Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a reviews.
Very cute! Lovey illustrations and great story line. Mostly about a cute ghost what more could you want 😆
My heart! I loved Sheets and I loved Delicates even more. The art and the colors are so gorgeous.
Growing up is hard, especially when you don’t fit in. The storyline and subject matter is a little heavier in the sequel, but it’s handled well and with care. It’s a fantastic and timely read that all ages can enjoy, and I’m excited for my middle schooler to read it!
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Humans are delicate, too. The teeniest mistake can ruin them, even if you do everything else right. Just because mistakes seem small and insignificant, doesn’t mean they are.”
I've read the first book of this graphic novel series last year and really loved it so I was really excited when I found the second volume on Netgalley.
Just like the first book, Delicates is an amazing graphic novel that intricately captures the essence of of friendship, acceptance, and the struggle to belong. It helps you see how asking for help is good, especially when things get tough.
The way the artist draws the ghosts is so amazing too. Wendell, the ghost friend, is just a sheet with eyes, but you can totally tell how he's feeling just by how he's drawn. And Eliza's ghost photographs are really cool – they add an extra layer of mystery to the story.
I liked how the illustrations change depending on what's going on in the story. When things are happy and fun, the colors are all bright and lively. But when the characters are feeling down or confused, the colors get more muted and soft, which helps you feel what they're going through.
Off to read the third volume now!
A sequel! To Sheets! That I didn't know I wanted!
It was a joy to come back to Marjorie, the heroine of Sheets, and its pastel-coloured world of small town where loner ghosts and loner people can be friends. Things have changed for Marjorie since the ending of Sheet -- she is getting to socialize with her classmates more -- and the narrative explores how that put her in a privileged position in relation to other loners. Poor Wendell! I had never imagined a ghost sheet can have such expressive eyes, on the range from sadness at being a closeted secret to utter glee at being taken to the cinema and making friends. (I choose to believe cinema nights with Wendell become a regular thing past the ending of Delicates). Eliza was a great deuteragonist, a neurodivergent daughter of the PE teacher that I had loved so much in Sheets, and that was a wonderful depiction of how even the most warm and supportive family doesn't shelter you from loneliness and abrasiveness of others. Very human, that. It's amazing how well the author conveys different brands of loneliness and isolation while sticking to such a lovely color palette. A mystery that tugs at your heartstrings as you read for sure.
I really enjoyed this one, thank you to #Netgalley for an ARC of #Delicates.
Delicates is the second book in the Sheets graphic novel series and I absolutely LOVED this one. It's a heart touching story that covers some darker topics but they're handled well for a Middle Grade graphic novel. I think the story has an important message that has been delivered perfectly. Once again, I really liked the characters of this book, especially Eliza, a girl who's passionate about photography and ghosts. The characters' actions, choices/mistakes and the way they act are very typical for their age. Marjorie is trying to fit in, doesn't want to hurt any feelings but she doesn't always make the right choices. This story is filled with compassion, forgiveness and standing up for what's right. Delicates is suitable for any age, but I think it's the perfect read for young teens because the story carries a strong message!
First off, thank you to Netgalley for sharing this second volume with me in exchange for a honest review! I actually went in reverse, jumping right into the last book first and then going back to the start. But no matter, the adventure was just as exciting!
THE COVER
I definitely need to start with the cover. Wendell is still the main focus on the story, still making his way into our picture frames, bringing in all the vibrant colors along with him. In the background, holding the camera lenses, we get a new character, the exact one that describes the title the best. The colors are also quite vibrant, showcasing how different two worlds can be.
THE TITLE
I absolutely love what Brenna does with her titles and her covers, how she so masterfully picks the words out and creates silky metaphors. The title ties in to a bunch of things, naturally—we have the our main ghost, who is a fragile being, and then we have all the other high schoolers, all delicate souls, though, Liza, the one portrayed on the cover, fits the role best.
THE PLOT & CHARACTERS
The story begins with a twist. Contrary to what happened in the previous book, Marjorie becomes friends with Karen’s daughter (the said woman softens up too), and mostly follows her around due to her crush, Colton. Somehow, he also becomes a part of their little group and my very first impression is: this girl is trying to steal Marjorie’s guy.
High school and middle school can be brutal, and Brenna masterfully shows that too. She does it through all these characters who try to fit in, find their path, or struggle to be seen. They all stand out in their own way: Marjorie is still the girl who was forced to grow up too early, take care of her family, while still pursuing her education, her little brother, Owen, who misses his mother, the father who is still mostly absent in their lives, but who slowly is trying to make amends, Liza, who has a weird passion for ghosts and is mostly cast out (on top of that she needs to repeat her year), Tessi who not only bullies her “friends” but her own mother too (she’s forced to bond with her and go to therapy instead), and Colton, who’s, well, just a bystander and beginner Casanova.
It’s the beginning of 8th grade when Liza joins Marjorie’s class, and naturally, being the gym teacher’s daughter, on top of what the kids consider to be weird, makes her the target of bullying. Although not a direct participant, Marjorie is mostly a bystander and thinks of her own issues. To her benefit though, she has her moments where she helps the other girl.
At the same time, she begins to neglect her ghost friends, especially Wendell, who gets upset with her lack of attention. They fight, and the youth almost returns to the ghostland, but in the end, they make up, a one of the most crucial points in the story too.
THE EXECUTION
Brenna definitely knows her stuff. She knows the way middle schoolers act and talk, she definitely remembers, which, in turn, makes her characters believable and very much alive (despite one of them being dead LOL). Her use of bright saturated colors also enhances the scenes and they are in line with the characters’ emotions. Her wit also shines through some of the scenes and character lines so getting a good laugh while reading this is rather guaranteed.
Even though the middle school drama and conflicts are quite cliched, the story still shines. It’s, overall, a pretty quick and enjoyable read. You’ll definitely fall in love with Wendell and his other sheet friends.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was fantastic. I liked it a lot more than the first book. I had read the first as a stand-alone but a sequel helped develop the world and see how our characters are navigating things. I would have loved to see more of the other ghosts and how they felt though, not just Wendell!
After reading "Sheets" I was really exited to continue the series with "Delicates".
The themes of this story felt darker than the first book. However, the alternating choice of colors captured the mood very well, without making it too colourfull.
I really liked the style of drawing and the choice of colors in this story.
This story is about Majorie and how she made new friends. It is an interesting story about friendship but also about serious topics such as bullying.
I didn't really know what this story was about before I started it, but I should have read through trigger warnings beforehand so I wouldn't be so surprised. If you're sensetive with different topics you should definetly check out the Trigger Warnings!
However, I would have liked this story to be a bit longer. Especially the ending felt very fast and somehow I had the feeling that something was still missing.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to reading the next part!
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this EARC!
Light reading, with very nice illustrations and funny moments, as well as those that squeeze your heart.
Sheets shows us two different worlds: the real world and the world where the ghosts live, which seem to be each on their own until a friendly ghost meets our protagonist and everything starts to change.
I liked it a lot, it was light to read and the story it tells is very bearable, entertaining. But I felt that some things were like "taken by the hair" that they had a somewhat hasty resolution and that it was not entirely clear, or perhaps they wanted it to remain a little more in the air and that the explanation was not so specific.
I know what's next, and I even have Delicates to read so I'm excited to keep going.
Thanks Oni Press for the ARC I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I still really like the color palette of this series, it is consistently pastel and bright and cozy. The second installment of Thummler's series now puts aside the mourning process as a smaller storyline in the scope of Marjoire's little brother, and for the main storyline, we get a school bullying story about how bad herd mentality is. It's not nearly as creative an idea as the first part, at least it's not as close to my heart. We've seen this story a dozen times, but the story was more cohesive than Sheets, I felt a great improvement in storytelling and how the story was wrapped up in the end!
I picked this book up immediately after I finished Sheets and loved it just as much if not more for the message it portrayed. I liked that the story was a little bit longer and of course, I loved following the characters and watching them develop over the course of the story as well. I will of course be picking up the next book as soon as it releases.
I read Sheets right before this and wasn't a huge fan of it. I felt like it was disjointed and confusing. But Delicates.....Delicates is different. Delicates made me cry. I couldn't put it down, read the whole thing in about 2 hours. The message was so strong, so powerful. Bullying is not okay, and this story really shoves it right in your face to show the consequences of just that. I absolutely loved it. The teens in my group can learn a lot from this story. It's absolutely breathtaking.
Delicates is the second book of the Sheets graphic novels and looks at new characters, such as Eliza. With a heavy focus on mental health this book gets deep but is such a beautiful book to read! I enjoyed looking at the development of Eliza and Majorie, as well as Wendell’s reaction and wanting to go out into the world.
I love that Majorie made mistakes and acted her age. It made the book feel realistic and normal, as opposed to all the characters being perfect.
The illustrations are just beautiful and it was such a quick read for me! I can’t wait to read the third instalment!
The second installment in the Sheets series is even better than the first one! If with Sheets I felt an imbalance with the intended age group in Delicates it is now clear that it discusses very serious topics and the overall atmosphere is rather depressing. Characters got nuanced and realistic, Marjorie starts to be a very bad friend, bad guys get a background, we have a new protagonist, and the idyllic happy end of the first book gets crushed by the reality of people messing everything up.
TW: suicidal thoughts, bullying, neglecting parents, victim blaming
The symbolism related to laundry and photography works really well here, and it's cathartic when you realize what the title means.
I really liked that it was expressed and shown in the book that letting bullying happen is also bullying and how the toxic positivity of the parents made them blind to their daughter's problems.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing the ARC.
Thummler improved her writing significantly in Delicates. I enjoyed Sheets (the first in this series) but Delicates definitely took the cake for me. The characters were explored with more context and the plot felt fully realised. I saw a few confusing elements and plot holes (for lack of a better term) in Sheets, however this was not to be found in Delicates.
Thummler really improved upon her craft for Delicates. A very enjoyable read.
aww it got even better than the first one. it deals with some pretty tough themes that middle schoolers deal with themselves and so delicates not only offers solidarity but a way to deal with those feelings whether they’re the bullied or the bully or some one who lets the bullying happen. eliza was truly a great addition to this series!!!
Another lovely instalment of this feelgood graphic novel. Difficult subject matter is discussed and tackled in a great way.
Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is book two in her sheet's series! Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read both graphic novels in just one day! I am very excited and anxiously awaiting the third novel by Brenna Thummler.
The book starts with this quote: For anyone who feels lost, hurt, or alone. You matter.
For someone who lost someone close to their heart just 8 months ago I didn't know I needed that more than I do now. While battling depression and very big feelings it is truly amazing to read books and find characters who have those same big feelings you do. Books like these are amazing for these younger people to read because they should them that it's okay and they build a tool belt of people they feel like they know to be able to feel connected to. \
In this book we learn of another lost girl who is looking for something to believe in, such as ghosts, when she is picked on by some of the 'popular' 8th graders we find a girl who is just looking for someone like herself. Well Marjie stand up for her? With Marjie become one of her friends? Will Marjie introduce her to Wendell?
These would be some really great books to keep on your shelf for those middle school blues. Graphic novels are amazing for those who are trying to get into reading. Truly amazing.
Following on from Sheets, Delicates is another heart warming graphic novel. The beautiful illustrations add so much to the hard hitting storyline; of lonliness, bullying, suicidal thoughts and parental loss. For such big themes, it manages to stay positive and life affirming.
I loved seeing more of Wendall, the friendly Ghost, and it was so good seeing our protagonist making friends, albeit with some questionable characters. I really loved it. Can't wait for the next in the series, Lights.
Thank You NetGalley for the review copy!
Brenna Thummler truly knows how to get you to feel all the feelings at once and the art style is just stunning. Can't wait to see what comes next.