Thank you so much to Jessica George, St Martin's & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!  Also thank you to Libro.Fm for gifting a copy of the audio!

I had been nervous to read this as I wasn't sure if it was something that I would enjoy as I mostly stick with romance. I am so glad I was wrong. This book was the most perfect book to start off 2023. 

"You can't be sad for no reason; it's not a human's natural state. In life, you're meant to be happy or content, only experiencing moments of sadness, so if sadness is your natural state, what does that say about you?"

Maddie is 25 year old who is stuck in a job she hates (luckily she won't have to worry about that much longer), no love life and spends all her free time taking care of her father. Her brother travels for work and doesn't help out and her mother flies to Ghana every other year to work at her grandfather's hostel. As her mother is due to return, Maddie starts a new role at a publishing company and moves out of her parent's home. Maddie navigates her new normal as life constantly throws curveballs.

"You're twenty-five. You're meant to be getting as much dick as possible."

When you hear coming of age, your mind often goes to tweens and teengers but in this case it is for someone in their mid-20s. You truly do see the growth of Maddie from start to finish. She truly was one that took care of everyone except for herself and you felt that. Even her mother tells her, "When you're older, you'll wish you did more." The dynamic between Maddie and her mother felt so real. I could feel Maddie's frustration with her mother and how she would just agree with everything her mother says because it was easier that way. The journey that they go on was beautiful to read and not perfect.

"One of my problems is that I'm expecting perfection from ordinary people."

I could definitely relate to some of Jessica's story with being a caretaker for her father. I see what my mother goes through taking care of my grandmother who also has Parkinson's and it definitely has taken a toll on her. I had to check in on my grandmother while she was in respite care while my parents were on vacation and it was a lot and all I had to do was visit. I was my mom's eyes and ears and had to make sure she ate, medicine was taken care of and wash was done. It made me appreciate all that she does for her. I wanted to share this book with her but then things got a little spicy and wasn't sure if that would make it awkward. 

There is such a voice that comes off the pages and felt like at times I was reading pages from a diary.  

I did pair this with the audio provided by Libro.Fm and Heather Agyepong did a wonderful job with narratoring and really brought Maddie to life. 

What a stunning debut Jessica!