A great read ... should you settle for what you think is right for you ? When her man tells her he’s not sure about their relationship things are initially up in the air - alone,back living in mums spare room Kate is struggling to come to terms with where her life is at - deciding to make a change she befriends Cecily and suddenly things become much clearer. A warm hearted read which I throughly enjoyed

Kate is a hard worker, a loyal type who has just been dumped and tries to jog along with her lot while she puts herself back together. Until she meets the feisty Cecily, the older and firmer woman who shares her life knowledge to better Kate's life, or at least see what she's missing.

Very standard, formulaic and twee tale written in a way that reminds me of old ladies! Not my type of book and quite an arduous read for me, but will suit readers that like this kind of thing. Sorry!

This book is about Kate who thinks she has what she wants in life, a boyfriend who she is going to move in with and a job she has had for years. However things change and she wants more out of life. A chance meeting of an old lady and her life changes for ever in a good way. The friendship she gets with Cecily makes her realise that her life isn’t what she wants, she realises that nick isn’t good enough for her and that she should change her job. The ending is sad when Cecily dies but it’s also happy as you realise that Kate’s life wouldn’t have changed without her in there

Romantic and food filled . An additional seasoning of truth and a hint of sadness, finished with a flourish of optimism and love. Quite delightful.

A nice story about a woman whose boyfriend doesn’t know what he wants from their relationship, and how her visits to a home for the elderly makes her question how much more she wants out of life. Lots of flashbacks and cooking advice to boot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was just what I needed; a perfect antidote to the depressing news and confusing political issues. The characters were vividly drawn, and I was not surprised that they were based on real characters. As someone with a passion for cookery books and reading, this novel was always going to appeal to me. I also feel great empathy for the elderly, being fortunate enough to share our home with my lovely 96 year old mother in law. I witness daily how young people benefit and learn from their elders, and found this aspect of the book endearing. It is in no way soppy or over sentimental, and is steeped in humour. An excellent read.

A big thank you to netgalley and Zaffre publishers for an electronic arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this charming story of friendship. Kate is almost 40, in a job she does not enjoy, but has stayed for 20 years for security reasons only and is in a relationship with a computer nerd who is emotionally unable to be fully engaged in their relationship. Kate meets Cecily, a stubborn 97 year old who teaches Kate about love, life, and cooking.
I recommend this book.

THE WOMAN WHO WANTED MORE VICKY ZIMMERMAN

I was drawn to this book by the description so I knew there would be food references in it which I loved. The book is about a food technician called Kate and her rather unsatisfactory life which needed improvement in every area. Her boyfriend Nick didn’t really appreciate Kate and her job was mundane. In an attempt to turn things around Kate finishes with Nick and goes home to live with her mother. She decides to do some voluntary work in an old people’s home where she meets Cecily who appears to have lived a very full life and encourages Kate to make changes in her own life. The book also involves a cookery book written by Cecily and a lot of the story revolves around the interestingly titled recipes.
The relationship between Kate and Cecily develops through the book and the characters are interesting and easy to relate to. Over time Kate makes great changes to her life and leaves her job to follow more interesting pursuits. She becomes braver in every aspect of her life and life becomes more satisfying for her as a result.
The book takes a little time to get into but Kate is an easy character to like. At first I thought she should just forgive Nick for what he said but gradually I realised that Kate deserved more in life and the book is a discovery of what she is capable of. I also liked the character of Cicely who is obviously lonely and flourishes when Kate takes an interest in her. I loved the many references to food and the fact that the cookery book that is referenced throughout actually exists is the icing on the cake!
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

There is much too much going on in this book. There's the back-drop of a break between a couple, of a woman coping with moving back in with her mother and their dysfunctional relationship, of a volunteer connecting with an elderly woman, of someone wanting to find happiness through cooking and writing but is stuck in a dead end job- this is all the same person. It's exhausting trying to find a central point in this novel because there really isn't one. I didn't feel engaged with the actions of the lead woman at all.
Also, this book is written in a very, very weird style. The prose is designed like a first person thought narrative, 'I did this' and 'I did that'. Instead, this book is written in third person and it made the writing feel clunky and out-of-sorts. She writes 'X character was feeling like...', which any good writing teacher will tell you is a bad way to phrase a sentence. It took me completely out of the story. Unfortunately, it's not a great book and reads a lot like a very first novel.

This is the charming story of Kate, holding out for her relationship to succeed and be all that she wants her man to be. She befriends Cecily at a retirement home for educated ladies. through these visits, Cecily guides her on to a new path, using emotional blackmail, poetry and some plain talking!
I really enjoyed this, I finished it in a weekend.

I cannot express how much joy I got from reading this book. From the beginning to the very last page I was captivated by this enchanting story. My heart went out to Kate who was invested in a toxic relationship.but sadly couldn't see it until dear Cecily stepped in and directed her onto the path of freedom. As a cooking enthusiast I was captivated by the cookery theme and dearly wished I had had the opportunity to run a supper club or write a cookery book like Kate. The book just keeps giving and giving and I was thrilled to find out in the epilogue that Cecily was in fact a real person who had done many of the things written in the book. My favorite book of 2019.

Mostly interesting if overlong; I liked the story of Cecily especially and the bittersweet twist at the end of it. The main character though irritated me - I just didn't buy into the months of grief that ensued from an 18 month relationship for a woman nearing 40; I kept thinking of women I know who have had decades long marriages end with less self-pity and snivelling into their pillows!
The writing was fine though and I didn't get bored :)

I really enjoyed this, I felt like I could relate to her and her almost fated destiny to settle for second best.

I would have liked to see her be a more of a body positive hero - enjoys food unashamedly but drops 7 pounds is and suddenly is attractive?

A charming story of two women born years apart but brought together; both strong but one has yet to realise it and gains strength from a wiser woman. Very enjoyable, definitely one to pack in your suitcase.

I absolutely adored this book! I wasn't so sure when I first started it but it really really made me smile (and nearly cry, which is rare) when I got stuck into it and finished it. I loved our main character, Kate, for me she's a real character and someone everyone knows. She's lovely, caring and willing to give people a chance and I really liked that her boyfriend issue was something that many people can relate to without it being an extreme situation that doesn't reflect the life experience of many who have had a relationship that didn't work out. Her character development and growth felt real to me and it was sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy - just like real life! I adored Cecily, although not sure I'd have some old lady being very rude to me! But she made me laugh and honestly you see where her frustrations came from. As a whole the story was wonderfully done, the pacing was great, the characters were real and it was great to see the tie-in with Fletchers and see that Devron is still annoying as ever.

My favourite parts have to, of course, be the love of food! Vicky has outdone herself again with the descriptions of food, the wonderful combinations and of course the book and the recipes in this book. Finding out that it's based on a real book was a real delight for me and I'm off to hunt for it! I can't fault this book, great plot and all the food!

A lovely story of an unlikely friendship. This book offers you lots within the story and almost 2 tales running alongside each other. It is not too heavy duty but keeps your attention ad wanting more.

I loved this book! Witty, life-affirming and compulsive. The recipes that are written for every episodeofyour life are just so fitting. I loved Cecily, her courage and determination to make Kate live her own life to the full was inspiring. i will read this book agin and again. Well done vicky zimmerman you definately have a winner in this book.

This is a truly beautiful book that I really enjoyed. I didn’t like Nicks character, I wanted to shout at him but I loved all the other characters. The growing friendship between Cecily and Kate was beautiful to read. The food sounded gorgeous and it all felt so real so I wasn’t at all surprised to discover the book is based on the life of a real Cecily.

This will be a book I read again and again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Not my usual kind of book but this came at the right time and it was lovely. Nothing to do with locations, but I think this is the kind of book a lot of people should read. It's life affirming and feel good

There's themes of friendship, female endurance and cooking!! Cooking! There's recipes in the book and that just makes things even more special. Set in a carehome too! This is emotional on so many levels.

A truly lovely book, I did not want to put it down or for it to finish....ever. I loved everything about it and a week later still think about the characters, the story and how it has made me think about what I eat, how I cook and whether or not I should now write about my mother’s life. After I had finished it I then looked for other books written by this author and found that she has based this on a real life story. I can’t wait to read her other books although I may not have chosen them before as they seem to be aimed at an audience a lot younger than I. A new series written by ‘Cecily’ in her later life would be great!