Quick Book Review: We’re Going to Need More Wine (WGTNMW)

We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

Rating: 5/10

In 10 words or less: I wanted—needed—more!

SIGH

So listen…I started reading this book because I love Gabrielle Union (as an actress, social media personality, and a universal symbol of Black Don’t Crack). She’s talented, beautiful, and…awesome! I saw this book—her story—as an opportunity to learn more about her journey, her mistakes, lessons learned, and the experiences that molded her into the person she is today.

But, when I finished WGTNMW, I couldn’t help but feel like I needed…more! Even though I’d known a few key details about her life in advance and read the entire book, somehow I just didn’t seem to “get it.”

Don’t get me wrong—WGTNMW definitely had its moments of hilarity and its tear-jerking stories, but I couldn’t get over the fact that there wasn’t a clear theme (or reason) tying her stories together. And, at the absence of any theme, I found myself questioning 1) why she thought any of these stories were important enough to tell, 2) how they actually impacted her, and 3) if knowing these stories helped paint any better of a picture than my years of following her on Instagram had.

As a result, I found myself annoyed at the repetition of some details of her life (she had a “Mexican boyfriend,” we get it) and eager to know more about others! Cool, DWade eats the groceries…but how has he actually bettered you? What do you hope for in your marriage?

Perhaps most annoyingly, she closed the book with an incredible story centered around incredible characters that she, strangely, hadn’t mentioned at any point prior to the last chapter. These characters had more depth and (seemingly) lasting impact on her than almost anyone else we’d be introduced to, but they were dragged into the story at the very last minute. CONFUSED doesn’t even begin to explain it.

And at the tail end of this final chapter—like, last five paragraphs—she throws out the idea of being “fearless” in our storytelling. Then the book ends.

Cue my deepest eyeroll of 2018 (up to this point).

I closed the book and shook my head—I gained just as much from watching a season of Being Mary Jane. For some reason I fully believe that Gabrielle, her life experiences, and I—the reader—deserved more than what WGTNMW was ready to serve.