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!

Delicates is the sequel to Sheets and the art continues to be lovely and stylized with gorgeous coloring.
This one digs a bit deeper into some of the problems and troubles Marjorie deals with in the wake of her mothers death and deals with them in a soft and sensitive way that everyone can relate in some way.
It deals with loneliness and regret from letting you getting carried away and hurting others and yourself.
In someways this story is a bit heavier than the first one, but I personally disliked the outcast to popular trope that much, though it's still a decent read if you like stories that deal with such themes!

Absolutely adorable! Brenna knows how to get to you with these graphic novels, also the art and the colours are so beautiful.

I really enjoyed the first book but this one was even better. A powerful story of acceptance and bullying told through dialogue and beautiful illustrations. Cannot wait to read the final book.

Picking up from ‘Sheets’, this graphic novel continues following Marjorie’s story as she navigates life and friendships at school. Now we know the backstory and that Marjorie is grieving the death of her mother, this book explores friendships, trying to fit in and balancing school vs home life. ‘Delicates’ digs a little deeper than the original graphic novel ‘Sheets’ and once again deals with tricky subjects in a sensitive way. Brenna Thummler’s beautiful artwork really brings the story to life. A unique piece of storytelling for a wide age range.

*3.5 stars
This one really packed a punch!

This one felt a lot heavier than the first, building on the theme of loneliness, through Eliza's character and experiences. I really enjoyed this one and I think it's such a great read for the middle grade demographic so they can learn about these experiences.

However, I'd say I didn't enjoy this story quite as much as Sheets, just because I personally dislike the trope of the outcast becoming popular, forgetting their values and becoming complacent in bullying others (think Mean Girls), which was present in this story. However, the art style was wonderful, and I think it was important for Marjorie to grow as a character. Also, she's a middle schooler and that happens, and I think it's important to show it and to prove that it's never a good idea and just winds up with more hurt for everyone.

A beautiful story and a really great book to add to your fall TBR.

Delicates is the sequel to Thummler's Sheets. In the second installment, the story picks up where the first left off. Marjorie is making new friends and still trying to fit in. We are introduced to a new character, Eliza and the perspective shifts back and forth from Marjorie to Eliza in an equal split, and their lives intersect continually. The book covers the same teen dramas and anxieties but it's a bit deeper covering topics of depression and suicide. The artwork is just as beautiful and greatly adds to the story. I enjoyed the book just as much (if not more!) than the first.

the fact that i have not heard about this book till now is honestly baffling! the subject matter in its entirety is so important, the art and overlays are so perfect and I love the fact that one of the main characters is (obviously) autistic coded and a black girl during a time period that I'm (obviously) hyperfixtated on (90s). Eliza is very well written and i applaud the author for her consideration on this. thank you for taking on the subjects of suicide and bullying and for making a story for those of us who feel alone and "seen" but not really truly seen. this is my top book in this installment.

Delicates by Brenna Thummler is the second instalment of the Sheets series, which is another cute graphic novel, dealing with pretty intense topics. I read this in one sitting I loved this story! The artwork was beautiful and the characters amazing.

4 Stars!

This Graphic Novel had NO RIGHT to make me sob on a Saturday morning into a cup of tea... the absolute audacity of it!

Anyways... This wasn't my favourite in comparison to sheets and to start with I genuinely didn't know if I was going to enjoy it with how the characters were in the first 3/4 of it. I did have to remind myself that Marjorie is like 12 years old and it is scary to stand up and speak out.

We did get new character with Eliza and once again I had no idea how to take her, I think she is supposed to come off as a "quirky" character but also that people just don't fully understand who she is.

I have to say the last quarter of this book was so heartfelt and I think that's why I've ended up giving it 4 stars. Seeing Marjorie stand up and just be like nah I'm done with this and calling out what she sees even if it makes her "unpopular" so many lessons in this one.

Can't wait to read the next instalment, but also I just want to point out I still love the visuals in this. Those reflections just give me life and we even have darkrooms in this and how that is done... looooove!

Such a wonderful graphic novel.

It deals with hard topics, but in a really good way! It’s an important read, the characters are great and Wendell is so cute.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy!