The setting: Eddie Winston, a retired academic, is 90 years old and never been kissed. A volunteer at a charity shop in Birmingham, UK, he sorts through donations of the living and the dead; keeping some stashed away for--whatever the moment. He meets Bella, 24, a bright woman [Oxford] who works as a cashier at a Sainsbury's ; she has brought in the belongings of Jake, her boyfriend and the love of her life who has just died. And so begins their friendship. I have not read [but will!] the author's previous book: "The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot" and believe this has a similar setting; a great friendship between the very young and very old.

Two timelines:
1960s and Eddie's infatuation with Bridie Bennet [who he calls Birdie], who wonders if she should, but does anyway, marry a cad, Alistair.
The present--where the friendship between Eddie and Bella takes root with frequent lunches and meetings. Bella is determined that Eddie get his first kiss and sets him up for online dating--fun!

Humor:
"A sturdy boat of a woman sailes into the shop."
"...Egg McMuffin, which as nothing like any muffin I've had before, or any kind of egg..."
Burger King referred to as burger monarch
banana peels/skin referred to as the its "unzipped paamas"
"saleschild" -- appears to be no more than twelve!

Heartwarming, of love and loss, grief and new beginnings, and odd choices of clothing--both [especially] Eddie's and Bella's attire.

The tales of online dating are fun as is Eddie and Bella's escapade to Corfu.

Just a feel good, easy read. This book was so sweet, BUT NOT TREACLY.
I loved everyone in this story: ESPECIALLY Eddie and Bella, but as well Marjie, Emmeline, and Ham and Cheese.

4.5; just what the doctor ordered!

How could you not fall in love with Eddie Winston? He is always the ultimate gentleman and at 90 years old he is looking for his first kiss. Why has it waited this long? He has been in love with a married woman who takes her wedding vows very seriously even though her husband does not. she also loves Eddie but will not break her vows. This story a story about love and friendship with a few highs and lows and many amusing incidents to make you laugh. It's a story of being happy and satisfied with your life although it may not be what you hoped for. The author did a great job bringing the characters to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced ebook for my honest opinion.
#EddieWinstonIsLookingForLove #MarianneCronin #NetGalley

I love her writing. The characters are so lovable and the story makes the reader want to follow them and find out what happens to them.

This is a delightful story of intergenerational friends healing from grief and holding onto hope for the future.

Short book, even shorter chapters
Safe for PG readers
Overall vibe: warm & fuzzy, hopeful

A solid 4 star read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

What a sweet and heartwarming book! Eddie is a 90 year old man volunteering at a charity shop. When he sees something he thinks is special, he keeps it hoping the owner comes back looking for it. This leads him to Bella. Eddie and Bella are two different but lonely people who find each other at the exact right time. Reading this was like hugging an old friend you don’t want to stop embracing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc! If you're looking for a book that feels like a warm hug, this is it. Eddie is a sweet old man just looking for true love. His life intersects with a young woman who lost her love. The two form an unlikely friendship and help each other in ways they didn't know they needed. It's heartwarming and charming.

I loved this book. This is a wonderful, feel good story about a Man named Eddie Winston who is always looking out for others and finally has someone look out for him. It is like Eddie is a lucky penny for everyone around him and it seems he helps others to explore new and happy relationships that make them happy. He even finds happiness for his pet Guinea Pig Pushkin.

This story made me so happy, that at time I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Eddie is truly a kind hearted man who always tries to do the right thing by others, even when it means that you give up the love you want for being good person. He always tries to make people laugh,
Eddie works at a Thrift shop and when he see an item that might be important, he keeps the treasured memories safe in case the owners of those memories are ready, to take them back Eddie is the sunshine that everyone around him needed, and because he gave his friendship so easily that others couldn't help but to reciprocate. Bella became Eddie's friend when he gave her back her deceased boyfriend's shoes, he was safekeeping them knowing they were important. And its through Eddie's and Bella's connection that we find out Eddie, who is in his 90's, has never been kissed. So, Bella helps Eddie to try and connect with someone to love and get that kiss, and through the search we find a few interesting women who Eddie might find a connection with (Emmeline and Grace) who are marvelous women, but will they connect. In the end, life does a funny thing and returns Eddie's love back to him and it is wonderful.

I want to thank Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Perennial and NetGalley for an advance copy of a story about a man that brings love everywhere he goes.

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is perfection: the writing is fantastic, and the characters are completely loveable- I was utterly invested in what happens with each and every one. There were SO many moments in this book that made me stop and just…. gah, just stop and really appreciate what was said. I’m not typically a highlighter but I feel like if I were, I’d have at least half this book highlighted!
I’ll be honest, I don’t read a whole lot of this type of book, a “tugs on your heartstrings” kind of book. After reading this one, however, I think I need to seek them out more often. This is right up there among my all time favorite books now and I’ll definitely be looking to read anything else this author writes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing the advance copy and allowing me to share my honest review.

Eddie Winston is such a likeable... dare I say loveable character that will stay with me for so so long!! His story is told over a 60 year span and it is so very touching! I honestly have just finished soaking in this fantastic book and feel that "my" words will not do this review justice. I promise you that if you loved Ms. Cronin's debut 100 years of Lenni and Margot, this one has the same sentimental quality but without the painful tears!
Adored so many characters! Bella, Ham and cheese and Marjori. I believe you will love it too! Only drawback for me was understanding what happened in between the time that Eddie and Birdie's paths no longer crossed. Would love to have heard a little "summation" and I also wanted Bella to have a HEA as well. These were only my drawbacks but the book is really quite special!

Such a sweet book! Eddie is 90 years old and never been kissed. Bella is 24 and her boyfriend just died. Somehow, these two very different but lonely people strike up a lovely friendship that strengthens both of them. I absolutely loved Eddie, he was so funny and didn't take himself seriously. While this book was full of loss and sadness, it was at the same time uplifting, funny, and gratifying. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Eddie Winston has stolen my heart. What an incredible story. It’s sweet. It’s sad. It’s funny. It’s a tale of friendship and love and of being ok with wherever you are in life. It’s a book full of hope.

“Because friendship is just two people who can’t keep away from each other.”

I fell in love with all of the characters. This is one that I will re-read so that I can visit with my new friends.
💜💜💜💜💜

“And she will have love, wherever she goes.”

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this digital archive in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I absolutely ADORED Marianne Cronin's first book The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, so I had high hopes for this sophomore novel, and it did not disappoint!

Eddie Winston, our main character, is 90 years old yet spends time sorting through objects in a charity shop. He meets Bella, a young woman grieving a huge loss. Bella learns that Eddie has never been kissed and makes it her mission to ensure he gets the kiss.

This duo filled my heart in much the same way Lenni and Margot did. Cronin is the master of these powerful friendships that span decades, and I look forward to her next
tale!

I wasn't a fan of The Hundred Years by Cronin, so probably should of expected for this one not to be my favorite. Still, I think plenty of our patrons will grab this one and enjoy it.

Charming, delightful, and sweet. This book really tugged at my heartstrings. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marianne Cronin has done it again with Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love! After reading the synopsis, a 90-year old man becomes friends with a teenage girl and she helps him have his first kiss, I thought it might be too similar of a dynamic to The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot. However, it quickly became evident that this book is a fresh, exciting, hilarious, and wholesome exploration of love and friendship distinct from Cronin's first book but just as masterfully and beautifully written. She nails the quirks and inner thoughts of Eddie Winston and everyone he comes into contract with. The experiences of grief, regret, and love are explored with authenticity and depth. As someone who typically gravitates toward historical fiction, memoirs, and quite honestly, sad books, Eddie Winston was a wonderful change of pace. If you are looking for a book to sweep you up in the beauty and wonder of life together, this is it.

I cannot recommend this book enough. This is a must-read full of humor and hope.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

I loved this book! Loved Eddie and Bella………..their friendship is wholehearted. Eddie, age 90, optimistic, enjoying his life, enjoying his retirement job working at a charity store. He has but one regret…….he's never been kissed.. Bella, in her 20s, sweet, smart, feeling the loss of her boyfriend and love of her young life, yet carries on and then their friendship develops and grows, with each helping one another. Do not miss this read…..feel good, great writing. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for granting this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #EddieWinstonisLookingforLove, #HarperPerennialPaperbacks`.

***I received the ARC from NetGalley*** 90-year-old Eddie Winston is looking for love, and young Bella has lost her love. The pair meet in the thrift shop Eddie works in and become friends. This book is super light-hearted and whimsical. Just a feel good book really, with some parts that gave me a good chuckle. I enjoyed the short chapters and I truly wish I had Eddie’s glass half-full perspective on life. This book had multiple POV’s. Honestly it would have been 5 stars for me if I didn’t feel so confused about who or what was going on in the beginning. The last 50% really took off and made my heart really happy.

Some notable quotes for me from the book:
- “eddie greets every bird he sees like an old friend. it’s weird. but it’s his sign. , i wouldn’t mind looking mad if you sent me a sign.” - Bella 🥺🥺🥺
- Eddie says “Perhaps I am too old to be looking for love,” this book says NEVER.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book, this is my objective review. This was such a sweet and comforting read! When we meet 90-year-old Eddie he seems satisfied with his long life, but his young friend Bella embarks on a campaign to help him get his first kiss. Bella needs something to help her with her own grief, and her quest along with her growing friendship with Eddie is a healing balm. As we learn more about Eddie and his lost love Bridie, we fall in love ourselves with the amusing and lovable Eddie, and we wonder just what happened all those years ago. I liked that Eddie and Bridie were told in a mix of present-day Eddie's 1st person POV and his history with Bridie told in 3rd-person flashbacks from Bridie's POV. I can't even begin to describe how much I loved Eddie, who was written in such a way that you can understand why people were drawn to him. In turns bittersweet and hopeful, this is a truly wonderful story about human relationships and why it's important to keep looking for love no matter how old you are. What a great book!

Oh, how tender your heart feels after this.

From the very beginning, Cronin establishes why we should care about Eddie Winston and all surrounding characters. Even then, as I binged through the story, I found myself falling more and more in love with both of our main characters: Eddie, a 90-year old man who has yet to have his first kiss and Bella, a 24 year-old woman who loses her love and goes on a journey of healing and search for peace. Cronin invests you in both of these opposite internal conflict/desire dynamics that you discover yourself reading just one more chapter (or for me, half of the entire book in one sitting) to see what happens next.

You’ll even be rooting for guinea pigs to find their true love!

One thing I must note is that while the dates are very sweet that Eddie goes on, there are flashback chapters that make the love interest a dead giveaway as to who Eddie will eventually end up with. Thus, while Eddie feels the butterflies from going on a date and hoping it’ll end well, we as the audience are stuck knowing what will already happen. There’s no reason for us to hope that “this is the one” when the ‘forever love’ is undoubtedly predictable from the start.

Nevertheless, Cronin includes the most important parts of the story without much of the unneeded fluff, and makes each dialogue line count either elevating the wide range of personality to spoken character or implanting another key plot point. She warms your heart with every scene in this impactful love, redemption, and healing story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy). This review is based off of an uncorrected proof. This one is a jewel meant for safe keeping (and lots of love to be given) on your shelves!

Marianne Cronin’s latest novel completely captured my heart! "Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love" is a touching and inspirational novel that I found absolutely perfection! The story revolves around the unexpected bond between 90-year-old Eddie Winston, who has never experienced a kiss, and 24-year-old Bella, who is grieving the loss of her soulmate. Bella takes it upon herself to help Eddie find a special someone, leading to a heartwarming journey that I simply didn't want to end. The characters were incredibly endearing and relatable, and I found myself reaching for tissues because I was so invested. I honestly think Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is a must read for EVERYONE! This 5+++ star novel would make a fantastic book club selection!