Another touching read from Marianne Cronin. Bella is delightful and her friendship with the lovable Eddie is absolutely charming and completely believable. The story is both funny and very moving and I loved every page as Bella works with Eddie to help him find love; but the real heart of the story is Eddie's enduring love for Bridie. Wonderful!

Eddie is a wonderful character- I love his new lease on life in his 90's, his crazy charity shop sartorial choices and his rescued items collection. The friendship that develops between Bella and Eddie is lovely- a true meeting of minds transcending the decades of age difference and the way that Eddies back story is covered through flashbacks to his time as a young university man are cleverly interspersed without ever spoiling the rhythm of the present day story.
Supporting each other to find a new path forward Bella and Eddie embark on the search for his first kiss and a way for Bella to move on.
This book is an absolute joy and the characters linger days and days after the final page is turned- 5 stars are not enough!

Eddie Winston is a 90-year-old pensioner who works as a volunteer in a charity shop in Birmingham. His life is about to be turned upside down when he meets 24-year-old Bella, who has been struggling to move on since the death of her boyfriend. Eddie's life has been full but he has never kissed anyone. Bella will do everything in her power to remedy the situation.

This story is an ode to friendship, kindness and love. I really liked the two main characters, both tortured souls. On the other hand, Eddie has had to give up his childhood sweetheart. He has never met his soul mate. On the other side, we have young Bella, who lost the man she loved far too soon. She struggles to get over it until she meets Eddie. Together, they form a seemingly motley duo. But in fact, they have a lot in common. They've both given up on love, even if they don't know what the future holds.

It's a story full of nostalgia. We go back into Eddie's past to find out what happened to Bridie, his childhood sweetheart. She too is a tortured soul. I really enjoyed these flashbacks. We learn a lot about Eddie who is a respectful man.

Eddie and Bella go on extraordinary adventures to reach their goal, even travelling far from Birmingham, unaware that the answer to their quest lies just a few steps away.

4-5 stars

The much anticipated follow up to the wonderful One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is an equally wonderful read.

Meet 90 year old Eddie Winston, in a previous life he was a university lecturer and now he works in a charity shop in Birmingham with Marjie. Now, Eddie has quite the backstory but that would be telling and despite his obvious gentle and charming personality, he’s never been kissed. His newfound young friend in grief stricken Bella, who he meets via the shop, informs him that it’s never, ever too late to find love. So, he is indeed looking for love and is it never too late??

Oh Eddie, Eddie what an absolute diamond of a bloke you are and I love every moment of reading about you, your past life and your present day one, surrounded by an equally fantastic cast of characters. Bella, eclectic in her dress sense despite the dourness of her Sainsbury’s uniform, is absolutely brilliant and despite the huge age gap, her friendship with Eddie proves that age is no barrier, and it’s a thing of beauty. Marjie is great fun as are Ham and Cheese (you’ll have to read it to find that out!) and Emmeline, but let’s not forget Pushkin the guinea pig. It’s so refreshing to read a gentle and captivating story with quirky characters that are all so immensely likeable. It’s quite simply warms the heart, it’s a read with a smile but with some moving moments of loss. It’s beautifully written with some excellent dialogue some of which makes me laugh out loud.

Fabulous. Read it, you won’t regret it!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to. Penguin Random House, Transworld, Doubleday for for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is another sweet tale of intergenerational friendship. I found it a bit twee to start with but Birdie’s story kept me reading. Eddie Winston is 90, never been kissed and volunteering his time in a charity shop. A natty dresser, he also takes certain items home from the shop, usually personal items of no monetary value and on day he discovers shoes and a notebook, both inscribed with Bella and Jake forever. Bella is a girl working in a supermarket and devastated by her boyfriend Jake’s death. The two of them start a tentative friendship. There is a cast of supporting characters, all colourful and passing by, but a parallel story set in the 1960s when Eddie was a student runs alongside the modern tale and talks about Birdie, a woman in an unhappy marriage. This is nicely written, sweet and engaging, and just perfect for escaping into.

I enjoyed this book but at the same time I found parts of it lulled. Eddie is a wonderful character whom I instantly warmed to, as is Bella; and the relationship between them in absolutely charming. But something was lacking for me unfortunately. It is well written and I like the author's writing style but I feel the story lacked, or perhaps it was just longer than it needed to be.

I think the fact that the proof copy was quite jumbled made it more difficult to read at times but you can't complain when you're getting to read a book in advance for free!

Marianne Cronin has done it again, this book is superb, it tugs at all the heartstrings and leaves you with something you didn't maybe realise you needed.
I adored getting to know Eddie, his blossoming friendship with Bella, the history with Bridie and the lessons we learn about love, friendship, life and heartbreak.
Such a positive and life affirming read.

An absolute delightful read … makes the reader want to meet 90 year old Eddie who still has a zest for life !! Eddie works in a charity shop spending his days sorting through donations but occasionally he finds items that he thinks the doner will want back so ‘takes ‘ them aside just in case . One day Bella brings in Jake’s old belongings … still raw from his passing Eddie puts aside some special items and offers friendship to Bella and so an unlikely bond is formed . Eddie shares his life history with Bella she does the same and the duo help each other navigate their next steps in life .This is a charming book about love, loss and taking every opportunity you get in life

I absolutely adored this book. My favourite read this year. Eddie is the most delightful character and his relationship with Bella is so delightful. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This is the story of 90 year old Eddie who works in a charity shop, saves mementoes from destruction, owns a hamster called Pushkin and oh yes, has never been kissed. He happens to meet 24 year old Bella when she is donating items and the two strike up and unlikely friendship.

Oh how I loved Eddie Winston, what a charming gentleman. It is no secret that I love a tale with an intergenerational friendship and that I adored this authors debut so I had no fears that I was going to enjoy this book but I did not expect the huge smile on my face through my time with Eddie. The conversations between him and everyone he meets are witty, engaging, and respectful. Eddie’s internal monologue and observations are hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh out loud on several occasions.

I also loved the other prominent characters in this book such as Bella, Marjie, Emmeline, Ham & Cheese and not forgetting Bridie, they all add a unique perspective into Eddies 90 years and we a perfect blend to compliment such a fantastic character.

A heart-warming tale of love at last. Gentle, romantic Eddie has never been kissed and thinks he's lost his chance at love at his age. He keeps a bundle of unsent love letters given to the charity shop he works for, hoping to unite them with their intended recipient. His friend Bella helps him. Through flashbacks to the fifties and sixties, we discover his lost love and why they could never kiss. A quirky story, full of friendship.

eddie winston owns a charity shop that keeps objects with a lot of history behind them.

the storytelling cannot help but evoke a lot of emotions out of the reader.

the friendship between eddie and bella is such a wonderful part of the story, that the reader cannot help but love their relationship.

the ending was so heartwarming. i read this whilst i was sick and it just made me so happy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for this ARC.

Eddie is 90 years old but still works in a charity shop in Birmingham with his boss/friend Marjie for something to do. He rescues personal items like letters from dead people's belongings by taking them home. He even acquires a guinea pig that way and calls it Pushkin. One day 24 year old Bella comes in to donate some of her dead boyfriend's clothes. There are some personal items in with them that Eddie decides to look after because he is sure that Bella will come back - and she does.

Eddie and Bella become firm friends, spending lunch hours together. She finds out that at his ripe age he's never been kissed although he was in love once. So Bella makes Eddie an online dating account and accompanies his dating adventures.

This story has a lot of the traits of Cronin's first book "The Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot", what with the friendship of young and old and the flashbacks to someone's younger years, only that here we don't learn of Eddie's life from himself but through the eyes of Bridie, a professor's wife when he was a young student. He called her Birdie and carried a torch for her, but she was married and way too Catholic to ever act on her feelings.

The thing that surprised me a little was that Eddie is 90 but speaks, acts and dresses like a sprightly 60 year old. He just takes everything in his stride, whether it takes him to Brighton, Corfu or Pigeon Park in Brum. He is a gentle, warm soul who is even concerned with his guinea pig's love life, and is a match-maker between two of his neighbours. When Bella encounters a man she nicknames Ham and Cheese due to his choice of sandwich, he encourages her to meet up. However, Bella is still grieving, going to therapy and writing letters to dead Jake.

This is a heart-warming and at times funny story of friendship, grief and second chances. It is beautifully written, with quirky, life-affirming characters, and draws you in until Eddie, Bella, Bridie and Marjie feel like your friends. I had tears in my eyes at the end - the funeral and that thing with Jake's shoes, oh God.

"And she will have love, wherever she goes."

Also, I admit that I don't normally pay much attention to chapter headings as they are usually just numbers, but these are exquisite.

"Life is all about timing, in the end."

So true.

I loved this book! Eddie Winston is 90 and has never been kissed. He works in a charity shop disposing of the donations of the living and the dead preserving letters and other tokens of love and friendship. He meets Bella, 24, who has lost her soulmate and who makes it her project to find love for Eddie.

I loved both main characters and their developing friendship was beautifully portrayed.

You find out about Eddie’s past and meet the one he loved but could not have. Their lives cross again ensuring a smile on the reader’s face.

A delightful book - one to be recommended.

Jolly good, what a lovely book. Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is full of giggles and laughter. What a nice setting of those two main characters, being far apart in age but not in caring about each other. Friendships to keep us going, even for Mister Pushkin. I am glad to add this book to my for-a-rainy-day shelf on Goodreads.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Fiercely hopeful, funny and brimming with tenderness this is a beautiful book with a unique premise and wonderful characters. I adored every word.

Eddie Winston is the kindest of souls. Volunteering in a charity shop in Birmingham, he works alongside Marjie, his boss who is also his friend, he thinks. When items come into the shop to be sorted, if Eddie feels they might one day be reclaimed, or are a lost love token, he takes care of them and adds them to his “shelf”. Living alone apart from his Guinea pig, Pushkin, Eddie has never been married, but has loved and lost, never forgetting his true love Birdie.

When heartbroken Bella wanders into the shop one day, Eddie knows she will be back, and when she does a beautiful and endearing friendship blossoms.

This book is so lovely, one of my favourite reads of the year so far. Heartwarming, compassionate and full of love, the relationships develop and grow and take you along with them. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK.