i'm so happy i got to read this graphic novel early. i hadn't read sheets before reading this, but it didn't matter. the art style is beautiful, and the story is both sweet and deep.

This has more heart than spook and that you should go read it. It's so tender in the way it unravels the loneliness that exists in all of us, no matter what age or whatever the circumstance, and how we human beings are built to connect with each other - and, in this case, even with ghosts - to manage and move forward, if not overcome. Splendid art, too.

Delicates was an absolutely wonderful follow up to Sheets, Brenna Thummler's first book. Marjorie and Wendell are back but this time Marjorie has friends and seems to be leaving Wendell behind for them. Meanwhile Eliza, an young socially awkward photographer is on the loose trying to catch photos of ghosts as part of her final photography class project. Filled with heart and hurt from isolation and bullying, Thummler knocks it out of the park again. Her clean lines and subtle color palette perfectly capture the feelings of Eliza, Marjorie, and Wendell without even needing the dialogue. Perfect for middle school and high school readers I would advocate this be a part of any graphic collection for youth.

<i><b>ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

TW: Depression, Suicidal thoughts, bullying, loss of a loved one/grief. </b></i>

Delicates is the second graphic novel in the Sheets series by Brenna Thummler. While the last book focussed on Marj trying to fit in after her mother's death, this one takes off after she's found a group that sort of accepts her, but not really. Marj is now joining eight grade, and she's friends with people who see her, but don't really see her. She feels like she fits in, but she's changing herself and losing herself in the process of trying to and it's kind of heartbreaking to watch.

On the other hand, we are now introduced to Eliza Duncan, Coach Duncan's daughter who is a bit odd and she's obsessed with ghosts and everyone thinks she's weird and they bully her and it's also kind of her story, because she doesn't say anything, but she feels like she's a ghost in the world. Like everyone sees her, but they deliberately watch her because they want her to not exist the way she is, because they hate her for who she is. She feels like a ghost who isn't invisible and that's also heartbreaking.

Most of this book was just incredibly sad. I really liked how Eliza's depression is depicted and I like how realistic it is, but that's STILL SAD. The ending was really beautiful, and I loved how all the conflict was resolved, but I really hated the beginning. I didn't like how Marj was acting and I didn't like how she ignored those around her like she was being ignored not too long ago. And I know that's kind of the point of the story. Because you lose yourself when you get caught up in...this charade of trying to fit in with the wrong kind of people. But it still bugged me a lot so I knocked off a star suE ME.

Anyway, this is absolutely beautiful. The art was beautiful, the story, while pretty standard for a YA coming of age kind of thing, was also lovely! Would 100% recommend!

I was so excited to get a copy of this book early! I loved Sheets so much and Delicates really delivered the same quality I loved in Sheets. Thummler does an excellent job handling grief and depression.

CW: depression/themes of suicide

DELICATES is a wonderful follow up to SHEETS. In this graphic novel, Marjorie begins school in the 8th grade. Just like all middle school students, she has a difficult time making friends. She struggles with finding friends and being herself. She and her little brother, Owen, are still mourning the death of their mother. Marjorie tries to befriend the "popular" group at school, only to find out that she is not like them and does not fit in. She struggles with trying to be herself. Marjorie makes a friend in Eliza, who shares a common interest. It takes Wendell to help Marjorie see the true value of friendship and how to help others around you.

As an educator, I would highly recommend this book to young adults to read. Not only would the students enjoy the illustrations in the book, the theme of the book is appropriate for young adults.

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.