Sheets

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this little book. Wendall is so cute and it is almost heartwarming the way that it is rendered and narrated. It is the soft colored by highly detailed pictures that sold me on the story. I think I would buy it just for that and keep in on my shelf. The story is cute and bittersweet, a bit light and childish, but cute nonetheless. The story works. I would recommend for a precocious middle schooler who is being introduced to the gorgeous world of graphic novels.

I appreciated the lack of pretension in this graphic novel. Some graphic novels feel like they are trying to be cool and edgy but this one felt very genuine. I appreciated the subtle humor and the nod to the struggle with grief, as well as the creativity in the story, the characters, and illustrations. The only thing I would rate it down for was the story's climax, which felt rushed. The conflict was built up nicely only to be solved very quickly. Other than that I loved it.

I enjoyed this until the very end, where the pacing went from 50 mph to 100 in 2 pages. In other words, the author had a steady pace with the story line going on, but at the very end, she decided to push all the action into 2 or 3 pages, it seemed. I think the story would have been better served with more details at the end.

I enjoyed the illustrations and the story line and would recommend it to others. Just know, the ending might not be as satisfying as the rest of the book.

I received a free ARC of this book through Net Galley.

This was a nice, simple, sweet story with art that was lovely to look at and well-suited to the tone of the story. I do wish it hadn't been quite so simple, because the overly-cartoonish villain did ruin the gentle, melancholy mood of the story for me, and I would have liked a little more time spent with the ghosts. I really would have liked less of the broad strokes of middle-grade fiction (villain, generic bullies) and more time with the main characters. With that said, I still found myself smiling and enjoying the book for what it was, flaws and all.