Thinky Thoughts: All Grown Up and Still Just as Confused

by Gwenna Laithland

Instant New York Times bestselling author Gwenna Laithland, aka Momma Cusses, is back with a collection of Thinky Thoughts (essays, memories, poems and more!) perfect for listeners of Jenny Lawson, Samantha Irby and KC Davis.

Before I was a mom who cusses, I was a millennial. Before I was that, I was just a kid with a brain that moved too fast. I've spent more time than I'm proud of getting lost in my Thinky Thoughts. They go a little something like

How has my childhood shaped my motherhood? I might have lost my phone again. Is it that big a deal if the kids call me cringe? I haven't left the house today. Is it a problem that I don't leave the house for days? Why does my daughter hate rollercoasters but love adzuki beans? Cranberry bog spiders. What if they rearrange the grocery store again?

Thinky Thoughts walks the line between memoir, storytelling, guided meditation, and self-help. It’s a little bit of explanation, a lot a bit of exploration, and a tiny bit of still not knowing what’s I’m supposed to be doing as an adult. It’s also being okay with not knowing.

Thinky Thoughts won’t answer life’s great questions. But it will make you feel a little better knowing you’re not alone in asking them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Essays, Humor

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 14, 2026

About the author

Gwenna Laithland was born and raised in Oklahoma, the only child of a military family with both parents serving in the United States Air Force. She has absolutely no idea what she is doing most of the time but is pretty confident she is doing an okay job. She still lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Jackson, their three children and two spoiled dogs.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Gwenna Laithland, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book! This review reflects only my honest opinion.

When I read Gwenna Laithland's first book, Momma Cusses, I enjoyed it, but was underwhelmed. It was a fun read, but it was similar to most parenting books I'd read, featuring pretty much the same advice, just delivered with Gwenna's sense of humor, which is entertaining, but, in that context, more effectively delivered by her social media videos. When I reviewed Momma Cusses, I mentioned that I hoped she would keep writing, because I liked her voice, enjoyed her storytelling style, and the best part of her book was not the advice she gave, but the stories she told. 


This is the book I was waiting for. 


Thinky Thoughts is basically a memoir in the form of essays and poetry. It's not presented in chronological order and its delivery feels random, and yet, somehow, its apparent lack of order fits together just right, like a jigsaw puzzle of a book. Gwenna's story is interesting to read in and of itself, but her sense of humor truly brings it to life. You can hear her voice so clearly while reading; it feels like she's sitting right next to you telling you these stories herself. I admire her ability to shift from being wickedly funny to poignantly vulnerable. Ironically, I found more compelling parenting advice in this book that is not necessarily intended to be a parenting book.


The chapters particularly stood out to me were: 

The Bean Theory 

Road Rage 

The Magic of Christmas

Roller Coaster

Not a Hugger

Jazz Rules

Grief's Bystander 

F-ing Around to Find Out


Also, the chapter about Gwenna's experience as a gifted student with ADHD, but I forget its title. 


From a content notification perspective, the reader may want to be aware that this book discusses abuse, body image struggles, consumption of racy literature, divorce, unexpected pregnancy, infertility, and abandonment by a parent. There's also quite a lot of profanity, but, given that this is written by the creator of @MommaCusses on TikTok and Instagram, you should be expecting that 😉


Thank you, Gwenna, for writing such an insightful memoir for me to read while I nursed my baby in the middle of the night. Your words entertained me, and they also taught me, despite your proclaimed status as an Unexpert. I'll be pre-ordering this book, and I can't wait to read more by you - your Thinky Thoughts are wonderful!

[Randelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was utterly unfamiliar with Gwenna Laithland prior to reading this book. Now, I feel that we could sit with warm mugs and chat for hours about similar lived experiences.

I related to each essay. Everything from being an introvert raising extroverts, to my mind taking off on tangents, to having survived an abusive relationship, to not knowing what the hell I am doing as a parent. All of it was somehow paralleled to my own life. Many of the essays had me agreeing out loud, smiling, giggling, and a few had me sniffing back tears. I loved each one for being so honest, for being upfront with “this is what works for my family” while pointing out that it may not work for others, for the quotes I highlighted and tabbed, and for being stories I can learn from and try with my own family. The poems were so whimsical, relevant to my own life, and often fun. They were sprinkled throughout, which made a nice change from the essays.

The whole of this book is written very well. Ms. Laithland creates ease, comfort, and closeness in her “Thinky Thoughts.” It reads like a coffee date with a dear friend. I know I will often refer to this book and its life lessons. I highly recommend this collection of essays and poems to anyone who wants to understand some of what happens in women's brains as introverts, as individuals who may or may not have ADHD, and who are mothers. I cannot say enough good things about this book.

I received this book as an advanced reader edition in a giveaway win from St. Martin's Press. The above review, including thoughts, feelings, and opinions, is my own and not influenced by receiving a free copy of the book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: A great mix of reflective essays.
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!

Collection: The collection as a whole skipped around but that was established at the beginning which added character and didn’t bother me in the least. It did give a great picture of Gwenna and her history as well.
Readability: The writing is approachable and easy to read.
Humor: This is going to be up to the reader I think, but as a fellow millennial I was cracking up frequently.

Thoughts:

Just like her social media presence, Thinky Thoughts presents Gwenna Laithland as that funny, relatable Mom-friend. She’s introspective, but at times irreverent with a healthy dose of sarcasm and humor. This is the perfect mix, especially for a collection of casual essays about her own history and thoughts on how her brain works.

Ranging from stories about her father walking out on her, to the abusive relationship that setup her adult years, to Christmas as the daughter of a single mom. These all sound like that should be heavy, and at times they are, but they’re also tempered with a good dose of humor. You’ll flip between laughing and crying, and enjoy every moment.

I will say this may not work for everyone but I do think it’s worth trying. It’s introspective and it’s lessons can be carried into other lives and times. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I really recommend it for fans of reflective essays (especially those with a dash of humor just like this).

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second essay collection I’ve read recently by women authors who have ADHD and talk about how it has impacted their lives, but don’t seem to be making the work about ADHD or limited to an ADHD audience. I don’t know if this reflects a trend, but I appreciate the representation.

Laithland’s essays, especially, resonated with me in a way I don’t think I’ve encountered before. Her ruminations on what it meant to excel academically not by virtue of hard work but because the work never required her to try hard enough to fail, her complex feelings about not getting a childhood ADHD diagnosis, even her great talent as a young musician and her current career as a writer, could have been my own.

To that point, Laithland is at her best when taking the reader deep into her point of view. I loved the passages where I felt like I traveled side by side with her through an experience. That energy petered out for me in essays that leaned harder into talking to or about the subject at hand, rather than through.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. A collection of essays was a great way to describe this book but honestly a lot of the time it felt like things she’d talk about to close friends. I had no prior knowledge and wasn’t a previous follower of the author so I went in to this one blind. This was indeed all over the place and will shift gears at any given point with zero warning but to be fair, Gwenna warns you about this immediately. Admittedly, this took a little longer for me to read than normal, if an audio version becomes available I think I would love it. I’d challenge you to read this without finding some common ground of what she shares. “The slow descent into adulthood” - talking about rearranging the grocery store, I feel seen. Also the poem “neutered” about mom choosing herself - thank you. There were several others as well. Overall I liked it.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinky Thoughts feels like sitting in the corner of your own brain with a half-cold coffee and a spiral of “what am I even doing?” Gwenna Laithland doesn’t pretend to have answers — and thank god for that. She just hands you her mess, her memories, her mental clutter, and says, same.

This isn’t just a parenting book (I’m not a parent and still saw myself all over these pages). It’s a collection of spirals that somehow manage to land — funny, sharp, oddly poetic in places, and painfully accurate in others. One page you’re laughing, the next you’re quietly falling apart.

It’s not tidy. It’s not resolved. But it’s honest. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need. This one’s for anyone whose brain won’t shut up — and doesn’t really want to.

Thanks to Gwenna Laitland, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC! Thinky Toughts will be available for purchase on April 14th, 2026

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this book from NetGalley on premise alone and the darling cover. It wasn’t until I got into it that I realized the author had another book under her belt and a prominent TikTok following that led to her books. It didn’t reduce my enjoyment of what was inside the pages any less. Thinks Thoughts is an honest and open collections of essays about motherhood, life lessons, and finding your way. I think my emotions spanned the gamut while reading, from laughing out loud to on the verge of tears. If you’re a neurodivergent mom, and/or a mom with the mouth of a sailor just trying to do the best for her family, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Janet C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I am familiar with the author because I follow her Instagram account and I had read her novella last year, so I was looking forward to reading this. I really enjoyed how this book was structured into a collection of short little essays about different moments in her life. I really liked how she wrote about her past experiences with little nuggets of advice included. I am about the same age as the author so I can relate to many of her experiences and the times at which she experienced them. I recommend this book to anyone - parents, non-parents, those of us in our 40's and even those still growing up!
Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author created a wonderful story of adulthood - from the imperfections, to the good, and bad. Most importantly, she tells the story from a realistic perspective and is not afraid to admit flaws and shortcomings. I related to several aspects of this novel, which is written as a combination genre of memoir, short stories, poems, and self-help. More importantly, as a "slow" reader that finds it hard to pick up a book, I appreciated the shorter sections and variety of genres. I recommend this book to new/expecting parents, but also anyone who feels they are not like everyone else or going through a hardship. This will bring laughs and cries.

[kellymross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming into reading this book, I had no idea who Gweena was. I haven't read her first book, but I really did enjoy this one. This book is a lovely mix of short essays and poems, and she even shares a yummy sounding recipe. The essays that most resonated with me were ones on: grief, friendship, reading, being introverted, and tattoos... so clearly several resonated! If you like memoirs and essays that are poignant and vulnerable, I'd give this one a try. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

[Bargle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I felt the uncomfortable feelings of her daughter when she discovers that she does not like riding them. Neither do I.

I'm going through the recent, unexpected loss of my youngest brother. Her experiences with grief were helpful to me. While I don't score as high in the IQ scale as her, I'm bright enough to have experienced some of the same feelings about being smarter intellectually than many of my peers.

So, a good and unexpectedly empathic read.

[Amy Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway Win. I really enjoyed this read. It was light at times and heavy at others. And every minute felt like sitting beside an old friend laughing and crying while eating junk food. There is a bit of language which isn’t my favorite, but I overall enjoyed the candid thoughts of the author and how her personality spilled across the pages so effortlessly.

[Krysta Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've followed MommaCusses on socials for several years, and I was excited to get an ARC in a goodreads giveaway. I relate to Gwenna a lot and appreciate her musings. This book read like an elevated stream on consciousness, and it made me want to visit her first work as well