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A review by annmariereads
Maame by Jessica George
4.0
Can I just reach through this book and give Maddie a real life hug?? Bless her heart.
Putting a trigger warning that is spoiler-y at the very end of the review.
First thing's first - that cover is actual eye candy and I gravitated to it straight away.
Maddie has been her family's main caretaker for as long as she can remember. Her mother is away in Ghana most of the time, her father is battling Parkinson's, and her brother skirts responsibility as he spends all his money trying to become famous. Maddie is in her twenties, but has sacrificed her own life to only look after her family. After her mom comes back from Ghana, Maddie finds herself with a golden opportunity to move out and get her first apartment, go on her first date, and make LOADS of first mistakes.
I won't lie, the first half of this book is sometimes hard to read. I just wanted to holler at Maddie and tell her to stop being a doormat while simultaneously kicking all of her other family members in gear so they can start being more helpful. It's pretty heavy handed on the sadness. The second half is where this book really shines. I rooted for Maddie so hard.
Our author Jessica George really does capture so many different important topics in this book - racism in the workplace, straddling two different cultures, grief, learning to stand up for yourself, picking yourself up after failure, and so much more. This is a solid debut novel.
*Trigger - Parent death
Putting a trigger warning that is spoiler-y at the very end of the review.
First thing's first - that cover is actual eye candy and I gravitated to it straight away.
Maddie has been her family's main caretaker for as long as she can remember. Her mother is away in Ghana most of the time, her father is battling Parkinson's, and her brother skirts responsibility as he spends all his money trying to become famous. Maddie is in her twenties, but has sacrificed her own life to only look after her family. After her mom comes back from Ghana, Maddie finds herself with a golden opportunity to move out and get her first apartment, go on her first date, and make LOADS of first mistakes.
I won't lie, the first half of this book is sometimes hard to read. I just wanted to holler at Maddie and tell her to stop being a doormat while simultaneously kicking all of her other family members in gear so they can start being more helpful. It's pretty heavy handed on the sadness. The second half is where this book really shines. I rooted for Maddie so hard.
Our author Jessica George really does capture so many different important topics in this book - racism in the workplace, straddling two different cultures, grief, learning to stand up for yourself, picking yourself up after failure, and so much more. This is a solid debut novel.
*Trigger - Parent death