The Jingle Rebellion - Bonnie Solomon - ★★★★

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AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Bonnie Solomon
SERIES: Pearly Gates, #3
GENRE: Fantasy
PUBLICATION DATE: November 10, 2026
RATING: 4 stars.


In a Nutshell: A Christmas cozy fantasy featuring the quirky Pearly Gates and her beau Thunder. Heartwarming storyline, loveable characters, good holiday vibes, great balance of themes. Inclusive in every way. Third book in the series, and can be read as a standalone. My favourite of the Pearly Gates novels so far. Definitely recommended.


Plot Preview:
When Thunder is ordered to take a mandatory holiday for burnout, Pearly Gates decides to take a little Christmassy holiday with him. But she also has to handle her new charge: a grieving school principal named Neil who has cancelled the annual holiday musical that used to be directed by his late husband. Under disguise, Pearly leads a team of youngsters to stage another musical in secret as a replacement. But is putting on a show that easy, especially when there are so many broken-hearted people around?
The story comes to us in the third-person perspectives of Pearly and Thunder.


PSA: The GR blurb reveals almost the entire story. Better skip it and go in blind to enjoy the chaos of Pearly better.


If you have read the first two Pearly Gates books, then you already know the basic structure of the plotline: Pearly has to sort out her personal mess while also helping her human charge(s) overcome their issues. This book follows the same format, but with only one charge this time. I liked both ‘Pearly Gates’ and ‘The Midnight Croissant’, so it was nice to see the characters once again, and in a Christmas setting to boot.


Bookish Yays:
🎄 The concept of a divine drag entity sorting out a human’s emotional issues. Handled especially well this time.

🎄 Pearly Gates. Easy to see her growth from the earlier novels. I like this Pearly.

🎄 Thunder. Still endearing and kind. Represents a category not often seen in fiction: people who find purpose in being needed. I like that he finally gets half the narrative perspective. (I must add: The ‘Thunder’ on the cover is not at all like I had pictured him. I expected him to look more ‘thunderous’!)

🎄 The play that Pearly and her young friends put up. Loved seeing it take shape and sort out the messes.

🎄 The title, which isn't just the name of the play but also fits the plot in various ways as the story has several mini-rebellions.

🎄 The inclusion of scenes of Hanukkah, Diwali, and pagan celebrations also. Great to see all main festivals of lights represented.

🎄 The multiple themes such as grief and death. The book is still not heavy-handed as Pearly’s joviality balances the seriousness. The overall feel is very sweet and cozy.

🎄 Many good life-lessons worth remembering.

🎄 The rainbow inclusivity.

🎄 A mini Yay for the fact that "Dumb Pearly" finally gets a new name!


Bookish Okays:
⚡ Goes a bit OTT at times, especially in how smoothly everything works out for Pearly every time. Then again, this is a cozy story, so I guess some convenient plotting can be forgiven.


🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 5 hrs 27 min, is narrated by the author herself. All three Pearly Gates have been narrated by her and I can genuinely see the improvement in her narration. She has a lovely voice that works well in this role. However, my one point of criticism remains the same as before: there’s not much distinction between character voices. Pearly’s voice sounds perfectly sassy, but the rest of the characters sound quite similar. In a book where there are multiple scenes with extended conversations, such voicing leads to confusion at times.


Overall, this is easily my favourite of the three Pearly stories. I am not sure if the Christmassy vibe made a difference or if Pearly’s having just one human charge helped the plot keep its focus. Either way, it is a story perfect for Christmastime. Though the characters return from the earlier books, the story can be read as a standalone.

I think this is the last book in the Pearly Gates trilogy, but if ever the author decides to continue her adventures, I’d definitely be on board enjoying the wild ride.

Definitely recommended to Pearly Gates fans and to readers looking for a quirky Christmas fantasy.

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

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