Annie Ginter is a top student at her school and determined to get into college, but after her counselor tells her that she needs to have more extracurriculars on her application, she decides to try out for cheerleading when her mom insists.
Beatrice Diaz made history last year as the state's first trans girl to compete as a cheerleader. But she doesn't always like to get so much attention. When her childhood friend, Annie, tries out for the team, Bebe insists that she should have a spot, even if the other girls don't like her.
Eventually, Bebe becomes captain, and as she and Annie attempt to rekindle their friendship, they discover that there might be something more.

This was shorter than I'm used to (about 123 PDF pages) but I didn't mind at all. I loved the art style too. One of my favorite parts was when Bebe stood up to her overprotective parents and told them that she's always safe when she's with Annie and her friends.

If you like graphic novels, definitely read this one when it comes out. You won't regret it.

This was a wonderful graphic novel about how a trans girl existed in high school and her experiences. The way the cheer team connects with each other is absolutely wonderful and it really helps break down those walls that cheerleaders are stuck up, mean, etc. and showing that they are just as much a team as any other sport.
One criticism I have about this, however, is that the initial reason of Annie joining the team for her mother and to get into college never had a definite ending. While it is easy to see that she did complete that goal or objective for herself, it would have been nice to see a moment with her and her mother.

cheer up was SO adorable and a very great way for me to get distracted in my zoom classes. the protagonists have so much personality in this short amount of pages?? cheerleading was so much fun to read about!! and the artwork is super cute!! i just genuinely think that we need more sports sapphics in the world and this was wonderful. i really think this was exactly the right amount of story to have in about 120 pages, and i'm already itching for there to be a sequel.

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an eARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

Cheer Up! is such a gorgeous story about friendship, support and loving yourself and others for who they are! First I want to say that I read through this graphic novel super quickly because it was just so easy to fall in love with the characters and their story along with the gorgeous illustrations.

If you have read and loved Alice Oseman's Heartstopper graphic novels you should definitely give this one a go! It gives off very similar vibes whilst maintaining originality and representing some different themes too. The story here is beautiful and I just couldn't put it down. I was rooting for everyone the whole time and even though I could see where it was going to go I loved it all the same because the build-up was great.

This story has some great representation and discussion regarding some very prevalent topics in today's world including transgender and non-binary people and the way they can be treated by society. I haven't really read any books about transgender characters but I loved BeeBee and loved watching her grow in confidence and find herself with the help of her amazing friends!

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book especially if you are new to graphic novels and need something with beautiful illustrations and an easy to follow story!

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms was the perfect, sugary sweet graphic novel to lose myself in after a long day. With an angry, plus-size lesbian main character and sapphic, biracial trans girl main character, this story was full of representation and different experiences. I particularly love reading about sports team dynamics, girl power and, of course, sapphics so this felt like the perfect graphic novel for me!

This book managed to pack a lot into a small space without ever feeling rushed or lacking. Everything was properly developed despite the fast pace and you really got to know and understand your main characters quickly. I really loved the character development they both went through, and the ways that they learned from each other. I also adored the romance between them – it was just adorable! I also loved the team dynamics as the girls all became friends and began to trust each other. And the art! The art was just stunning and bright and colourful and complimented the story perfectly.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms also tackled some important themes and issues which I felt were handled sensitively and with a lot of nuance. I really appreciated how the instances of transphobic microagressions were dealt with, as well as showing multiple plus-size characters on a sports team who didn’t suddenly lose weight through working out; they were shown as both fat and healthy.

Although it dealt with some of the prejudices these characters face, this graphic novel was overall a lighthearted, fluffy read and I really enjoyed it! It had a powerful message of standing up for yourself which I really appreciated and I would highly recommend it to fans of sports team dynamics, the childhood friends to enemies to lovers trope and adorable romances. I really hope there’s a sequel because I just can’t get enough of these characters!

I finished this cute queer graphic novel in an hour and really liked it! The representation was great, the story was both cute and discussed important topics, and I loved the artwork. My only reason for rating this book 4 stars instead of 5, is that I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. I hope a second volume will come out, because, even though the story works great in one volume, I would just really like to continue reading about these characters. To conclude, the description of the book states that this one is perfect for fans of Fence and Check, Please! and I completely agree with that, so if you loved those, be sure to check this one out too!

This graphic is really cute, and I absolutely love the art style of it. I feel like it really adds to it, showcasing everything including the characters emotions/personalities perfectly.

At times, I felt that some of the scenes were too rushed and could have had some development within them (e.g. when the father's attitudes had changed, I felt like it would have instead taken more time considering how the parents acted beforehand. I would have also liked to see the conversation they might have had the next morning, but it was okay without it).

However, the scenes and characters felt realistic - the way the issues that trans people may face was portrayed was done in a good and new manner, and I liked how it wasn't only primarily focused on those issues. A lot of the times the representation I seek wants to be more positive instead of negative, which is something this graphic gave me. The portrayal/growing of love was amazing.

Also, the character development between the two girls was phenomenal - even though they're both very different, they also managed to inspire each other to grow and change their attitudes, whether it be to themselves or others. We could see how Bebe grew more confident in the end and was able to stand up for herself, and with Annie we saw how she grew more social and less "problematic" (I suppose that's what some people might have considered her behaviour before). Both of them supported each other in this and other times, even when others might have not. I also liked how the cheerleader friends were mainly supportive, however the remark of "man voice" threw me off and it wasn't touched on afterwards.

Overall, some particular scenes lacked clarity and I would have liked to see more development in them, but I enjoyed reading this and finished it in one sitting! It's definitely worth a read.

OMG It's so sweet, it's so sweet!!!! This is such a warm, feel-good comic full of so much love and heart. The art style is super adorable and soft, and I love the friends-to-lovers romance between Bebe and Annie. There's definitely some rough elements with a guy refusing to take subtle rejections, some casual transmisia/transmisogyny, and overprotective parents, but overall this felt like such a warm comic that I cannot wait to see out and about!

I love this graphic novel/comic so much! The art style is absolutely beautiful and the color palette is stunning as well! I loved that there was a plus sized character who was confident in almost everything she did, I liked how the cheerleading team was a refreshing difference than the norm, and I love the romance between Bebe and Annie. I found the writing itself to be well-paced and understandable and it was a quick read because I found myself enjoying it a lot! The only suggestion/comment I have is how did the friendship between Bebe and Annie first deteriorate? It was not really clear and some more information or background on it would add just a bit more nuance to the story. Otherwise, great work!

Cheer up! Love and Pompoms was a really cute book. I’m not used to reading graphic novels but I enjoyed the shorter form and the pretty illustrations.

Based on a few things (the shortness, the pacing, the art style…) I think this book’s target audience would be middle schoolers and younger teenagers, but there were micro agressions and many situations that the characters had to go through that felt pretty violent to me, especially in such a short amount of pages. They’re handled with care, but this isn’t as light as I thought it would be!

It could’ve been longer, some jumps form a scene to another felt a bit abrupt and everything happened really fast. But it was cute and refreshing. I really enjoyed it!

I loved this! The art and the colors complemented the story nicely. I also just really loved the representation in this. Non-binary, lesbian, trans... it was great. The story really does boast confidence and helps readers feel empowered to voice their concerns. This is perfect for older middle schoolers or high schoolers, and honestly anyone wanting a cute story about finding love, yourself, and being happy in your skin.

This was a wonderfully sweet comic that manages to be both painfully real yet funny and heartwarming. I loved the friendship and the cute romance aspects and the general dynamics of the cheer team, it definitely gave me similar vibes to the Fence comics. I was a bit thrown off by the heavy transphobia that this comic touches on as I think I was expecting quite a fluffy and lighthearted read, so definitely be aware of this before reading. Generally, I thought the conversations around transphobia were well handled, as well as the broader discussions around gender expression. The art was also really nice. I'll definitely be looking out for any further issues of this comic if they do intend to make it a series and I'd be interested to see the direction it takes.

I received this comic free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very sweet and yet full of life's lessons and trials, but with positivity and love. I think this book should be available in school libraries.

This was a super cute, heartfelt story with a great message about standing up for yourself and asserting your boundaries whilst also having an adorable sapphic romance and exploring themes of sexuality and gender.

We are following Annie, a grumpy anti-social lesbian whose mum persuades her to join the cheerleading team to help boost her college application and general social skills. Also on the team is Beatrice, a sweetheart and new captain of the cheerleading team, who also happens to be trans - I thought this book did a great job exploring some of the struggles trans people face, especially around being true to yourself whilst also having to over perform for the sake of society. Although I am cis myself so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the representation!!

I really like the colour scheme of the novel, something about it felt so nostalgic, and while the art style wasn't my absolute favoruite it was still really cute!! I also really liked the cheerleading aspect, I used to do cheerleading in school so this felt very nostalgic to me as well!!

Cheer Up! is a very standard feel-good YA high school story, though it's always refreshing to see LGBTQ+ main characters in those narratives. It's quite a quick read, but the illustrations are wonderful, the characters are loveable, and the story is easy to follow and engage with. Overall I enjoyed reading, and would definitely recommend it to middle grade, or the younger end of YA readers.

ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT!!! THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! A fun, colourful story celebrating just how awesome it is to be yourself and how awesome it is to be a member of the LGBTQ+ society!! [And how its somthing to be proud off!]

This is possibly one of the sweetest things I have read in my life. I will make sure to peer pressure all my friends into reading it when it comes out.
"Cheer Up!" is a short but incredible read about standing up for yourself, being your own authentic self while also trying new things, and cheerleading.
I immediately fell in love with the main characters, they are sympathetic yet flawed high school students navigating love, friendship, young adulthood and their respective lgbt+ identities.
As a queer trans person it was wonderful to see the representation of complex lesbian, queer, trans and non-binary characters. Furthermore, the graphic novel very casually shows different body types and skin tones not as token minorities but realities of life.
One thing I want to highlight is the two family dynamics shows, one being very supportive and the other initially less so. In lgbt+ media there is often a focus on the tragedy of entirely unaccepting parents, which is a reality for some but not all people. Accepting parents exist, and should be represented in media, and so do parents who are somewhere in the middle. BeBe's parents start off as not outright transphobic and horrible, they are overprotective and misguided and see her transition as a luxury. There is character development, but it is important to show that sometimes parents that do love their trans children very much, can still make the wrong choices, say the wrong things, and be unintentionally transphobic.
All in all this is a solid five star read, the art style is very nice, the story is well paced, and there is plenty of fluff to make you go "awww".

3.5 Stars
I expected to fall completely fall head over heels for this graphic novel and while yes I loved the concept – We have a ex friends to friends to lovers Sapphic romance between two cheerleaders with one main character (Annie) being a fat “mean but soft with the one she loves” lesbian, who loves to hit first and ask questions later, she also really DIDN’T want to join the cheerleading squad, and our other main character (Beebee) a trans girl who is questioning her sexuality, trying to deal with controlling parents, and being cheer captain all the while the two girls tackle microaggressions, devious cheer squads, creepy boys, fat shaming and freaking high school. I was uncomfortable with the amount of transphobia prominent throughout the story and the slightly abrupt ending.

I will start with what I loved about Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms. The fat representation had my heart soaring. We had FAT CHEERLEADERS and they are not made feel any less than any other cheerleader. Annie even does back flips, and the other cheerleaders catch her. It was WONDERFUL. Annie’s mother and principal are also fat and have been stated as previous members of the squad, in addition to a few other characters on the team.

The romance between Beebee and Annie was so precious. They continually ask consent, and they talk about their boundaries before anything happens. I was a sucker for how protective Annie was, even though sometimes it was misplaced. Beebee has no qualms in calling Annie out on her shit and I loved that. Both girls were so sweet. Furthermore – the artwork and illustrations were phenomenal. The colours in the panels were lighter and set the scenes softly.

What I did not love: as I mentioned above there is a lot of transphobia throughout this graphic novel. Disclaimer – I am a cis reader and I completely understand that this is not my lane. However, this graphic novel is presented as sweet and fluffy, and these scenes are neither. A lot of it is challenged but I was not a fan of the way Beebee’s parents use her transitioning as a tool against her to make her do well in school. Moreover, the ending- while HFN- was dampened by a jerk that kept appearing throughout the story.

Overall – I enjoyed parts of Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms and I think many people will love this. However, please be mindful of the content warnings because it isn’t all sweet and fluffy.

Content warnings: Transphobia, manipulative parents, girl hate, touching and grabbing without consent, fat shaming.

(My review will be live on my Instagram closer to the release date)

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Cheer Up! Is about a teen named Annie who has had to go into the cheer club to both make friends and to round out her college applications. When she joins the cheerleading squad, she ends up getting back in touch with BeeBee, her former friend and trans girl who is a people pleaser and pressured to keep up her grades to keep the support of her transition from her parents.

Within this book, there are microaggressions that are in it from the supporting cast of characters and I feel like this wasn't offputting or upsetting (for me at least) and helped show how people can mean well but they are saying or doing the wrong thing.

Annie and BeeBee are actual sweethearts, even if Annie is more antisocial and a little gruff. I really enjoyed their interactions and characterisations. The art was really nice and the plot was great as well. I can't wait to read this again.
Rating: 5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes!
Would I Recommend it? Yes

thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC !

rep : latina trans girl mc, fat lesbian mc, side nonbinary character, side minor poc characters.

this graphic novel was so, so cute. i usually like to read about intense, morally-grey sapphics, so the fact that i rated this as high as i did, is a sign for you to go ahead and give this adorable story a chance as well. bebe and annie were both lovable characters, with their own weaknesses and strengths that were not limited to only their sexuality; although she initially does not want to, annie learns to work with other people as a team — realising that teamwork can also be something fun and rewarding. bebe learns to stand up for herself and say no. the characters were also hilarious and relatable, making this a compulsively readable graphic novel.

i loved how we were also shown the various trans microaggressions that bebe faces, sometimes in relatively subtle ways (like a girl trying to stand up for bebe by saying that the latter is 'just like a real girl') and sometimes by more direct means (like a woman yelling at bebe to not enter the girls' locker room).

the characters could have easily become stereotypes, had not the author given the characters their own quirks. the ending of the story might come across as somewhat utopian to some, since many of the conflicts are mostly easily resolved. however, here's the thing : queer stories need not always be a tragedy or a story of unspeakable difficulties only — queer people deserve a queer, fluffy, and most importantly HAPPY story like this.

would recommend if you're looking for some fluff, featuring (eventually) friendly cheerleaders, prom kisses and a girl learning to stand up for herself.