Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Such a great message in this one. Amazing art and loveable characters.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

[Actual rating - 4.5/5]

Just like the first book, the art style was stunning and I wish I could cut some of the pages out and hang them on my wall (they are just that beautiful). The plot was cosy and heartwarming but also thought-provoking (which often isn’t the case with a lot of graphic novels). I loved the new addition of Eliza to the main characters, she was easily loveable and I just wanted to give her the biggest hug.

Delicates is a lovely insight between the friendship of a young girl and the ghosts that live in her laundrette. I absolutely loved this art style and it was a wholesome story with a side of adventure, This is a story for all ages and was an absolute delight to read.

This graphic novel touches on themes of suicide, friendship and bullying. I think these themes were handled well and appropriately for the target audience. Again beautiful illustrations set the scene for a poignant story with a positive ending.

It is really cute! I'm glad Majorie was able to see her who her real friends were. She had a lot going on but I'm also glad to see that she finally realized that there are people who will support her. The ghosts are so sweet and I absolutely loved the illustrations.

Darker and sadder than the first, this series continues to tackle serious issues in a way that young people can understand.

I preferred 'Sheets' as we got to see more of the ghosts but this was a great sequel and as with 'Sheets' it ended beautifully. I really like that Thummler doesn't brush the issues raised under the carpet at the end - though things have gotten better for the characters, they still have flaws and things they are working on.

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy along with the rest of the series so far!

🎧 Never grow up (Taylor’s version) by Taylor Swift

First I would like to thank Oni Pres and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this graphic novel.
Trigger warning as this contains bullying and suicide thoughts.

So much for being a middle grade book but I think adults like me should be reading such books because it feels like its talking to my inner child. I think this review is a little personal because this book really touched some parts of me. I get where the title of the book comes from.

Compared to Sheets which focuses on the loss of a loved one and learning how to move on, Delicates touches the life of a child being bullied and having no one to confess her feelings with. I love how both the side of the bullied and the bully is shown here. Every bully starts somewhere either from home or school and every bullied ones starts from being themselves to questioning ‘what is wrong with them?’ and how they become a target when they are just spreading their wings.

As always, Wendell is such an angel. Despite being stubborn, he truly see things we cannot and is constantly there reminding them the better things in being alive same with everyone from the land of the ghosts.

Thank you to the Brenna Thummler and Oni Press for making this book available via BookSirens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This graphic novel is a sequel to Sheets. It is a bit darker in tone and covers issues such as grief, bullying, peer pressure and mental health. I think the first book was a bit more inventive in how it explored some of those issues, but this second book has the added benefit of a second (human) POV and better pacing. It wasn't hard to predict how the story would go, but I did like the characters and the fact that it showed people's actions in shades of gray, rather than black and white.

As always, Wendell is very loveable and gave the story a needed touch of lightness.

Looking forward to book 3.

Another winner from Brenna Thummler as Marjorie is developing a social life with a mixed crowd who bully Eliza, a ghost obsessed photographer student who is repeating eighth grade.

Marjorie and Eliza are both struggling with ‘fitting in’ and being themselves. Both feel lost in the crowd.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved this enormously sweet story of a family affected by grief and a ghost for whom no one has grieved. I want to give the entire trilogy--Sheets, Delicates, and Lights--to every elementary or middle-school kid I know who's every had a hard time. The characters are real and affecting, and the overarching messages about needing friends and being tolerant and realizing that life is hard and so you have to try hard, sometimes, to get though it, is told in a sympathetic way.

Just finished this amazing sequel to Sheets. 5 stars! Loved this heartfelt story. The new character was extremely likeable and I am glad we got more from the Dad character as a teacher, he is hilarious! Range of emotions and the ending may have made me tear up a bit, so good.

Delicates takes forward the story of Marjorie Glatt, to whom we were introduced in Sheets, the first graphic novel in this series. Marjorie's family owns a laundromat that is populated by several ghosts, including that of a young boy named Wendell, who has a special relationship with his landlady, Marjorie.

Sheets was quirky and original, despite having a somewhat cartoonish villain (who was eventually dispatched to his just desserts). By contrast, Delicates revolves around the more familiar middle school tropes of exclusion and bullying. Nevertheless, this story too has some original elements.

This story belongs almost as much to Eliza, the oddball daughter of the popular swim coach, as it does to Marjorie. Eliza is passionate about photography, and her particular interest is in capturing ghosts on film - which unsurprisingly gets her labelled as a weirdo by the popular kids.

Marjorie struggles with her situation, because she is now finally a part of the popular clique, after having been an outcast for so long. Hence, while she does not want to risk alienating her new friends, Marjorie does feel uncomfortable about the way that Eliza is being treated by them, and is troubled by the fact that she herself feels unable or unwilling to stand up for Eliza.

This is another very readable graphic novel from Brenna Thummler. The art is nicely rendered, and the story is absorbing. You feel for the characters, not only Marjorie and Eliza, but also Wendell. I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys intelligent, thoughtful, and empathetic storytelling.

I read Sheets first and I couldnt put it down so since I was fortunate enough to be approved for the three I read them all straight through. I could not put this one down! It was just so good. And I love the illustration and color choices. I one hundred percent will be buying all of these for my kids and looking out for this author .

Just as powerful and emotional as the first but somehow even more meaningful with Eliza's struggles and Wendell helping from beyond. Absolutely heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Again, the cartoon style was the perfect reflection of the story, the pastel colour palette was cute and wonderful.

I love this series so much. This was even cuter than I remember the first one being. My kids really enjoy this series too. I'm looking forward to book three.

I loved this one as much as the first book, Sheets. They both have wonderful messages for young people and great illustrations.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

Brenna Thummler has done it again! I loved Sheets and the way it depicted grief and the subject matter in Delicates is no less difficult and handled just as brilliantly. The trajectory of Wendell and Marjorie's friendship feels believable as does the messiness that is relationships in middle school, platonic, familial, and romantic.

Thummler has a real talent for using a delicate but firm hand that is appropriate for the age group and doesn't shy away from calling things what they are.

I would recommend this not only for middle schools but also for their parents to be read together with Sheets and jumpstart conversations around bullying, mental health, and open lines of communication.

This one had a bit more depth to it and did mention thoughts of su*cide. I think this can still be easily grasped by children. I didn’t love this one as much.

Just like Thummler’s ‘Sheets’, I loved this. Thummler has an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful art style and knows how to utilise and captivate their audience with their manipulation of colour palettes through the story. This is quite simply a new favourite graphic novel series that I will treasure forever; a captivating and heartfelt continuation of the story we know and love.

This enticing continuation of ‘Sheets’ is a story centred on friendship, fitting in, and the messiness of being a teenager.

If you read and enjoyed ‘Sheets’, pick this up. This continuation of the story is heartfelt and fills your heart with hope and empathy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Beautiful story - Eliza is such a sweet character and I love her and Marjorie's friendship and this story. I also loved having some more Wendell!