age and life stage, and Maame by Jessica George is the perfect example of that!
We follow Maddie as she embarks on a delayed journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and grief, and I found so much of Maddie's story to be both deeply relatable and intensely informative. The way the author is able to use so much of her own experiences as a daughter of Ghanaian immigrants growing up in the U.K. to explore the complicated themes of identity, race, familial duty, and loss is truly spectacular. Though this fictionalized memior approach is ultimately successful, it does lead to a bit of choppiness in style. I did not find this to detract from the overall story; on the contrary, I thought it only added to the emotional truth of the novel which is a deep exploration of familial, platonic, romantic, and self love. No matter how frustrated I got with her setbacks, I was always rooting for Maddie to find her way through, and I laughed and cried with her so many times while reading her story.
Speaking of crying... This might be the first book where I got teary eyed reading the acknowledgement page? Don't skip that final section if you decide to pick this one up!
I read my physical copy along with the audiobook on Libby, which I also really recommend. The voice actor, Heather Agyepong, did such a good job bringing Maddie to life, and I loved the added immersion into what I know is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year!
We follow Maddie as she embarks on a delayed journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and grief, and I found so much of Maddie's story to be both deeply relatable and intensely informative. The way the author is able to use so much of her own experiences as a daughter of Ghanaian immigrants growing up in the U.K. to explore the complicated themes of identity, race, familial duty, and loss is truly spectacular. Though this fictionalized memior approach is ultimately successful, it does lead to a bit of choppiness in style. I did not find this to detract from the overall story; on the contrary, I thought it only added to the emotional truth of the novel which is a deep exploration of familial, platonic, romantic, and self love. No matter how frustrated I got with her setbacks, I was always rooting for Maddie to find her way through, and I laughed and cried with her so many times while reading her story.
Speaking of crying... This might be the first book where I got teary eyed reading the acknowledgement page? Don't skip that final section if you decide to pick this one up!
I read my physical copy along with the audiobook on Libby, which I also really recommend. The voice actor, Heather Agyepong, did such a good job bringing Maddie to life, and I loved the added immersion into what I know is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year!
GREAT characters & character development. This plot felt largely character-driven and it was so well done. Wonderful prose and beautiful writing. I will be reading more writing by Jessica George!
I really enjoyed this book, in the style, the voice, and the late coming of age story.
Maddie. Maame. What a beautiful and complicated and flawed and raw protagonist. I am so grateful that I have read this book. A tale about grief and a journey of self discovery that felt so real and honest. I am actually having a bit of difficulty verbalizing how I feel about this book but I think what Jessica George did so beautifully is made Maddie a full person who felt real in the world. Maddie’s grief was palpable and felt like one of the most accurate ways to talk about the journey so many of us go through but yet all go through differently. While discovering herself, it wasn’t a clear and perfect path and that’s the reality of life. The complicated family dynamics, the realities of racism that are experienced by people of color every day and the road to working on one’s own mental health struggles really made me root for Maddie.
There is a line from this book that really stuck with me: “a person’s troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual that is carrying them.”
Go buy this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc in exchange for my honest opinions.
There is a line from this book that really stuck with me: “a person’s troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual that is carrying them.”
Go buy this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc in exchange for my honest opinions.