What to do, what to do what to do? What is a girl to do when she is in love with someone who is completely unappreciative of her goodness, worth and devotion? If you are Kate Parker you hang on for any crumb swept your way. If you are Nick Sullivan you take and take and never consider anyone’s needs but your own. If you are ninety-seven-year-old Cecily Finn you see Kate as a woman worth saving and with wit and storied morsels, doled out in equal measure, you try to protect and awaken Kate’s inner warrior goddess.

“Kate is prone to hoping for things that statistically could happen but definitely won’t.” Cecily, who has lived large and loved larger calls Kate out in the most uncharacteristic language; “you’re doing life all wrong, blundering around like a fart in a pickle barrel”. And that pretty much defines their relationship. Miss Cecily definitely has the best lines even if they are an attribution by Kate: “Cecily’s mind and tongue are sharp as lime juice on an ulcer.” Ooh so perfect.

Consider the trauma of turning forty, losing your true love, about to become unemployed, and moving back home with your acerbic tongued mother. Then mix in the support of a few good and supportive friends and the discovery of an extraordinary recipe book of delicious meals paired with any given situation and when properly baked you have a delightful story.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. Perhaps this is not a fair review because I didn't finish the book. I couldn't - it was too annoying. The main character was whiney and self-absorbed and her mother was cruel. I couldn't like the characters so I didn't care what happened to them. Even Miss Cecily was mean and sharp-tempered and not in a cute old-lady way. What a disappointment!

This book is the perfect combination of friendship, finding love, and cooking! The characters Kate and Cecily make this book an absolute joy to read. I loved 97-year-old Cecily and her advice and the way she gave out her advice to Kate. I loved Kate and her determination to figure things out. This is a heartwarming and delightful read and what makes it even more enjoyable is finding out the story is based on the author's own grandmother. This will be one of those books I have read via ebook but need to own a physical copy! I look forward to more books by Vicky Zimmerman.

There's something really uplifting and magical about Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies, specifically in the growth of Cecily and Kate's friendship and the recipes that bring them together. This was a lovely, heartwarming read.

This story manages to be endearing, entertaining and sweet without dipping into sappiness. Definitely a feel-good read in all the best ways.

Kate Parker is about to turn 40. She has an on-again, off-again relationship, a job she doesn't love, and she's living with her mother. Kate decides to volunteer at a local senior living home and meets the acerbic and opinionated 97 year old Cecily Finn.

The two form an odd and prickly friendship that proves more valuable to both than they at first realize.

It took me a while to warm to Kate, but once the book gets rolling I began to appreciate her. She and Cecily have a love for food in common, with all the associated nurturing and friendship aspects of cooking and eating together that entails.

Over the course of time, Kate persuades Cecily to share many of her life stories, and through a book that Cecily loans her, she begins to see some more attractive possibilities than the life she is living. Cecily manages to adjust Kate's expectations and perspective.

I particularly like books where female characters manage to save themselves and the resolution of the story doesn't depend on a male character or love interest for the HEA. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The story flows effortlessly, the characters are interesting and charming. There are also a lot of important messages in the story in believing in yourself, finding your bliss, not settling in a mediocre life due to fear and standing up for yourself. I highly recommend it as a present for a young girl as it has some important points on how to lead your life and choosing the man you will marry. A really emotional book...in some points it even made me cry...loved both the characters of Cecily and Kate!

This book!! I was on the fence about snagging it when I saw it here but I am so glad I picked it up. Took me a little bit to get into it but I really enjoyed it!

Kate works in copy marketing for a larger grocer and is on the brink of moving in with her boyfriend, Nick, when they go on a holiday to France. Nick has a moment of panic and tells Kate he doesn't want her to move in... yet. Kate goes into a tailspin after 'The Wobble' as she calls it and is forced to move in with her mother. Feeling sorry for herself, she goes to volunteer at a retirement home for ladies of status where she meets Cecily Finn, a saucy, crabby woman of 97. The strike up a rocky relationship that changes Kate's Life.

This was such a lovely book about friendship, and a very annoying book about romance. I wanted to punch Kate for her waffling on about Nick, If I were friends with her, I would've really tried to be kind but wouldn't have wanted to hear it. I wanted so much more about her interactions with Cecily. Cecily was very much s0 the star of the book and the best character. I have a soft spot for curmudgeonly older characters and she nestled her way into my heart. I got a little more than a little dust in my eyes while reading this one, if you catch my drift. This was definitely an unexpectedly solid book after a slow faff about in the beginning.

What I loved most about this was the character of Cecily was based loosely on the authors grandmother, which I thought was very special. And interesting knowing that a good chunk of Cecily's backstory was indeed true!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I must start by saying that I love the cover to Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies. Even the title was something that caught my attention.

The story is about Kate and her struggles as she reaches her 40th birthday. Cecily Finn is a ninety-seven-and-a-half year old lady with hair as still and bright as a "firmly beaten egg white." Loved to hear her stories of love and travels. She is definitely a personality not to reckon with and one I grew to enjoy throughout the story.

Great novel with well-crafted characters that keeps you engrossed until the very end. Highly recommend!!

This book should be read by every woman of every age. The story of a 40 yr old who finds herself at a crossroads "waiting" for life to decide which way she'll go until she meets a woman that will teach her that if she keeps waiting, life will leave her behind. Volunteer work at a home for exceptional ladies of a certain age....oldies but goodies, I think....teaches Kate that life is lived in moments, waiting for big events will mean you lose the best of times. This book gave me the same emotional ride as The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Cecily would surely be one of Kate's people.

I couldn't finish this book. First, the way Kate was acting over Nick for at least the first quarter of the book was so grating. There were so many pages just full of her pining away at this man-child when she's well over old enough to know better. Second, the writing just fell flat to me. I wanted so many more descriptors of moments and things and got none. The book would have gone so much faster if we'd gotten a little blurb about Kate going through a breakup (or maybe not a breakup, a wobble, but she felt like it might have been a break, but what if it wasn't really?) and then focused on her relationship with Cecily. Cecily was the only reason I was keeping interest in this book but again the writing just lacked any kind of depth. When Kate and Cecily have their first one-on-one meeting, it was nothing but dry dialogue. There were no descriptors! How was Cecily looking at Kate? Listening to Kate? Did she fiddle with anything while she talked? Did her hands or body shake or tremble slightly from the Parkinson's? Did she scoff or grunt or roll her eyes? We'll never know because it was just line after line of:
"Hello"
"Hi"
"I hate your pie"
"Well why"
"I'm old and curmudgeonly."
"Why not give it a chance"
"I'd rather be dead in the morning"
On and on and on. I'm sorry, because I really wanted to like this book but I just could not.

I loved Miss Cecily! Kate was just okay, but her character improved after meeting Cecily. I really liked the friendship that developed between Cecily and Kate, showing that friendship can bridge the ages. This was a charming book overall. It'd be interesting to see this one made into a movie.

Warning: Don't be surprised if you find yourself hungry while reading this!

Such a fun story of female friendship. I really loved Kate. She was my favorite. Really enjoyed this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5 HUGE stars

“As far as I can see, you’re doing life all wrong, blundering around like a fart in a pickle barrel.” ~ Miss Cecily

At 96-years-old, Miss Cecily has lived a wonderfully full life. She has loved a man beyond all reason, she has survived a major world war, she’s read a laundry list of books and can quote most of them, she has become an expert cook, she’s a published author, and now she just wants to be left alone in her final years. According to Miss Cecily, her time is coming soon, and she’s going to do and say as she pleases before the end finally, blessedly comes.

Kate Parker is certain she has the perfect life until her boyfriend drops a bomb while away on vacation. After a year and a half together and on the cusp of taking the next step, Kate’s boyfriend has a wobble that sees him returning to life as normal and Kate in a great state of depression and uncertainty. On a whim, and in an effort to combat her loneliness, Kate decides to volunteer her time at the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies. On her first visit, Kate meets - or, more accurately – is verbally attacked by one Miss Cecily. With nothing but venom in her words, Kate is certain she needs nothing to do with Miss Cecily. As it turns out, Kate does need Miss Cecily and once she gets past the crusty exterior and venomous words, she finds a strong, intelligent, kindish, caringish woman who is lonely and needs Kate as much as Kate needs Cecily.

Though Kate isn’t at all sure about any of relationships, she’s certain about one thing: cooking brings her comfort. While talking with Miss Cecily about cooking and comfort foods, Kate discovers Cecily was once an incredible cook. To that end, Miss Cecily loans Kate one of her favorite cookbooks. Little does Kate know that the cookbook, as much as her friendship with Miss Cecily, is going to radically change her life. For weeks, Kate not only carries around the cookbook, but uses it to help herself heal and, hopefully repair her relationship with her currently estranged boyfriend. What Kate doesn’t quite yet understand is that the cookbook and Miss Cecily know more about life and love than Kate can even imagine and if she would just take a step back and really listen to both the words of the cookbook and Miss Cecily, she’ll find not only a life worth living, but an adventure she’s waited a lifetime to have.

The Bottom Line: I absolutely LOVED this book! This is a story of friendship and devotion at its finest and I absorbed every word like a fine meal. Kate’s evolution from start to finish is simply amazing and it never would have happened without the poking and prodding of a crusty old woman with no edit button! I have a soft spot for books featuring crusty old women and men, so Miss Cecily absolutely stole the show for me. With her random yet applicable quotes to her sage advice about life, love, and cooking, Miss Cecily is exactly what Kate needs to help her through what has become the hardest moment of her life. Through tough love, Miss Cecily helps Kate to see what her world really is and how it can be if only she would drum up the courage to make some changes. I loved the give and take between Kate and Miss Cecily, especially towards the end of the book. I won’t say I cried, but a softer heart certainly will, and the tears will be absolutely worth it. In all, I found this book to be enlightening as well as entertaining. A don’t-miss read if I’m being frank, and Miss Cecily would certainly appreciate the frankness 😊

I have enjoyed immensely the plot and loved the characters. This is my first book that I have read written by this author and for sure it won't be the last. I recommend the book to anyone who likes to read and relax with a good book at the end of the day.

Kate is nearing her 40th birthday and has instead of celebrating in the lead up to it, her boyfriend throws a curveball and she ends up moving in with her mum.

Depressed and lonely her Mum insists she gets out and does something for others. So she finds herself volunteering at the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies.Here she meets Cecily Finn a 97 year old stubborn yet compelling woman. Who, along with a decades old recipe book, helps Kate out of her slump and teaches her a few lessons in the journey of their friendship.

This book was beautiful. Made even more so by the fact that Cecily is based on the authors grandmother. I laughed, wept and had some lightbulb moments while reading.

Such delightful read by Becky Zimmerman! The story centers around keep Parker who is madly in love with her boyfriend Nick, who happens to be a great cook, who just loves whipping up all of her favorite dishes.

Nick would love key to move in with him but first they decide to take a trip to France. And anything that could go wrong does. I adored the idea of Kate having a friendship with a 97 year old, Cecily, who has a fantastic backstory of her own. Will Kate and Nick find their way to Happily Ever After? You'll have to read to see! I totally recommend this wonderful, warm and charming book.

I would like to thank Vicki Zimmerman, Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

Kate is almost forty when her relationship turns out to be anything but perfect, her job doesn’t fulfil her like it once might have done and she needs to move back in with her mother.

When Kate starts volunteering at an old ladies home she meets Cecily and the old lady and Kate begin an unlikely friendship which is soirée by an old recipe book.

I really liked the story about these two women and Kate learning to become more independent and free from the need to be defined by what people expect and think of her. It’s a book which inspires me to start cooking because of all the great food that is being prepared within the story.

I really appreciated the final note on how the author was inspired to write this story and how much of the book really happened to the people this story was inspired by.

What a great read!!! Miss. Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies is pure chicken soup for your soul packed into a book! I was looking for a lighthearted read that held my attention and this book did that and so much more! I found the characters incredibly charming and endearing—they all wormed their way into my heart! When I finished this novel I was truly sad to say goodbye! I have never read Vicky Zimmerman before, but I most definitely want to read more from her in the future!!! I think Miss. Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies would appeal to absolutely everyone- go check it out!!!!

Kate is about to turn 40 when her boyfriend kind of, sort of, maybe breaks up with her. As she navigates this strange relationship with him, she volunteers at the Lauderdale House For Exceptional Ladies. Here, she meets a 96-year-old no nonsense woman who will change the course of Kate's life.

I absolutely adore the ornery Miss Cecily! I had a difficult time connecting or caring about Kate's storyline, especially before she meets Cecily. But, once we meet the cantankerous Miss Cecily, I was hooked. I want a copy of her amusing cookbook!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Vicky Zimmerman for the copy of Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies in exchange for my honest review.

Kate is turning 40 and when her boyfriend, Nick, breaks up with her she desides to move back in with her mother. Kate is heartbroken and to take her mind of things, she decides to volunteer at a nursing home, the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies. That's where she meets Cecily. Cecily is a 96 year old woman who seems to criticize everything and everyone. Kate and Cecily soon begin to bond over their shared passion for food. They develop a unique and heartwarming friendship.

I loved Cecily's character. She has an interesting backstory and she tries to help Kate in finding her happiness. This is a wonderful story about friendship, heartbreak, finding happiness and, above all, the love for food.

3.5 stars