This is about a girl journey navigating new friendships and the new family dynamic since her mother past away. It was heartwarming seeing the main character taking care of her little brother, especially since their dad hasnt really been there for them. I liked her relationship with the ghosts in the first volume, but as she makes new friends at school she spends less and less time with her ghost friends. There was a message there with her new friends not being all that nice, but it just wasnt very gripping. The main character didnt seem to have any goal which made the plot kind of boring. Plus the step by step instructions for developing photos felt unnecessary. I do think readers who enjoy contemporary stories will like this more than I did. It had great mental health rep and a nice heartfelt ending.

I loved Sheets and was so glad to get my hands on this one to read. Delicates was very emotional, more so than Sheets. I loved the introduction of Eliza’s character and her storyline was tough to read but I feel like her feeling of being lost is so relatable to many young people and I really liked the conversation between Marjorie and Eliza towards the end. The overall theme of this story very much focused on not locking people out and encouraged reaching out when you need help.

I really loved this and want everyone to read it! Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Brenna Thummler's lushly-illustrated follow-up to 2018's Sheets finds the melancholy main character Marjorie as she begins 8th grade. Still grieving the loss of her mother, she's sorrowful yet attempting to move on. The popular kids have taken her in and she has been putting herself out there a bit more but she experiences a sense of uncertainty and other-ness. She is trying to quietly appease her new friends while still befriending the ghosts that hang out in her family-run laundromat (particularly little ghost boy Wendell, who feels increasingly dismissed) but it seems the two can't happen simultaneously. Then there's Marjorie's classmate Eliza, who would seemingly be a kindred spirit with her keen interest in paranormal photography, but the two girls don't immediately hit it off. It takes a series of some tough stuff for Marjorie to see what characteristics matter most in her relationships. While the whole ghost element is kind of different and could be off-putting to those who like more realistic stories, the struggles of middle school friendships and being true to oneself will resonate with many.

An excellent follow-up novel, though this one felt significantly "older" than the first--even though it was only 8th grade compared to 7th. Loved the coloring. The introduction of Eliza to the story was well-done--she was both a fully realized character and didn't draw too much focus. I still struggle to "date" this story, but overall, I enjoyed it.

I got an ARC of this book.

Can you imagine a book that seems to be about sheet ghosts actually being about something so emotionally gut punching that you feel hollow after you finish it? I doubted, despite reading the first book.

This book made my body hurt. I understood so intensely what one character was feeling that I felt sick at one point. Her pain is so palpable. Being bullied most of my life, but pretending it was fine to be alone is something that still gets to me when I see something this raw and this earnest. How could I not feel for the ghost photographing weirdo? I was her. I befriended every horse girl I came across. They were always the nicest girls. A ghost photographer would have been a better match for me. I would have loved to go ghost hunting with her. She didn’t deserve anything that happened to her.

This is clearly aimed at teens, but it really works well for adults. Looking back at how painful middle school really was. Eighth grade seriously sucked. Bullying became more vicious, new social rules, puberty, dances, dating. It all got overwhelming. Add in depression and you got this book. It is so intense. It is so perfect. I seriously worried in the middle. There was a chance that this would go even darker. I will warn you there is a suicidal character. There are emotions around this and there is danger. It feels real. It felt like the times I have had to stop someone. This book doesn’t pull any emotional punches.

I really shouldn’t have read this in public, this close to the anniversary of the last time I rushed someone to the hospital after a suicide attempt. This book hits really close to home. It isn’t easy to read and it isn’t as goofy as sheet ghosts promise. It is so easy to forget that cartoon ghosts are really dead people, people that never got to live out their dreams and their lives. Kid cartoon ghosts are always so friendly and it is so easy to just forget they aren’t alive any more. This book really confronts death on a lot of levels. This series really does hit hard.

The art I think adds to it. It keeps a bit of a distance by not being hyper realistic. But it also makes it easier to be sucked in, because you don’t expect such deep emotions from something cutesy. The art is perfect and the story is a lot.

This is not a book to take lightly and not one to be read when you are feeling vulnerable. Take care of yourself and any sheet ghosts you find. Everyone deserves a friend.

Like its predecessor “Sheets,” “Delicates” is a fantastic read. The striking art-style and vibrant color palette suck you into the story immediately. This story proves that you don’t need bland, gritty, or colorless art to depict a serious story. “Delicates” is provocative, compelling, and youthful in look and in narrative.
This story depicts loneliness, loss, and bullying with honesty and care. As these are all things that young adolescents are faced with, I applaud the author’s willingness to explore these topics with such sensitivity. This is a haunting and heartwarming story about the strength of human kindness. If you, like so many others need to find faith in humanity again, this is the book for you, and if you enjoyed the first installment, I dare say that you’ll enjoy “Delicates” more.

Okay, I did not realise this was a sequel, so I feel like I’m missing some background on the story. I’ll definitely check out the first one, because this story has potential.

This deals with some heavy themes about growing up and expressing ourselves. The delicate art style adds to the warmth of the story, but I felt lost at times with the ghosts and stuff, but that was my fault for not reading the first book originally.

ahh another adorable comic! loved the message behind this one. the style of the comic is so beautiful and unlike any other I've read.

A tender followup to sheets that hits you right in the heart! The characters jump right off the pastel colored pages.

Delicates is a stunning and poignant follow-up to graphic novel Sheets. The universe is expanded in this book, as our protagonist grows up, and additional characters are added.

TW: suicidal ideation

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Yet again, I was blown away by the messages behind these illustrations in this wonderful sequel to Sheets.

I absolutely loved the new character, Eliza, seeing her story it just made her seem so lifelike. I found myself wishing I could have been a friend to her.

Marjorie disappointed me a little in the first half of this book, which I know was the intent of the author, to show that she was making a mistake with these "friends" and not standing up for herself and what she believed in. But it was still hard to read and to see how she was hurting Wendell, and to see how Eliza was hurt through Marjorie's inaction.
As hard as it was to see, unfortunately, this is all to realistic in high school dynamics. Which I think a lot of people will relate to.
I did like that you saw a bit of Tessi's home life, and although it in no way excuses what she did, I felt it fleshed out her character.

Wendell remains my favourite character, if I could scoop him up and keep him safe always I would. He's just such a cinnamon roll of a character.

The illustrati0ns were yet again, absolutely stunning, the colour palette used was similar to the first book so they tie together well. The coloration again, was so beautiful and captured the melancholic moments perfectly.

I didn't expect this graphic novel to explore such hard hitting topics but it made me love it all the more.
You see Eliza's struggle throughout this book with her mental health and suicidal thoughts, which again, I think a lot of people will relate and sympathise with her. Most people at least sometime in their life will experience or know someone close to them who will experience mental health problems. This graphic novel portrayed such emotion I don't think any reader could look at this and not feel empathy.
I haven't seen many comics or graphic novels that incorporate this so this was great to see. As well there was a positive attitude towards therapy, and speaking out and seeking help when you feel trapped by your thoughts.
I cried throughout the whole second half of this book it touched me so much. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy to read it again and again.

This was incredible. I think I like it more than Sheets and I REALLY LOVED Sheets. Important message delivered in a creative and original way.

First of all the art work is amazing. The use of colour and shape to illustrate the story was outstanding. I was not aware that this was a sequel to Sheets but I found the story easy to follow and catch onto. This graphic novel highlights the struggles of growing up in a beautiful way.
I have also posted this review on Goodreads.

Much like the first book SHEETS this follow up explores how people respond to others, their own emotions. How little and big things impact people different little. That nobody is ever just one thing. For people who write of graphic novels (or comics) for being easy Brenna Thummler is a great storyteller who showcases just how complex something that seems straightforward can be.

Unlike the first book DELICATES did take me longer to get into. It wasn’t until the second half that I was truly engrossed. I think this is partly because I almost felt let down by Marjorie, but in retrospect I think her character is all the better for how realistic she is in this book.

You can read DELICATES without having read the first, but I would recommend both.

“Developing film is a delicate process.
[…] You can’t make any mistakes. The teensiest mistake will ruin the whole process. All your photos: gone forever.
Humans are delicate, too.”

👻 I really enjoyed getting to know Wendell and Marjorie in SHEETS. The friendship, the comradery, the grief, the Ghosturizer. It was all so .. soft and bright.
In this sequel, Bremmer delves deeper into different kind of relationships and conflicts, between humans and ghosts alike, as well as some delicate issues. In DELICATES, we are introduced to Eliza, a social outcast in Marjorie’s class who finds solace and purpose in hunting ghosts with her camera.

👻 I found myself relating to Eliza and her lone musings in the darkroom. Have you ever felt you were so utterly alone? How did you cope? Did you ever have imaginary friends or ghosts you’d talk to? I used to run away into books. Miles and piles of books. For a time in middle school, I spent all my breaks and lunch hours in the library. I just felt books understood me way better than anyone out on the quad.

👻 Brenna Thummler’s storytelling is beautifully soft and heartwarming. Spending time in her beautifully illustrated world feels like a soft warm hug I don’t want to end.

👻 DELICATES is out 16 March 2021. (Thanks to @netgalley & @OniPress for the e-ARC!) In the meantime, I highly recommend you read SHEETS for a light, feel good graphic novel that’ll leave you feeling warm inside.

[Non-exhaustive TW: suicidal ideation, bullying]

This is an excellent book. Thummler takes issues that not only teens worry about, but people of all ages can relate to, and wraps it in a unique story.

I LOVED Sheets it made me feel so many things happy, sad everything so I was so excited when I saw this was coming. First the art is amazing I really love the color pallet chosen. I was a little disappointed when I realized what this story was going to tell, not to say I didn't enjoy it. What I was hoping for was a fun maybe adventure with Marjorie and Wendell as they work though the hard topics that Sheets story told. No adventure in this one but another hard hitting story about how tough it is to grow up both for Marjorie as a teenager and Wendell as a ghost. We meet a new character Eliza who feels invisible and has a hard time making friends. This story deals with depression, the hopes to fit in but wanting to do the right thing, suicidal thoughts and working through new family dynamics and making new friends. This one hits hard so proceed with caution.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Bullying, Suicide attempt

I enjoyed the first graphic novel Sheets and I was intrigued to read more by this author. This second book, Delicates follows the same main characters with some additional new characters but you don't necessarily have to read the first one to read this one. I thought the story was good but was not expecting the intense bullying that happens in the story. Aside, it was strange to me that one of the only people of color in the story was the target of bullying and criticizing and just racist jokes/lines were thrown in there with no real need. I thought Eliza's character was interesting and I enjoy Wendell's appearance and wish him and the ghost had more appearances. For some reason, this story didn't fully hit the mark for me. I felt the bullies in this situation were sort of let off easily and that Majorie didn't really have a backbone. But I know this book has a specific audience so this story could resonate with some pre-teens out there but I feel there are other stories out currently that better handle themes like this one.

Summer is coming to a close for Marjorie and Wendell almost a full year after they first meet. Marjorie is about to go into eighth grade, and she is feeling a little uneasy. After being a social outcast all of seventh grade year, her former bully Tessi and her friends have made it their mission to make Marjorie popular. The eighth grade class also has a repeater student - Eliza, the daughter of the PE/Student Government teacher, Mr. Duncan, who "isn't quite ready for high school," according to her dad. Eliza is obsessed with "ghost photography," and strives to capture the supernatural with her old-style camera. Eliza increasingly feels like a ghost amongst her peers - she's outcast, made fun of, and hardly ever invited to any social gatherings. Her obsession with ghosts makes her the laughing stock of the school. Marjorie's social obligations and school work leaves her with less time to hang out with her other-worldy pals, so Wendell starts sneaking out. He runs into Eliza, who doesn’t recognize Wendell as a ghost.

The conflicts Eliza goes through, as well as the social pressures Marjorie feels, are similar to the struggles many middle school students go through. Eliza's struggle will hopefully encourage others to reach out for help, or to help others who might be going through some difficult times. These heavy topics are mixed with a dose of friendly paranormal activity to lighten the mood in what would otherwise be a thoroughly sad story.

Thummler’s illustrations heavily rely on a pastel palette that makes use of yellows and other bright colors to draw the eye in. Her landscapes are beautifully drawn, almost like a photo put through a heavy Instagram filter. Characters features are stylized and less detailed. There are several nods to 90s fashion throughout the character designs of both books, so hopefully those aren't completely lost on modern audiences.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale March 16, 2021.

This was equally as delightful as the first book. Wendell is just a delight and I love him so much. This story is so tender and heartwarming but at the same time so sad and as always the artwork is beautiful!