I absolutely enjoyed reading Sheets, and Delicates was an incredible follow up. Both the artwork and the narrative are so well done. Brenna has done it again!

Delicates is the second in a graphic novel series by Breena Thummler. Where the first novel Sheets introduces us to Marjorie Glatt’s story and her story, Delicates continues her story but also introduces us to a new character Eliza Dunn.
At the beginning of Delicates, Marjorie is still coming to terms with her mother’s death with the support of her ghost friend Wendell. Marjorie has started eighth grade and is now struggling to be part of the “popular” group who seems to be behaving like a typical group of obnoxious “judgey” teenagers. The ghost Wendell sees these friends for who they truly are and often calls Marjorie on her association with these newfound friends. And if truth be told, Wendell is feeling a little bit neglected.
Where Marjorie was the main character in Sheets, in Delicates she shares the page with Eliza Dunn, a classmate who is bullied because of her social awkwardness, and her peculiar preoccupation with photography, particularly photographing ghosts.
Marjorie’s and Eliza’s lives soon become intertwined largely in part because of Wendell’s involvement. To Marjorie’s surprise, Eliza can also see Wendell.
Along with a hugely emotive story, the artwork (especially the colour choices) are really quite beautiful. The story itself is a timely one, friendship, and acceptance, and the strength it takes to recognize and proactively stop bullying.
I would add both Sheets and Delicates to any school or classroom library.
Thank you NetGalley and Oni press for the free copy.

I was obsessed with Brenna Thummler's Sheets, and as soon as I spotted this cover I was just so excited to read Delicates! Her illustrations are just so amazing, and the storytelling is wonderful.

TW: bullying, talk of suicide, grief, loss of parent

I was lucky to get a free eARC of this book to review. This is the sequel to a graphic novel about ghosts at a laundromat. This story just expands on the brilliance that was created in the first book, but with an extra level of reality on top of it all

This book tackles some very tough subjects. Our main character has been accepted by the popular kids and really starts to lose herself by trying to be cool. This book beautifully explores the topic of bullying in school, and how you can still be a bully by not doing anything at all. The topics of grief after a loss of parents and suicidal thoughts are talked about as well. This small novel is GREAT for younger readers, and has these tough conversations in a way that they can understand.

This book I feel like should be required reading for middle schools, because of the beautiful creativity of the world the author created as well as tough topics discussed. I am so glad I was able to get a look at this truly beautiful read, and I HIGHLY recommend it for readers of all ages.

Sheets was such an adorable, hard-hitting story, and the sequel was even more so. I loved seeing our protagonist Marjorie grow as she grapples with changes at home, school, and with friends, both supernatural and otherwise. I almost cried at the end of this one, which I definitely did not expect, nor did I expect the sequel to impress me as much as it did because here lately, I haven't been all that into many of the sequels that have been published recently. Overall, I loved this book and this world and it holds a special place in my heart.

Sometimes I get distracted by the way the characters are drawn, but I really liked the story. Learning how to stand up for yourself and others is a hard lesson to learn. Thummler touches on some really sensitive topics but does so with ease and genuine vulnerability. I was able to read an advanced copy that's to NetGalley.

Ok WOWZA this story was beautiful and intense!!

Trust me, it's not one of the graphic novels that you read for the cute pictures - there is a deep and obvious message about bullying and suicide. *trigger warnings for sure*

I love the fact that books like this exist and kids growing up in the future will be taught about the realities of mental health issues. This author did an INCREDIBLE job at making a hard topic engaging and appropriate for all ages. I would 100% recommend.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this graphic novel blew me away. I’m not normally a big fan of sequels and series and find myself drawn to standalone books, but when I saw there was a sequel to Sheets, I instantly wanted to read it. When Sheets came out, I was immediately drawn to the art on the cover. I love the cozy yet chilly at the same time vibes that Brenna brings to these novels.

While Sheets was a cute story and it dealt with feelings of loneliness and making friends, Delicates goes much deeper. Marjorie is back and finds she is becoming accepted by the popular kids at school, but she feels that she has to hide her ghost friend Wendell from them. Next we are introduced to Eliza, a girl interested in ghost photography which causes her to be labeled as “weird” and “different” by other kids at her school, causing her to feel alienated, and almost like a ghost. Before long, the popular crowd that Marjorie has been hanging with starts to bully Eliza. Marjorie feels torn between wanting to be accepted by the popular kids, being friends with Wendell, and reaching out to Eliza.

Delicates is a story about feeling like you don’t fit in, standing up for others, and embracing who you are. It does an amazing job at inspiring its readers to reach out to those who may be in the dark and help others to feel visible.

I complain about how much bullying is present in American narratives is no longer new, but here I noticed that in these narratives it is common for the character who receives bullying to love photography and to ignore privacy limits when taking pictures, this happens here with a new character (Eliza) and it annoyed me.

Her addiction to discovering ghosts is huge, but her family environment is much healthier than that of Marjorie, who has learned one more lesson in life: she understood how much bullying affects others, even if she doesn't practice it.

Ignoring the festival of ugly noses, I love the art style and the colors of Brenna Thummler's works, the landscapes and houses have incredible detail! I think here in Delicates there were more varieties of colors on the pages, because in Sheets it was just a mix of pink, purple and blue tones, while here there are more colors on the pages, especially in the clothes of all the characters (even the b**ch style was charming).

Delicates brings a new melancholy side to this world of comrade ghosts, with characters feeling invisible, but gaining a little voice and making dreams come true.

This book did an excellent job showing the “delicates” in our lives and friendships. It is a wonderful graphic novel, and a great way to start to talk to children about mental health and how it is okay to be different. The illustrations were beautiful, and I cannot wait to read more from the author. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[3.5 Stars]

--- thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ---

This graphic novel was very cute and a nice continuation of the first book. It has a great, easy to follow art style and nice messages for young readers on what it means to be a friend. Highly recommend.

CW: suicide, depression

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great sequel in the series! Phenomenal artwork with a wonderful color theme depending on what’s happening in the story. I loved the expansion of Wendell and Marjorie’s friendship. This graphic novel did a great job of taking me back to middle school and immersing me in the angsty, frustrating feelings of toxic teen frenemies. You simultaneously feel for Marjorie and want to yank her towards being friends with Eliza. This was an unfortunately representative look at bullying in pre-teen girls, perfect for the young reader audience to reflect on! I loved the heartwarming friendship that eventually developed between Eliza and Marjorie.

First off, the artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful and at times I forgot that these images are illustrated by someone and not actual photography. The colors used throughout also remind me of late 80's/early 90's aesthetics and I loved it. I loved the blue hues when we followed Eliza, it's a subtle way to emphasize her state of mind. This is a great middle grade depiction of loneliness, bullying, and the effects of feeling invisible, among other import topics.

Marjorie finds it difficult to balance different friend groups. She is suddenly accepted by her former enemy and transformed into a "popular" girl. Her relationship with Wendell and the other ghosts becomes a struggle to maintain. Marjorie also wants to be friends with Eliza, but is afraid that hanging out with her will make her weird too. This book deals with mental health and the impact of bullying.

After the first lockdown, I was called back from Furlough to work part time in August. After so many months away I knew it would take a little adjusting to and I wouldn't have as much time to read. So I treated myself to a couple of graphic novels, and Brenna Thummler's Sheets was one of them.

It was full of great illustrations and the story was all about friendships and overcoming grief in a variety of forms. It was beautiful and really heartwarming, so I was very excited when Oni Press approved my request for an early copy of Delicates.

As well as introducing us to a new theme, we are also introduced to a new character in this book too, Eliza, and we get to read some of the story from her point of view alongside Marjorie and Wendell.

Although friendship is still at the heart of this book, and grief is still touched upon too. This book is all about individuality. What it means to be different, and what happens when people start to see you as different (or refuse to see you at all). It touches upon bullying and mental health which creates a book full of emotional moments that are really impactful.

This book is important, it doesn't hide away from the harshness of real life, and how cruel some teens can be to each other. It's an uncomfortable age and Brenna Thummler doesn't hide from that, which is what I like so much about this book. As someone with a disability, I know what it feels like to be different, and for people to see me as different, so I found this book really hit home with me and I could really relate to some parts of Eliza's story.

Although this book is paranormal and a little bit fantastical, just like Sheets it's rooted in real life with real feelings and emotions, so it's perfect for fans of fantasy, and fans of contemporary alike. It's Middle Grade, but I feel like this series can be also enjoyed by adults and teens too and can easily be read in one sitting. Just make sure you've got a box of tissues handy, as this made me a little teary at times.

"Life is a precious thing, dearie.
It has skin that can feel.
And feet that can dance.
And hearts that can love and be loved.
And are loved, sweetheart."

There is so much heart in this comics. Probably because it talks about death and life and teens going through very hard moments in life. This follows Marjorie who in book one meets Wendell, a ghost. I was in the minority while reading book one, I liked it enough, but didn't love it. This time around I was reading as fast as I could and devoured it in almost one sitting. (*Only because I had plans to eat with a friend. If not I would have read it all in one sitting.) It was so good. Tessi makes another appearance and even though I dislike her so very much she did redeem herself a bit at the end. Very little though. She has a long way to go for me to like her. Marjorie is the one that blew me away on this one. She was so upset with herself for letting her new group of friends bully Eliza, the new kid and teacher's daughter (yikes). She finally, even though terrified, do something about the bullying. She stood up to her new "friends." I was cheering her on!

I also like how realistic it was. She didn't become the hero. She didn't know what to do. She told Eliza's parents. She reached out to the adults. This situation was more than a talk could handle. I'm glad Eliza is getting professional help.

I also really liked the colors. The artwork was beautiful.

This comic is perfect for teens. It's perfect for anyone dealing with life. I forgot to mention Marjorie's little brother and dad. The whole family is still suffering the loss of their wife and mother. It was so sweet to tie it all together with pictures. Eliza loves to take pictures and wants to start a photography club at school. And Marjorie finds boxes of pictures her mother took of them all and even an old camera with film still inside it. When I tell you this comic has heart I mean it. It's full of so many layers and I loved the experience...because it was a beautiful experience.

The art style of this graphic novel is really good. I also really enjoy the color schemes. The shades of purple and pink and white goes along with the ghost themes. Enjoyed the story, it's an accurate depiction of the awkward early high school years when you are trying to find yourself and friends who compliment you. Good exploration of the theme of family as well

4/5 stars (TW: suicide, sucidal thoughts, bullying, parental-loss, death)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc

This was a captivating story. Let's start this off by announcing how i haven't read the first book. Yet this didn't feel too foreign to me. Appreciate the way certain issues are handled. Am not rating it the highest as I didn't like the attitude of some characters, which were, to the authors greatness, that were just plainly due to circumstances. Also wanna add how i appreciate the style which features non size 0-2 bodies and shows curves of all types

Delicates - Brenna Thummler

This is the second in this series and I unfortunately haven't had the chance to read the first book yet (Sheets) so I was a little worried I would not enjoy this one due to this. However this was not the case, there are so many topics covered within this graphic novel that I think it would be hard for anyone not to get something from it, don't get me wrong I do feel I would have had a better understanding of the back story of the sheet ghosts in the laundromat if I have had read the first (I will have to go back and find it and catch up). The story is very touching for quite a few characters and I really hope there will be another out as I don't feel we are done with the storyline yet! I really enjoyed the style including the colour palette and drawing style.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me the chance to dive into this one!

Oh, wow.

Ok, first of all, thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read and review an electronic galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I still love the color scheme and illustration style for this series. It's absorbing. The storyline for this book felt so much more compelling to me--so much that I was sitting straight up in my chair scrolling through the pages there at the end to see what happened next, and I got little chills from how personally affecting some of the connections between the characters were. This book deals with bullying, and how it feels to be the "weird" kid, while still developing the themes of grief and coping from the first book in the series.

Highly recommend.