A review by francestal
Maame by Jessica George

emotional funny hopeful 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

"[Love] is not always about what it feels like, Mads, because sometimes it feels pointless. It’s about what love is.”

This book felt like experiencing life with a best friend. To put it simply, this is a book about the complexity of living as a daughter of immigrants finding out what it truly means to love through all the emotions life throws at us. Maddie was an absolute delight to learn with throughout the book! It’s really refreshing how many issues this book tries to tackle, which has its pros and cons (pro: visibility!, con: not enough page space to throughly talk about it). My favorite part was how relatable Maddie was from her Google searches (the dating advice was unhinged yet so funny) to how raw she felt her feelings and grief (WHEW I was blown away by Jessica George’s writing) to the pace she took her healing and learning (friendships, romantic relationships, and rebuilding familial bonds). By the end of the book, I felt like I just finished a long catch-up with a friend and I just wanted to give Maddie a hug. Maame may be Jessica George’s debut, but I’m all the more excited for what’s next for her.