Soulmates
For fans of Lunar New Year Love Story and Pumpkinheads, David Wilson’s author-illustrator graphic novel debut explores themes of life and death, the bittersweetness of first love, and the notion that perhaps your perfect soulmate is the one who helps you discover your true self.
Kit is the golden boy of his small town. Captain of the football team, perfect grades, perfect relationship, perfect everything. But when his childhood best friend, Emma, mysteriously returns to town, Kit's life is thrown into turmoil.
She's the only one who knows what happened that day he fell at the cliffs—and why he woke up alone on the shore. She's also the only one who may know the truth about the strange visions he's been having— and why the people he sees in them are turning up dead.
As Kit and Emma reconnect and rekindle the past, Kit's forced to admit that things aren't as perfect as they seem. And Emma... well, she isn't what she seems either. Her family's been hiding a secret for generations and with Death looming over all of them, the truth can't stay buried forever.
Young Adult / Graphic Novel
Written & Illustrated by David Wilson
Spring 2026 Roaring Brook, MacMillan Publishers
Praise for Soulmates
Infused with mysteries both real and supernatural, and rich with dreamy, uncanny art, David Wilson’s Soulmates explores the price we pay when we reject our own true gifts, our own true selves, and turn our backs on those who understand us best. The perfect romance for readers who know that love is its own kind of magic.”
—Laura Ruby, Two-Time National Book Award Finalist and author of Bone Gap
We may not all have premonitions of death, but Wilson's exploration of the pressures teens face is universal. A sweet, honest book with a healthy dose of creepy to round it out.
—Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of Squad and The Worst Ronin
With stunning artwork and inventive storytelling, Soulmates grabs your heart from page one and never lets go. Wilson’s characters are brutally and tenderly drawn, even as they struggle to make sense of dark mysteries in their lives. At its core, it’s a gentle love story between old friends, but laced throughout are premonitions of death illustrated with innovative methods and rustic textures that demand the reader sit up and take note. A new kind of ghost story to be relished and shared.
—David Arnold, New York Times Bestselling author of Luminous Beings and I Loved You In Another Life
Handles somber themes with such a soulful, magical touch. A coming-of-age, coming-into-power with vivid characters who shine beyond the page and leave a lasting impression… Both romantic and deadly, Soulmates takes rural high schoolers on a journey of self-sacrifice and love with a twist on spectral magic.
—Vanessa Montalban, author of A Tall Dark Trouble and These Vengeful Wishes
Soulmates is a poignant modern-day fable that shows us that nothing good can come from hiding who you really are, and that life is what you make of it. Beautiful artwork, grounded characters, and a dash of magic, what's not to love?!"
—Sam Prentice-Jones, author of the ARCANA duology
As major life transitions go, death and adolescence do have one thing in common: neither is optional. David Wilson has captured the emotional pressure-cooker of teenhood—all the longing and intensity, the transformation and contradiction—and his supernatural vision is terrifying and indelible. It's been awhile since I've read a book that made me wish it had existed when I was a teen, and Soulmates is definitely it.
—Camille DeAngelis, author of Bones & All
I really enjoyed David's deep, personal exploration of death anxiety, love, and family. I thought he captured something sincere, moving and universal through Kit’s journey. Excited to see what David does next.
—Matthew Erman, author of Loving, Ohio