SOULMATES

High school senior Kit is forced to confront the hidden darkness in his seemingly perfect life.

Popular football player Kit Summers struggles internally with “the pressure to be everything for everyone,” like when he attends a party in the woods out of obligation. When the police show up, Kit hides inside a hollow tree, only to be unexpectedly joined by Emma, his childhood best friend. Five years ago, Emma moved away and cut all communication, and a devastated Kit coped by reinventing himself. Now she’s back and Kit is uncertain how to find a place in his life for her. Concerningly, Emma’s return coincides with the sudden onset of disturbing visions. Without warning, Kit sinks into a dark, liminal realm where an ominous, skeletal figure shows him dead or soon-to-be dead individuals. When Kit snaps back to reality—finding himself in the middle of a car accident or playing a football game—he’s haunted by these scenes of death. As the figure becomes increasingly sinister, Kit must unravel the visions’ meaning. The illustrations, a mix of digital and watercolor art, dramatically shift from traditional comic panels in muted palettes to dark and dynamic full-bleed layouts, transporting readers between worlds. Set against a backdrop of cornfields and homecoming, Wilson’s author-illustrator debut is a modernized gothic romance anchored by Kit’s relatable efforts to find independence, love, and belonging. Kit and Emma present white.

Compelling: Readers will swoon and shiver in equal measure.