The Midnight Croissant - Bonnie Solomon - ★★★.½

AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Bonnie Solomon

SERIES: Pearly Gates, #2

GENRE: Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: March 24, 2026

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy combining the spirit world with the human world. Several returning characters, several new ones. Similar to the earlier book in plot structure, but somehow not as dramatic. The social commentary is a bit heavyhanded. The second book in the Pearly Gates series, and better if read in series order. Recommended to Pearly fans.

Plot Preview:

Pearly is now set in her role as a spirit guide, even though her new supervisor Mildreth disagrees. She has three new charges to take care of: sixty-five-year-old Lillian – a retired lawyer who's perennially grumpy after life dealt her a hard blow, seventy-year-old George – a friendly man who's worried about his closeted grandson, and twenty-five-year-old Raina – a product manager who can't figure out why she isn't inclined towards love and romance the way others are. In a moment of inspiration, Pearly decides that if she can somehow get all her charges to Paris, she will be able to solve their problems. But are things ever that easy when Pearly is involved?

The story comes to us mostly in the third-person perspective of Pearly, with some interludes from Mildreth's point of view.

The first Pearly Gates novel caught my eye last year because it promised to have an outlandish drag queen in the lead and a combination of fantasy and reality in the plot. The book mostly delivered on this promise, even though I found Pearly somewhat annoying and her liberal use of curse words, a turnoff. However, when I think back on the book, I recollect the entertainment more than the annoyances. That's why I didn't hesitate to grab the second book.

This novel is, in many ways, a replica of the first one. We still have Pearly trying to act smart and to circumvent the system as per her requirement, we still have three humans who are somewhat lost and sad, we still have Pearly trying to reconnect with the love of her life (afterlife?) Thunder, we still have loads of curse words (I was better prepared for them this time!), we still have over-the-top situations, we again have "Dumb Pearly" who has weirdly decided to retain that atrocious moniker, we still have the amazing Seraphina albeit in a briefer role... On these points, my feelings are exactly the same as for the first book.

Where the experience differs (not always in a good way) is in the tiny details. As such, a majority of my feedback is somewhat mixed.

👉🏻 Though we again have three human charges under Pearly's divine guidance, their problems don't create the same level of emotional depth. The first book offered more variety in the individual arcs, thereby making us feel like three distinct stories unfurled. This time, the struggles somehow feel repetitive in the emotions even though they aren't the same in circumstances.

👉🏻 Though there is humour this time as well, it feels forced rather than a natural part of the plot.

👉🏻 Pearly as a character is somewhat the same, though not as annoying. Her growth is more visible now. But her relatively subdued behaviour makes her appear like a standard character than the outlandish drag queen she was in the first. I missed her more flamboyant avatar this time.

👉🏻 Mildreth is an interesting character. (I can't recollect if she was in the first book as well.) Though her behaviour was of the typical "manipulative boss" kind, I enjoyed how her physical appearance was put to use to enhance her cunning. (This might sound offensive and stereotypical in general, but once you read what she looks like, you'll know what I mean.) Her third-person interludes offered a good insight into her agenda. However, she was somewhat weak as an antagonist. I expected a lot more manipulative tactics from her.

👉🏻 This book is also rainbow-inclusive, but while the first one felt sensitive and sensible, the commentary in this one is too heavyhanded. I feel like it was solely focused on the LGBTQIA+ agenda, which diluted everything else in the plot. Such messages are important, but hitting the readers hard on the head with them never helps.

👉🏻 The story takes some time to get to Paris, but once it gets there, it makes wonderful use of the location. There is fascinating trivia about France. However, a few times, the trivia was forced into the characters' dialogues just because it was interesting and not because it fit into that scene.

👉🏻 There is some religion-bashing just as in the first book, but one scene also redeems religious faithfulness to some extent.

👉🏻 There are some really good quotes this time, containing life lessons we all would find encouraging.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 9 hrs 37 min, is once again narrated by the author. My feedback is exactly the same as last time. She has a lovely voice and distinct enunciation, so she actually handles the reading well. I just wish she offered a little more variation across character voices, which would make longer conversations easier to follow. Regardless, the audio version is a great way of experiencing this story.

Overall, while there are subtle changes in the individual elements of my experience, the grand total sums up to more or less the same, except perhaps for the inclusivity that is a bit too heavyhanded. But I cannot say that I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. The story is light on entertainment and heavy on agenda, unlike the first book that had a more balanced narrative. 

Recommend to anyone who enjoyed the first book and wants to see where life has taken Pearly.

My thanks to Bonsol Press for providing the ALC of “The Midnight Croissant” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.