I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

I was no stranger to the author, Gwenna Laithland, I follow her on Instagram and Tiktok. Her humor and unparenting advice is not only hilarious it is 100% relatable. Reading this is a breath of fresh air that this parenting Sh*t is hard. It was a great read, I would love to hear the audible version with her witty sense of humor. I recommend it to all moms, for reference my kids are preteen to adult and grand kids.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

If you weren't aware, the author of this book is tiktok famous. She's quite funny, and I enjoy her videos. So I was excited to find this!

This isn't your typical parenting book. This is meant for those of us "less than perfect" parents... those of us messy, chaotic, but great mamas.
It was a breath of fresh air reading this book. I've read other parenting books in the past, and i often leave them feeling like a bit of a failure as a mom.

So worth the read.

Thank you #netgalley for the advance reader copy of "Momma Cusses" by Gwenna Laithland. My kids are now teenagers so only a small portion of this book helped my currently. However, I do have nephews and nieces who are younger and the ability to reflect on my years of parenting. Little did I realize, I was practicing gentle parenting in many situations. Gwenna does an incredible job of guiding parents on how to parent. She's hilarious, realistic, and gives amazing advice. A few times I thought to myself - dang, that would have really helped in some certain situation. While she does not profess to be an expert, I wholeheartedly disagree. She knows what she's doing and if you really listen to her you can not only make your children into good citizens, you can save yourself a lot of grief. She understands the need for parents to also have their own lives and space. And when they can't find that space, she gives solutions that help get a little bit of that space back while still caring for your children. She's emphatic that you are not a doormat - this flies in the face of what I was told to do and be when my kids were little 17 years ago. And I'm so glad to see that someone is putting it out there. Being a good parent does not mean making sure your kids never cry. 


She really helps lift up parents by telling them that there's no shame in not wanting to play and it's ok to get irritated but be responsible in how you display it. And she keeps it really funny by turning the hair raising drive you nuts scenarios into a rehash in part from a kid's perspective with hilarious language to describe what happened and how to deal with it. 


It all comes down to the words of wisdom which were not imparted to me when my kids were little: responsive parenting still allows you to say "no". It's NOT permissive,  it's responsive. 


#netgalley #gentleparenting #responsiveparenting

I follow @mommacusses on TikTok and I was extremely excited to have the chance to do an early read for Gwenna’s book. First of all, I love that the forward is written by her oldest child, Abbi. That was a cute personal touch! Gwenna’s writing is refreshing, honest and relatable just like her videos. The whole book felt like I was having a one on one conversation with a friend. This is not the same cookie cutter parenting book you always see. I didn’t feel like I was being judged straight out of the pages by a perfect parent like I have with other parenting advice books. Gwenna is raw, real and so honest. I love every page and paragraph of this book. Thank you Gwenna for writing for us imperfect parents!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

So, I love Gwenna Laithland on tiktok, and I enjoy her videos very much. However, due to the age gap between my child and her children, I could not relate to some of the parenting tips and/or stories that Gwenna mentioned. It's a decent book, but I just don't think that it was for me at this point in my life. Maybe I'll pick it back up later on once my children are older.

Another thing, it was super LONG WINDED which I tend to dislike with books, and felt like a lot of it could be omitted. It's not a bad book, and while it's relatable in some aspects it's not in others.

She's not a parenting expert, and she mentions that throughout the book. So it's like taking some of these tips here and there for what you think you will need while trying to raise children.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like that the author has many tips for parenting but often states that we each know our families best and what works for her family might not work for yours. I also really liked that she has summaries at the end of each chapter which I thought was a very useful addition to a non-fiction parenting book. This is one book I'll definitely need for my shelf.

To anyone who has littles, their own or grands...I cannot recommend this book enough. Being a kid is harder than we remember. Being a parent is harder than we expect. While Gwenna is just some middle-aged mom with a social media following who accidentally hit it big on TikTok, this book is remarkably fabulous! Have you heard of gentle parenting? Well, Gwenna prefers the term “responsive” parenting because it feels like the opposite of “reactive” parenting. Responsive parenting your kids looks like responsive parenting yourself first. (Like Cesar Milan trains the human, not the dog.) Equally important is helping children accept, expect, and successfully embrace their own emotional states. This book is full of amusing scenarios of epic fails and monumental wins all supportive in our journeys to become effective parents. Validating their emotions while regulating yours, allowing them to explore their own boundaries, experience natural consequences, and of course saying no. Responsive parenting is not permissive parenting. Even as a responsive parent you can and absolutely should tell your child no. Reading this book will have you spewing your drink through your nose from laughter and reading awesome examples on how to handle The Big Feels, tantrums and setting boundaries. As a parent and an educator, I highly recommend this book for everyone.

Such an honest and hilarious book! Gwenna finds a way to capture the ultimate parenting experience with sarcasm and wit making it so much fun to read! A must read for every mom who Is not sure if she/they is doing enough!

Oh my goodness I freaking love Gwenna!
I Momma Cusses by Gwenna Laithland she keeps things real! And I loved that!
Reading this parenting book it didn’t feel like it…. Instead it felt like I was listening to a friend of mine. And that is why I consumed this book in two days tops.
Her writing style just took hold and I was sucked in.
Her humor and wit was an added bonus.
She made me feel like I wasn’t alone or crazy.
Her advice I took to heart and really listened to what she has to say.
I hope she continues to write more books like this because this Momma needs them!
I have never took to a parenting book like I did this one!
Thank you Gwenna Laithland for creating this!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

As a long time TikTok follower of Gwenna and mom to a toddler- I can safely say this is a book I didn’t know I needed. As any parent would we did lots of research on how to “best” parent your child. Absolutely nothing was as fun to read as this. This book is a warm hug from a mom friend. Never condescending. Always understanding

I loved this book. I’m a huge fan of Gwenna on Instagram.
Her book did not disappoint.
I felt like she stayed true to she is and it really resonates in the book.
I enjoyed the profanity and the heart to heart I felt I was getting through this book.

Definitely recommend!!!

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

I have been a long time follower of Gwenna on TikTok, and when I saw she had written a book I knew that I had to read it. I often refer parents I am working with to her content because it shows relatable ways to communicate with tiny humans who are learning to human. Having a book is an excellent next step.

This book is accessible to many, and includes neurodivergent friendly summaries. On top of being accessible and understood by many, it is also backed by research. Gwenna- though not explicitly stated- has drawn from the works of leaders in child development research. I truly can not wait until this book is published and I can keep it on my shelf.

I will recommend this book on a regular basis to families who will benefit from relatable scientific content.

I found this book to be incredibly refreshing even though I don't typically subscribe to the whole whole "cool mom" aesthetic and am a bit more old school in my parenting ways. However, from mom to mom, it's so very important for us to say to one another "you're killing it!" "You're more than enough!" "You're a rockstar!" "Keep that shit up!" and support one another. And for that reason, I loved this book. Sound, earnest advice from a mom who gets it and who wants other moms to lift each other up. Well, done, Gwenna 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Having followed Gwenna's social media for years, I was so excited when I saw this book. I am not even a parent, just trying to be the best aunt ever. Having the basic tenants of gentle parenting in a book format that is actually fun to read was surprisingly interesting. While I understand that the stream of consciousness word dump is not every reader's favorite format, this reminded me strongly of Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend This Never Happened. For that reason, Gwenna knocked it out of the park.

What can I say but…WOW! I mean talk about hit the nail on the head! I was able to relate to about 99% of everything Gwenna was saying! I laughed out loud several times, was triggered a few times, and thought I was writing the book a couple time. I cannot wait for this to be released! It will definitely be a book I want to have via kindle and audible and I will be adding it to my actual shelf for sure! (And I’m picky on who gets to be on my actual shelf) I just can’t say enough about how good this book was!! I wish I had this a few years ago when I first gave birth to my son!

Gwenna is my spirit animal! She explains gentle parenting in a way that any parent can understand and relate to. She helps shatter the myth that gentle parenting means letting your children run amuck.

I loved this book so much. I would have blown through the whole thing in one sitting if I wasn't falling asleep on the couch every night at 9 pm thanks to my "crotch goblin" as Gwenna calls them. I have read a number of parenting books and never really retained any of the content, but this book is wonderful. The title of this book caught my eye (I have never heard of her tiktok channel). Not only does she make you feel that it is OK to lose your sh*t once in a while, and that it is OK to be overwhelmed because parenting is HARD, but she provides so decent strategies for dealing with the tough stuff. I've already employed her strategy for helping my 4-year-old feel his emotions, and it has made meltdowns a lot easier and productive for both me and the little guy. I am so bummed this book doesn't come out until March, because I want to buy a copy for all of my friends. I am so appreciative of the opportunity to read this now, it's really been a blessing. Thank you!

Momma Cusses felt like a heart to heart from a relatable (albeit slightly inappropriate) responsive momma mentor. I’m gonna be honest, I’d buy the book just for the forward written by her oldest daughter - it’s the words every cycle breaker longs to hear straight from the mouth of the firstborn who got both “versions” of her mother: reactive and responsive. The letter from her firstborn was so moving and exactly what every parent who is trying this new thing called responsive parenting wants to hear.

The book has profanity - truly, with a name like “Momma Cusses” you could hardly expect anything less, but it’s worth saying that Gwenna is fluent in four letter words and she doesn’t shy from utilizing them to their fullest extent- but unlike what I grew up with - this profanity laced parenting book doesn’t weaponize their delivery. They just exist - I don’t love profanity as I find it triggering, but I will say it was nice to see that they can be used in ways that do not demean, belittle or otherwise demoralize another human being of their dignity.

I really appreciated that Gwenna remained true to herself and her mission throughout the whole. It was very clearly her voice I heard in my head as I read and at no point did she try to own another voice. You know exactly what you’re getting into with her after the first 1.5 chapters and she delivers and over delivers: this book is packed with responsive parenting takeaways learned by Gwenna and self reflection on her journey to becoming more responsive, chapter after chapter disabling the triggers to debilitating mom shame, and she leaves you with the sense that she’s in it with you and walking alongside you and that you can do it. Also cheeky humor. Lots of hilarity. I appreciated the silliness. Spoiler alert, you must read to the very last. I guffawed. Millennials forever. 😆

I’d like to thank St. Martins Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a fantastic book that will be enjoyed by people who are fans of Gwenna's instagram account, and those who are not. She has a great mix of personal anecdotes and useful information, and is very clear throughout that, as she often says on instagram, "this may not work for every family, but it works for ours." Go preorder this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC I received.

“There’s no such thing as a parenting expert. Except you. You’re the expert on raising your own kid.”

I’m not sure I’ve ever annotated a book so much. I highlighted so many things to look back on. Since following Gwenna in early 2020, I’ve already been trying to implement a bit of her parenting style into my everyday life so I can’t explain how excited it was when I was given this ARC to read!

This book isn’t boring or shameful like plenty of other parenting books. It isn’t one of those ones where the author goes “this is what I did and it’s the only right way of doing this and everything else is wrong”. It’s hilarious and sarcastic and so much fun, yet so insightful. I’m already planning to do a re-read as well as have my husband read it!

Thank you to NetGalley as well St. Martins for proving me a copy of this book ahead of release in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are fully my own.