giving this 4.5 stars :’). first i want to start off with the transgender rep, and plus-size lesbian main character. these are such strong powerful characters, and the representation in this book was immaculate. I LOVED how bebe had to tackle real life situations for trans people, for example the change rooms at the cheer comp. this was a realistic scene, and many transgender people have to go through tough situations like this one. therefore i think this would be a great book for people coming out and dealing with inappropriate comments about their transition, they could most likely relate to these problems and feel included. now for the romance i think it was developed incredibly well, i loved how their relationship always had challenges and they taught each other new things, this book managed to include a lot of detail in a short story without the book feeling rushed, which can sometimes be hard to find in books. the illustrations were just AMAZING. out of this world really, i adored the art style. i would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family.

This book was a warm, sugary, heartwarming tonic - reading it after a bad day truly lifted my spirits and warmed my heart.

Sometimes with graphic novels, I feel a certain disconnect with the characters, but this was certainly not the case with this one. Each character felt real and complex, and I have to say I fell a little in love with Bebe. The romance was so lovely to read, and I felt genuinely invested in the girls. There were a few moments where it felt a little rushed, but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I also loved that this did not shy away from the everyday microagressions faced by members of the LGBTQIA community. Everything was handled sensitively and with great care - this would be a perfect book for younger graphic novel readers as an introduction to issues faced by trans people in particular, in addition to being a wonderful story. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

This is a really wholesome story about a transgender cheerleader, who is struggling both mentally and academically at school. In this story we see her team up with an extremely book smart girl who struggles with regards to being part of a social group.
This graphic novel definitely brings up some interesting and important topics and it is amazing to see both transgender, queer and non-binary representation in the story.
I did, however, find that it felt a bit rushed and felt like the characters where jumping to conclusions some of the time.
All in all I would recommend this graphic novel and really enjoyed it.

Ohmigawd this was so cute I'm crying.
Sapphic cheerleaders? Umm, yes, please!
So, Annie is a lesbian, badass, friendless nerd, and she needs to join a team for her college applications. Bebe is a sweet cheerleader and a trans girl, and she's too afraid to speak up for herself. When Annie joins the Cheer Team, they start becoming friends and helping each other with their fears. Annie learns how to be part of a team, and Bebe learns to stop saying sorry for absolutely everything.
And they also, maybe, fall for each other. Because this is absolutely that beautiful kind of novel.
The art is really pretty, and the story is moving and cute and just what everyone needs in their lives when life gets hard and they need something happy that also feels real and kind of restores they're faith in humanity.

I am glad I grabbed the opportunity to read this short but adorable graphic novel, 'Cheer Up!' by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise. I loved the style of the art and the themes dealt with wonderfully in the story. Annie joins the cheerleading team as a way of bolstering her college applications, allowing her to reconnect with Bebe, a transgender girl who is head cheerleader and a bit too much of a people pleaser. Their flourishing relationship was heartwarming and lovely to witness, Annie's vivacious and confident personality gradually helping bring gentle Bebe out of her shell and be true to herself.

Frasier and Wise manage to pack the story with some important moments, the most powerful of which is the evolution of Bebe's relationships with others, including her friendship with the other cheerleaders. When they treat her as a novelty to help boost their popularity and profile, they do not realise the hurt they are causing, particularly making comments about Bebe being 'like a girl'. Their learning and growing helped Bebe develop a true support network in school, especially due to her and Annie becoming an adorable couple.

Overall, this is worth a read and packs some wonderful character development in its pages. Definitely one which will be enjoyed by young adults and young adults at heart alike. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute delight!

I read it in one sitting, smiling like a maniac the whole time.

Based on the cover it looked fun and sweet, which it was, but I didn't expect it to touch on serious topics as well. Being happy and emotional at the same time is the best feeling ever.

It would be so amazing if this was a series like Heartstopper. I love it like this, but even if it's nicely wrapped up, I feel like Bebe's story is not over yet. She just started to stand up for herself and the teammates have a lot to learn, too.

Reading it was such a cozy experience, I would read anything with these two girls, or with their teammates as the mcs. This story/universe could grow so much bigger.



And because I wouldn't be me if I didn't mention something that reminded me of Simon vs./Love, Simon, here it is:

"Did you want to kiss me last night because I'm not really a girl?"
"Bebe, I like girls. I like you because you're a girl."

Is the equivalent of

"Did you date me because you think I look like a guy?"
"No. No, I actually broke up with you because you don't look like a guy."

'Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms' is an incredible sport-romance graphic novel about an aggressive lesbian and a passive trans girl falling in love. It is wholesome and so damn cute, filled with interesting and complex characters, and featuring so much growth an development despite being so short. The length didn't take away from the story and I still managed to get attached to the characters and care about their journey. It is funny but also deals with serious and relevant topics such as transphobia, microaggressions and harassment. The art style is beautiful and the plot is fast-passed.
There was a lot of representation, with the protagonists Annie, being a plus-sized lesbian, and Beatrice/Bebe, being a biracial trans girl. The side and background characters also vary in body shape and race, and we even have a character come out as nonbinary.

Now for the characters:
Annie was extremely confident and I loved that about her. She was also a history nerd which really appealed to me (as a lover of history). She begins the story as tough and confident, yet aggressive and lonely, and it was very interesting seeing her become more polite and gentle yet still maintain her toughness. It was great seeing her apologising for her mistakes and making friends with the team.
Beatrice was such a passive character who had to deal with so much. Carrying her parent's expectations while trying to deal with the entire school's attention. She had no confidence, was terrified of saying no and constantly apologised for everything. Watching her grow more confident, stand up for herself and say no, was a beautiful arc that was extremely well fleshed out. Seeing her improve her relationship with her parents though her gaining the confidence to tell them how she feels, was so inspiring.
Annie's mum was iconic, I loved how supportive and kind she was. I still can't get over the quote "no fires and no summoning the devil" it now lives rent-free in my mind. Bebe's parents were a whole other story. I hated how they acted like her being able to transition was a privilege that they could take away, as if it were a phone instead of her life. Their overprotectiveness was excessive but still added to the characters. Seeing them back down and become more supportive was great to see but they still have a long way to go.
The cheer team also had a huge arc, watching them try to overcome their microaggressions was a great character arc that defied a lot of stereotypes, making each character a refreshing asset to the story. Them growing more supportive and putting in the effort was effectively developed. The entire dynamic of the team was interesting and complex.
The author and illustrator so perfectly conveyed these characters, that I was able to feel strong emotions for all of them, even those who were only present for a couple of pages.

The SHIP:
The ship makes or breaks any romance, and I can 100% guarantee that the ship In this novel was SOO CUTE! They balanced each other out and were incredibly supportive. While it was hinted at from the start their actual getting together seemed a little rushed, yet it fit their characters and the story. And the rest of the book enhanced their relationship and provided us with so many adorable moments.

The ending was perfect and was incredibly fitting. I would love to see these characters again in a sequel.

is there a sequel for this because I want more Annie and Bebe!! It all happened so fast that I felt like everything happened in a blink. But in a good way, definitely.

I love the art, the story, the root of it all. And I love the growth of our main leads. It's a very quick read but packs a lotta punch.

This was a delightful read that I devoured in one sitting. Characters to root for and a sweet LGBTQ romance. I think a lot of readers would enjoy this one!

this is such a wholesome sapphic graphic novel!!

i love both bold & abrasive annie and sweet & brave bebe. we quickly learn that they used to be friends years before, and it's interesting to watch them rediscover their friendship in a new context. the romance is soft and light, and our main characters share warm and fuzzy friendship moments with many members of the cheer team, too.

while bebe does face some blatant transphobia, there's also insight here into the emotional toll on trans people even when they don't experience a barrage of outright transphobia from their peers. bebe navigates her overbearing parents, microaggressions and harassment under the guise of support, and the pressure to be perfect in her new identity. her very serious struggles are balanced nicely with the sweetness of romance and friendship, as well as some humor.

my only criticism would be that the family conflict is tied up so quickly. it's a really short book, and perhaps additional length would have allowed for more depth. it also reads really young, even though our characters are 17.

definitely recommended if you want an adorable and fluffy sapphic read with sweet and diverse characters!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have loved this cute story with a grumpy lesbian and a trans sapphic girl. It has great discussions surrounding important stuff and the drawings were cute!

*4.5 Stars*

Antisocial Annie needs an extracurricular activity and despite herself decides to join the cheer squad and gets close to BeeBee who used to be her best friend.

This was a very cute sapphic romance. I liked the two main characters, especially BeeBee. I kind of wish it went a little more in depth on the characters and their relationships but it was still a very enjoyable read.
Very fast, very cute. Nice representation. I liked it a lot.

Cheer Up! is a wonderful graphic novel full over diversity and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. Highly recommend it!
Cheer Up! is a super sweet comic with lovely clean art, diverse characters and empathetic storytelling. The character development and plot was very realistic and relatively low stakes but deeply personal and moving. If you've read my other graphic novel reviews, yes this made me cry as well because it was so heartwarming. (I'm a softy leave me alone) There was a lot of important discussions in this comic such as about transphobia (both overt and unintentional, and how people can be well meaning in their efforts to support trans people but can actually be tokenizing them), about respecting boundaries, insecurities and second chances. At times it felt a bit forced but it had a lot of heart and added to the story overall. The comic is pretty short and well focused so a lot of the less essential things like cheer practice, bonding and studying was done via montage. While I understand how this is necessary to keep the story interesting and keep the plot moving it felt at time like a lot of the character and relationship development happened 'off-stage' and it was more told than shown. So while the development was great and the friendships were realistically messy, complex and loving, it sometimes didn't feel satisfying.

Adorable and sweet graphic novel. This is a PG rated book with containing strong LGBTQ representation. Annie is a short, angry, plus sized lesbian in high school. She has the grades but needs an extra activity for good college choices. She joins the cheer squad. On the squad we meet Annie who is trans. She tries so hard to please everyone and doesn't want to be the center of attention. There are so many lessons tapped into in such a short book. Acceptance, friendship, peer and parental pressures, attraction, speaking up for yourself etc. Some issues got dropped that I would have like explored more to get my extra star. Appropriate for middle school and up. Thank you NetGalley and One Press for an ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for my ARC!


GORGEOUS illustrations! Brilliant message!

I know that this is a graphic novel, but there still was not enough of a story to give it a 5 star. However, I still really enjoyed it and the characters are captured very well.

My favorite part was how you can really SEE what's going on a lot of the novel without needing words.

So happy I got to read this early and can't wait to annoy everyone to give it a go!

This graphic novel is everything I could have wanted and so much more!!

The characters are brilliant and so loveable.

As a trans person, I related a lot to BeeBee and I absolutely adored the representation in this book. She’s really well done and is honestly my favourite character,

Annie is a smart, plus sized lesbian who joins the cheer squad to be more social. She is a brilliant character who isn’t afraid to call out micro aggressions aimed at BeeBee.

Together the grow closer as BeeBee helps Annie with cheerleading and Annie helps BeeBee with history. But they end up helping each other with so much more

I loved this book! The art is great and the story is really sweet and heart-warming. It has themes of queer romance, friendship and acceptance. All of the characters (even minor ones) are multidimensional and show so much development and growth over the course of the graphic novel. People make mistakes, but they learn from them and change and grow. I loved seeing BeeBee learn to stand up for herself more and Annie learn to trust other people and develop friendships. I would love to read a sequel!

This is a really lovely read and just the pick-me-up my heart needed right now. Sold as being a match for fans of Check Please, this one follows two recent additions to the school's cheerleading team: a lesbian with a bit of a rage problem but a heart of gold behind it, and a sweet girl who's recently come out a trans trying to navigate her place in school. The two of them forge a seemingly unlikely connection, a bond that allows them to face adversity together and grow.

I would have loved to read this as a teenager and even now I read it all in one sitting. It's heartwarming but doesn't gloss over what school is like for these girls. Even when people are trying, that doesn't mean they get it right and it's lovely see these two approach that world with one another for support. Exactly what I'd recommend right now if you need something to make you smile.

Whenever I am in a reading slump, I look to graphic novels to help me get out, and this one absolutely did the trick! I was sold from the minute I saw Check Please as a comp title -- that's an all-time fave -- and it absolutely has the same same warmth, but is it's own strong story. The illustrations are gorgeous and the panels are easy to follow (I'm fairly new to comics and graphic novels so sometimes I get confused), but the story? I'm in love. I think we all have a picture in our heads of what kind of people high school cheerleaders are, but Cheer Up! turns that on its head. And we also have friends to enemies to friends to lovers which, wow I am here for. And Annie and Bebe are such strong, wonderful characters on their own. This graphic novel is a celebration of the queer teen experience and it's absolutely beautiful.

This graphic novel was exactly what I needed right now. It was so good and I loved the characters and designs so much. I’m happy this book is out there for the world to enjoy. I will definitely will be recommending it to people!