I enjoyed this book with thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book
I enjoyed the characters in this book and wish the author all the best with this book

I personally preferred the author debut novel 100 years of lenni and Margot to this book but that’s my personal choice

90-year-old Eddie spends most of his time volunteering at his local charity shop, sorting through donations and, every now and then, rescuing an item that he thinks the person who donated it will end up missing and come back for. It is in this shop that the meets 24-year-old Bella, when she comes in to donate items that belonged to her late boyfriend who died suddenly. Eddie saves some of the items and soon a friendship builds between the unlikely pair, and in getting to know each other, Bella learns that although Eddie has been in love, he has never been kissed. This then becomes her mission and the two go on a lovely adventure together!

The friendship of Bella and Eddie is one if the most wholesome I have ever read. Both helping each other more than they know, they are excellent characters, supporting by a brilliant cast of other characters. I really enjoyed this authors previous book which was also about an intergenerational friendship, and this one was just as good, if not better. Told in a few POV's - Eddie past & present, plus Bella's letters to her boyfriend as part of her grief journey, it was a heartbreaking and ultimately heart-warming read!

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is a charming novel about Eddie’s journey to find love and understand himself. Eddie is a relatable and endearing character and this is a heartwarming and enjoyable read!

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin

Ninety year old Eddie Winston works in a charity shop and meets twenty four year old Bella who comes in to donate Luke's belongings, the love of her life who has died. They become friends and when Bella hears that Eddie has never been kissed she resolves to help him find love. But Eddie has only ever loved one woman and she was already married - is it too late for him?

Wow, what an amazing book, I absolutely loved it. I loved Eddie, Bella and the whole host of characters - Ham and Cheese, Marjie, Emmeline, all of them fabulous. Such a tender, funny and absorbing story, I couldn't put it down. I think everyone will fall in love with Eddie and Bella. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is the book equivalent of stroking that spot behind a puppies ear, or wrapping yourself in a weighted blanket, or tea and toast on a rainy day...it just makes everything else better because you've experienced it. The warmth radiates out of the pages and envelopes you.
I was hoping it would be good because The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot was good, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Whilst this is another story of inter-generational friendships, it's lighter than Lenni and Margot but still hits in the feels just as hard.
Eddie and Bella found each other at just the right point in their lives, they both needed a perspective that they probably wouldn't have found with peers to be able to navigate what they're going through. They were lifelines thrown to each other by a higher force before they had fully realised the extent of their drowning. It's a real story of Kismet.
What can I say about Eddie? He's who we should all aspire to be when we grow up, he's warm and kind, not constrained by societal expectations, has amazing style, and a heart big enough for us all to live in. If you went through life asking yourself 'What Would Eddie Do?' you would have enriched the lives of everyone you crossed paths with.
And Bella? Strong, rebellious, huge fighting spirit, a sense of humour that never quits, hopeful even with her first-hand knowledge that bad things do indeed happen. She fully immerses herself in helping Eddie, getting just the help she needs along the way.
Marianne Cronin clearly understands the emotional make-up of people so well, she writes characters that you will never forget and will want to be friends with.

Eddie Winston is ninety years old and spends his days volunteering at a charity shop in Birmingham, sorting through donations and taking care of sentimental items that someone may one day come back for. Bella is twenty four years old and first encounters Eddie when she donates some of her boyfriend Jake's belongings after he tragically passed away. They strike up an unlikely friendship, spending their lunch breaks together in Pigeon Park and, when Eddie reveals that he's never been kissed, Bella makes it her mission to help him find love because, no matter how old you are, it's never too late to find happiness.

This latest contemporary fiction by Cronin is a dual timeline, set in Birmingham, in the present day and back in the sixties. Eddie Winston is happy plodding along with his current life, looking after his guinea pig Pushkin and helping out Marje in the charity shop but he's never forgotten his earlier life as a lecturer at the university and the woman he fell in love with, Bridie Bennett, a forbidden love who was already taken by another, so Eddie never took it further but he's never stopped thinking about her. He is such a kind, caring and adorable man who looks out for others and the friendship he develops with Bella is so sweet, helping her to cope with her grief over Jake. This book is filled with fabulous characters, even Ham and Cheese Man (you'll have to read it to find out) but Eddie is my absolute favourite and I would defy anyone that picks up this book not to fall in love with him instantly, we all need an Eddie in our lives.

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Transworld and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin is a warm hug of a book, filled to the brim with charm. I adored the author's previous book 'The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot' so I was delighted to get my hands on an advance copy of her latest release and it certainly did not disappoint.
At 90 years old Eddie has lived a full and largely happy life, now retired he volunteers at a charity shop where he sorts through donations, deciding what can be sold and what needs to be thrown away. Every so often he finds something that speaks to him, something that he knows the person who donated it will miss, and those things he puts to one side, keeping them safe until the donor comes looking for them. When a young woman named Bella drops of a box of men's clothing he finds a sketchbook filled with drawings of her, and a pair of shoes decorated with doodles and drawings. These go home with Eddie for safe keeping, and slowly he and Bella build a friendship and he learns that they belonged to her now deceased boyfriend. As their relationship grows Eddie reveals that though he has been in love he has never been kissed and so Bella makes it her mission to help him find love taking them both on a journey that will bring them many adventures and a few new friends.
I absolutely adored Eddie as a character, from his snazzy if rather eccentric dress sense to his extreme kindness and compassion and his friendship with Bella is one of the most wholesome relationships I have read about in years. It seems that the author has a wonderful way with the dynamic between characters of generations and showing how they can bring the best out in each other. This is a book that is full of emotion, it will take you from heartbreak to joy and I was genuinely sad to finish reading it, I just wanted to spend more time with these wonderful characters.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to net galley for the ARC of Marianne Cronin's second book.
I loved Lenni and Margot sooo much...I was hoping that this one would just as endearing and it was a lovely, lovely heartwarming and tear jerking read. Eddie is a wonderful main character... charming, quirky, compassionate and full of zest for life. Ninety years old and rescuing personal treasures of huge sentimental value donated to a charity shop while on his quest to find a special keepsake from the woman he's always loved. He meets Bella and the two form a beautiful friendship...Eddie helping her navigate life without Jake by going on a quest for Eddie's first kiss.
There's something about how Marianne writes that makes me feel all the feels and I love her writing... beautiful characters, emotions, tenderness...I just loved it.

We all know I love an older character by now and Eddie was no exception, what makes it better is his friendship with Bella.
Eddie is 90 and hasn't been kissed, but he doesn't let this stop him from enjoying life. He works at his local charity shop and there he meets Bella who has just lost the love of her life.
The pair compliment each other and I love their friendship and how they bring joy to each other. I liked the dual timeline aspect of the book, where we learn of Eddie's own lost love.
A sweet read with fabulous characters.

I absolutely adored everything about this book!

I had never read a Marianne Cronin novel before this, but now she will be one of my 100% automatic buy authors.

I loved everything about Eddie. His zest for life, his optimism, enthusiasm & his snazzy dress code. His beautiful friendship formed with Bella bought me to tears multiple times, and I loved how every character in the story bought something unique in their own right.

Age -gap friendship novels are sometimes not executed well, but this is a PERFECT example of age-gap done so well! I'll be shouting about this novel for a long time to come!

Eddie Winston Is 90 years old and, despite having loved, has never been kissed. He volunteers in a charity shop, where he "rescues" items that have no real value apart from sentimental and keeps them in case someone comes looking for them. There he starts helping Bella, a young girl who has lost her boyfriend, and they form an unlikely friendship. On finding that Winston has never been kissed Bella is determined to find him love.
This is a really emotional book, using flashbacks you gradually find out who the love of his life was and why they were never united. There is also Bella's story, and how she is struggling with her loss, plus a lonely guinea pig in the mix. Certainly one of the best books that I have read this year, be prepared to be moved whilst you find out whether he will finally find love.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I absolutely adored this book and the character of Eddie, a 90 year old gentleman with a great sense of humour and a beautiful nature. I would love there to be an Eddie in my life! Eddie works in a charity shop and there encounters 24 year old Bella mourning the loss of her much loved boyfriend. Eddie and Bella develope a sweet, platonic friendship, sharing lunch in the park regularly. Bella encourages Eddie to try a dating app as he has never been kissed and would like to find love even at this later stage of his life. Also in the mix is Eddie's first love, Bridie, and we are taken back to the 60's when they were only ever friends but never pursued their deeper feelings as Bridie was already married albeit unhappily. This is an utterly charming and emotional book that will stay with me as did the author's earlier book about Lenni and Margo. I shed a few tears at the end of this book and am going to miss these characters who feel very real to me. That's good writing! My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This was an absolutely wonderful book which features Eddie, a man late in life working in a charity shop. When he meets Bella a young woman who is finding her life very challenging, we have the privilege of watching both their lives transformed through friendship and taking chances.

Eddie is an engaging character with a quirky dress sense and is open to making his life more exciting and his natural ability to help people and recognise their worth shines through, He has never been kissed and we find out in a dual timeline about his early life at University. This book is full of warm feelings and both characters find themselves invested in each others lives and they meet regularly eating sandwiches in the park, It is there a plan is hatched to get Eddie his first kiss. As Eddie is supported by Bella to navigate the dating scene we also see her coping with her grief and as their friendship flourishes their camaraderie and love for each other is heartwarming,

The author from the beginning has you rooting for Eddie. I was captured by the writing and the characters and found myself thinking of this book when I was not reading it. It is a wonderful story of proof that friendship can span generations and I am sure you will not want to put it down, you are invested in their lives and there are some deeper themes in this book which I thought were handled with care and love.

Such a beautiful book and one which I am sure will make you fall in love with Eddie.
Superb !!!

Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is a heartwarming story of loss, of despair, of remembering the past, but also of hope, of love and looking forward to the future.

Eddie is ninety years old and works in a charity donation shop, sorting donations from families of people who have passed away and deciding what to keep to sell and what to throw away. He's aware of the loneliness some people go through and how he holds their last belongings in his hands. So sometimes he keeps certain ones, ones he feels don't deserve to be thrown out or that he suspects the donor may come back for and regret having parted with.

It in this way that he meets Bella, a twenty-four year old young woman whose heart is broken from a very recent loss. While unlikely friends at first, it doesn't take too long for the pair to hit it off with her encouraging him to sign up to a dating app and embrace all that life still has to offer, even at the age of ninety.

It's an absolute beautiful masterpiece of love and loss, of friendship and family. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. I adored this book, even though I wanted to continue reading to see where the story would take me, I also felt myself trying to slow down to treasure it as the words unfolded on the pages before me.

My book of the year so far! If you enjoyed The One Hundred Years of Lennie & Margot you will love this book too.

Meet Eddie Winston. We all need an Eddie in our lives, you know one of those charming older gentlemen who still has an enthusiasm for life (along with a dynamic dress sense) and isn’t set in his ways despite being ninety and never having been kissed.
Eddie works in a charity shop, showing care and compassion when items are brought in from the recently deceased. When twenty something Bella brings in a shoebox of items that belonged to her boyfriend, it starts off an unlikely friendship with Eddie. He can see that she is struggling with her grief and she in turn finds out more about his past and the incredible story that Eddie has never been kissed. Finding love in later years is no easy feat and we follow Eddie as he navigates dating in the modern world with Bella’s help.
Much like Marianne’s first novel, The Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, this novel is full of warmth and emotion. Eddie’s back story slowly reveals the sadness he has experienced when he was not lucky in love with Bridie, the woman who meant everything to him and I was moved by the writing about Bridie’s life. Eddie and Bella give each other a purpose and once again show that friendship can exist across the generations. I read this with an online friend and although we set ourselves a small section to read each day, were both keen to read faster as we were willing Eddie to find love. The book is well pitched, not overly sentimental and with humour to balance out the sadness. This is a quick read, a real pick-me-up if you’ve been reading heavier titles and I defy you not to fall in love with Eddie.
He has joined Barrington Walker (Mr Loverman), Florrie (The Night in Question) and Birdie (Goodbye Birdie Greenwing) in my favourite #pensionersinthepages gang of 2024!

Eddie Winston is Ninety years old. He has lived a full life. But he has never been kissed.
Eddie is a volunteer in a local charity shop and spends his time sorting out old belongings that have come into the shop from the living and the dead. He keeps tokens of pasted loves that would otherwise be chucked away. Even some love letters that never got sent to the recipient. The old romantic that he is, He wants to find out if this person is still alive to give the letters they never received.
One day twenty something Bella walks into the shop with old clothes and other belongings of her boyfriend that just passed away. Eddie hasn’t got the heart to throw them away and keeps them in case she comes back later to retrieve them. This chance encounter starts a friendship between them. When Bella finds out that Eddie has never been kissed. She starts a mission to find someone for him. Starting with signing him up to a dating site. To start meeting people. This reminds Eddie of past loves. Of someone who he really cared about. Only problem that she was married.
This is beautifully written story about love. It is never too late to fall in love and of past loves and how to love again after losing someone. This is a lovely heart warming read I really enjoyed this I read it in one sitting. 5 stars from me.

Within the first few pages of this book I just knew I was going to love it. It is simply a wonderful, utterly charming read, full of interesting & colourful characters who were a joy to read about. I could have happily sat down & read this in one indulgent go.

When I read Lenni & Margot, I adored Father Arthur, so I was excited to meet Eddie & he exceeded all my expectations. I spent the majority of this book with a smile on my face & when I wasn't smiling, I was crying. It plays with your emotions, it makes you think about love, finding it, keeping it, the cost we pay to have it. At its heart is the unlikely but beautiful friendship between Eddie & and Bella, which was so heartwarming & genuine.

Eddie Winston Is Looking For Love Is optimistic, warm & a real joy to read. I genuinely didn't want it to end. Marianne Cronin has a way of writing which is so easy to read given the depth of emotion & the subject matter covered. In case it wasn't obvious, I loved it book.

I devoured this book! I read it in one sitting, it is an absolute hug of a book that I didn't know I needed. It's heartwarming, heartbreaking and I'm not afraid to say I gasped a couple of times. Eddie and Bella are the best of characters who you are rooting for from page one, I just adored it.

This was also our Squad read as a few of us had this. I loved it, I knew i would as I loved Lenni and Margot too.

Eddie, oh what a lovely guy he is. My heart was willing him to find love all throughout the book. I loved all of the characters, but Bella broke my heart. Hers and Jake's story got me choked up so many times, I love that she and Eddie found each other and became such good friends.

I also loved Eddie’s ‘Eddie Shelf’, where he kept things from the charity shop he knew were personal or important enough that someone would come back looking for them. i’d have a shelf like that.

Such a beautiful story, had me smiling, crying, and laughing. Thanks Ms Cronin you’ve done it again.

Definitely recommend.

What an absolutely amazing read!!

It's a story of grief and new beginnings, told in such a compassionate and emotive way that it gives you a lump in your throat, and it had me holding my breath at the end!
It is also a story of friendship between two unlikely characters and how they mutually heal each other.

Eddie, a vibrant 90-year-old, has never experienced a kiss. He has been carrying a torch for Birdie all his life. But their story reads like a tragedy.
Bella, a young woman with vibrant pink hair, has lost the love of her life. Without an anchor, she feels like a lost soul.
Together, they assist each other in rediscovering life's purpose and embracing life once more.

This is a narrative with which we can all identify.
We have all experienced the loss of loved ones and pondered the question, "What if?"
Like the saying goes, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
As we age, we may begin to believe that it is too late to embark on new endeavours or embark on fresh adventures. However, is it ever truly too late?

Sometimes, all we need to do is throw open the windows and make a fresh start.

Will Eddie find love before it's too late? Will he find his Bacall?

"It is so fragile, the notion that there might be someone out there for everyone."