Thank you so much to @onipress and @netgalley for the gifted ARC of Cheer Up: Love And Pompoms by Crystal Frasier and Val Wise! This is an absolutely adorable book with a message we can all cheer for!

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Synopsis from the publisher: Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

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This was an absolutely amazing Queer teen romance with a huge message about love and acceptance. Many people mean well and think they are helping, when really they are producing endless micro aggressions towards the Trans and LGBTQIA community. This was an adorable teen love story, that also serves as a great reminder to listen to the Queer community about what they need from us as allies. If you loved Check Please, Fence, or the Heartstopper series, then definitely grab a copy of Cheer Up this August 2021!

This was an incredibly adorable queer story with both fragile moments and witty humor. There is loads of great representation in this graphic novel as well as correction when people were acting wrong despite good intentions - something I really appreciate. The characters are fun and relatable and stereotypes like "the typical cheerleader" are completely crushed. Also, parents were actually present! What a change of scenery in YA.

I was entertained throughout the entire story and while the illustration style might be a little too cartoony for my usual taste, it fit so well with the theme and atmosphere that it didn't bother me at all.

I wish this was a series cause I could no doubt keep reading volume after volume of Cheer Up.

Cheer Up was so wholesome and sweet and oh my goodness 🥺😍😭

I loved the representation. I also loved how understanding the cheerleading squad was. They were such a welcoming and protective little family who stuck up for each other when needed. Even though they didn’t always say the right things, they were willing to learn.

This graphic novel has a powerful message and I adored every bit of it! It shows us that we have to stay true to ourselves and never be afraid to show it to the world.

I loved the representation and diversity this has, I loved the characters, even the adults who were really open and respectful about all these topics.

I really enjoyed reading this, the illustrations are really cute and the color scheme chosen makes it look great.

The only thing I disliked was that it was way too short for my taste, this had it all so it had the chance to open up a little bit farther and explore all the topics the author addressed.

I recommend this graphic novel, it is a quick and short read but powerful as well, people would relate to this story in a cute and sweet way.

I’ll keep this review short and sweet, because really, this graphic novel speaks for itself how wonderful it is.

This follows a cheer team, the two central characters being Annie, who doesn’t want anything to do with cheerleading, and Beatrice, who joined cheerleading as a way to express her femininity during her transition to female. Their relationship is so wholesome, the cheer squad is so wholesome, and the whole comic just made my heart happy. Annie is an angry fat girl who accidentally ends up being pretty well-liked when she stops feeling like she has to fight everyone, so I really felt like I was reading about myself in high school. Not to mention Annie was appalled to learn her mother was a cheerleader, which felt equally as ripped from my own life.

Cheer Up is the kind of graphic novel I wish I could’ve had the chance to read as a high schooler. It was so, so wonderful. I’ll be recommending it widely, because it was just so freaking cute.

Trigger warning for transphobia and men who don’t seem to understand consent.

Honestly, this was SO wholesome!!

The underlying lesson in this novel is to embrace who you are and to not let others push you around and I think it came across so well. It shows the importance of supportive relationships but also ensuring those around you know what makes you feel good and what doesn't! Sometimes people think they are acting in your best interests but it isn't helping...

It was a cute, wholesome sapphic romance story with great representation!

hank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

I adored this book, it was so sweet and wholesome while also dealing with bigger issues like transphobia and the commodification that trans people may become due to people trying to prove their support.

I loved this book because it had multiple LGBT characters without centring the story on coming out. the story itself follows Bebe and Anne Marie who used to be friends but fell out but have started to get close again after Bebe stands up for Anne Marie when she wants to join the cheerleading squad.

I would highly recommend reading it.

Crystal Frasier's Cheer Up was a lovely story that made my little gay heart happy.

It follows Annie, an anti-social high schooler that begrudgingly joins the cheerleading squad to help with her college applications. She forms a special connection with this year's captain Bebe, who is transgender. Together, they face down high school and the struggles that come with being women, queer, and trans.

The romance was adorable. I felt like the art captured the tension as it built up pretty well. It made my heart happy to watch these two as they fell for each other and discovered a little bit of happiness themselves. I do think that it was kind of abrupt at some points, though, which made the story feel incredibly quick.

I also enjoyed the characters. Annie's arch is amazing, and her belligerent personality really sets her apart from the rest. I loved it. Bebe was also really sympathetic. We watch her struggle throughout the book, and her personal growth is incredibly satisfying to watch. Annie also plays a large role in this change, and I think that is why their relationship is so heart-warming: they are truly good for each other.

The graphic novel also touches on a lot of important issues. It talks about transphobia, harassment, fat-shaming, ostracism, and tokenization. The underlying message about both learning to connect with other people and stand up for yourself can apply to any teen that reads this.

I also really liked that it was about cheerleading. I was a cheerleader in middle school, and I absolutely loved it. Reading this reminded me of all of those good times and my own experiences in the sport.

In regards to the drawing style, it felt a little bit plain and basic, but I don't have too many complaints. I like how a diverse cast of characters was depicted, and the book went out of its way to include a host of different people and touch on their unique struggles.

Overall, I thought the plot and the romance were cute, if a little rushed. While I didn't fall in love with the drawing style, there were many winning elements of this graphic novel. I would recommend Frasier's Cheer Up to teens that are struggling with some of the themes that I discuss above. I also think anyone that just read She Drives Me Crazy and needs another lesbian cheerleading romance novel should read this.

I give this book a 3.5/5 stars, but I'm rounding up to a 4.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? This book is so cute and perfect and Edie is everything to me. Please preorder asap you will not be disappointing. Top tier TOP TIER sports gays.

Looking for a sweet story full of heart and lovely characters? This graphic novel is for you! A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying me with an advanced copy for reviewing.
The story follows the girls as they navigate high school, friendships, queerness and love. They both need to deal with expectations from parents and constant microagressions from friends and colleagues, and they are able to rekindle their friendship while helping each other find their inner value.
I loved how unapologetic Annie is and how she isn’t willing to take anyone’s crap, coming from a place of privilege as a cis girl with a supportive and liberal mother. BeeBee, for her part, feels the need to be as pleasant as possible so people will accept her as a trans girl and avoids any and all confrontation, even if she feels disrespected sometimes. She also walks on eggshells with her parents, who only support her transition as long as she keeps her grades up and follows their house rules.
But the relationships go beyond them, because the cheer team is also plays an important part, as they all grow from just wanting the “publicity” of having a trans girl in the team to real friends who care about BeeBee as a person and not just a token.
And there’s the romance, of course, for this is a sapphic childhood friends-to-lovers kind of story, with gorgeous art and a sensitive narrative.

I absolutely loved this title so much that I made my coworker request it too. I had to have someone to talk to about this adorable sapphic romance.
Like all of the Oni Press pubs, the graphic novel has amazing illustrations. Each of the characters, including the background/secondary ones, have so much detail and care put into their design.
There's also the story! You follow two high school girls who used to be best friends, and are trying to find their way back into that easy relationship they had. It's a bumpy ride, because both of them are struggling with boundaries and vulnerability and general coming of age problems. The storyline dealt with these issues very well in a small period of time, and highlighted some of the mistakes we make even when we're trying to be supportive.
I also think the author did a great job talking about cheerleading as a real and difficult sport. It was a great device to talk about finding and cultivating your strengths even when it's terrifying, or outside of the expectations people have of you. There was just enough cheerleading info to be real and important to the story, without getting carried away or confusing.

My only complaint? I wish we had more time with the main characters after their climatic confrontation (which was so raw and beautiful and the best scene in the whole book imo). Basically I need more! I think everything moved very quickly after this point, and we didn't get as much time to sit in their joy as I would have liked. So basically I would 100% purchase a sequel haha

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms has been on my radar for month, so I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

This book lived up to all of expectations. I had seen a many people say a lot of good things about this book so I knew it had to be good. Turns out it was even better than I expected. It had everything I look for in graphic novels.

Was it cute? Absolutely.
Was it queer? 100%.
Did it have good representation? YES.

On the topic of representation, this book was filled with it. One of the main characters is a biracial queer trans girl. The other is a plus-sized lesbian. On top of that there are many other fat characters on the cheer team and many characters of colour. There's even a non-binary character which I was happily surprised about! As someone who actively seeks out queer books, especially those with lesbian and trans characters, this book was absolutely perfect.

Another thing to add was the pacing of the book. The book is short, and the pacing is very quick which makes it go by so quickly. I wish it was a bit longer, but even in the short amount of pages it has, it was still able to talk about many important topics.

I think that this book could be very important for many people just like it is for me. All in all, this book was amazing and has quickly become one of my favourites. I know for a fact that I will be rereading this and I hope that there will be a sequel.

This book nearly made me cry, it's so sweet. I am so glad this book doesn't focus on a coming out narrative, but instead handles the "after" of a person announcing their gender identity. I am a huge sucker for queer friends-to-lovers plotlines and this book delivers. I want more, like, right now.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy.

Cheer Up was so sweet and the feel good moment I needed! Not only does the book have a powerful message about supporting one another and to truly be ourselves, it also teaches the reader that we need to educate ourselves. Sometimes when we are trying to help, the messages come out as microaggressions and are not helpful at all. So, learn, support, and do better.
Annie and BeeBee are former friends who have found themselves both on the cheerleading team. BeeBee loves the Cheer team and as the only trans girl around, the team is a safer space to be herself. Annie needs to pad out her college application and after BeeBee reminds her to have some fun, Annie give the team a try. The magic that happens when their friendship reforms is so genuine and real that my heart melted. If readers fell for Bingo Love, or Check, Please! then Cheer Up will be a huge hit!!

4.5 stars

I don't read a lot of graphic novels but I had heard great things about this one from my friends on bookstagram.
This was such a quick, fun, and sweet read. I would have loved for it to be longer
I recommend giving it a try. It covers a really important topic

thanks to the publishers for approving me on netgalley

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the copy of this graphic novel.
This is one of my new favorite graphic novels. We follow a lesbian main character, and one of her ex-friend, who is also her love interest and who is trans and a character of color.
The drawings are cute and beautiful, but the story? The story is so great, sweet, wholesome, and heartwarming. If you want a short love story with chief kiss characters that will melt your heart… this is the one.
And to be honest it will probably become one of your comfort read!
So yes, I loved it!

Once I saw on Oni Press’s instagram that there was a new graphic novel out about cheerleaders, I just knew I had to check it out! I LOVED this story so much and the LGBTQ+ representation of having a trans main character and a couple of side characters be gay/non-binary. This will be such a great story for the high school audience who is still trying to grasp where they belong and how to get there with a little
help from their friends!

I cannot recommend this one enough! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is such a lovely story! it deals with some good conversations about the transitioning experience, microaggressions, hurtful overprotection of parents, performative allyship and how more often than not it blatantly ignores the voices of the people who are trying to <i>just exist</i>.

I would've loved to see more discussions and development in page about transphobic comments made by the friends of the protagonist, they were never openly addressed in the story which made it feel a little bit rush within the conflict resolution part of it, but I do like how obvious they were on page, and how they show the shallowness of their allyship.

Pretty good story in general, a bit rushed for all what intended to do, but I do appreciate what it did.

4.5

Thank you netgalley for approving me to read this absolutely adorable graphic novel early!

This was such a delightful read. I loved following our lead characters Annie and Bebe, especially as polar opposites who learn and grow from one another. I thought their friendship-to-romance was really cute, as well as their whole dynamic. I also just really love how un-stereotypical these cheerleaders are. It really just goes to show that anyone can break the mold and be who they want to be, or in Annie's case, break the mold for self-discovery purposes.

My only qualm is very slight, and it's that I thought the romance portion happened a bit too fast. I would've liked a little more build up/pining before they jumped into the kiss. But other than that, this was a really fantastic read and definitely one to look out for when it releases!

Thank you, Net Galley for a digital ARC.

This book is so cute! I adored the artwork and the characters. It was pretty fast paced, as many graphic novels are, but it still felt true to life and I really appreciated that authenticity.
I wish it was a little longer so we could see more of the characters' development. I'd definitely read a sequel! To me, it feels like their story isn't over yet.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3940906174