Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the e-ARC! From the author of One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot.

Meet Eddie Winston, a 90-year old who prior to retiring worked in academics and now fills his days at a charity shop that takes in items from the recently deceased. He has a gift for giving the items new life and for identifying those that still have meaning by placing them on his "Eddie Shelf" for safe keeping. Through the charity shop Eddie meets Bella, a 20-something going through the recent loss of her book friend. The two developed a friendship that would make anyone jealous even with the large age gap. Through conversations at lunch, Bella discovers that Eddie has yet to have the experience of a first kiss and makes it her mission to help him have his moment.

There is so much to love about this story. The characters are all very likable. A beautiful cross generational found family story. The story is told in a dual timeline; the 1960s and present day. In addition, there is a bit of a short story feel to the items that arrive in the charity shop. This story takes grief and the end of life (in both people and objects) and restores the hope. It may also make you appreciate ham and cheese sandwiches, cheetah print silk shirts, and heart shaped sunglasses to name a few. 😊

Absolutely delightful from start to finish. Loved the character of Eddie and rooted for him throughout. His intergenerational relationship with Bella is paternal and sweet and honest and tender, all the things you wish it would be. Plus the narrative is realistic even while it feels like a reach.
I recommend it to everyone.

I absolutely adored Eddie and this book is so incredibly charming. Marianne is a phenomenal writer and I could not put this story down. I wish I could visit these characters in real life! Oh, what they could teach us! Marianne is an auto buy and the very best kind of story to handbell to customers. I only wish it was published earlier so it could be sold during the holiday season!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher Harper Perennial: Eddie Winston is 90 years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed.
A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. And it is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, at 24 years old, has just lost the love of her life.
When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help Eddie Winston finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie Winston to the moment he has waited for all his life.
A tale of friendship and kindness that reminds us that those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again.
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My review: I loved Cronin’s first book- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot so I was happy to get this ARC. Again, the characters are so believable, so real, and also searching. Eddie hopes for love and Bella hopes to move forward. Their friendship is heartwarming and fun. In my head I could picture each "stylish" outfit Eddie wore when he decided to expand his personal style: green satin cheetah shirt, corduroy pants, bow ties with patterns...each one endearing and fun. I hoped for Bella to be able to grieve and move on but loved her supporting Eddie's dating life.
The characters are all deep and human and that made this a lovely, easy read. How long can one cling to the past? How hard does one have to try to look for love? All important questions. I rooted for Eddie, Birdie and Bella and the guinea pig the whole time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Harper for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I read the first book by this author and enjoyed it very much. I felt like she was an author to watch. While I did not like this one quite as much, I very much enjoyed the premise and the writing. Eddie Winston is 90 years old, and have never been kissed. He works in a thrift shop in England, collecting donations. He was a professor when he was younger, but he didn't like retirement and is happy with his life. He does regret the lack of romance. Bella , a young girl . comes into the shop with donations from her late boyfriend.They strike up a friendship and she encourages him not to give up on love. The story is told in flashbacks and current timelines. At times, it can be a bit confusing, as the timelines move around a bit. The story and the writing are beautiful and the characters are well defined. I enjoyed this book very much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. I absolutely loved Lenni and Margo and Eddie Winston did not disappoint! Marianne Cronin has such a gift for writing older characters. Eddie was hilarious and charming and his connection with young Bella was the sweetest thing. I loved how both of their stories were given equal focus and couldn’t help rooting for both. This was such a feel good read while still having depth and without being cheesy at all. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next!

I like this author's writing style, and enjoyed her first book. This one was a little predictable at times, but overall a good story. The elderly characters were well written, which is appreciated. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

One Hundred Years of Lenny and Margot moved me immensely and was a novel that kept coming back to me over the years so I was thrilled to see Marianne Cronin's second title soon to be available! It is a charming read, with the same depth of character and grace of her first novel.

Eddie Winston is 90 years old and he has never been kissed. While working at the local charity shop, he befriends Bella a young woman who has just lost her boyfriend. What happens next is a true friendship and kinship that is heartwarming, joyful and pure. Eddie fell in love with a married woman but kept the relationship platonic out of respect for her and her marriage. Although he has led a full life, he has never had a romantic love.
Both characters are quirky and totally lovable. Any one who read "The Hundred Years of Leni and Margot" will love this as much as I did.

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is such a sweet story of romance and friendship. Unlikely pairings forge long-lasting and healing relationships to move beyond grief to future love. A delightful story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

By accident, I stumbled upon Marianne Cronin’s first book, “The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot,” and was quickly enchanted by it, so I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to read an ARC of her latest novel, “Eddie Winston is Looking for Love.” This book was equally delightful! In both novels the characters are quirky and sweet, unlikely friendships blossom into something special, and the writing is so exquisite and you love the characters so much you don’t want the book to end. A summary of the plot doesn’t do this beautiful story justice but I will make the attempt.

In “Eddie Winston is Looking for Love,” Eddie Winston, a retired 90 year old academic, is working at a charity shop that receives the detritus of peoples’ lives when they pass away. One day, Bella, a 25 year old woman with pink hair, comes into his shop to donate a box full of items belonging to someone named “Jake,” who Bella indicates no longer needs the items. Sensing her distress, Eddie gives her a hug, and from there an unlikely friendship blossoms. They meet for impromptu lunches in a nearby park, where Bella confesses that she mourns her deceased boyfriend but couldn’t bear to attend his funeral and hasn’t been able to cry since he died. Eddie confesses that he has never been kissed. Bella sets out to help him find someone to love. During their lunches and trips together, Eddie slowly reveals the story of his lost love, Bridie, who he met in the mid sixties, but couldn’t have because she was married to a pompous professor at the university where Eddie received his PhD and later worked as an academic. For decades he has been on a quest to find a locket that belonged to her.

This book became one of my favorite books of the year, for the reasons I explained above. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves character driven novels about “found family” full of warm prose and delightful characters.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Eddie Winston is a heart-lifting story about the power of intergenerational friendship and finding love in unexpected places!

Eddie is ninety years old. He has lived and loved, but he has never been kissed. A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love, just in case someone wants them back at some time. It's there that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, at 24 years old, has just lost the love of her life.

I absolutely loved Bella and Eddie, who form the most unlikely of friendships! The book goes back and forth from the 1960s to the present. The chapters taking place in the 1960s are marked so there is no confusion.

Many thanks to both #HarperPerennial and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Eddie Winston is Looking for Love It has an expected publication date of December 31, 2024.

This was a delightful read! Despite the heavy topics (loneliness, grief, abuse), there was a clear line of hope that ran through these pages. I can count on Cronin to craft characters that feel like friends and fully realized people. This is a perfect read for anyone looking for some light in an often gloomy, melancholy reading landscape.

_Eddie Winston is Looking for Love_ by Marianne Cronin is a heartwarming and romantic read with sympathetic characters. Eddie Winston is 90 years old, has never been kissed, and volunteers in a charity shop, when he meets Bella, a young woman who just experienced a tragic loss. Together they embark on a journey to find someone perfect for Eddie. This book will leave the reader hopeful and satisfied.

4.5 stars rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published December 31, 2024.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and she’s only written 2 books! While I enjoyed “The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot” I felt this book was much deeper.

I was immediately engaged with this book and the characters. A boy named Ham and Cheese. A mannequin who gets clothed in the thrift shop clothes. An unlikely friendship between 20-something Bella and 90 year old Eddie. There is so much to love about this book. You will laugh and cry. Themes include friendship, loneliness, death, regrets, missed opportunities and love.

I loved that Eddie Winston would “steal” things from the thrift store, things he knew were donated in haste and he held onto them hoping the owner might come back.

I appreciated the short chapters. It made for a quick read. My only complaint was there was a lot going on and at times it felt disjointed. The story unfolds in past and present, in letters and with many characters.

This is a wonderful, heart-warming story and I highly recommend it.

Such a joyful, quirky storyline - I aspire to be half as positive and amicable as Eddie. This reminds you to savor the good things in life and never settle for anything less than your dreams. Any book that makes me cry is an automatic 5/5 stars. Would recommend!

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC.

Eddie Winston was a lot of things. He was a ninety year old retired professor who now passed his time in a charity shop. He was the caretaker of an antisocial guinea pig named Pushkin. He was a romantic who enjoyed reading romance novels. And now, he was looking for his first kiss. After a young women donates her dead boyfriend's belongings to the charity shop, Eddie was inspired to find love, and this was his journey.

I jumped at the opportunity to read this new release from Cronin. She gutted me in the best way with The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, and I wanted to experience more of Cronin's storytelling magic. Rest assured, Cronin has once again won my heart with Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love.

The star and heart of this book is Eddie Winston. I immediately fell in love with this lovely, gentle soul who was brimming with compassion and warmth. The whole concept of his "Eddie Shelf", a space where he stored items donated to the charity shop by those grieving a loss and may want these items again someday, perfectly illustrates the way he cares about others.

When Bella arrives at the shop one day to donate some items, Eddie can sense her pain. He gently offers her comfort and a beautiful friendship was born. Eddie may have been older than Bella's grandparents, but they were able to connect to each other in such a meaningful way. Their friendship was one of the highlights for me.

There are also flashbacks which chronicle Eddie's first, and perhaps, only love. It helped me understand why Eddie was 90 and unkissed, but also left me aching for him and what could have, should have been.

Cronin penned a spectacular tale of love, friendship, and connection which really touched my heart. She has a true gift for writing cross-generational friendships and older characters who are fully formed. Eddie's story put so much sunshine in my heart, and I can still tap into it just thinking about him. Eddie Winston is a true treasure who I felt so compelled to protect at all costs. I hope everyone will take this opportunity to meet Eddie and root for him while he searches for love.

✨ARC Review✨Once in a while I read a book that moves me, heart and soul. Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is one of these beautiful books.

Eddie is a spry ninety-year-old man spending his retirement years working in a charity shop. One day a young woman walks in with a donation box of her boyfriend’s things. He doesn’t need them anymore, she says sadly.

Not long after, this young woman, Bella, and Eddie become friends. He tells her he’s never had his first kiss and she encouragingly says they’ll find his first kiss.

What follows is funny, tender, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and all sorts of emotions in between.

I cannot say enough lovely things about this book. ❤️ Preorder it now, add it to Goodreads, tag it in your library.

I received an ARC from #netgalley and @harperperennial. All thoughts are mine alone.

#contemporaryfiction #arc #eddiewinstonislookingforlove #mariannecronin #upcomingrelease

I really enjoyed 100 Years of Lenni and Margot, so I was excited to see this new book by the same author. In this dual-timeline story, we learn about Eddie Winston's missed connection with Bridie, the love of his life, fifty years ago. The book reveals their almost love story alongside the story of what Eddie is up to these days. In the modern era, Eddie befriends a grieving young woman named Bella. He sits with her as she finds her way through her grief over her boyfriend's death. She, in return, is determined to find a love for Eddie before it's too late.

This book was sweet. Although the characters were markedly different ages, their friendship rang true. There were many complicated feelings represented on the pages. I enjoyed the side characters and their reactions to Eddie. I think that without these outside perspectives, we wouldn't have gained a true insight into who Eddie is. He is alone, but not because he lacks social skills. He just has tunnel vision and some lack of awareness that things could have been different if his heart were not claimed at such a young age.

This was a light read and I enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to the advance copy.

Marianne Cronin has done it again! What a phenomenal story! I LOVED The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, so when I saw Eddie Winston is Looking for Love, I was super excited, and it didn't disappoint. Side Note: If you are a fan of Lucy Gilmore, add both of these books to the top of your TBR list.

This story radiates empathy, compassion, and love. We follow 90-year-old Eddie and 24-year-old Bella as the unlikely duo navigates the aftermath of the death of Bella's boyfriend. Their relationship not only proves my theory that age is irrelevant but also topped off my faith in humanity. In a crazy world, I was reminded that there are still good people out there. I loved Bella's rebellious side, Eddie's sense of style, and that they were so supportive of each other. I need an Eddie of my own to be my bestie!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperback for a copy of Eddie Winston is Looking for Love in exchange for an honest review. I guarantee this will be in my top 5 books read in 2024.