Bonnie Solomon’s Pearly Gates is a heartwarming, witty, and deeply human story that takes the concept of the afterlife and turns it into something wonderfully now. Deceased drag queen Pearly Gates has found herself stuck in a kind of cosmic purgatory — not just as a soul, but as a cosmic sanitation worker cleaning up metaphysical messes. After being dumped by her soulmate for being emotionally stagnant, Pearly is determined to prove she can grow by helping others heal.

Enter Thunderbolt Books & Coffee — a Midwestern café haunted by Ruby La Rie, a ghostly 1920s burlesque dancer who can’t quite figure out why she’s stuck. With a cast of living “charges” including a grieving widow, a terminally ill student, and Danielle, a trans woman trying to find her place, Pearly’s journey becomes more than just a cosmic job. It’s a mission of self-discovery, with healthy conversations about gender, healing, and identity woven through.

Solomon crafts a whimsical world where ghosts mingle with coffee drinkers, where soulmates might not be the final answer, and where reincarnation and second chances shimmer with hope. Pearly’s dilemma—help her charge fall in love with the café owner, who is also her own reincarnated soulmate, or intervene—is both hilarious and heartfelt.

Moments like Charlie stepping up for Danielle (“In this café we respect who people are, not who others want them to be”) showcase the book’s grounding in love and respect. And Pearly’s realization—that there’s something healing about helping other people heal—hits right at the soul.

It’s not perfect but all the banter, warmth, a lip-sync battle, a costume gala, makes it for a a very special read with a whole lot of heart.. The image of incubators nurturing luminous, newborn souls is one you won’t soon forget.

Narrated by the author with confidence and charm, Pearly Gates is an uplifting LGBTQ+ fantasy full of found family, cozy mystery vibes, and just enough sparkle to make the afterlife feel worth visiting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonsol Press for the ARC

This was a lot of fun. The set up was totally bonkers, which is always a plus in my book. I guess I'd call this a cozy fantasy, but it's a lot sharper than that genre usually seems, in a good way. I really liked this one.

5🌟

Pearly Gates is a dead drag queen who is trying to show her soulmate that she's capable of growth in the afterlife. Normally a cosmic sanitation worker, Pearly returns to Earth and acts as a spirit guide to three souls who are stuck in various life situations.

I absolutely loved this book. It's a cozy queer fantasy that beautifully explores themes of gender identity, belonging, found family, and love. I highly recommend this one. It's heartwarming, tender, and filled with charm. Pearly's character, in particular, won me over. What a fantastic choice for Pride Month. 🏳️‍🌈

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by the author, Bonnie Solomon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonsol Press for the ALC.

This was a very gay read, and I loved that about it, but I think cosy just isn't my thing.

I liked the introduction to the afterlife and learning about Pearly's past lives, but I soon grew bored with the plot. I also found Pearly as a character quite annoying, and it was all a bit silly and convenient for me.

That said, I loved the queer representation and appreciated the genre bending aspect. I think more books should have drag queens as their MC, and it was refreshing to read. There were also some very important messages and moving moments, with Pearly showing some character development by the end.

Overall, it's a fun book with some heart, but not something I see myself rereading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnie Solomon for the audio ARC.

A fun romp in the afterlife and current world following Pearly Gates as she tries to prove her worth in guiding souls. Pearly is a fierce presence, a former drag queen with a heart of gold, who does her best to help three adults struggling with gender dysphoria, transitioning, and attraction.
The author’s sensitive portrayal of the daily struggles of people who are transitioning proved educational for this cis-woman. I am a supporter, but had not thought about all the fears, obstacles, and mind games one must confront in everyday situations that I take for granted. Best of all, this was communicated within the context of a lighthearted and often funny novel about the larger-than-life Pearly Gates character.
One of the characters is a baker and I wish some of the character’s delicious-sounding recipes were included! Great narration delivered all the snark and yaaasses appropriately! 4.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BonsolPress, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #PearlyGates for review purposes. Publication date is TODAY 1 June 2025 just in time for Pride Month!

This book is one of the most heartwarming stories I've read in a while. It's funny but real. I love the characters. No one is perfect and that itself makes them perfect. The character's growth is perfect. This was a thoroughly wonderful read. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Bonnie Solomon, the author of the book. You could tell that she loves the characters and story she created. I highly recommend this book and especially the audiobook.

Pearly Gates is a fun and funny fantasy romp following the titular Pearly as she tries to get her eternal life turned around by helping three humans with their mortal ones. As a spiritual being, Pearly is struggling, with her love life, her waste management job, and her self-esteem. In a last ditch effort to make a big change, she offers to temporarily take over the guardianship of three humans. But a couple little nudges can cause many things to topple. Pearly will have to face herself, and all her past selves, so she can help her charges and save herself in the process.

This story is quirky and queer with a focus on found family and self-care. With a magical twist on reality, every character is brought to life through their struggles with identity, lost love, and mortality. Even with these big concepts, the novel is lighthearted and moves at a nice clip. It’s a great mix for readers who love plot and character driven stories. Plus, the narration on the audio book brings the story to life. This book got be out of a reading slump and should be on everyone’s feel-good summer read list!

This was funny, mortifying (the 2nd hand embarrassment gets me every time), and wonderfully tender. The author did an amazing job narrating their own book here.

Pearly Gates is an iconic character. Conning (kind of) her way into being a temporary spirit guide, she's kind of in over her head, but with sarcasm sharp enough to give you stitches, and enough confidence to know she's absolutely fabulous, she figures she can wing it. Mostly.

The cast of characters was wonderful, with their varying challenges, they each have something to teach Pearly and each other about growth, acceptance, and love.

I expected this to be cozy and funny, I did not expect to nearly be in tears at the end. It was truly a wonderful read.

HIGHLY recommended.

Drag queen Mary Poppins meets Legends and Lattes and it's super cute, fun and heartwarming.

I really enjoyed this, and I'm extra impressed that it's a debut indie novel. Pearly is a messy but lovable main character who gets to grow over the course of the story, and I loved her three human charges (plus bonus ghost charge), Charlie, and the cosy coffee shop.

There are a lot of charming details that made this stand out. One of my favourites is Pearly's outfits. More than once she mentions dressing simply or inconspicuously and then describes an absolutely outrageous outfit. It's such a fun bit of characterisation. I love Dumb Pearly. I love that Sam and Pearly want to solve a mystery but can't decide which of them has to be Watson, so they settle on "Holmes and Holmes" and call each other Holmes for the rest of the book.

Pearly's way of speaking felt a little corny to me at times (it's very YASSS QUEEN, YOU BETTER WORK). It is sort of lampshaded when Pearly realises that Dumb Pearly can only speak in drag cliches, and to be fair, her last life on earth is said to have been 2009. To be even fairer, I'm certainly not up to date on what the cool drag queens are saying, so maybe I'm not giving Pearly enough credit here.

This also felt a little long to me, but it came together so well in the end. I especially loved the last quarter or so as the story moved towards resolution. The ending had me in tears. This works well as a standalone, but I'd also be totally open to this becoming a series.

For something marketed as "cosy" (I think mostly accurately), it's worth noting that there is still some dark stuff in there, including on-page transphobia, a character with a terminal illness, and a memory of a homophobic hate crime.

The audiobook was really professionally narrated and produced. The way dialogue was read was a little weaker than the rest of the narration, but I stopped noticing it pretty early on and it didn't affect my overall reading experience.

Pearly Gates is a cozy fantasy jam packed with heart and soul, in more ways than one.

An afterlife drag queen trying her hand at being a spirit guide is as chaotic and fun as it sounds. Lip syncs and death drops are in abundance, but along the way on Pearly’s mission there are loads of really touching positive messages.

Laugh out loud funny, several dry your eyes moments, and a banger of a soundtrack.

I have a feeling Pearly will be back and I’ll be right here waiting.

Get this on your pride month tbr.

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

Beautifully written and narrated by Bonnie Solomon 🎧

Huge thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧