Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

Starred review from April 1, 2020

DEBUT As 39-year-old foodie Kate approaches the dreaded 4-0, her stable life starts to unravel. Her job may be on the chopping block, but even more upsetting is when her soon-to-be live-in boyfriend says he needs to "retreat." To get her mind off her troubles, she volunteers to give food demos at a retirement home for elderly women, where she meets cantankerous 97-year-old Cecily, who disdains Kate's choices and how she wastes precious time on her boring job and unsuitable boyfriend. As relations begin to thaw a little and Cecily tells Kate about her adventurous life, Kate starts to wonder if Cecily is right. This is a fast and fabulous third-person read about life, loneliness, love, and the power of good food and friends. Zimmerman keeps things realistic, including Kate's modern relationship troubles (e.g., ghosting and a noncommittal boyfriend who constantly lets her down), frustrated friends, and an irritating mother. But Cecily, a mentor Kate meets by chance, is the real star, with her jaw-dropping insults, fascinating life story, and brusque but well-meaning advice. VERDICT A can't-miss title for fans of chick lit and modern women's fiction.--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2020
While on holiday in France with her boyfriend, Nick, Kate is unexpectedly thrown from a contented romance to a confused state of limbo by something she calls the Wobble. It's not that Nick doesn't want her to move in, eventually; it's just that he feels weird about their future. Resolved not to resume their relationship until Nick finds some clarity, Kate discovers a source of solace in the most unexpected place?the extensive book collection of barb-tongued, 97-year-old Cecily Finn, a resident at the senior home where Kate has been volunteering. The midcentury cookbook she gives to Kate offers witty takes on the many situations in which the clever cook might use her meals to achieve larger aims, such as Dinner for the Man You Hope to Marry. As Kate begins to cook her way back to a sense of sanity, she learns Cecily's own story of romance and finding her place in the world, which often connects back to the cookbook. Zimmerman adeptly juggles entertainment with deeper themes of longing and loss in this appetizing novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)