You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom

So Embrace the Chaos, Get over the Guilt, and Be True to You

By: Leslie Anne Bruce

Narrated by: Leslie Anne Bruce

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

A much-needed voice of encouragement for every woman who had a baby and lost her mind

Sometimes, motherhood feels never-ending. A child is born, chaos ensues, and it seems like life will never return to normal.

In You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom, award-winning journalist and Instagram star Leslie Anne Bruce acknowledges that, yes, motherhood is a total mind f*ck—but then she offers the self-empowerment lessons new mothers need to get through the psychic upheaval and emerge stronger than ever. After childbirth, a woman's body, her relationships, and her very sense of self are tested like never before. Bruce encourages listeners to look past the sugarcoated truisms about the miracles of child-rearing in order to embrace the real joys of motherhood, spit-up stains and all.

Loaded with unfettered support from a mom who has been through it all, You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom offers a lifeline of encouragement, inspiration, and community for the new mama who got a baby, lost her mind, and desperately wants to find herself again.

©2019 Leslie Anne Bruce (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"For those of us who were shocked to discover that modern motherhood is a den of insanity, Leslie Bruce is a lifeline."—Jill Smokler, New York Times bestselling author and creator of Scary Mommy

"Finally, a mom who doesn't claim motherhood is all unicorns pooping glittery rainbows. Moms need this book."—Karen Alpert, New York Times bestselling author of I Heart My Little A-Holes

"I can't think of anyone better suited than Leslie to write a book on the first months of parenting. She is refreshingly honest, non-judgmental and always hilarious. And as a first time parent, I can tell you that sometimes you really need to laugh . . . so that you don't cry."—Lauren Conrad, designer, New York Times bestselling author, and mama

Overwhelmed mom caused by absentee husband

This book was largely a beneficial self help book. The author tells very personal stories from her own life about the difficulties of pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and raising a baby, without holding back any punches. She destroys the gauzy fantasy of motherhood with humor and absolute truth. My one MAJOR big beef with the book is that it’s filled with doomsday predictions about your life (you will have no identity, your previous life will be flushed down the toilet, your body will be wrecked) but fails to mention until the 7th chapter that a large source of the author’s suffering was caused by the complete lack of any material help from her husband, who took a grand total of 10 days off work and then resumed his 9am-7pm work schedule, leaving her with ALL childcare and homecare duties. Anyone would go insane if their husband refused to change diapers at home (he would only do so at restaurants) and failed to pick up his own clothes or clean up his own dinner. While the author readily takes the blame for causing her own misery by harboring unrealistic expectations based on Instagram posts of celebrity motherhood, and the fact that modern women lack the support network of extended families (read: female family members around to help), she completely side steps the fact that her husband was allowed to simply keep loving his same exact life prebaby, take on about “20 percent” of the baby-related work, and contribute nothing else around the house. So take her doomsday predictions with a grain of salt. (And make sure you procreate with the right guy.)

Great book, llegó al centro de mi corazón

Que increíble manera de describir el nuevo mundo de una nueva mamá, la incertidumbre, los miedos y problemas que nos hacen sentir el peor y mejor ser del mundo. Ya no me siento tan sola e incomprendida o loca. La narración es agradable y el ritmo magnífico. Me facino

Best Book for any mama

I have 2 kids currently. This book is everything that I wanted to say after my first but couldn't find the words. Even after number 2 I connect so much with what is written on what seems like every page.

Any soon to be mama, thinking about being a mama, or a mama that has kiddos that are older I feel can learn or connect with this book.

I hope it starts some conversation about postpartum care in America because Mama's are taking care of the future of our country but who is taking care of us.

Even made my husband listen to it so made be can understand what I have gone through. and he likes it too.

Two thumbs down

Totally not for me. I could see why some Moms say it made them feel less alone, and that’s awesome, but to me, it felt more like 8 hours of listening to complaining. It left me feeling rather annoyed and uninspired rather than feeling good. Not really my style. I would recommend “Unconditional Parenting” or “No Bad Kids” before this book. That’s if you prefer to learn tools to become a better parent. If you want to hear another woman talk about Mom fails (I do appreciate her candidness and her bravery in writing this) then perhaps you would like it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t waste your time.

Surface level opinion piece.

Purely opinions from a very privileged woman about motherhood. Completely surface view and experience that is unrelateable for the “average” woman with swear words to make it sound more “hip.” Very, very disappointing.

Fun Self Help Book for First Time Moms

Great book for first time Moms like myself. I found myself laughing and having eye opening moments right along with the author. Loved it.

Amazing!! Got me through postpartum blues!

Thank you !! This honestly saved me throughout the first few months of postpartum and really helped me as a new mom understand I’m not alone !! Loved this !

Breath of Fresh Air!

I loved listening to Leslie read her book. This was such a breath of fresh air. I felt so seen as a mother. A must read.

I could cry.

I loved it. Humanizing motherhood while also reminding us you are a fucking awesome mom!

Just a diary of an Instagram influencer

This reads more like a diary of an Instagram influencer trying hard to be catchy or “the cool mom”. It is simply her nightmare experience with new motherhood with very little in the way of evidence or research to back claims. This may be helpful for some moms to identify with, but it filled me with anxiety more than anything and no two experiences are the same. I’m two weeks into newborn life and I’m so glad it is not as horrible or dramatic as this book makes it seem. I was hoping this had more scientific or psychological help versus purely just anecdotal advice and a platform for a woman to share her experience.

So relatable

This book was a balm to the soul.
We are our own worst critic and think everyone is managing much better than us, but we're all in the same boat.
Thank you for showing that there are many ways that lead to the same goal, and that we are strongest if we support, not judge, each other.

A good listen for all mums

This was very relatable, generously honest and pretty funny. I could relate to a lot and it Leslie's experiences made me feel less alone in the motherhood struggles. I especially appreciated the mental health chapter and think more people should talk as kindly and candidly about their experience as Leslie did.