I complain about how much bullying is present in American narratives is no longer new, but here I noticed that in these narratives it is common for the character who receives bullying to love photography and to ignore privacy limits when taking pictures, this happens here with a new character (Eliza) and it annoyed me.

Her addiction to discovering ghosts is huge, but her family environment is much healthier than that of Marjorie, who has learned one more lesson in life: she understood how much bullying affects others, even if she doesn't practice it.

Ignoring the festival of ugly noses, I love the art style and the colors of Brenna Thummler's works, the landscapes and houses have incredible detail! I think here in Delicates there were more varieties of colors on the pages, because in Sheets it was just a mix of pink, purple and blue tones, while here there are more colors on the pages, especially in the clothes of all the characters (even the b**ch style was charming).

Delicates brings a new melancholy side to this world of comrade ghosts, with characters feeling invisible, but gaining a little voice and making dreams come true.

This book did an excellent job showing the “delicates” in our lives and friendships. It is a wonderful graphic novel, and a great way to start to talk to children about mental health and how it is okay to be different. The illustrations were beautiful, and I cannot wait to read more from the author. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[3.5 Stars]

--- thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ---

This graphic novel was very cute and a nice continuation of the first book. It has a great, easy to follow art style and nice messages for young readers on what it means to be a friend. Highly recommend.

CW: suicide, depression

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great sequel in the series! Phenomenal artwork with a wonderful color theme depending on what’s happening in the story. I loved the expansion of Wendell and Marjorie’s friendship. This graphic novel did a great job of taking me back to middle school and immersing me in the angsty, frustrating feelings of toxic teen frenemies. You simultaneously feel for Marjorie and want to yank her towards being friends with Eliza. This was an unfortunately representative look at bullying in pre-teen girls, perfect for the young reader audience to reflect on! I loved the heartwarming friendship that eventually developed between Eliza and Marjorie.

First off, the artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful and at times I forgot that these images are illustrated by someone and not actual photography. The colors used throughout also remind me of late 80's/early 90's aesthetics and I loved it. I loved the blue hues when we followed Eliza, it's a subtle way to emphasize her state of mind. This is a great middle grade depiction of loneliness, bullying, and the effects of feeling invisible, among other import topics.

Marjorie finds it difficult to balance different friend groups. She is suddenly accepted by her former enemy and transformed into a "popular" girl. Her relationship with Wendell and the other ghosts becomes a struggle to maintain. Marjorie also wants to be friends with Eliza, but is afraid that hanging out with her will make her weird too. This book deals with mental health and the impact of bullying.

After the first lockdown, I was called back from Furlough to work part time in August. After so many months away I knew it would take a little adjusting to and I wouldn't have as much time to read. So I treated myself to a couple of graphic novels, and Brenna Thummler's Sheets was one of them.

It was full of great illustrations and the story was all about friendships and overcoming grief in a variety of forms. It was beautiful and really heartwarming, so I was very excited when Oni Press approved my request for an early copy of Delicates.

As well as introducing us to a new theme, we are also introduced to a new character in this book too, Eliza, and we get to read some of the story from her point of view alongside Marjorie and Wendell.

Although friendship is still at the heart of this book, and grief is still touched upon too. This book is all about individuality. What it means to be different, and what happens when people start to see you as different (or refuse to see you at all). It touches upon bullying and mental health which creates a book full of emotional moments that are really impactful.

This book is important, it doesn't hide away from the harshness of real life, and how cruel some teens can be to each other. It's an uncomfortable age and Brenna Thummler doesn't hide from that, which is what I like so much about this book. As someone with a disability, I know what it feels like to be different, and for people to see me as different, so I found this book really hit home with me and I could really relate to some parts of Eliza's story.

Although this book is paranormal and a little bit fantastical, just like Sheets it's rooted in real life with real feelings and emotions, so it's perfect for fans of fantasy, and fans of contemporary alike. It's Middle Grade, but I feel like this series can be also enjoyed by adults and teens too and can easily be read in one sitting. Just make sure you've got a box of tissues handy, as this made me a little teary at times.

"Life is a precious thing, dearie.
It has skin that can feel.
And feet that can dance.
And hearts that can love and be loved.
And are loved, sweetheart."

There is so much heart in this comics. Probably because it talks about death and life and teens going through very hard moments in life. This follows Marjorie who in book one meets Wendell, a ghost. I was in the minority while reading book one, I liked it enough, but didn't love it. This time around I was reading as fast as I could and devoured it in almost one sitting. (*Only because I had plans to eat with a friend. If not I would have read it all in one sitting.) It was so good. Tessi makes another appearance and even though I dislike her so very much she did redeem herself a bit at the end. Very little though. She has a long way to go for me to like her. Marjorie is the one that blew me away on this one. She was so upset with herself for letting her new group of friends bully Eliza, the new kid and teacher's daughter (yikes). She finally, even though terrified, do something about the bullying. She stood up to her new "friends." I was cheering her on!

I also like how realistic it was. She didn't become the hero. She didn't know what to do. She told Eliza's parents. She reached out to the adults. This situation was more than a talk could handle. I'm glad Eliza is getting professional help.

I also really liked the colors. The artwork was beautiful.

This comic is perfect for teens. It's perfect for anyone dealing with life. I forgot to mention Marjorie's little brother and dad. The whole family is still suffering the loss of their wife and mother. It was so sweet to tie it all together with pictures. Eliza loves to take pictures and wants to start a photography club at school. And Marjorie finds boxes of pictures her mother took of them all and even an old camera with film still inside it. When I tell you this comic has heart I mean it. It's full of so many layers and I loved the experience...because it was a beautiful experience.

The art style of this graphic novel is really good. I also really enjoy the color schemes. The shades of purple and pink and white goes along with the ghost themes. Enjoyed the story, it's an accurate depiction of the awkward early high school years when you are trying to find yourself and friends who compliment you. Good exploration of the theme of family as well

4/5 stars (TW: suicide, sucidal thoughts, bullying, parental-loss, death)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc

This was a captivating story. Let's start this off by announcing how i haven't read the first book. Yet this didn't feel too foreign to me. Appreciate the way certain issues are handled. Am not rating it the highest as I didn't like the attitude of some characters, which were, to the authors greatness, that were just plainly due to circumstances. Also wanna add how i appreciate the style which features non size 0-2 bodies and shows curves of all types

Delicates - Brenna Thummler

This is the second in this series and I unfortunately haven't had the chance to read the first book yet (Sheets) so I was a little worried I would not enjoy this one due to this. However this was not the case, there are so many topics covered within this graphic novel that I think it would be hard for anyone not to get something from it, don't get me wrong I do feel I would have had a better understanding of the back story of the sheet ghosts in the laundromat if I have had read the first (I will have to go back and find it and catch up). The story is very touching for quite a few characters and I really hope there will be another out as I don't feel we are done with the storyline yet! I really enjoyed the style including the colour palette and drawing style.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me the chance to dive into this one!

Oh, wow.

Ok, first of all, thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read and review an electronic galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I still love the color scheme and illustration style for this series. It's absorbing. The storyline for this book felt so much more compelling to me--so much that I was sitting straight up in my chair scrolling through the pages there at the end to see what happened next, and I got little chills from how personally affecting some of the connections between the characters were. This book deals with bullying, and how it feels to be the "weird" kid, while still developing the themes of grief and coping from the first book in the series.

Highly recommend.

This graphic novel went above and beyond my expectations.

It deals with teens navigating through school, trying to make friends and stay true to themselves. But most importantly it teaches us to stand up for what's right, stand up to bullies and see life as it is despite our struggles: worth living.

The characters are deeply relatable and the art is really nice.

I might have cried a little... A couple of times. Or five.

First of all: adorable art style! It's a really great sequel which deals with bullying, grief, depression, suicidal toughts - so be aware. Glad to see some new characters and to see some of the old ones getting more attention. Just a really important reminder is IT'S OK TO ASK FOR HELP, so please.. do it if you need it.

Wonderfully moving graphic novel set in a middle school. Familiarity with the first book in the series is not necessary, but is helpful. TW: suicidal thoughts.

Delicates by Brenna Thummler is a superbly crafted graphic novel on grief, anxiety, and bullying.

Let’s get straight to the point, this was brilliant, I feel like I’ve not shut up about it since I finished it!

The colour palette Thummler opted to use was absolutely stunning, and the use of matte colours with a focus on blue, pink and purple hues creates such a warm and safe atmosphere which perfectly balances out the story. On a somewhat unrelated note, can I say that I want to own every outfit featured? Because I do.

I’ll be honest though, going into this I didn’t expect it to be so emotionally charged, and I certainly didn’t expect to cry whilst reading it, but it’s an emotional ride that you quickly become invested in. The book deals with bullying in a nuanced way and it explores how the most pain can come from the bystanders surrounding bullies, which is something that is rarely found in literature.

I would have liked to have seen more of an exploration of Marjorie’s father and his depression/coping mechanisms, but perhaps that will be explored in the next instalment.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend this if you’re able to handle the topics that it covers. TW for: suicidal thoughts, bullying, and grief.

This book is a sequel to Sheets but you can read it as a stand alone book as well. I do think you have a better understanding of Marjorie's connection to the ghost if you read the first book but it is not necessary. This book is fantastic. It is fun, engaging and deal with real complex topics in an accessible way for middle grades students. Marjorie is dealing with grief, wanting to fit in with her peers, her fathers depression and discovering what it means to do the right thing. Eliza's character really provides insight into why and how a young person might consider suicide and the implications of that. It shows a good example of how to reach out and get help from an adult if you know someone in that situation and that it is a situation not to be taken lightly. The book also uses actual ghost characters to explore what it feels like to be lonely, invisible and uninvited. The art in this book is also fantastic!

Sheets (Sheets #1) and Delicates (Sheets #2) by Brenna Thummler is a two book series, middle grade paranormal / ghosts graphic novel where we follow a 13 year old girl named Marjorie Glatt, who is handling her family laundry business after her mother passed away. Lives with her brother and father in a small town.

The story is very cute and heartwarming about a ghost Wendall who is a boy and has died at the mere age of 10 or 11. He feels he doesn't fit in the ghost world that's why he travels to the human world and finds his way to Marjorie's laundry. Wendall is really cute and his innocence is what draws the readers towards him.

In the first book we see Wendall helping Marjorie in her laundry and threatens a man who wants to buy her laundry and instead make a 5 star hotel there. The story overall is very simple but yet sometimes feel made me feel very heavy at heart because of her mother's loss and her father being depressed. So we saw Marjorie handling the whole house alone.

In the second book, Delicates we see Marjorie attending school and finding her self through it. She is not sure how people will react when they all see Wendall and her friends. In this book we see a lot more about ghosts which I liked, this was definitely better than the first book. The ending of the second book is predictable yet very beautiful to read and experience.

In the second book we also see Eliza, who is always very shy and nobody in her class talks to her. She wants to be a ghost photographer. She feels like a ghost in the human world. Wendall and Marjorie basically help her with her insecurities and they all end up having a their school ball dance themed as Sheets.

I practically binge read both the books in one go and enjoyed reading this light and cozy graphic novels. I liked the illustrations, its similar color scheme of pink and blue tones in book 1 was really good and totally my style. So if you're looking for some light and cozy reading, pick this one up.
______

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for sending me the eARC of #Delicates in exchange for a honest opinion.

Delicates by Brenna Thummler is the sequel to Sheets.
Marjorie is no longer alone, now dragged into friendship with the popular crowd Marjorie is seen, but still not seen. Her need to fit in and struggle to accept who she is and stand up for herself has her disappearing even in the crowd now, and her friendship with Wendell suffers for it. At the same time Eliza, a photographer that was held back in the eighth grade so now in Marjorie’s class, embraces the supernatural and her weird is openly shunned and she is feeling more and more like a ghost each day. Their lives clash and Marj learns what it means to fit in, be true to herself, and find friends that fit her.
***
Wow, wow, wow. This one was even harder to read than Sheets was. This story was emotionally tough, suicide is touched on here FYI. The word itself isn’t used but clearly that was where Eliza was heading. Eliza is in a rough emotional place and my heart ached for this weird girl who wanted to catch sight of ghosts and was so passionate and committed to it.
Also, whoever thinks that a happy conclusion to a story means a happily ever after period needs to read this. Just because things started to turn around for Marjorie at the end of Sheets doesn’t mean all her problems were fixed. She’s still aching at the loss of her mother, her father still really sucks at being a father although he’s making more of a commitment to do better, her brother Owen is still in pain over the loss of their mom, and Marjorie is a teenager and it’s such a rough age to be, trying to discover who you are and what you want.
Delicates was so good and emotional and I highly recommend it.
***
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this one as much as I love the first book.
A heartfelt and dreamy story that will wrap you up like a hug :)
This is a story about friendship, about wanting to fit in, about finding your identity, and about being yourself.

The illustrations are filled with the same color as the first book and I adore the color pallete.