Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love

4.5⭐️

Having read and loved The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, I was eagerly looking forward to her most recent novel and I’m glad to say that Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love did not disappoint!

Ninety-year-old retired academic Eddie Winston spends his days sorting through donations at The Heart Trust Charity Shop, where he volunteers. As he goes through boxes of donations both from those who visit the shop personally or items collected from the estates of the deceased, he endeavors to gain a deeper understanding of the lives of the original owners. Items he feels to be of special significance find a place on his “Eddie Shelf” at home, often intending to return them to their rightful owners under show more special circumstances or if they decide to come back for the same. Eddie lives alone with his pet guinea pig and has never been in a relationship despite having fallen in love once in the past and has never even been kissed. In the course of his work, he meets twenty-four-year-old Isabella “Bella” Williams, who has recently lost someone close to her. As Eddie and Bella become friends, Eddie tries to help Bella through her grief and Bella takes it upon herself to find Eddie a romantic partner. The story follows Bella and Eddie as they embark upon a beautiful journey of friendship, hope and healing.

With its endearing cast of characters, consistent pacing and beautiful writing I found this novel to be an immensely moving and heartwarming read that touches upon themes of intergenerational friendship, found family, love and kindness, grief, hope and healing with compassion and humor. Eddie is a lovable character and my heart went out to Bella. The story also features an interesting cast of secondary characters and, of course, Pushkin the guinea pig, for whom Eddie makes an effort to find a companion! The author deftly combines past and present timelines into a fluid narrative featuring short chapters. Both timelines are well-developed, and at no point does the story lose momentum.

Overall, this was a delightful and uplifting read with memorable characters that left me with a smile on my face! The perfect read to top off my 2024 reading journey!

Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love was published in the USA on December 31, 2024.

“The remnants of a life don’t add up to much, really. Not once the big things–the fridge freezer, the three-piece suite, the body–are all boxed up and gone. What remain are the little things.” show less

Sweet old man story - Eddie is 90, works in a charity shop and has never been kissed. He has a heart as big as the sky and is always attuned to the donations people drop off and their reasons for doing so - most often death. That is how he meets Bella, a twenty-something pink-haired woman who dumps off some notebooks and inked up Converse All-Stars. Eddie has a sense for these tender-hearted people and usually puts their things aside so they don't go up for sale, knowing they might want them back after they heal. Bella's boyfriend Jake died and she is clearing out his stuff in the anger phase of grief. She and Eddie cross paths a few times and start a tenuous friendship. When she learns he had a great love of his own that never came to show more fruition, Eddie becomes her project. He had met Bridey Beckett when they both worked at Birmingham University in the sixties, but she was married. To a cheating, pompous jerk. The Catholic church does not present well here as she is urged to uphold her wedding vows. So she and Eddie, though clearly in love with each other, remain friends. She eventually moves to Cambridge with the pompous professor, and is pregnant, and that is that. Her prized locket with her BB initials is left behind at Salvation Army in the move, and Eddie has made it his life's quest to find it, and ideally return it, though he has no idea where she is or how she has fared. Bella is more practical and just wants Eddie to be kissed, so she sets him up online dating, which has some funny turns., and lots of misses, and no kisses. This is a sweet story about finding love and being open to whatever life hands you in a way that prevents bitterness and unhappiness. Quaint British-isms made this a good listen and the story's trajectory is definitely a feel-good one. Eddie is really the reason this is 4 stars rather than an average 3. He is a gem! show less

Heartwarming, poignant, and beautifully written, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is a touching tale of friendship, resilience, and the enduring power of love.

Eddie Winston, a 90-year-old romantic at heart, has lived a full life, yet he has never been kissed. He spends his days volunteering at The Heart Trust Charity Shop, salvaging letters and keepsakes from donations, preserving the stories of the past. Bella Williams, a 24-year-old grieving the loss of her boyfriend, stumbles into Eddie’s world when she donates his belongings—marking the start of an unexpected and deeply moving friendship.

Determined to help Eddie experience love for the first time, Bella embarks on a mission to find him a first kiss, while Eddie, in turn, helps show more Bella navigate her grief. Their intergenerational bond is the heart of the novel, built on trust, understanding, and selfless care. Cronin’s storytelling shifts between past and present, giving depth to Eddie’s history while unfolding Bella’s healing journey.

This novel captures a rare magic—mixing humor, sorrow, and joy in a way that feels both timeless and deeply personal. Eddie’s character is unforgettable, his kindness and wit making him someone you wish you could meet in real life. The short, impactful chapters make the story fly by, though the ending leaves you yearning for just a little more time with Eddie.

With echoes of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is a tender, bittersweet reminder that love—romantic or platonic—has no expiration date. A must-read for fans of uplifting, character-driven fiction. show less

This book was unexpected and I really, really enjoyed it. The narration was well done with multiple narrators and a charming British accent that just made the characters so endearing. It was a sweet, sad storyline that really kept my interest. I can’t compare it to anything I’ve read lately, but I’m so glad I picked it up. The ending was a bit of a surprise, but very fitting with the rest of the story.

Cronin does it again: a protagonist whose cheerful outlook on life (so refreshing) and sincere interest in the world & the people he encounters immediately charms the reader - his narrative voice is so sincere.
As LT member reviewer Ben Stoker says: "Eddie Winston is 90 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. 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 show more 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."

What an original premise: 90 year old seeks love! and the culmination of the plot, and the emotionally charged ending -- what's not to love?! show less

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. In show more 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! show less

Eddie Winston is now 90 years old, and has never been kissed. He works in a charity shop and sorts through donations. When he discovers love letters, or a pair of special shoes, he tries to find the owner, or the reasons these items were donated. He meets Bella, who lost her love, Jake. They become dear friends, despite their age gap. Eddie tells Bella about his lost love, Birdie. We learn the story of Birdie's unhappy marriage, and how she and Eddie were never able to be together.
Will they have a happily ever after?
A sweet story of love lost and found.