Reviews

I enjoyed Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies, but it took some time to get engaged in the story and characters. If this hadn’t been selected for book club, I likely would have put it down. But I’m glad I didn’t!

Kate is a good-natured and kind woman, but she is a bit of a doormat throughout much of the book. At thirty-nine years old, she moves back in with her sixty-five year old mother when her boyfriend, Nick, suddenly decides they shouldn’t move in together, and her former roommate has already sublet her room. Kate meets ninety-seven year old Cecily when her mother encourages her to volunteer at the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies.

Their introduction has a rocky start. Kate is first asked to teach the ladies cooking classes, but is soon assigned as a one-on-one companion to Cecily. Cecily is as acerbic as your worst nightmare. She has no patience for idiots, hence she dislikes all of the other residents—and almost everyone else—and is just waiting to die. But Kate plows on with their interactions and Cecily finally starts to warm towards her through their mutual love for food and cooking, sharing stories of her life. Their friendship becomes very important to Kate, and is an impetus for positive change in her life.

This ended up being a very sweet story, and I liked that Cecily is based on the author’s own grandmother.

bakersmom's review

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4.0

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

The characters become more developed over time, although there were many times in which I wanted Kate to stand up for herself more and not be reliant on others' opinions.
Toward the middle of the book I felt it dragged a bit but then began to pick up once life changing decisions were made.
Overall, this book is a great realization of how our decisions can change the course of your life. Also, make sure to follow your ambitions, not someone else's.

brennathebibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A fun book where a 39 year old woman befriends a crotchety 90 year old woman and learns her history through recipes and comes to terms with her own relationship.

brittneyreads24's review against another edition

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2.0

I felt like this book was 100 pages too long. I genuinely thought the story was wrapping up only to find there were 100 more pages and I was significantly disappointed at that. It seemed to just drag on at a snail’s pace the entire time. It was a cute idea, but it was extremely close to being a DNF for me.

jenniferdenslow's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Kate's life is all she ever wanted, until it isn't.

On the eve of her fortieth birthday, Kate's swain decides he needs to "withdraw" from their plans to move into together, announcing his decision while the two are on holiday. Thrust into relationship limbo, Kate looks for an outlet for her energy beyond her tedious job and finds it by offering food demos as a local retirement home. The demonstrations are far less important than the friendship she finds with crotchety nonagenarian Cecily.

This book was delightful! The friendship between Kate and Cecily is beautifully developed and highlights how nurturing connections are for all of us, at any age, even though it is definitely NOT treacly sweet or smooth. Kate is not your average heroine, a bit older than most leading ladies in this genre, and Cecily is an original as well, sharing her adventures with Kate as they bond over a particular book in Cecily's library.

I am adding this to my very short list of recommendations. Engaging characters, good plot, and featuring a tantalizing cookbook I think we'll all drool over getting our hands on if it's ever available!

annameix's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

southernmissi66's review

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4.0

It definitely makes me.want to cook better and a lot more!!!

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