Queer Cheerleaders?!?!!! I’m in!

I have always been fascinated by cheer culture. I used to watch Bring It On all the time, could recite the lines as easily as breathing, and I devoured Cheer on Netflix. But I haven’t read a single Graphic Novel with cheerleading as the main focus. That changed today.

Bebe is the first trans girl to be chosen for the cheer team. Her parents are always afraid for her safety and are intensely overprotective.

Anne is abrasive, picks fights, and has no friends. But that has to change for her to be able to get into college. She’ll need extra curriculars for her transcripts.

The two used to be friends, but that was years ago. Now that’ll change when Bebe’s is chosen as cheer captain and Anne makes the team.

Let’s start with what I loved: The artwork is bright, colorful, and beautiful. The story has a Trans MC and a Lesbian MC, so we get a Queer love story all about cheer. There is also a Non-Binary character, that isn’t a central character who comes out towards the end. Also!!!! The ending left me smiling, which I always love.

Now, I was upset early on when a teammate made a comment about Bebe using her “man” voice, which isn’t addressed at all. BUT later they make another insensitive comment and Anne calls them out on it. Bebe then states how she can’t get upset about every insensitive remark, because people will think she’s the angry trans girl. So I’m happy that it was resolved and explained, but when I read it, I was PISSED!!!

Overall, I LOVED this book and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

Very heartwarming with likable characters. Loved the messages about believing in yourself, standing up for yourself and the importance of friendship!

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book was such a stunning piece of work, the art style really warmed my heart as it gave me so much joy to look at. Each of the characters gave a really warming feeling to me and felt like people I know myself. There was discussion on having courage in order to say no and that saying no isn’t a bad thing as it’s there in order to protect you and keep you save in any situation.

I liked that the author gave us some insight into Bebe’s home life as a transgender teen and how people treat her after coming out. Her character was so pure and just wanted to be herself without being the centre of attention which is completely normal.

I enjoyed Annie’s characters as well as they highlighted how some people just find it hard to get along with people socially and the impact that may have. I loved Annie and Bebe’s friendship which blossomed into a relationship as it highlighted two people understanding who they are and who they like regardless to what other people might say. I loved that Annie wanted to protect Bebe but even then Bebe wanted to do things her way but was afraid of standing out.

I would definitely check out more books but this author and I believe this book highlights such important topics that need to be discussed.

An incredibly cute and important graphic novel!

The art in this is lovely; I adore the style. More than that, though, I am a really big fan of how this story played out. It follows a lesbian who joins the cheerleading team and falls in love with the cheerleading captain, her ex-friend and a trans girl. Their dynamic was really fun to read- I love bickering-but-supportive couples.

The pacing in this comic is excellent. Even though graphic novels are typically shorter, I never felt as though things were moving too quickly. The story involves transphobic microaggressions as well as the cheerleading captain's frustration about being treated like a spokesperson for all trans women. I think that the author dealt with these things wonderfully- I would just keep these trigger warnings in mind while reading!

I believe that everyone who is interested in graphic novels, lgbt romance, and sports should read this. It's such a good time.

It was a cute Rom Com with LBGTQA themes and much more.. This is an easy buy for my Library because not only does it display these LBGTQA characters as main characters but it makes them fully realized in a short 128 pages.

This is a great comic! The artwork is good with bright colouring and the story is engaging and enjoyable. It follows a team of cheerleaders, focusing on Annie who is a smart, antisocial lesbian and BeeBee a young trans girl who is trying to please her parents and get good grades so that she can eventually transition.

Now that BeeBee has come out as trans, the two girls rekindle their former friendship and they support each other. Annie learns to be kinder and collaborative, and BeeBee learns how to stand her ground and be assertive. It is a great story about friendship and breaking down barriers, and the rest of the team also learns how to appreciate each other and how to be friends. It is a great comic with an empowering message.

Copy provided by Oni Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

There were many reasons I liked this: Transgender rep, plus-size main character, characters with believable flaws, rekindling of childhood friendships, first love, and a character finding the strength to stand up for herself.

All of the relationships were well written from the team wh originally only use BeeBee to make them look good when applying to college as they slowly grow to realise what their behaviour is and rectify it, to Annie's mother who is about the only one standing up to Annie and accepts BeeBee without any prodding, to BeeBee's own parents who at first seem unaccepting of her transition until you realise they are just so scared that their daughter will be hurt and only want to protect her because they love her so damned much. It was truly beautiful to see how these connections flowed and developed as the story progressed.

I also loved the characters themselves. Annie, who is so insecure underneath her bravado. BeeBee who has to adapt to the changing views of those around her. The girls on the squad as they slowly pen up, one even inspired by BeeBee to come out themselves as nonbinary. It was so lovely to see a cast of characters so flawed in their own way, yet still have a story to tell that is relevant to the story.

Though this book involved cheerleading, there wasn't a lot of actual cheerleading involved, as the story did mostly focus on the personal lives of the squad. When there was cheerleading, however, it was explained very well and as someone who knows nothing of the sport, I now know what a flyer and spotter are!

That being said, I had a couple of minor issues which held me back from a five star review. The story felt too short. At only 128 pages, I expected this to be an ongoing series, but unless something does change, it is a standalone novel. Which is such a shame as I would have loved to see a more gradual development of the story and the relationships of the two main characters, rather than the sometimes jerky time jumps we got.

I also felt like some of the issues the girls faced could have been more developed. For example, it would have been nice to see more of a reaction to one scene involving BeeBee being refused entry to a girl's changing room by a coach of another school. I felt the issue was only gently touched on and more could have been done such as bringing in parents etc. I understand that for the shorter length it needed to be cut down, but that is again why I would have adored more than one issue!

Overall this was a powerful story about two young women reconnecting with one another and falling in love. It is an emotional piece that did have me welling up once or twice and Crystal Frasier is most definitely someone I will be keeping an eye on because her illustration and storytelling are definitely something magical.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an eARC of “Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms” in exchange for an honest review!

Have you ever thought to yourself, 'Wow, I really wish there was an utterly adorable and diverse graphic novel about a sapphic couple featuring a biracial trans girl and a plus size lesbian'? No? Well, now you should. And then read 'Cheer Up'!

I loved absolutely everything about this book, from the amazing art, to the deep, well developed characters. It can often be harder to connect to characters in graphic novels for me, as they are shorter than full length novels, but that was absolutely not the case in 'Cheer Up'.

The diversity was incredible! Neither girls, Bebe, a biracial trans girl; or Annie, a plus sized lesbian; let their differences stop them. Bebe wants nothing more than to blend in like her friends, and Annie will stop at nothing to protect her. The diversity flowed easily throughout, and never felt forced or performative.

'Cheer Up' handled the struggles faced by trans youth so brilliantly, from transphobic microaggressions, to feeling pressured into being an advocate, when sometimes, you just want to be a regular teenager. I also felt so seen by how sexual harassment and trans fetishisation was dealt with in 'Cheer Up'.

The only criticism I have is that I wish it was longer. I finished the graphic novel so quickly, and I would’ve loved it to be longer so we could see more development between Annie and Bebe, or parts of their friendship from before Bebe came out, as it’s mentioned that they were old friends who drifted apart, before reconnecting.

Overall, I loved 'Cheer Up', and I think any fans of 'Heartstopper', or anyone who just wants some cute fluffy sapphic trans representation should definitely pick it up!

This was adorable.
There are so many important lessons to learn from this book!
LOVE to see the representation. I feel that this graphic novel was a long time coming.

This book is a WIN for the LGBTQ+ community & many people should read it.

***ARC provided by Netgalley and Oni Press in exchange for a review***

Aw, this was so darn cute!

Cheer Up is a fairly short, super cute graphic novel about two MCs, a people-pleasing trans girl and her anti-social lesbian ex-best-friend who re-bond over cheerleading. Cheerleading isn’t the forum I’d expect two diverse characters to show up in - admittedly my knowledge of American high school cheerleading is derived from YA books and Glee, but I always thought that cheerleading was basically like the opposite of diversity? Maybe things are changing though, because the cheerleading team in this book were very inclusive.

The plot covered a lot of ground in relative few pages - there was sexuality and gender, family dynamics, romance, microagressions, consent, sexual assault as well as a pretty good plot that didn’t dip into preachiness. I think there was a danger this book could have become like an after school special on Isn’t Inclusivity A Good Thing, but it managed to avoid doing that. The characters visibly grow and develop too, which I wasn’t expecting for such a short book.

Things I liked:
- I loved the character designs. All of the characters had their own unique flair that really helped even the minor characters come to life.
- Appreciated the complex dynamic between the cheerleading squad and how they ultimately realized they had been tokenizing and excluding Bebe.
- Bebe and Annie awkwardness when admitting their feelings for each other was so perfect and relatable.
- Always happy to see more f/f romances for teens! There are definitely patrons who will love this book.

Things I didn’t like:
- The comic’s backgrounds were a bit boring and underdrawn. I know creating a graphic novel is labour intensive, so I am guessing a conscious choice was made to have more limited backgrounds for certain panels. But I would have appreciated a more fully realized setting.
- Annie’s character seemed a bit underdeveloped for me. A character doesn’t need some big reason to be prickly, but I kept expecting more explanation for why she and Bebe stopped being friends or why she bit (!) someone.
- I wanted more cheerleading! The comp titles, Fence and Check! Please, focus a lot of their respective sports so I was expecting the actual cheerleading to be more central.

Book: Cheer Up
Author: Crystal Frasier
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Description:
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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🌼 The book is about two girls, Beatrice who recently came out as a trans and Annie who is a loner and is extremely smart. Beatrice needs a tutor whereas Annie needs to get involved in extracurricular activities for college applications. The start of the novel seemed like Work it( a Netflix movie).
🌼 The book discusses love in various forms of care and affection. The love between the cheerleading team where they stand by each other always. The love and care of Beatrice parents and the budding relationship between Annie and Beatrice. All of them felt so pure.
🌼 It was so simple yet so meaningful. It was able to discuss many topics within its short length. The coming out of a person and breaking the barriers to finally feel free. The people who supports them and also the ones who opposes them. It discusses the feeling a trans person feel in order to not stand out from the crowd. The book was diverse where no one looked same as each other. Each individual with an individual identity.
🌼 The artwork was great. It was clean and interesting without any mess and confusion.
The colours were also beautiful.
🌼 The book was too short tho. I wanted more of it. I hope we can get sequel to this amazing book.
🌼 Overall an amazing read. I can recommend it to everyone.

This graphic novel was one of the sweetest things I’ve read in a while. Firstly, the art is gorgeous and incredibly well done. I liked how detailed the style was without feeling messy or overwhelming. The color palette was really gorgeous for this specific novel. The story was heart warming and amusing, with a ton packed into the short graphic novel. This is a full story, which I appreciated a lot. There is not cliffhanger to leave you frustrated and wanting the next story immediately. The way this novel addressed different identities and setting boundaries with other was really wonderful!

TW/CW: Transphobia (some contested), sexual harassment, fatphobia, microaggresions, bullying

When I randomly downloaded this title on Netgalley, I didn’t think this story would have such an impact on me. I saw that gorgeous cover, read that it was a sapphic romance with other LGBTQIA+ themes, and didn’t really read much farther - and honestly, I love that I went into it kinda blind. Cheer Up is the story of two teen girls who used to be friends. For an unknown reason (that I wish the story had gone into!), the two stopped talking a few years before the story starts.

Beatrice is a cheerleader who has become popular ever since she came out as transgender. Annie is a loner who’s extremely smart but doesn’t have any friends.
Beatrice needs a tutor to keep her grades up so that she can continue transitioning and Annie’s mom wants her to get more involved in extracurriculars for college applications.
So, of course, they decide to work together.

This story is full of love - platonic love, familial love, and romantic love. The cheerleading team, while often misguided, means well. They love each other so much and by the end of the book will do anything to protect each other. Beatrice’s parents want her life to be as easy as possible and tend to be very protective of her. Annie and Beatrice’s budding romantic relationship made me cry at 2:30 AM when I finished this book.

It’s also a story of identity and discovery. Annie explicitly states that she’s attracted to girls (she never explicitly says she’s a lesbian like the synopsis does, but I’ll take it). Beatrice admits that because she’s been so focused on her gender identity journey that she hasn’t even gotten to think about her sexuality - but Annie helps her along with that. One of their cheerleading teammates comes out thanks to Beatrice.

Not only does this graphic novel have all of that going for it, but it’s also incredibly diverse in other aspects. No background or side character looks the same. Different body types all around, hijabi background characters, and so many characters of color.

This graphic novel holds a lot for being less than 200 pages. From heavy and important moments like discussing how performative activism is harmful, to the light and fun aspects of high school such as homecoming dress shopping, this book seems to have it all. It holds a variety of deep conversations and concepts all while being balanced by its fun, beautiful, and brightly colored pages.

I feel like I could talk forever about this book, so I’m gonna stop here before I just melt into keyboard smashing and all caps. If you’re looking for a book that is destined to make you feel good, this is it. Please read this book; I hope you love it as much as I do.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

“I spent 17 years hiding. And I can tell you: it doesn’t fix anything.”

CHEER UP: LOVE AND POMPOMS is a perfectly adorable and tender queer YA graphic novel. Annie, a grouchy tomboy nerd, has to join a sport to round out her college applications; the cheer team is her best option. Beatrice, or Bebe, the first trans girl in the state to join a cheer team, is adjusting to being out and taking up space. Reunited after a few years of not being as close, Annie helps Bebe learn to stand up for herself and say what she wants, and Bebe teaches Annie how to be gentle and make friends.

This book is an adorable coming-of-age story and sapphic romance rolled into one. I really loved how the author addresses the nuances of supporting someone transitioning and coming out - there’s lots of folks in the novel who love Bebe but don’t respect what she wants, or are allies for selfish reasons/in ways that don’t honor Bebe, and I like how it’s drawn out and resolved. There’s lots of positive representation in terms of queerness, race, and body size. My heart was so full after reading it and I can’t wait for everyone else to experience it too. Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC! You can pick up this cupcake of a book on 8/10.

Content warnings: transphobia, anti-fat bias

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC.

If you enjoy graphic novels like Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, The Prince and the Dressmaker or Fence; Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms is exactly what you need right now! This graphic novel written by Crystal Fraiser and illustrated by Val Wise is the perfect combination of charming queer characters, fresh dialogues and romantic plots that will steal your heart.

Annie is a lesbian teenager who has trouble making friends. She just started her last year of high school and she feels pressured to make her college applications look their best in order to get a spot in the university of her dreams. It’s because of this that she joins the cheerleader squad where she reencounters BeeBee, a childhood friend who is always helping people and trying to have a perfect life because she thinks that this way no one will judge her transition. Annie and BeeBee will reconnect thanks to cheerleading and their day-to-day queer struggles, discovering that they might see each other as more than just friends.

One of the things that I liked the most about this graphic novel is its simplicity. The story is very realistic and I also think that books such as this one (or Moxie, to name another example) could be the fire starters for (very much needed) high school social revolutions.

The story has a very diverse ensemble of characters, most of them being BeeBee’s friends. BeeBee is for me the real protagonist of this graphic and also my absolute favourite character.

BeeBee is a trans girl who has learnt to prioritize other people’s needs instead of her own. She doesn’t just feel the need to please everyone but also to look perfect in their eyes so that everyone will see her as a “real girl”, a perfect girl. BeeBee experiences hundreds of microaggressions every day, even from her own friends who want her to be the cheerleading captain in spite of her opposing to it, just so they can seem more diverse.

Annie is her main ally and the one to help her change all of this, she teaches her how to raise her voice and stand up for herself. Little by little the relationship between them grows without them realizing it and suddenly they become each other’s main support and the best versions of themselves when they’re together.

One of my favourite scenes of this graphic novel is when BeeBee finally expresses her feelings to her friends and tells them that even though she’s a trans woman she doesn’t need to be the center of attention at all times and she definitely doesn’t want to be prom queen just to prove her value. What BeeBee wants is to be a normal teenager, exploring and living her life at her own pace.

I think it is very important how this graphic novel shows that we should create a safe environment for trans people so they can express themselves freely. And how as allies we should just stop and listen, leaving our own feelings and thoughts aside so our trans brothers and sisters can feel heard and understood.

The only thing I didn’t like about this graphic novel was the lack of character development in the secondary characters. I would have liked to know more about the cheerleaders and BeeBee’s parents and I didn’t get to see them grow as much, but that is something common, and understandable, when it comes to short graphic novels. In spite of that, I do think they contribute to BeeBee’s storyline and character development.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms is the perfect graphic novel to read on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of hot tea. It is very enjoyable but it also shows us how important it is to consume culture with all types of representation. With this graphic novel we can learn how trans teenagers often feel trapped by stereotypes and preconceived ideas about how they should be, and it does it in the most caring and sweet way.

If you need a book to make you smile and leave the room you’re in for a while, this is the one.

This book was absolutely delightful! The character development was great, and I loved the representation and message of this graphic novel. This is the type of graphic novel that I want to see become more popular in the industry.

This was hands down one of the sweetest things I've read in a long time. From page one you have Annie this spunky, angry, defiant person who is forced to try out for the cheerleading team so she can soften up and make some friends. Then you have Bebe, a trans girl who is just trying to fly under the radar and not cause any problems. She gets named captain of the cheer squad and uses her new powers to let Annie join the team. The two of them used to be best friends so when they start hanging out with each other again, new feelings start to flourish. With a lot of heart and a ton of girl power, this book shows that love and friendship are all the power we need to get anything done.

I really loved all the representation in this book. We have Annie and Bebe two queer girls (I believe Annie is a lesbian, Bebe is trans but no sexuality label was mentioned, but she does like girls), and Edie who is a non-binary character. I loved how everyone interacted and I loved the arc of Bebe's relationship with the people in her life. Her pain and her desire to be unseen are so real and sad, but she learns her strength and how to stand up for herself. Annie's mom is also an amazing character. So fun and fierce and loving, you love to see it.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it wasn't long enough. I want more! I want more about these girls and their lives. Hopefully there's a sequel, I know I'll be reading anything else this author comes out with purely because this ticked so many of my boxes. I love a f/f romance with two opposites attracting. If you aren't too sure about reading a graphic novel, I say just try it this once, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. There is so much heart in this story and so much growth from all of the characters, it's really just.... swell lol. Seriously though, there's not a whole lot missing from this so if it sounds even remotely interesting or ticks any of your boxes, READ THIS.

I want more! I found a lot of this relatable as I cheered from age 8 to 14 and I never really wanted to, but my family was heavily involved in the football program that went along with it. I adored the characters and I would love to see this story continue. Many more volumes please!

Cheer Up is such a cute graphic novel, I loved every bit of it!! Annie and Bebe are such endearing characters and I loved following their relationship through the whole story. I also absolutely loved the way the cheer team became such a tight community and showcased the bonds between the whole squad. The story also talks about really important topics around Bebe's identity as a trans girl and her experience trying to fit in amidst her friends and classmates while dealing with misconceptions and transphobia. Broadly speaking, I also really loved the art style, which was so sweet and perfect for the story. Overall, I thought it made for a really fun read and definitely recommend it!