This was a tad sentimental for my taste (as was Cronin's debut, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot) but nevertheless a winsome and enjoyable read. How could I not root for protagonist Eddie Winston? Ninety years old, with his academic career long behind him, he spends his days volunteering at a charity shop in Birmingham. He finds purpose in stewarding donated items that he suspects, though they may have been hastily dropped off for donation, that the donors aren't truly ready to part with—and he keeps them safe until their owners return for them. It's this secret mission that bring Eddie and twenty-four-year-old Bella together; the two subsequently strike up a friendship that leads places neither could have foreseen. The two are good for each other. Bella especially enjoys having an older friend whose company she can enjoy, and whom she can help in practical ways—and when she finds out that ninety-year-old Eddie Winston has never been kissed, she resolves to help Eddie finally find the love he's been missing in his life. What Bella doesn't know yet is that Eddie has known great love, though the timing has been all wrong. Through their quest they learn more of each other's stories, widen their new circle of friends, and set out to finally find the love Eddie has been yearning for all his life. This would be a promising pick for fans of stories featuring second chances, seasoned protagonists, and found family. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kim Durham, Clare Corbett, and Natalie Nightingale.
