Delicates by Brenna Thummler is a beautifully crafted continuation of the graphic novel Sheets, and it manages to be both visually captivating and emotionally profound. Thummler dives deep into themes like friendship, mental health, and the need for belonging with a sensitivity that resonates across all ages. The artwork is stunning, with soft, haunting visuals that enhance the story's mood and make each page feel like a carefully painted scene.

The characters, especially Marjorie and Eliza, are written with such depth that it’s easy to connect with them, and the way their experiences intertwine is both heartwarming and thought-provoking. Thummler addresses serious topics, such as loneliness and depression, in a way that feels natural and accessible for younger readers while still holding impact for adults. Delicates is more than just a story about ghosts; it’s a gentle reminder about the importance of kindness, empathy, and self-acceptance.

I can definitely say this is one of my all time favorite graphic novel series.

As the second book in this series, again I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it an easy but fun read. Marjorie is such a great character and I love that we get to see her deal with all the things going on in her life. Learning more about Eliza was also great too and I feel like many people can relate to her character and feeling like you are on the outside sometimes (me included). I would definitely recommend this second instalment to the sheets graphic novels!

Things are starting to look up for Marjorie. Business is better than ever, she finally has a group of friends, maybe even a boyfriend, and she is still friends with a bunch of ghosts who live at the laundromat. But, things are not always what they seem. Within her new group of friends, Marjorie feels quite lonely. Not to mention that some of them are bullies. Also, she is unsure whether she and Colton are dating because he keeps giving her mixed signals. Even so, things are better than they were before, and Marjorie wants to hold onto her friends.

Eliza has always been the weird kid. Obsessed with taking photographs of ghosts, Eliza has never been able to fit in or make friends. Sometimes she feels like a ghost herself. And other times, when she is being bullied, she would must rather be invisible. Not to mention that Eliza has to go through the eight grade again.

When Marjorie's friends start to bully Eliza, Marjorie is caught between wanting to fit in with her new popular friends, and wanting to do what is right. She knows what it is like to be invisible. But she will do anything not to go back to her old life, even if it means severing ties with Wendell and the other ghosts.

Delicates is a heartwarming graphic novel, it is the sequel to Sheets. The colours are visually pleasing and there is good pacing to the story. The characters are also quite dynamic.

Marjorie has slightly changed since the first book. She is no longer alone. She finally has people to confide in, and she finally has friends. But, she is still grieving the loss of her mother. She still feels the absence of her father and harbours resentment towards him. It is tough being thirteen years old without active parents. Throughout the book, Marjorie struggles a lot with peer pressure and staying true to her own values. Her struggles are certainly relatable to anyone who is or has ever been a teenager.

Very cute illustration with a very deep story behind it. It's almost shocking how real/raw the emotions are with the characters. I think it's a good start with the middle grade audience having such an in depth story behind such nice illustrations.

An emotional middle grade graphic novel that follows up on the events of Thummler's previous book, Sheets, a year later. Once again, I really enjoy Thummler's pastel art style juxtaposed against the somber themes tackled in this series such as grief, death, and mental health. I also really enjoyed how Thummler writes her characters - specifically, I really enjoyed this book's realistic depiction of teens and how they respond to traumatic events. Overall, I really liked this sequel and can't wait to check out the next book in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley, Brenna Thummler and Oni Press for the ARC of Delicates.

I absolutely loved Sheets however the sequel Delicates knocked it completely out of the park!

The art sucked me in and dragged me through the turmoil of bullying, love and also friendships that the MC goes through.

I definitely think this book is needed in every secondary school and I can't wait for my little girls to be old enough so they can read both Sheets and Delicates.

4.5/5 stars

A masterpiece ✨️ A wonderful story about self identity, fitting in, accepting oneself, and of course confidence.

I was not just invested in how beautiful the art is but also the message and theme of this story. Also, the machinations of the Ghost as symbolism of oneself.

Definitely a 5 ⭐️ for me and a new fave ✨️

This was better than the first but again, I'm not super invested. I liked this one well enough but I don't see myself going back to it or even recommending it when I know other graphic novels that handle the same themes better.

Delicates is like stepping into a deeper end of the pool after enjoying the sunny shallows of Sheets. It's a bit heavier, but boy, does it pack a punch.

We catch up with Marjorie as she's navigating her way through life after befriending Wendell and running the bustling laundromat. But things aren't all rainbows and sunshine. Her friends are a handful, to say the least, and there's this quiet girl, Eliza, who's like a ghost herself, always with her camera and a heavy heart.

What I really liked about Delicates was how it didn't shy away from the tough stuff. Bullying, grief, depression – it's all there, painted with strokes that hit home. Marjorie's journey from being part of the problem to realizing her own part in it is a ride worth taking.

Sure, it's not as giggly as Sheets, but there's a depth here that sneaks up on you. No cardboard villains, just real people with real issues, and that's what makes it stick. Plus, Wendell's still a riot, thank goodness for that!

It took me a while to warm up to the new faces, but once I did, they felt like old friends. And while it may not have all the sparkle of the first book, it's got heart – and that's worth a solid four stars in my book.

Now I wait to read the third and final installment in the series.

Majorie and Wendall are back at it for a sequel about fitting in to the popular crowd and being on the outside.

I love the world building of this world where ghosts can only be seen if they were a sheet, so all ghosts are sheet ghosts so that they won’t be invisible. I also like how is explored how living people can also feel invisible.

First of all, I absolutely love this series. It's visually stunning, the characters are relatable and well-developed and the stories told are poignant in a quiet way. Delicates is a great sequel to Sheets and shows Marjorie's life become more complicated as she navigates new friendships that strain existing ones. It's a lovely story of figuring out who you are and what your priorities are in life and making space for the people you care about. It's told really well and again, the artwork is incredible. I love the colour palette that has been used across the series. Overall, the entire Sheets series is worth a read and highly recommended.

Words are not enough to express how much deeper and more impactful this second volume was compared to the first.
Through the drawings and especially the colors, the author gives voice to an important theme that is much better represented here compared to the first volume. I appreciated that the change of protagonist allowed for the exploration of other topics concerning adolescents. What I appreciate most is how the character of Marjorie remains incomplete, as she has not yet achieved her goals. This highlights how every person makes mistakes, even when they believe they are doing good deeds.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That was cute. I think I preferred this one to the first volume. I had trouble initially, even if I read volume one not so long ago. I felt like something was missing. But as time, and pages, passed, I could not put it down. The last part was so great.
I like seeing the characters' development, and honestly, I kind of understood Marjorie. She just wants friends and to fit in with other teens, so she just lets herself be someone else.
But the best characters are Wendell (obviously), and Eliza. I love their bond, the time they spend together, and just their stories. To be honest, I think I would have loved this volume a lot more, of the focus had been 100% on them.
So yeah, it's a good book, emotional at the end. I think my biggest ick in this one is how easily they forgive the bully.

THIS HIT. Wow, Thummler has this wonderful ability to take sad, heavy, heartbreaking moments in life and turn them into powerful stories of overcoming and hope. It’s no surprise that I was in tears by the end of this story. As wonderful as SHEETS is, I think Delicates outshines it in story, art, and so much heart.

Set in the same world as SHEETS, we are reunited with Marjorie, Wendell, and the ghost gang one year following the events of the first book in this series. Thummler does an excellent job of capturing what it’s like to be a teenager in middle school (although this could also apply to high school). Marjorie has somehow found her way in with the “popular group” and we follow along as she struggles to feel comfortable with Tessi and her bullying friends while balancing being who she is with Wendell and showing kindness to Eliza. She wants so badly to be seen as cool, especially in front of her crush, and it takes a while for her to recognise how the tables have turned; though she no longer feels invisible, being on the other side doesn’t feel good when it comes at the price of someone else’s well being. We get a satisfying full-circle moment as Marjorie acknowledges the consequences of her actions or lack thereof, and shows that she does know how to be a good friend, a good sister and in general, a good egg.

With the additional introduction of Eliza’s character, the author really gets to the heart of bullying, belonging, loneliness and grief and she captures the emotions and human experience so well. Eliza’s the daughter of the quirky teacher, Mr. Duncan. She’s often bullied by Tessi and ostracized by others for being obsessed with ghosts and her quest to capture them on camera. Her story was heartbreaking but sadly, I think it’s a situation and place that many kids can probably relate to. I loved the role that Wendell and the ghosts play in Eliza’s story, and how the depth of Eliza’s emotion is explored through that friendship and the ghostly experience of the afterlife. This does delve into darker thoughts and feelings but I think the author does a great job in handling the sensitive subjects. I also appreciated how Thummler shows that people have the capacity for kindness, should they wish it, and that people are never just what they present on the surface.

Overall, this story packs a powerful (yet subtle) punch. This series is deeply emotional and sometimes challenging to read but one I would certainly recommend!

THIS BOOK WAS A PLEASANT SURPRISE!! 💗 I didn't know Sheets has a sequel until I found this in NetGalley. At first, I didn't really know what to expect since I thought Sheets is already amazing as a standalone. I felt like it didn't really need a sequel— but oh my, I'm so happy to be wrong. It's very rare for the sequel to be better than the first book, but in this case, it is.

Delicates follows Marjorie as she navigates her social life while also keeping the secret that she's hiding ghosts in their laundromat. It also introduced a new character: Eliza, a ghost photographer who is determined to prove that ghosts exists. In this graphic novel, we follow these two as they figure out how to be themselves and make friendships that's worth keeping.

This book was heavier than the first one. It delved deeper into topics such as mental health and social support. My only complaint is that for the sake of this sequel, I feel like Marjorie lost all the character growth that she had at the end of the first book. It's just a minor nitpick and I didn't really mind it that much.

Overall, I really had the best time reading this book. The story was so heartwarming, the art was charming as always, and I felt so emotionally invested with the characters. ✨ This might be my favorite book in the Sheets series!!

Thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I'm not sure if i completely agree with them calling Marj a bully by association, but she also could have done something to help and didn't

This was my least favourite of the series as it felt quite slow paced to me, but obviously the drawings are gorgeous still..

I really need to find out what happened to our lovely little ghost boy

Sheets focuses on Marj, and the struggles she is facing since her mother’s death… she feels unseen, and kind of like a ghost. Her dad isn’t very present as he too is struggling with his wife’s death, and so Marj is not only trying to deal with her own mental health, she is running the family laundromat which someone is scheming to take it away from her, and she is also helping to look after her little brother. But then she meets Wendell things take a turn for the better, and it’s like her problems have all been solved!

Delicates still focuses mostly on Marj, but also a new character, Eliza. Eliza seriously struggles with fitting in, making friends, and just being herself… she is continuously labelled as weird, as she makes it her mission to capture a ghost in a photograph for her photography portfolio. But of course, other than Marj, nobody believes in ghosts… Marj finds herself on the other side of bullying and leaving people out, but when she realises her mistakes and holds herself accountable thanks to Wendell, she might be able to save someone’s life…

I’m reviewing these together because they’re graphic novels and go hand in hand with each other! These are very wholesome and quick reads, and capture mental health in different lights for both Marj and Eliza, and even Wendell!

The rep for mental health is done pretty well in these books, and how we can end up wanting to be ghosts, not to be noticed or seen by anybody… it is heartbreaking that it can happen in people as young as the characters in this book.

Whilst I haven’t rated them at five stars, that isn’t to say that they aren’t good. I just wasn’t entirely invested in their stories unfortunately and wasn’t able to connect with the characters, however I know people have really enjoyed this. So I definitely recommend anyone to give these a go!

The second in the Sheets series, Delicates expands the story of Marjorie, Wendell, and Eliza. Beautifully drawn, Brenna Thummler manages to capture the essense of teenagehood in every page.

I liked book #1 quite a bit, and the second one was equally compelling and heartwarming. I don't know, I'm not a huge graphic novel reader, but there's something about this series that just - feels good, you know.

Looking forward to finishing the series soon...

What a lovely story!

I adore the new character we are introduced to in this story: Eliza. She's such a sweet and smart child. Wendell is a cutie patootie, as always. I wish he were corporeal so I could give him the biggest hug.

We explore some sad but very important themes in this story: loss, suicidal thoughts and bullying. I really liked how it was handled. It's important for kids -and adults-, to understand that their words and actions have an impact.

I also really enjoyed the art in this one. The character's expressions really showed how lonely and sad they were feeling.

Overall, I would say this novel is much, much better than the first one. It deals with more complex topics and it does so very nicely.