Delicates - The sequel to Sheets by Brenna Thummler - is a beautifully illustrated journey of self acceptance and belonging.

This story focuses on Marjorie’s relationship with her new friendship group and the start of middle school whilst also trying to maintain friendships with the ghosts in her laundromat. We then get introduced to an enduring and unique young girl named Eliza, who has a special independent project of photographing ghosts. But like in Sheets, this story runs deeper. We find Brenna exploring lessons of grief, friendships, self love and the beauty of being alive as we follow Marjorie and Eliza tackle issues surrounding bullying and not speaking up for others - something that I lot of kids fall into. Whilst I thought the build up to the plot turn around was a little long, I do feel like the overall message at the end of the novel was poignant and lovely.

I definitely recommend the sequel to anyone who loved Sheets, and I recommend the series to those who love atmospheric, coming of age stories about kids learning be true to themselves.

Story trigger warnings for - bullying, depression, racism and mention of suicide

I loved this. Firstly the artwork is just gorgeous; so soothing and detailed with a beautiful colour pallet. The story itself is so heartwarming and yet poignant all at once. It's a very cosy read, perfect for autumn and curling up with an apple tea. I will definitely re-read this each October.

“Some people are lifeguards. Others need to be saved.“
Delicates continues the story of Sheets, but I honestly think it can be read as a standalone easily. In Delicates, Marjorie Glatt is still figuring out how to handle the group of ghosts she discovered in her family’s laundromat. One of the ghosts, Wendall, became one of her only friends, but now the popular kids at school are including her in their group. Trying to fit in with them leaves her excluding others when she wonders what they will think of her if they knew she believed in ghosts. For Eliza Duncan, proving the existence of ghosts through her ghost photography is her way to not feel so alone, and she’s starting to feel like a ghost herself. When the popular kids begin bullying Eliza, Marjorie is forced to choose between right and wrong, or she may end up losing her only real friends.
Brenna Thummler is one of my all time favorite artists. The art style is simply breathtaking and so atmospheric. Sometimes you just have to pause reading to admire the details. Delicates is a powerful story about real life issues that stem from labels and the consequences of bullying. I loved the messages encouraging those who need it to always ask for help and to always consider what someone may be going through. The themes of grief, family relationships, friendships, and what it means to fit in were developed so perfectly. If you are a fan of graphic novels you’ll love this, and if you are new to the graphic novel world Thummler’s work is the perfect place to start!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

TWs: bullying, racism, grief, death & suicidal thoughts

I really enjoyed the first volume of this series so going into the sequel, I just knew that I would love it as much as Sheets!! I'm also sad that this is the last book in the series!

The art style is breathtakingly beautiful as always! I can see just how much effort and love is put into the intricate details shown on each frame. The color scheme used really set the tone and mood for each of the character's stories which just add to overall enjoyment of reading these graphic novels.

Sheets focused more on grief and the loss of a loved one while with Delicates, heavy topics of loneliness, bullying and suicidal thoughts were tackled in the such a subtle and realistic way that makes it easier for middle grade and young adult readers to relate to these characters and situations. This story shows the reality of what bullying can do, how peer pressure can affect relationships and how reaching out and talking about problems can save people.

I highly recommend this for lovers of graphic novels and stories that are just easy to get into but will leave you with life lessons to keep forever.

I really enjoyed the first volume of this series, the illustrations are just as gorgeous and honestly I think that this is such an easy and cool way to convey life lessons to your readers. It doesn't come across as 'parenting', and I really love that. I think there were a few heavy subjects that were handled really well, so I'm definitely sad this is the last installment! I would have loved to stay in this world for a while longer

I loved this amazing sequel to Sheets! I could feel everything the characters were feeling through the beautiful illustrations. Wendell really develops a personality in this book and I loved that. Wendell is my favorite ♥. 8th grade can be a tough time and this book illustrates that so well. Marjorie deals with peer pressure throughout the story and Eliza deals with bullying and trying to fit in. It was such a great story and I can't wait to read Brenna Thummler's next book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The long awaited sequel to Sheets! I read Sheets recently and adored the story and illustrations and this sequel does not disappoint!

Sheets was a story about coping with the loss of a loved one and Delicates deals with loneliness. Delicates follows two lonely grade eight girls trying to get through school in their own ways. Thummler presents the struggles middle grade kids have forming meaningful friendships, navigating misunderstandings, and finding ways to fit in.

I think in order to really appreciate the friendship and back story of Marjorie and Wendell, you need to go back to Sheets. Wendell’s friendly ghost adds a whimsical aspect to the story that is both beautiful and tragic. I would encourage everyone to read Sheets prior to because I can see how someone reading the sequel would feel confused about the ghosts in this story.

There’s something about Thummler’s work that’s unique only to her style and I love it. I love her choice of colour palette for her illustrations which is consistent throughout her graphic novels. The author also writes about challenging topics in the most subtle of ways that make it approachable and appropriate for middle grade and young adults.

I would highly recommend this one! I really hope this series continues because it is so beautiful with such important topics to address. It was a brilliantly executed reminder that we’re all going through our own problems, we just need to open up and talk to each other about how we’re feeling.

Thank you so much to Brenna Thummler for this sequel! And thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The sequel to Sheets, we follow Marjorie Glatts as she deals with her friendship with Wendell the ghost, her new friendship with mean girl Tessi, crush on Colton, and potential friendship with Eliza who is obsessed with photographing ghosts and just so happens to have heard Marjorie talking to Wendell one night, but is also bullied by Tessi and her crew.
This graphic novel read a bit older than Sheets as it deals with suicidal ideation and bullying. Marjorie felt like a ghost in Sheets, but in this graphic novel, we meet Eliza, who feel like maybe, being a ghost will be allow her to feel better. In Eliza's quest to photograph ghosts and spirits, she becomes alienated by her peers and labeled "weird." It doesn't help that her father, Mr. Duncan, lets it slip that she's repeating the 8th grade. The novel goes between Eliza and Marjorie's perspectives as Marjorie tries to hider her friendship with Wendell because of her newfound friend-group. However, Marjorie begins to learn that these friendships are negatively affecting the people and relationships around her. This was a heart-wrenching yet beautiful graphic novel that handled a difficult topic delicately.

This book deals with sensitive topics like suicidal thoughts and bullying, and I think Thummler did a great job of expressing the seriousness of them without the book being a sad read. I enjoyed it, and as always the illustrations were beautiful.

Delicates
By: Brenna Thummler

Oni Press

Children's Fiction/Comic and Graphic Novels

Publish Date March 23, 2021

#Delicates#NetGalley

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This is a cute middle grade graphic novel. It is the second book of this series. The first book is called Sheets. I loved the pictures in this book. The first book talked about the death of a parent and this one ones talks about bullying. It isn't what you call a normal bullying but it still is. How the girl from the first book comes to realize that being quite and not saying anything is just as bad as doing it. It is a great way to get a point across. I gave it 5 stars.

I got this for my 11 year old daughter since she read and loved the first book Sheets. Here is here review:
This book was a little bit sad but not so much that it made me feel bad. I loved all of the characters (except one who was mean). Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. I read the digital version on my computer and that was ok, but I think I would prefer the actual book. It’s probably better to read this book after you’ve read sheets (it makes more sense). I loved the artwork in this book and I’m hoping there will be more books it this series.

SO CUTE, my heart can hardly stand it. Love the art style, love the story. Imaginary friends are one thing, but being friends with a ghost? Talk about friendship goals.

So excited! It's the follow-up to [book:Sheets|38958846]!

In case you missed it, Sheets is a middle grade/YA graphic novel about a middle school aged girl, Marjie, who helps run her family's laundry business. Then she meets Wendell, a ghost boy.

In Delicates, we follow Marjie as summer ends and the new school year starts. She is still helping out at the family laundry and hanging out with Wendell. She longs after the boy she has a crush on and feels on the outskirts of her group of friends. Her friends at school are the popular kids and she worries that if they find out about Wendell that they will label her a freak. In the meantime, a fellow classmate, Eliza, is obsessed with trying to take photos of ghosts. The popular kids DO label her a freak. Eliza is definitely on the outskirts at school and begins to feel like a ghost.

This is a charming book about trying to fit in while also trying to be yourself. It expresses how important it is to feel seen and included. We also see what it means to truly be someone's friend and how to reach out and help someone in need.

Dellicates is the sequel to Sheets, Brenna's previous work, which I read and really enjoyed to!

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

“You never know what’s going on inside someone else’s head - how they’re hurting - even if you put the hurt there yourself.”

Marjorie, who felt like a ghost in Sheets, has recently started the eighth grade. In order to fit in, she hides who she really is from her new friends. Marjorie and her family are, each in their own ways, grieving the death of her mother.

Eliza is an outcast who is repeating the eighth grade.

“Sometimes I feel like a ghost, but maybe a ghost in the wrong place, you know?”

Eliza spends her time trying to capture ghosts on Lorraine, her camera (named after Lorraine Warren), for her paranormal portfolio. Being herself has resulted in Marjorie’s new friends bullying her, while Marjorie stands by, visibly uncomfortable but not intervening.

Marjorie spending time with her new friends means she doesn’t have as much time to spend with Wendell, her favourite ghost. He’s missing his friend and feeling left out. He is trying his best to deal with both his life and life after death.

I loved Eliza. Anyone who dresses up as a Ghostbuster for Halloween and wears different coloured socks is my kind of person. I ached for her as I watched her cross back and forth between being too visible and invisible.

I always look for fun background details in graphic novels. My favourite find in Delicates was the names of the movies playing at The Rubin - The Ghost Wears Prada and What a Girl Haunts.

As I’ve come to expect from Brenna Thummler, the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. The characters’ expressions often speak louder than their words and, although it’s been a long time since I last read Sheets, the colour palette immediately drew me back into its world.

“You should never have to hide who you are.”

Content warnings include bullying, depression, grief, racism and suicidal ideation.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

Cw: Depression, bullying, suicidal thoughts

I got read Sheets last year and read it quickly in one session. Delicates was just the same.
My favourite thing about this graphic novel is the colour pallets. They are so, so pleasing to the eye and represent the calming and caring nature of the novel.

We follow a character, Eliza in Delicates and I absolutely loved her. For anyone who has been bullied, feels alone, feels like they don’t fit in, suffered with their mental health or had suicidal thoughts, Eliza makes you feel seen. Eliza is a talented photographer with a passion for the paranormal and is misunderstood by everyone around her.

Delicates is a wonderful sequel that highlights what bullying and by standing (still bullying) can do to people, and how to reach out and support those who need it.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Delicates follows the brilliant graphic novel, Sheets and it shows the complexities of school life and friendships. Both Marjorie and Eliza are great characters to follow in this graphic novel and so are the ghosts such as Wendell.

The art and colours are quite wonderful as well.

Rating: 4.5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes, Yes, Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

I've been waiting to read this since Sheets came out! I usually don't wait for sequels, but this one was well worth it. It's full of teenage angst and deals with issues like bullying and suicidal thoughts. I loved the way Thummler drew the fashions of the time and the two-page spreads took my breath away. This one focuses less on the ghosts, which is fine, as other relationships and lessons were developed and learned.

*3.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book.

A lovely follow-up to Sheets. I'm a really big fan of Brenna Thummler's art style, and something about the colour palette of this book in particular was giving me some real late-90s/early 00s nostalgic vibes. I enjoyed the glimpses into the dynamics of the Glatt family, and I enjoy how complex Marjorie is as a character.

But while I really enjoyed the book overall, I can't quite bring myself to round up my rating to a 4. While I found that Sheets, despite being very well-paced, was a bit surface-level in terms of character development at times, I had almost the opposite problem with Delicates. I really enjoyed the emotional depth of the story, but I found the overall plot to be strangely paced. I didn't really have any idea of the length of time the story was taking place over, apart from the characters occasionally mentioning the end of summer, or Halloween, etc.

But all that being said, I found Delicates to be an absolutely charming addition to the Sheets series. I don't know if Thummler will write more volumes, but I would definitely pick them up if she did, as well as anything else she writes. I would recommend this for fans of Tillie Walden and Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, and would strongly encourage everyone to pick up Sheets if you haven't already, before Delicates comes out on 23rd March.

I read Sheets last year and immediately preordered Delicates. I was so grateful to get an arc of this to read. The art styles and colour palette where just as beautiful as in Sheets.
This book deals with difficult but important topics to do with fitting in, mental health, depression and figuring out the sort of person you want to be.

Wendal was as lovely in this book he's just so kind and caring.

Brenna Thummler is now an auto buy author for me.