Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Trigger warning for fatphobia, transphobia, sexual harassment

This very short graphic novel follows the story of a trans cheerleader and a new cheerleader in the team that start to hang out together and develop romantic feelings for each other. The story is very short so everything, from transphobia to the romantic relationship, only get a surface level development and ends up making the story feel rushed. It's a feel good story about 2 girls just having fun and helping each other in the process.

The color palette suited the story well and it was really pleasing to the eye, would recommend if you're looking for a quick read.

I adored this so much! This queer romance between Annie, the antisocial lesbian, and Bebe, the only out trans girl in school, against the backdrop of cheerleading, is a breeze of a read, as much as it is an important addition to the diverse voices bookshelf. It addresses the importance of the boundaries of allyship, showing how the thin line between being supportive and performative can often be harmful for those you're trying to show support for. The romance made me smile throughout, while the powerful message it unpacked effortlessly and effectively was impressive, to say the least. I enjoyed this so much. I hope this is a series where we can read more about Annie and Bebe. Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for letting me read an uncorrected proof.

TW: transphobic microaggressions.
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CHEER UP: LOVE AND POMPOMS is a great little graphic novel! We follow Bebe, a timid trans girl who’s trying to please everyone to avoid making waves, and Annie, a more brash, antisocial lesbian who’s reluctantly agreed to join Bebe on the cheerleading team. Bebe and Annie are old friends who are reconnecting and together they help each other grow.
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With beautiful art work and great characters, this was a really good read! It was light and fluffy, while also handling some difficult topics. There was so much character development in such a short book— watching Bebe’s confidence grow was lovely, and seeing Annie’s personality blossom was awesome. I was rooting for these girls every step of the way! My heart was racing when Bebe stood up for herself— I was so proud of her! I quickly grew to love these girls. I’d love to see more of their story.
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4.5 stars! CHEER UP: LOVE AND POMPOMS by Crystal Frasier is available August 10, 2021.
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Thank you to Oni Press and Netgalley for the chance to read and review it early!

Cheer up is a cute graphic novel that deals with themes of identity and the pressure of society to be a certain way, perfect for when you need something sweet and short by that still tackles serious issues.
The main focus of this novel is Annie, a short-tempered rebel genius who needs to learn how to be a team player if she wants to get into college, and Annie’s ex-best friend Bebe, who has recently come out as trans and is part of the cheerleading squad, squad that Annie eventually joins as a way of working on her people skills.
It deals with how Bebe feels this enormous pressure to be polite, non confrontational and “girly” to be accepted at school and at home, and the misogyny and transphobia she faces throughout her daily life, and how people sometimes trying to defend her make things worse.
It draws a very well done parallel between Bebes arc and Annie’s, where the first is learning that sometimes being confrontational is necessary in order to stand up for yourself and not let others abuse you, and the latter who is trying to be more sociable and learning to be less confrontational. They both help each other through this journey and form a beautiful friendship and then embark themselves into a relationship.
The art style was beautiful and i specially enjoyed the colour palette.
My only complaint is that as it it’s this short (only 120 pages) it sometimes felt rushed and some things never get resolved (like bebes history grade)

tw // transphobia, misogyny, sexual harassment, one fatphobic comment

One of my favorite readings of the year! "Cheer Up" is cute, beautiful and pleasant. I am surrounded by tragic stories with trans characters and this one surprised me!

This graphic novel was so utterly adorable! I loved the art, the wonderful characters and the witty dialogues. It really warmed my heart with its perfect mix of teenage angst and cheerleading, queerness and character growth, and the way it illustrated how hurtful people’s comments can be and the powerful message that no one should ever need to be afraid to be who they are. It was just completely irresistible and such an important eye-opener!

The story follows the smart, but antisocial lesbian Annie. Starting her senior year of high school, she’s more or less forced to join the cheerleader squad to round out her college applications. Her former friend BeBe is the first trans girl ever to have been named cheerleading captain, but she’s struggling not only with her transition but with her overprotective parents, her fear of being seen as trouble if she stands up for herself, and the everyday issues like being denied to change in the girl locker room and falling in love. Through the squad training the two of them rekindle their friendship they’d lost and awake feelings for each other that are even stronger than that…

I really appreciated how insightful and eye-opening the story was in how hurtful things people say without meaning it can be. Like saying to BeBe that she’s “just like a girl” and treating her like a mascot instead of a real person. Or the way her parents kept her under constant surveillance out of fear for anyone harming her, and putting pressure on her by blaming lesser grade, or other things, on the transition. But most of all, I loved the clear message about how it was never a choice for BeBe not the be the girl she is and that no matter how stressful and hard the transition is, it’s still better than living a lie and trying to be a boy.

All in all, this was an amazing, funny, adorable, sweet and fast-paced read with an important message and wonderful representation and characters! I cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the free review copy and the opportunity to read this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

It’s two a.m. and I’m crying, this is so wholesome, knowing about the struggle some of my friends have been through because they are trans and reading this story was like a hug to my soul, it brings me hope that there is good people that love and cherish their friends no matter what, that kind of sorority is a dream that just i few of us have and i want that for every person but mostly for those who feel like they don’t have anyone, this gave me that hope that sometimes I lose, it was sublime, the representation and the diversity was so perfect and i love them with my whole heart.

this was soooo adorable. everything is handled perfectly in this book, and you have everything you’d like to see in a really well done diverse graphic novel. a sapphic romance, a transgender character, .. the design is also incredibly cute, I just stared at the pages sometimes. this should go in everyone’s hands! we should totally share some graphic novels like this, they tell a really good story by including everyone so smoothly.

This was SO HEARTWARMING. I can't even cope.
I just love how progressive this story was and somewhat educational too.
The inclusivity in this was phenomenal. Granted at first people were being inclusive for the wrong reasons but throughout the story they actually listened to peoples opinions and made better choices.
Massive well done to the author! Loved it.

Thank you to Oni Press for providing an ARC of Cheer Up!

If I could stand on the rooftop and shout about how much I loved Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms, I absolutely would. Even in the face of my crippling fear of heights. That is how much I adored this story!

Annie, the school rebel who drinks her coffee black and isn’t much of a people person, has perfect grades but needs some extracurriculars to fluff up her college applications. Beatrice, all-star student and new cheer captain, is a trans girl who must keep her grades spotless and image pristine to show she can handle the pressure of life so her parents will continue supporting her transition.

At the suggestion of her cool mom (who used to be a cheerleader herself?!), Annie decides to attend cheer tryouts. The team immediately writes Annie off thanks to her reputation of being just a bit negative (and maybe because she bit a kid once). Bebe, previously best friends with Annie before becoming popular, tells them to give her a chance. The team gave her one when she was starting to transition, and she wants to show that cheer can be a welcoming place for all. She also does a mean backspring, thanks to previous years of gymnastics. Bebe offers to help Annie train to become a flyer for the team, being the top of the human pyramid. Annie agrees and in exchange offers to tutor Bebe in history, a class she’s secretly struggling in. The girls start building up their friendship again, with Annie becoming more open and Bebe learning to stand up for herself. Their feelings begin to blossom towards something more, but has Annie opened up enough to tell Bebe her feelings? Is Bebe ready for a relationship, on top of the struggles with her family?


Annie’s gruff, devil-may-care attitude made me laugh out loud multiple times. Set with Bebe’s sweet and anxious personality, the two were such a wonderful pairing and I loved how their personalities positively influenced one another to become the best version of themselves. It was such a refreshingly wholesome, feel-good relationship between the two and showed that queer romance isn’t always doom-and-gloom as it is often portrayed.

I would’ve liked to see more of the other team members, but understand that there was only so much space for the storyline. Crystal Frasier gave them all unique personalities that shine through, even with the limited interactions. I also loved how different the character designs were, and the wonderful representation of all different body types and skin colors! It was so awesome to see bigger bodies just existing without being pointed out or the center of the story.

I’m not sure if there are plans for more volumes of Cheer Up but I could definitely read more. I devoured the book in an hour and felt so sad when I didn’t have more of Annie and Bebe’s story to read! This was such a heartwarming story with positive messages on friendship, self-confidence and relationships. It also includes fantastic LGBTQ+ representation, diverse characters of different races and body types, and super cute interactions. I highly recommend this to book to fans of Lumberjanes, anyone questioning their identity, LGBTQ+ youth, parents of LGBTQ+ youth, and those looking for a sweet story. I’ll be buying a copy as soon as Cheer Up! goes on sale and will be highly suggesting my library purchase copies for our collection. Smiles and warm feelings guaranteed with this book!

This was a really cute romance book between a reluctant cheerleader and their former friend who came out as transgendered recently. The artwork was sweet and easy to follow, and there were more than a few moments that made me laugh out loud. The final showdown at the Homecoming dance was a little cliched, but then again, it's a stable of the teen romantic-comedy genre for a reason. I can't stress this enough, this was REALLY cute in all the right ways.

Sweet, to the point, a little hard to stomach sometimes, and romantic. Cheer up sometimes hit a little too hard - it definitely lost a star for me for not branching out more into addressing the transphobia Bebe experienced coming from her teammates, or even her parents in the end, but the way she was treated seemed very realistic. A fun read, that’s a little heavy for a graphic novel in the best kind of way.

This was so cute and funny and it has such a beautiful set of characters! Bebe was so fierce even with all her insecurities. Annie so badass yet such a squishy and adorable little thing.
I loved how they all stood up for themselves and for their friends, learning how to open up and speak up.
Such a lovely graphic novel with beautiful art!

4 stars *may change
Trigger warnings: transphobia, fatphobia, harassment

This was a nice, heartwarming story that managed to be cute while dealing with hard conversations on transphobia. The main characters are a Latina trans girl dealing with microaggressions from the people around her and her ex-friend who needs to join a club to get into a good college. The story follows them as friends and as something more, and it was really so touching to read. Not to mention that the art style is pretty and goes along with the story well.

It definitely has...more difficult subjects. The transphobia coming from almost every character was really sickening to read about and made me uncomfortable, although I suppose that was the point, no?

My only issue is that there are some parts where I wish the story had given itself more time to say what it wanted to say. In one instance an entire plot point was resolved within a 2-page conversation, leaving me confused as to why it was important in the first place. But I also understand that the graphic novel genre has its limits.

Overall just an enjoyable book to read instead of paying attention in class.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader's copy.

Cute! So cute!!!! I absolutely loved this sapphic graphic novel romance. The representation in this was fantastic and I loved the minimalistic but bright art style.

This was such a sweet and fluffy graphic novel! If you're a sucker for wlw characters done right, I highly recommend you pick this up.

Not only is the art style pleasant, the story is heartwarming and delves into a lot of issues trans people experience as well as being fun and light-hearted as well. I am a very big fan of (seemingly) polar opposites slowly starting to get along and grow as people because of the other and you can very clearly see that steadily start to happen as the story progresses.

Despite being just over 100 pages, it does a very good job at pacing. It doesn't feel rushed and the world doesn't feel empty at all.

Overall, I give it a 4.8/5. This was very well-written, the characters feel relatable and the art style adds to its charm as well.

THIS WAS SO CUTE. I love how lighthearted the comic is, but also still manages to cover important messages in the plot. Annie and Bebe were both such strong characters, and it was a joy to read their dynamics in the story, and their development through out the comics. The illustrations were also so amazing, this book was just a whole blast to read and I'm so glad that I got to read this early!

Omg, I was not expecting this to be so sweet, and loving and just overall a great graphic novel! Well I mean I knew it would be great, but I didn't expect for it to hit me right in the heart! Such a wonderful story about friendship, stereotypes, and all around fun. I would say this is more about Bebe then Annie, but there is a good balance in the story that turns into THEIR story. Such a fun read and really recommend it to everyone.

This was just so wholesome and cute! I loved the two main characters and how they brought out the best in each other, and the squad took criticism and stood up for each other when it mattered.

This was an okay read. I didn't like how many of the characters wedre the same design but i love this concept and the overall art! Well done