Thank you Harper Perennial and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review. This book did not do it for me. I DNF but read about 80% and skipped to the last chapter. This books just dragged and dragged and while I get where it was going it wasn’t for me.

this is a beautiful, heartwarming, funny story about eddie winston and his new friend, bella. eddie is 90 years old and has never had a first kiss while bella is 24 years old old and just lost the love of her life. it follows their quest to find love for eddie while weaving in the story of his past. it is so well written and really made me fall in love with the characters. it does such a good job of highlighting the power of friendship and how it’s never too late to try again. highly, highly recommend (but, be warned, you might need tissues)!

thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of eddie winston is looking for love by marianne cronin. all opinions are my own.

I'm actually gonna sob EDDIE IM OBSESSED WITH YOU OH MY. This book is so beautifully written and optimistic. I literally need an Eddie immediately.

Eddie Winston is a 90 year old who laughs easily and loves with all of his heart.

An incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through donations and secretly salvages love letters and other items that he knows will be missed. It is here that he meets Bella, a 24 year old who has just tragically lost the love of her young life.

When he sees the items she is donating, he sets them aside, knowing that one day she will regret parting with them. And, when that day comes, and he is able to return them to the heartbroken young woman, a fast friendship is formed.

When Bella learns that Eddie has yet to be kissed, she resolves to help Eddie Winston finally find a love that can be reciprocated. You see, he knows what love is having spent his life hopelessly devoted to a devout woman who would never break her vow to another.

Helping Eddie (and his Guinea pig, Pushkin) find love, is healing for Bella too.

And, the ending to this story-chef’s kiss! But will it lead to a kiss for Eddie?

This heartwarming little tale can be read in one sitting as the chapters are very short and move things along at a brisk pace. If you need a “feel good” story to start the new year with, this gem will be available on December 31, 2024.

Thank You to Harper Perennial for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.

Another lovely story from Cronin featuring an intergenerational friendship. Eddie, 90 years young and happily working in a charity shop, befriends Bella, a young woman who has lost the love of her life. Eddie is a wonderful character, full of life and interested in everyone and everything around him. I enjoyed all the other characters as well, but Eddie was definitely my favorite. This is a book about friendship and love, the power of kindness, and the message that it is never too late to try something new. If you need a feel-good, heartwarming read, pick this up when it comes out. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for a digital review copy.

I read One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot on a flight to Vegas and was overcome by the characters and the deeply emotional story. Marianne Cronin sure does have a way with words.

When I saw she had another story coming out I could WAIT to get my hands on Eddie Winston is Looking For Love. It did not disappoint and was the perfect sweet, heartfelt story with the same vibes as Lenin and Margot but a little less… well sad.

This story is a giant hug with the exploration of deeper topics like grief and loss layered with hopefulness and lighter moments. I really loved the character development and the dual timelines.

This story will fit right into your heart and one I can’t wait for you to read!

Thank you @netgalley and @harperperennial for the early copy!

This one is out 12/31!

4.25⭐

I don’t think anyone is as kind and genuine as Eddie Winston. He is a gentleman with a heart of gold, but his heart has been broken for many years since he lost the love of his life, Birdie, as he called her. They formed a special bond when they met at university; he was a student, and she worked in a departmental office. Birdie was married to a selfish man who treated her disrespectfully, but her Catholic upbringing prevented her from leaving him. Being the gentleman he is, Eddie would not compromise her situation, and thus, they parted ways.

The novel begins in the present day when we find Eddie, 90 years young, working in a charity shop. He discovers special treasures that he holds on to in the hope of reuniting them with their original owners. Eddie has a guinea pig and has never been kissed. When he meets Bella, a young woman who has recently suffered a tragedy, the two form a friendship and embark on a journey to help Eddie find love.
The book uses a dual timeline, allowing readers to learn about Birdie and Eddie's past while exploring Bella's efforts to help Eddie in the present. The two timelines converge near the end of the novel.

This story is both humorous and heartbreaking. It speaks to the enduring human spirit and the unwavering hope that we carry. Although the storyline differs from Marianne Cronin’s first book, “One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot,” clearly “Eddie Winston is Looking for Love” captures the same spirit of kindness and connection.

Don’t miss this lovely novel. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Oh these characters are fabulous. The prose is beautiful and poignant. The growth, the relationships, the overall story and vibes are all just perfect. You should read this, and you should go in blind so all the details can delight you as they happen. I’m going to think about this one all the time. 6 stars.

Many many thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. 🙏🏻

After finishing The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, I knew I'd be a longtime fan of Cronin's work, but I couldn't have imagined a better follow-up than Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love. Eddie and Bella are a dynamic, unexpected duo that absolutely warmed my heart.

I can't wait to read whatever Cronin writes next!

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC! I can't wait for the world to read this one in December.

A good read with a solid plot and well-written, well-developed characters. The only draw back is that it seemed to go on longer than necessary.

A fantastic story of an unusual friendship between two people with a vast age difference. Marianne Cronin has a true skill, telling uplifting and enjoyable stories with relevance to today's society. Love this book! Worth the wait. Waiting for her next book now!

Marianne Cronin has delivered yet another utterly delightful read with Eddie Winston is Looking for Love. As a huge fan of her previous work, I was thrilled and honored to receive an ARC of this novel, and it did not disappoint. Cronin’s signature warmth and wit shine through every page, bringing Eddie's world and the charming cast of characters to life in such an engaging way. The pacing is spot-on, with a couple of unexpected twists towards the end that kept me eagerly turning the pages to see how everything would unfold. This book is both heartwarming and refreshingly relatable, making it a perfect choice for anyone who loves a story about love, self-discovery, and the beautiful complexities of human connection. I’d gladly gift this to a friend—and highly recommend it to any reader looking for a bit of joy and surprise.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this wonderful book!

What a sweet book! Eddie Winston is Looking for Love was a super charming story about an unlikely friendship that helps both heal grief and move forward after lost love. Both characters really came alive in ways that kept me invested in the dual timeline format of the story. I wasn't familiar with this author, but now certainly will be going back to read her previous novel. Highly recommend!

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love releases December 31, 2024

Eddie runs a local charity shop with Majie, and is known for taking home small items that come in with donation bags — things that would’ve held sentimental value to its owner, but would likely have little to no monetary value at the charity shop.

Chronicling friendship, grief, and love in all their stages, this is the most endearing and heartwarming story of a 90-year-old on a quest to experience his first kiss, and his new vicenarian friend whom he is accompanied by.

As much as you might think this story is about a first kiss, it’s really about so much more. It’s about first loves, loves you’ve lost, friendships yet to come, the experiences that shape you and hold value in your life, moments in time that turn into sentimental objects of remembrance, the unknown and unpredictability of this thing we call life…

Cronin shows us that there is beauty in intergenerational friendships, life-altering love, romantically hopeful outlooks, and in knowing that it is never too late.

Eddie’s disposition reminded me a lot of my late great-grandmother and I found so much unexpected comfort within his story. I can already anticipate this being a book I pass on to my loved ones for that reason.

Marianne Cronin has once again written a beautiful, heartfelt and emotion story about two generations forming an unlikely friendship over lost love.
This book has fantastic character development (even the minor characters) and easy to follow dual timeline storytelling.
There is so much fun and love in this book. My only critique is the portion of the book with Emmeline, did not find this necessary in the story.
Overall this is a great read. Thank you for a great book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC.

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is an absolutely charming novel of love and friendship. It’s also about grief and discovering it’s never too late for a happy ending. The novel features 90-year old Eddie and 24-year old Bella, who form an unlikely friendship. They team up to ease Bella’s grief after losing the love of her life, and to help Eddie find his one true love, lost to circumstances 60 years earlier. The story is told in dual time lines from Eddie’s university days in the 1960s to the present time. Eddie is sweet and funny, and I absolutely loved watching his fashion evolution. I laughed and teared up at times, and thoroughly enjoyed this heart warming story. Highly, highly recommended! 5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. Anticipated publication date: 12/31/24

Marianne Cronin’s follow up to The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot delivers with another emotional filled story. She has a way of giving such life to her characters that keeps you enamored with their background stories.

Unexpected friendships and second chances come alive in this life-affirming story of 90 year old Eddie who volunteers in a resale shop where he meets 24 year old Bella when she brings in the things of her boyfriend who died a year earlier. Through their growing friendship, Bella discovers Eddie has never been kissed. Hope and humanity in a book.

Eddie Winston is a 90 year old bachelor. He is a retired university professor and currently works in a thrift store where he sifts through personal belongings donated by deceased person’s families. . Often he doesn’t have the heart to resell some of the objects he finds. Instead he brings them home and puts them on a special shelf in case the donor has a change of heart and wants to reclaim the item. Eddie is a kind caring and good soul . One day a young woman, Bella , enters the shop and changes Eddie’s life. She is there to donate the belongings of her boyfriend who has passed. Although Eddie doesn’t know the story he senses that Bella is troubled. So he saves her donations waiting for her return. Despite a huge age difference the two become best friends.

Not only has Eddie never married, he has not ever been kissed. At this age in life he is ready and willing to find love but it just hasn’t happened. There was someone in his past but their relationship wasn’t meant to be yet Eddie scours all that enters his shop for a special locket belonging to his only love.

With Bella’s help Eddie has some interesting times enjoying life and seeking someone for his first kiss. The characters in this story are all delightful. The writing is simple easy and lovely. The story is poignant, sprinkled with humor and pathos. I just loved Eddie and Bella and some other folks they met along the way. What a completely charming tale which was an engaging and memorable four star read. I will be seeking out other books by Marianne Cronin. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It will be published on Dec 31, 2024. You will be glad you read it.

90 year old Eddie Winston volunteers in a charity shop where people bring belongings to sell once their loved ones die. Eddie loves his job, but sometimes takes a few sentimental objects home to put on the "Eddie Shelf" just in case their owners come back looking for their objects. This is how he meets 24 year old Bella, who is grieving for her boyfriend, and she and Eddie strike up a wonderful friendship. She soon finds out Eddie has never been kissed, and aims to change that, helping him to sign up for a senior dating ap and working as his wingman.

The timeline alternates between present day and 1965, when Eddie meets the love of his life. The story is told from Eddies, Bellas and Bridies (in the 60's storyline) point of view. We meet a number of likeable characters, including Pushkin the guinea pig and I found the story to be delightful. The relationship between young Bella and nonagenarian Eddie is perfect, and illustrates that we can establish close friendships across the decades. Marianne Cronin seems to have a real talent for writing these relationships, as she did in the 100 years of Lenni and Margot, and I would encourage anyone looking for a sweet friendship story with an uplift to pick this one up right away.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for this e galley in exchange for an honest review.