“How do you measure happiness? It’s a feeling of calm that comes from the inside. When you figure out what’s important. When you have nothing to prove. Give everything you do, everything you’ve got and being satisfied, regardless of the outcome. — when you’re willing to surrender to goodness and joy. Give yourself permission to feel it. Not holding yourself hostage for making mistakes. Doing what you love. Doing for others. Learning to cherish the beauty of right now. When you can make yourself laugh without depending on anyone else.” (345-346)

Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan (2010,432 pages) Fifteen years after the success of Waiting to Exhale, McMillan returns to her quartet of friends living the Black middle-class life. While I appreciated reconnecting with the four women who originally inspired a genre emphasizing the multi-faceted dimensions of the strong Black woman, Getting to Happy is no Waiting to Exhale.

Ultimately, this book did not need to be a sequel. For those of us who enjoyed the original book and film, we have moved on with our literary choices, and the transition back to these characters felt forced. The plot picks up several years later, but it is disappointing how little the characters have matured in fifteen years. Instead of growth, the reader is met with a plethora of repetitive drama:

•  Savannah: Finally has a husband, only to kick him to the curb.
•  Bernadine: Her inability to pull herself together remains frustrating, even after meeting James.
• Gloria: Though blissfully happy at the start, her stability is instantly stripped away.
•  Robin: Now a single mother with a spoiled, talkative teenage daughter who acts as if she is the one in charge.

The narrative feels like a series of “bad news” updates that spiral into dullness and stupidity “I ain’t calling you stupid, but I’m saying you acted like you was stupid” (142). Significant portions of the book feel like rambling or the author’s personal commentary on the world rather than necessary plot development; the novel was entirely too lengthy and likely could have been condensed to 200 pages.

After a decade and a half, I expected these four intelligent women to have found more peace. While it is a quick read for those anxious to see how the story ends, it was a true letdown for me. I remained “stuck in the middle”—neither loving nor hating it this sequel.