Laini Taylor
YA Fantasy
Recommended by Jessica Pace
A quiet librarian with a mysterious past. A blue-skinned goddess trapped in a floating palace. In this duology Laini Taylor weaves a tragic, beautiful world where these two opposites are drawn together by fate, magic, stories, and love for a forsaken city called Weep. Beautiful imagery? Check. Intricate, relatable characters? Check. A divine execution of the English language? Double check. If you love YA fantasy stories, but crave a little more sophistication, Laini Taylor’s work is what you’ve been waiting for. The “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” trilogy is just as rich and well-developed as the Weep duo if you find yourself wanting more!
Kate Morton
Historical Fiction
Recommended by Jessica Pace
A house with seven chimneys sits nestled in a bend of the Upper Thames. As its occupants come and go, one voice remains the same—the soul of a woman who was killed in the house during the Victorian era. The clockmaker’s daughter’s tale of murder, true love, and art spans the years and layers the stories of the people who live in her house together, painting a beautiful portrait of how we are all connected by fate, choices, death, and love.
Jerry Spinelli
Middle Grade/YA Fiction
Recommended by Jessica Pace
When new student Stargirl befriends Leo, she changes the way he sees the world and himself with her open heart, zeal for life, and free-spirited style. This coming-of-age tale relates with gorgeous clarity and emotion how sometimes the person our soul needs arrives when we most need them. Even if they’re only here for a little while, the effect of a soul mate on our lives is irreversible. Disney’s new movie adaptation is worth watching, and the original story is worth reading again and again.
Jane Austen
Classic Romance
Recommended by Jessica Pace
We can’t discuss soul mates without including Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. When their initial differences lead Lizzie and Mr. Darcy to disdain one another, the test of time, adversity, and self-examination shows that they are in fact each other’s perfect complement. While the love stories on the surface make the book a worthwhile read, the wit and social commentary of Ms. Austen’s writings merit multiple readings and viewings, as the layers reveal themselves only on closer inspection. If you have a trouble with the old-style language in the book, the BBC miniseries with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is always swoon-worthy, and the more recent adaptation starring Kiera Knightley stays true to much of the original dialogue, with gorgeous music and cinematography to boot.
Jack London
Adventure Fiction
Recommended by Debra Destefani
“The Call of the Wild” by Jack London shows a different type of soul mate interaction: one between a human and an animal. Throughout the book, London imposes human attributions to his main character, Buck, a St. Bernard mix. The aim is to allow readers to understand that Buck experiences loss, tragedy and change much as a human character would.
As Buck grows and he finds himself in new places and in new situations, he picks up a distrust for humans after several abusive scenarios. Eventually, Buck finds himself under the care of John Thornton, who rescues him from his abusers. They form an inseparable bond and Buck realizes that it is possible to have a loving, caring relationship with a human: something that he never thought was possible.
Although Buck and John Thornton were never able to communicate with words, their souls spoke to each other to bring out the best in one another; a true soul mate connection.
This book was adapted into a live-action movie in 2020.
Haruki Murakami
Fantasy
Recommended by Xailia Claunch
Aomame and Tengo held hands in an elementary school classroom 20 years before the story takes place, and haven’t seen each other since. Both remain on one another’s minds, however, as the world around them begins to change. The two of them move from the real world of 1984 to a parallel, strange year, “1Q84.” The story alternates between the two of them as the narrator, as they navigate this new dystopian world, and are inexplicably drawn back together.
Rupi Kaur
Poetry
Recommended by Rachel Rabideau
Having a soulmate isn’t always about finding another person to love. First and foremost, it should be about discovering who you are and forming a relationship with yourself. Rupi Kaur untangles her heartbreak and healing in a series of poems, melting her soul into ink and pouring it onto paper. Kaur explores hurt from a broken society, love so powerful it makes you weak, shattering sorrow, and the result of this equation: strength.
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