“She watched the rat mother scurry and fall, shock herself over and over and over again, and thought Yes. Yes, that’s exactly how it feels sometimes, doesn’t it?” – Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett
The title alone drew me into this book. Yes, I eventually read the synopsis and thought, “Okay, sure, why not,” but simply referencing having a “mom brain” was something I felt I could relate to far too well…
I wanted to like Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett much more than I actually did. I will give this book credit for one thing: it created some really interesting conversations between my friends and I about “mom brain,” maternal instinct, and what motherhood actually does to us and our brains.
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Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett Summary
Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett follows Georgia Evans, a mother who is overwhelmed by the expectations and demands of motherhood when she is invited to an exclusive wellness retreat promising to help women overcome the biological burdens of being mothers.
At the center of the retreat is the idea that “mom brain” is not just an expression, but the result of real neurological changes that can affect women’s decision-making, emotional responses, memory, and overall sense of self. What begins as an alluring promise of rest and relief gradually becomes something much more unsettling.
My Mom Brain Review
I didn’t particularly connect with the actual story here, and by the end, I felt like the book had an interesting premise that never quite became the novel I thought it to be.
That said, I really appreciated the conversations it sparked between me and my friends I shared my thoughts with.
“Some changes to a mother’s brain are obvious. For example, mothers’ brains show notable shrinkage in gray matter, the part of the brain activated during decision making.”
Mom Brain by Nicole Hackett
Boy did I feel vindicated reading that.
Because honestly, after having children, anyone would think choosing what to buy at the grocery store is a life-or-death decision for me. The intense brain fog, the complete inability to make just ONE simple choice without mentally breaking down and reviewing endless possible outcomes? Yeah, I feel that. Daily.
But the book also made me think more seriously about the idea of maternal instinct.
“She watched the rat mother scurry and fall, shock herself over and over and over again, and thought Yes. Yes, that’s exactly how it feels sometimes, doesn’t it?”
Mom Brain by Nicole HackettThat image really impacted me. So much of the time motherhood can feel like knowingly walking toward pain over and over again if there’s even the smallest chance it might better your child.
You would do anything for your kids, even if you know it will hurt you.
Is “Mom Brain” a Real Thing?
I went into this book fully believing in “mom brain” and came out of this book believing even more.
I don’t think of “mom brain” as a made-up societal term used for forgetfulness or even to make mothers feel less capable. Pregnancy genuinely changes the brain, and there’s this the fascinating fact that your child’s fetal cells can remain in a mother’s body after pregnancy.
I believe mother’s intuition comes from the fact that our children’s DNA is literally in us.
I truly believe mothers and their children are fundamentally connected on some kind of invisible mental wavelength. It’s why my kids (especially when they were babies/toddlers) seemed to wake up every single night the moment I finally fell asleep. It was as if their brains could sense that my brain had finally gone quiet or wasn’t actively aware and tuned into them anymore.
Or how just recently (but this is a kind of weekly occurrence), while both kids were at a neighbor’s house (a very rare alone moment for me), I suddenly had the strongest feeling that one of them was thirsty. I let the thought pass, and about a minute later, my youngest walked through the front door asking for his water bottle.
What was that? Coincidence? Intuition? Some combination mixed with biology? Mom brain? I have no idea.
But I do know that motherhood can create this strangely beautiful yet invisible connection that is truly so difficult to explain in words to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
And I loved that this book gave me a reason to talk about it.
Mom Brain Final Thoughts
Overall, I didn’t love the novel itself. The story didn’t fully hold my attention, and the thriller elements fell really flat for me.
But I truly appreciated the questions and conversation it raised about motherhood, maternal instinct, the physical and mental changes pregnancy creates, and of course the impossible things mothers feel compelled to do for their children.
Mom Brain did leave me with some truly interesting conversations, even long after I finished reading.
⭐⭐⭐ And for that, thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Nicole Hackett for this ARC!
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