This was such a wholesome read!!! I love how there's plenty of diversity and representation. While it's a quick and relatively simple read, it explores and discusses lot of important real-life issues. At the same time, it was light-hearted and had a good dose of humour. I particularly liked how the graphic novel highlighted the harmful things people say despite good intentions.

Definitely would recommend this to everyone!

CW: transphobia, bullying

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Annie needs some extracurricular activities for her college applications, so her mom convinces her to try out for cheerleading. Leading the squad is Beatrice, who recently came out as transgender, and is still learning to stand up for herself and be clear on what she wants and needs. How will this new bond between them play out?

Honestly, this story is so sweet. It's a graphic novel, so it gets to the point, and the illustrations are beautiful as well. This is great for LGBTQ+ rep, and just an enjoyable read overall!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This graphic novel is the cutest thing I've ever read, it's perfect, the story is full of representation, it has an incredibly cute relationship and strong but different protagonists who learn from each other.
The art style was beautiful and it combined a lot with the story.
I recommend it for everyone to read and for all ages.
I think as a future teacher I would give this graphic novel as a reading for all of my students over 14 years old.

“You look so stereotypically pretty that you’ll probably start a fight with yourself.”

This stunningly illustrated queer romance features a diverse cast of characters and a heart-warming plot. We meet Annie, a prickly antisocial genius with, apparently, a penchant for biting, and BeeBee, a trans girl who feels forced to be a people pleaser to get support for her transition. Annie gets stuck trying out for the Cheer Squad to fill up her extracurriculars for college and when BeeBee actually defends her, Annie finds herself reconnecting with an old friend and making new ones where she never thought she would.

This short graphic novel was funny, sweet and heart-warming. Considering it was short it still included so much and so many fleshed out characters in that short space of time. Annie was so funny and relatable and BeeBee was so lovely, I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug her. Even the families, friends, cheer squad and everyone else has real substance and individuality that screamed through the pages and beautiful illustrations.

I loved the inclusion of not only plus-size characters, but all range of size and shape characters as well as racial and queer diversity. For example, Annie is a lesbian and BeeBee is biracial. It’s so important for young people to see themselves in stories and explore the issues their facing. Growing up I hardly ever read about queer plus size people, and it really touched something in me to see it included here. Especially because it was clear that she was still fit and healthy and she didn’t lose weight when she started cheerleading, as if it were solving some sort of problem. It also raised some really important issues that BeeBee faced in the wake of her transition, and it really made me more aware of the difficulties the trans community faces.

Overall, there were many issues that were sensitively explored and well written. I loved Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms, the characters have stayed with me, and I really hope we get to visit them again. If you’re looking for a new read, and especially if you love the Heartstopper series, I highly recommend this absolute beauty!

This book was adorable and the diversity and representation was on point (not just LGBT characters, but also different appearances). The main characters are a a lesbian and a trans girl on a high school cheerleading team. The story focuses around them and their development in finding their true selves, and accepting themselves for who they are. The story fell a bit flat for me as it seemed to only touch the surface of the character development and was a bit "jumpy", but all in all was an enjoyable and an easy quick read I would recommend to someone looking for an YA LGBT graphic novel. I loved the artwork!

This was a short and super sweet story. In just a few pages, I really felt I knew all the characters and I loved how the story dealt with the pressures of coming out. The art style as well is super nice and overall, this Tory flowed really well. Would I have liked a bit more? Of course! But only because it was so good.

Thanks to netgalley for the. ARC in exchange for an honest review,

This graphic novel is not only fun and screams girl power - it also sneaks in some lessons for allies of the LGBQ+ community. You have a bad ass lesbian who couldn’t care less of what people think of her. A people pleasing trans girl with anxiety and overprotective parents. Both find a safe place on the cheer squad and are able to be their true selves.

I will say at one point I was worried. The team appeared to only let BeeBee join as a token trans girl. Then when she was made captain they did so - for what they would gain, fame and news coverage. They then want to make her homecoming queen for the same reason. It is also revealed that BeeBee is never invited to team functions.

The redemption came when Annie tried to stick up for BeeBee when the team was using language to suggest that BeeBee wasn’t a real girl. BeeBee let it be known that how the team talks does bother her but she doesn’t have the luxury to be aggressive like Annie. That everyone is watching and expecting her to mess up so they can basically go “see”. After this the team and Annie recognize their faults and work to correct them.

This graphic novel is a great read and as an ally - it just reinforces that I need to make sure I do my best to not subconsciously harm my friends. That I need to check in and make sure I am not hurting them with my words or actions. That’s a lot from a fun graphic novel.

Thank you Oni Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy. I receive no compensation other than the free copy for my honest opinion.

This was so wholesome but at the same time it packed a punch with the content. I read this in one sitting and it put a smile on my face the whole time. This graphic novel follows Annie, an outcast trying to boost her extracurricular activities for her college applications by joining the cheerleading squad per her mom’s request, and Beatrice, a recently out trans-girl who seems to have found her place in the same squad but still finds attention bothersome. The relationship that builds between these two girls as well as the difficulties that they face together were both beautiful to watch. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a nice, wholesome slice of life!

I was grateful enough to get an advance copy from @netgalley it comes out August 10th. This was so cute! It reminded me a lot of Heartstoppers. The main character BeBe is transgender trying to figure out how to step up for her self and he old best friend Annie needs to be in a team for college applications and they end up getting close again. It was so cute I wanted more of the story! There was many LGBTQ+ representation in this I loved it!!!

Such a cute sapphic graphic novel! I loved Beatrice so much <3 The topics shown were important and real. The way that Beatrice addressed the transphobia and other hurtful comments from her friends was inspiring and I think this is a great read for young people looking for a sapphic graphic

Characters

Oh, my goodness I fell so hard for these characters. The story follows Annie, who is a senior and needs to get some more extra circulars for college. I adored how no non-sense and how much Annie cared about her best friend Beatrice. The supporting cast of other cheerleaders was also excellent, and I enjoyed getting to know them in this novel. The graphic novel might be short, but the characters really pack a punch. I also loved seeing all the representation in these characters. All the characters being so much fun to read about, and how much they cared for each other as friends is why I added a star in my review.



Plot

This plot might seem like something you’ve seen time and time again. A senior needs more extra circulars or credits, and so they suddenly need to do something they might not want to do or enjoy. Where this story takes a turn is that Annie is a character who didn’t really have many friends, and she was sort of distant from her peers. The cheerleaders become Annie’s friends and she ends up really enjoying cheerleading in the end. Another part of this story was finding yourself and finding who you love. I loved both plot elements in this story, and both of them weaving so well together is why I gave a star in my rating.

Writing & Art

Writing in a Graphic Novel is tough to rate because you need to look at the story along with the art, and separate it from the art. The writing in this graphic novel is simple and easy to follow, which is fantastic because it doesn’t take away from the story. When reading a novel or graphic novel, the writing needs to help tell the story, and not take away from the art. In that same vein, the art can’t take away from the writing and needs to help tell the story along with the writing. The art style in this novel was so cute and it really helped to tell the story. Both the writing and art working in tandem earned a star rating in my review.

Romance

The romance in this book was so sweet. I loved Annie and Beatrice and how they grew to love each other as the story progressed. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but there is a heavy emotional scene in this novel that was really handled with care and I loved that. The sweet romance, especially the prom scene, is why I added a star in my review.

Enjoyment

I’m going to keep this short by just saying that this novel is just a good time. The story is both funny and heartwarming, and it will just cause you to have so many feelings. Pleasure of a story for me means the perfect balance of light and fun with heavy and real topics. This Graphic Novel has a balance of those so I knew I needed to add a star in my rating.

I went into this not knowing much more than that this is a cute sapphic romance graphic novel, so I was surprised that one of the two characters is trans. That was a great addition though. I think this graphic novel discussed a lot of topics surrounding that and showing the seriousness about those topics while still keeping a lighthearted and overall cute tone to the entire graphic novel. I really liked our two main characters and how their relationship developed. I also quite liked the cheerteam and the way those girls ralied around each other and only had the others best interests at heart. I feel like a lot of the time we see cheerleaders in media it's full of girl on girl hate and I liked that this wasn't the case in this graphic novel. Anyway, I highly recommend this.

this book was so sweet, i was smiling the whole way through reading it. i loved the characters so much and i hope that there will be more books in this series. so much great representation and so so perfect.

Writing reviews for graphic novels is a new experience for me, but a welcome one. Graphic novels, in my opinion, have a tendency to be forgettable. For example, I read at least eight “The Walking Dead” graphic novels last year and couldn’t tell you a single thing about them.

Fortunately, there have been a few that have really stuck with me, and this will probably be one of them. I really loved the representation in this novel. Our two main characters include a transgender girl and a plus size lesbian. There is also a non-binary secondary character and a multitude of characters of color throughout the novel.

One of the things I liked the most about this novel was the fact that, although it barely passes the 120-page mark, the character development is remarkable and full of depth. Each and every one of the characters on the page has obvious flaws, which is something that full length novels tend to lack, and I adored it.

One of the main characters, Annie, struggles with socializing and stepping out of her comfort zone. At the beginning of the novel, she’s friendless, stand-offish, and downright rude most of the time. Although she’s a great student, she realizes she needs more extracurricular activities on her college applications, hence the title of the book.

The other main character, Bebe, is a recently transitioned transgender girl, struggling with acceptance from her parents, her cheer squad friends, and most importantly, herself. Her friends make jokes about her transition behind her back, her parents rarely let her leave the house by herself for fear of Bebe being the brunt of an assault, and she rarely sticks up for herself because she wants to avoid being the “unhinged transgender girl”.

We get to see Annie and Bebe confront their flaws head on, using one another for support. Annie begins to blossom into her new role as flyer on the cheer squad, while Bebe starts setting boundaries with her friends and her parents. (That’s as much as I can say without spoiling it!)

This novel is something I could easily compare to the Heartstopper series. The illustrations are beautiful and the content is obviously similar, considering the LGBT and Romance genre they’re both categorized in. While I feel like this book is a tad more juvenile than Heartstopper, I could easily see this book being of great importance to young, LGBTQ+ readers.

Not only does Cheer Up preach acceptance, diversity, and love, it also teaches its readers to value themselves as they navigate life, social media, and rape culture in a very intolerant (but progressing) world.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for an arc of this graphic novel for an honest review.
This was so cute, funny, adorable and fast read! Its discussing serious topics like gender, transphobia, fat shaming, harassment, etc. while it have a lighthearted feel to it, with beautiful and enjoyable illustrations. I really loved the art style, and there was a variety of body types and races represented. I liked the characters too, and I think its an important read for everybody who wants to grow and learn. I hope there will be a next book! :)

This was my first time reading a graphic novel and I totally loved it! The book has both heartfelt scenes as well as heavy themes such as transphobia. I liked how the author dealt with Beatrice's struggle with being a trans teen; she is incapable of saying "no" to people cause she doesn't want any trouble; if she stands upto people, they'll say that all trans girls are rude and bitchy; she thinks she should be ultra-feminine otherwise people will invalidate her identity as a girl; she feels pressured to be flattered when a creepy guy gives her attention, cause she should be grateful that guys are attracted to her. Her parents are overprotective because they fear transphobes will attack their daughter,and also threaten her to "make her go back to being a guy" if she does not score good grades. Through just 100 pages, we see Beatrice transform from being timid and shy to a girl who stands up for herself and does not need saving. All this really strung a chord in my heart and I could relate to Beatrice's struggles despite being a ciswoman.
Annie is the best girlfriend ever! Annie asks for Beatrice's consent before kissing her! She stands up for BeBe when she is harassed by a classmate. Annie backs down when she realises that Bebe is the one who should voice her own story, instead of Annie taking over BeBe's narrative. I loved their romance, it was so wholesome. When BeBe asks if Annie likes her cause BeBe is "not a real girl", Annie responds by saying, " I like you because you are a girl. I like girls, BeBe." This is undoubtedly one of my favorite moments in the book.
This book also subverts stereotypes of popular girls/cheerleaders being mean; Annie is an anti-social nerd who's mean to most people until she befriends Bebe. I loved the way girl friendship is portrayed. In one scene, someone prohibits BeBe from using the locker room (and BeBe having become used to this discrimination says nothing). All the girls in the cheerleading squad stand up for her and refuse to use the locker room. This moment was really heartwarming and hopeful.
Also, Annie says "chai" instead of "chai tea" (which just means "tea tea"), which my Indian heart loved. Annie's mom is the best and I wish everyone has a parent like this.

This was the perfect queer cute novel. I loved this book a lot, it was adorable and fluffy and soon worthy! The art styles were so beautifully done! Ah this book is honestly the best! Please read this. This was my first graphic novel and I'm sure this book has convinced me to pick more of graphic novels with queer themes.

I thought this was really cute and joyful. The characters were interesting and well developed in such a short space of time. I enjoyed Annie and Beebee's dynamic, kinda opposites attract but they bring out the best in each other.

I found this book to be mostly happy fun read but it also didn't shy away from the harder stuff to do with being transgender in highschool. It was shown to be a part of Beebee's life without it being the focus of the story. It was nice seeing flawed but mostly supportive parents for Beebee.

The artwork was beautiful, I really like the style.

Cheer Up is just an uplifting story about finding yourself. Even if you aren't sure what that is. Maybe you only know what doesn't feel right. And that's okay!

I know that Annie is sort of introduced as the main character, but BeeBee really steals the show. As she has been doing across her school, town, and state for awhile. Simply just being herself. Which is something that's causing a lot of talk, in both good and bad ways.

BeeBee doesn't like being the center of attention. Annie doesn't mind.
Together it's kind of perfect, some of the time.

BeeBee isn't always sure how she wants to deal with things or if she wants to stand up for herself. Whereas Annie is always ready to go. Sometimes they both have to take the other's attitude in order to resolve things.

Cheer Up is a story about love, the love your family should have for you even if they don't always understand, the love your friends should have in supporting you even through their own ideas of what that means, and most of all love for yourself. Because no one else is going to be there every step of the way to figure things out, like yourself... other than you. So love yourself, you deserve it.

Probably one of the best LGBTQ stories I've read in a long time.
I'm okay if this is a stand alone, but I'd be so excited if there was more to come!

**Thank you to OniPress and NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

Loved it!
A beautiful story about friendship, being your true self, love, acceptance, kindness and standing up for oneself.
I loved Bebe and Annie, they bonded so well and grew so much leaning on each other.
I need to find more stories like this one! My heart will be very happy.