Today I have a review for a very excited eARC for you all! It’s Delicates by Brenna Thummler. Sheets has been on my wishlist for a while now and while I didn’t realise this was the sequel when I requested the eARC, I was very happy to get it. This won’t be a super long review as it’s a graphic novel but I do want to talk about it!
Following the events of the bestselling graphic novel Sheets, Delicates brings Brenna Thummler’s beloved characters, artwork, and charm back to life.
Marjorie Glatt’s life hasn’t been the same ever since she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. Wendell, who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than a sheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorie’s only friends. But when Marjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins to worry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, she’ll be labeled as a freak who sees dead people. With Marjorie’s insistence on keeping Wendell’s ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendell begins to feel even more invisible than he already is.
Eliza Duncan feels invisible too. She’s an avid photographer, and her zealous interest in finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as “different” by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza begins to feel like a ghost herself. Marjorie must soon come to terms with the price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing her friend, Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?
Delicates tells a powerful story about what it means to fit in, and those left on the outside. It shows what it’s like to feel invisible, and the importance of feeling seen. Above all, it is a story of asking for help when all seems dark, and bringing help and light to those who need it most.
Delicates by Brenna Thummler
Published by Oni Press on 23/03/2021
Pages: 320
Goodreads
Cover
How gorgeous is this cover? I love the details in it and I especially love the colors. Those colors are what grabbed my attention at first to be honest. And the art style of the cover already gave an indication of the art inside and it really excited me.
Review
I haven’t read Sheets, the first book in this series. Luckily that didn’t matter too much. The book filled me in on some of the important details and I felt like the actual plot stood on it self so I didn’t miss anything. But do keep in mind that this is a sequel.
At first I wasn’t completely sure where this story was going and I had a little bit trouble getting into the story. However, about 30% I got in a great flow and read the rest of the book in one go. I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed it a lot.
Delicates is a middle grade novel and it really revolves around school kids finding their place in life. What it is to be ‘weird’, how standing by is also bullying and how you never truly know what’s going on with someone. While some of the wording was a bit off in my opinion I did really like the overall messages.
Our main character, Marjorie, is being swept up by her new friends but realises she doesn’t actually agree with basically anything they do. I liked seeing her getting more confident and standing up for what she believes in. Eliza is another major character and I just wanted to hug her (although she doesn’t like them…). It isn’t specifically stated anywhere but I wonder if Eliza was written as autistic, or at least as neurodivergent. This book definitely has a lot of diversity in race, body type and mental health.
I really enjoyed the art style, not all of the characters are ‘pretty’ but that made them very real and therefore so much more beautiful. The colors are as beautiful as the cover hinted at and I loved that so much. Lastly, I haven’t talked about one of the main things in this book haha. The ghosts! Marjorie’s parents own a laundromat and it has a ton of ghosts who inhabit the sheets. They are very cute and an important part of Marjorie finding herself. I loved this part of the book and definitely want to read Sheets at some point.
Overall this was a wonderful book. Because of the slow start and some of the not great wording around some of the messages I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of 5, but still a very good book. I would highly recommend picking up this series!
I am currently reading this and definitely wondered if Eliza was neurodivergent as well. I love to see that representation!