Wonderful!! Eddie is one the best characters and I wish he was real.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely loved this warm and funny novel!! It’s beautifully written and I fell in love with Eddie!
Marianne Cronin is an incredible author.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eddie: “Suddenly, it seems so huge. ... Looking for love. What am I doing?”
Bella: “It’s not as big as it seems.... Love is really just two people who can’t keep away from each other.”

Happy Pub Day to Marianne Cronin and her new novel Eddie Winston is Looking for Love! I adored this bittersweet story and hope it’s adapted for the screen - I’d love to see Eddie’s wardrobe brought to life.

Told in two timelines, the plot features the eponymous Eddie Winston when he’s 90 as well as when he’s a much younger man. In current time, he works at a British charity shop and becomes the unofficial archivist of other people’s memories - donated items that have no monetary value but immense sentimental value.

In this way, he meets Bella, a young woman with pink hair, and the two form a sweet intergenerational friendship. Bella learns that Eddie hasn’t had his first kiss and makes it her mission to help him find love.

The story includes heartbreaking loss and moments of pure joy, and it gave me a big goofy smile on several occasions. The cast of characters is small so I got to know them well and felt their range of emotions. My only criticism is that I’m skeptical of Eddie’s ability to engage in his activities so well at age 90; I just reframed his age to 80 in my mind.

I definitely plan to read The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Ms. Cronin’s debut, as I’ve seen glowing reviews for it.

Many thanks to Harper Perennial for the review copy of this wonderful novel.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest opinion.
Eddie Winston is Looking for Love was one of the last books I read in 2024, and it was also one of the best books I read in 2024. I fell in love with Eddie, a ninety year old who is still looking for his first kiss, and Bella, a young woman whose boyfriend recently passed. Their intergenerational friendship is so sweet - between their lunches in Pigeon Park, the trip to Corfu, and their individual eclectic outfits, I just couldn’t get enough.
Similar to the author’s debut, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, this book made me cry in all the best ways. I definitely recommend it for a feel-good read, which seems especially great at this time of year. This line from the book’s blurb sums it up best: “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.”

I loved the Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot and was beyond excited to get an arc of the author’s sophomore novel.

I adored this book! It is so heartwarming and just a feel good book. I was so incredibly fond of the characters from
Eddie (of course) to Bella to Ham and Cheese. They all brought a little something to the story. The friendship between Bella and Eddie was my favorite part of the book and I just adored them and how they helped each other.

Definitely move this one up on your TBR pile- it’s a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I must be getting sappier as I get older, as this is not the sort of book I’d normally find appealing. I loved Cronin’s The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot (also a book I was afraid I’d find too sentimental) and I enjoyed this one just as much.


Eddie Winston is a 90-year-old working in a charity shop in Birmingham, U.K. People often donate the possessions of dead loved ones, and when Eddie finds sentimental items mixed in among the belongings, like letters and photos, he sets them aside in case people come back for them. A romantic at heart, when he can’t return these items, he treasures them instead.

When a grief-stricken young woman, Bella, donates some items from her deceased boyfriend Jake, she and Eddie form an unusual friendship. When Bella discovers that Eddie has never been kissed, she helps him enter the dating world. As a young man, Eddie fell in love with a married woman, Bridie, and the two were never able to be together. Eddie and Bella help each other deal with their heartbreak.

Clearly, this is a story for romantics. But it is also a story about grieving, and growth, and friendship. It’s a story about what has value in our lives, and how we’re never too old to explore something new.

What keeps this book from being “treacly” is the author’s wit and humor. Cronin not only develops a beautiful friendship between Bella and Eddie, but she also introduces a number of side characters that stand out, and it’s the details like Eddie’s crazy shirts, the charity shop mannequin, Pushkin the pet guinea pig, and Bella’s friend “Ham and Cheese” that make this story come to life.

As much as I enjoyed this book, it was also hard for me to read about 90-year-old Eddie when my own father, 91, was having such a terrible time. It was hard to imagine a 90-year-old with as much energy as Eddie, though of course it’s possible (my own father was in fantastic health until his late 80s). At first I thought maybe the author was not being realistic about Eddie’s age, but as I re-read some of it, she does indeed reference things like aching knees, etc. Eddie is simply unusually upbeat and in very good health for his age.

While I loved Lenni and Margot, I was happy that this book was much lighter in nature, though of course it still deals with some heavy topics. I liked the way the story is told, some of it from Bridie’s point of view, and some of it through letters from Bella to Jake. And I liked that not all of the relationships unfold in a predictable way.

If you already like Marianne Cronin, or if you’re looking to read something hopeful, I definitely recommend this book.

Note: I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley and publisher Harper Perennial. This book is published on December 31, 2024.

Give me a heartwarming novel about an elderly person EVERY DAY OF THE week. Eddie Winston works at a charity counter, he takes boxes of donations and goes through them. Most of the time not everything is sale-able. Sometimes he sees something in the box that he just can’t bear to throw away. It’s how he adopted his guinea pig Pushkin Spider-Man Winston. And every once in awhile they come back looking for it.

One day a young pink haired girl came in with a box from her boyfriend Jake. His converse with writing all over them were in the box and Eddie knew they were special. Bella and Eddie become friends, and when she finds out he is a romantic that’s never been kissed, she become a Cyrano sort for him. He gets on the dating apps and starts dating. And Bella finally starts seeing a therapist to deal with her grief.

We also get a multiple POV timeline in the past with Eddie and Birdie, who is the one who got away.

This book is just as sweet and endearing as it sounds. There are several conversations that had me laughing out loud, the characters are so well developed, I won’t forget them anytime soon. I got into the narrative right away. If you like books like A Man Called Ove and The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, add this book to your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC. Book published 12/31/24

Eddie Winston is a 90 year old romantic who spends his days working at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations and saves the letters and tokens of love that he finds in case anyone comes back for them. At the shop he meets Bella, a 24 year old who just lost the love of her life.

He and Bella form a beautiful friendship and spend their days eating lunch together in the park. Bella finds out Eddie has never been kissed and they go on an adventure to find love for him. The story goes back and forth between present day and the 1960s, where we learn the story of the woman he fell in love with when he was young.

I really enjoyed this author's first novel, "The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot", so I was excited to receive an ARC of her new release. This story has a lot of the same heartwarming elements and charm, and I did enjoy it overall. However, the story felt a little disjointed in the way it jumped around between characters and timelines. There were also some parts that felt unnecessary to the overall plot.

I enjoyed reading Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Such a lovely story of hope, resilience, and that it is never too late to find love! Even at 90, Eddie is hopeful and willing to step outside his comfort zone to make new friends... and is open to even more. Inspiring!

What a wonderful, feel good story about Eddie who is 90 years old and is looking for a first kiss.
He is kind and humble with a job that entails caring for the belongings of people who have departed this world.
Some times he feels he must find the person that needs these items.
Hence he meets a young woman who becomes a good friend. She vows to make Eddie's wish come true.
A true novel of love, caring and so much heart!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Harper Perennial and paperback for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. It was emotional, beautifully written, and had me laughing one moment and feeling deeply invested in the story the next. The author did an incredible job of balancing lighthearted moments with more profound, touching ones. I found myself completely immersed in the characters’ journeys and emotions.

I absolutely loved the friendship between Eddie and Bella. Despite their many differences, the bond they formed felt incredibly real and heartwarming. Their connection was so unique, and it was refreshing to see such a genuine, deep friendship develop between them. I especially appreciated how their relationship highlighted the importance of human connection at any stage of life.

Eddie’s journey, searching for love at 90 years old, was one of the most compelling aspects of the book. His story was so heartwarming and truly showed that it’s never too late to find meaningful connections and love. His character was so well developed, and his perseverance and hope were inspiring.

Bella’s character also captivated me. I found her to be so relatable and complex, and I would love to read more about her in the future. The way the story wove her narrative into Eddie’s made for such a rich and satisfying experience.

This story has stayed with me long after I finished it. It’s a heartfelt, beautifully told tale of friendship, love, and the power of human connections, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a deeply moving read.

I was not familiar with Marianne Cronin's debut release so I was not sure what to expect with Eddie Winston. The description is exactly the kind of story that I enjoy. Quirky characters and a reminder that we are better together.

This a a multiple POV and dual timeline. I wish that the chapters would have been labeled with the characters.

Eddie Winston, at ninety years old, has not been kissed and still thinks of his first and only love.

Bella is coming to grips with the loss of her boyfriend.

Bella and Eddie form an unlikely friendship that is sweet and often hilarious.

3.5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this. It was an easy read and keeps the reader interested. The characters were mostly great but one does wonder how someone stays married to a person they don’t love for multiple decades. Bridies life was seemingly given away to her cad of a husband. Terrible.

From the author that brought you The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is another great story of Bella and Eddie. Eddie is 90 years old and he’s never been kissed. He loved once, but she was married and he walked away. Since then, he’s never found anyone again. Bella recently lost her boyfriend. She met Eddie when she brought his things to a charity shop to donate. Eddie and Bella strike up an unlikely friendship at a time when they really both need it. Eddie helps Bella through her grief and Bella gives Eddie hope that even at 90, he can still find love, and get his first kiss.

Cronin seems to like to put together two unlikely characters that unknowingly need each other at this certain point in their lives, and she does it really well. The chapters tell the story both in the present and sometimes in the past, we learn how Eddie came to be in the position he’s in – 90 and never been kissed. I really love Bella’s spirit and hopefulness when it comes to Eddie. And while I’ve never been through something like Bella has been through, I can understand that everyone handles grief differently and she needed to handle her grief the best way she knew how.

This book really feels like a warm hug. It’s a reminder that happiness can happen at any age. It let’s us know that it’s okay to let us process our grief, no matter how long that takes, but that there is something on the other side of that. It makes the reminds readers that life is worth living, smiles and laughter are good things, and not all friendships look the same.

This is really an enjoyable read. If you couldn’t tell already, I found it to be very uplifting. I really think this book could be for anyone, especially those who love Lenni and Margot.

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin is a heartwarming and intriguing novel.
I really loved reading this book.
The characters were well developed and completely lovable.
Well written, enticing, interesting and thought provoking.

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin is a heart warming, moving story about never giving up on finding love. The bond that develops between Eddie and Bella is a beautiful part of the book.

I immediately fell in love with Eddie Winston as he sorted through the “treasures” of the recently deceased and rescued those items which seemed to have a story to tell. And Bella, the young, pink-haired widow was a perfect companion. But apparently I skimmed over the chapter headings and didn’t realize the scenes with Bridie were backstory. I was confused and wondered where the story was headed. But when I figured it out, I was captivated and treated to a satisfying ending as Eddie was finally reunited with his forbidden love. Warning: An abundance of foul language. 3 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ninety-year-old Eddie Winston volunteers at a thrift shop, where he often receives items from deceased seniors. He not-so-secretly sets aside things he suspects someone might someday reclaim. When a young woman, Bella, brings in things that belonged to her deceased boyfriend, Eddie not only saves a few things she might one day be ready to keep, he strikes up a friendship with the young woman. Despite their multi-decades age difference, they form a connection and when Eddie reveals that he has never been kissed, Bella is determined to help him find true love. At the same time Bella is helping Eddie navigate dating apps for seniors, his colleague at the thrift shop is searching for a locket once owned by his one true love, Bridie/Birdie.

Told from multiple points of view with a dual timeline (present day and the time of Eddie and Bridie's acquaintance), this is a touching, often funny, story about love, regret, second chances, and grief. Eddie is pure delight, and the secondary characters are also unique and likeable. #EddieWinstonIsLookingforLove #NetGalley

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved Eddie, and everyone he meets throughout the story. I enjoyed how everything unfolded. This is a joyful, uplifting story that I highly recommend.