Starting “Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love” is like diving headfirst into a warm bubble bath, knowing that heated towels are waiting for you when it’s over. The story is delightful, the characters heartfelt and real, and the ending just perfection. It’s about a nonagenarian, Eddie Winston, who we come to find out has never been kissed. It’s also about Bella, a young woman whose boyfriend, the love of her life, has died.

They meet when she is dropping off her deceased boyfriend’s belongings at the thrift shop where Eddie works. Unbeknownst to his boss, Eddie has been spiriting away belongings of people, things which were not of any monetary value, but which would have had tremendous sentimental value to their owners. Love letters, postcards, photo albums. While the owners are no longer around to cherish those beloved keepsakes that they saved over the course of their lifetimes, Eddie wonders, in each case, if there is someone else who might want those precious items.

The box Bella leaves with Eddie contains, in addition to some clothing, a notebook with drawings and a pair of white Converse trainers with drawings and the words “Bella and Jake Forever” on them. The shoes and the notebook are too special to toss, and they go into Eddie’s special collection, waiting for the time when Bella returns for them. She does return, and it’s because of the friendship that grows between them that we are treated to a very special story that will warm our hearts.

Eddie, as we find out, has never been kissed. But what we come to realize, through brilliantly written flashbacks to the 1960s, is that he did once fall in love. Unfortunately, the object of his love was married, and even though the love was mutual, she was Catholic and she was married. End of story. Since then, Eddie had concentrated on his career, and when he retired, he found that working in the charity shop, meeting people, going through boxes of other people’s belongings, kept him busy—emotionally and physically.

But now Bella has come into his life, and she has brought with it a spark, a yearning to maybe, finally, at last, try to find love. After all, at her young age, Bella not only found love but lost it. There’s a lot of sadness in the story, but there’s also significant humor. Bella is struggling with terrible grief, and in her despair, she’s left the university and is working at a grocery store. Eddie and Bella meet for lunch, and in spite of the huge age difference (he’s actually too old to even be her grandfather), they become family. And it’s not just Eddie Winston who is looking for love.

What the author shares in this story of losing love and then finding it, is that kindness and caring are valuable commodities, and an enduring love can work miracles. One of the signs of a capable author is that Cronin never tells us what the characters are feeling; instead, she shows us through their actions and the dialogue. In fact, it would have been easy to use Eddie’s first person narrative as an excuse to have him tell us his feelings for his lost love. It’s through the third person flashbacks that we see Eddie and Bella and their attraction, the easy way that they talk to each other, the mutual admiration they have for each other.

All together, this is a book that was surprisingly enjoyable—because honestly, who thinks a book about a ninety-year-old man will be gripping. I was hooked from the start, and the writing was exceptionally beautiful and touching. I loved every page and the manner in which the author keeps the sunshine, and the humor, from making this a maudlin story. It’s charming and it’s delectable, just like an ice cream cone on a hot, sunny, summer day. (There are ice cream cones in the story). It’s a perfect winter read to warm you up inside.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.