Via People magazine, First Second Books has unveiled As I Dream of You, a romantic, supernatural graphic novel by filmmaker Jennifer Lee (Frozen) and artist LeUyen Pham (Lunar New Year Love Story). Due out next year, the young adult release follows a couple whose relationship takes a bizarre and unexpected turn.
Falling in love is supposed to hurt. That’s what Franny and Sam, two cynical teenagers raised on tales of heartbreak and loss, have come to understand. Yet when they fall for each other, they find the reality of love is something else entirely: it’s electrifying, all-encompassing, and easy. Theirs is a love that can conquer anything… perhaps even death. But Franny and Sam’s quest to stay together — no matter the cost — soon blurs the line between reality and fantasy, and their shared dream threatens to turn into a nightmare.
The book marks the first graphic novel from Lee, 54, who wrote and co-directed Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019) with Chris Buck, and served as chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios from 2018 to 2024. In a statement to People, she describes the book as “the most personal story I’ve written, inspired by my own experience as a young woman when the power of love and the shock of loss intertwined. I wanted the journey of As I Dream of You to be as visceral and real as every moment felt.”
Pham, 52, adds, “When the script for As I Dream of You showed up on my desk, I hadn’t known what to expect. A romance? A supernatural thriller? A coming-of-age story? A heartbreaker? All of this — all of this and more.” For more from the pair, and a first look at Pham’s interior art, head to the article. The book will mark Lee’s first credit as writer since Wish (2023), and her last before Frozen 3 (due out November 24, 2027), as well as Pham’s first since winning two Eisners for Lunar New Year Love Story (2024).
As I Dream of You will be released in paperback and hardback on May 5, 2026, and retail at 352 pages respectively for $19.99 and $27.99. It is available to preorder now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org, among others.
