Super cute and adorable. I loved the inclusion and diversity and the over all message. I'd be happy to read more from the author and the artwork is gorgeous!

4 out of 5 wine glasses.

I received this book as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

YES! A million times yes! Cheer up features our two main characters, Annie and Bebe. Annie is an outcast, who needs an extra curricular for her college applications. Bebe is the first trans girl at school and also a cheerleader. Cheer up follows the two friends growing back together and fighting some of the stresses of being different in high school.

I LOVED the rep in this book. The art style was gorgeous. I want more ASAP

Super cute and wholesome story queer cheerleading romance. I really hope there’s a sequel because this was amazing.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just read #CheerUp by Crystal Fraisier, a brilliant high school graphic novel.
Packs in LGBTQ+ characters, friendship a sweet romance, social pressures, parents, tests and grades, & being a cheerleader!
One for the wish list not out until August.
Thanks #NetGalley

A queer cheerleading romance? A million times yes! Readers of the series Check Please! will be familiar with this level of charm and wholesomeness in a queer sports story.

Wow! "Cheer Up!" completely exceeded my expectations! I loved it so much that I read it twice back to back! Fraiser, Wise, and Jupiter do a fantastic job of confronting and exploring teen issues without ever coming off as didactic. Put this comic in every highschool library worldwide! Stat!

Cheer Up! is the story of two girls falling in love with themselves and each other, but it is also SO much more than that!

I've read a lot of queer YA that is good but can only really be described as having a "Degrassi/ after school special" vibe. I think this stems from the desire to attack certain LGBTQ issues head-on (which is admirable), but then that comes off as stilted or choreographed.

Cheer Up! avoids this problem completely. I was shocked by how many complex issues are confronted in this book's pages in a totally natural way. The authors do an incredible job of "show don't tell" through both dialogue and art.

The events of the book show you what's happening, and the characters tell you how *they* feel about it, but no one has to turn around and say, "and this is an example of tokenism, or fetishism, or fatphobia!" etc. The authors give the reader 2+2, not 4. This makes such a massive impact on the story. It sounds simple, but as a writer myself, I can tell you that takes skill! I struggle with it all the time.

I could list the array of issues the authors deftly tackle in this story, but it would take some time! It would be best if you read it yourself instead. Most impressively, the authors demonstrate quickly and easily how even *support* of trans people can become very problematic. It makes the reader ask themselves, are you giving your LGBTQ+ friends the support they actually want and need or the support you want to give them, and that makes you look good?

I loved all the characters, especially the mom Celeste. She is goals. Throughout, you really feel like you are getting a look at how Bebe and Annie feel for their sake and not yours, which is hard to explain. Cheerleading was funnily the perfect background for this story. I liked that it wasn't like every other cheer narrative I'd consumed that was all about tearing each other apart to win some championship. The focus is on their friendships and personal growth as a squad and not some external goal.

The artist's use of insets throughout the book was beautiful, and the soft colour pallet complements this sweet story perfectly.

I am going to go preorder this book right now, and you should too! Cheer up comes out in August of 2021.

*A note to the publisher that will not appear in my social media reviews*

On page 28, a text box reads "I Hope" in the splash of Annie's thoughts about cheer positions. The first time I read the book, I was confused by this. On my second read-through, I realized that this is about Bebe saying the spotters will "catch you on the way down," but I had to think very hard to figure this out. In part, I think this is because there aren't many "thoughts" throughout the book, so it doesn't flow naturally. I think it would be best to leave this box out or change it somehow to be easier to read! Thank you for your time!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am in love with this comic, this one is going straight on my favourites shelf becasue OMG!
The general story reminded me very much of that "Work-it" movie where there is one person wanting to go into college but having no clubs and such to show "Personality" so they have to get into one.
But when that happened in the comic I was shook with the other main character Bebe, the fact that she was trans was so interesting. When looking at the art style the artist was smart enough to give her a feminine and masculine face when it came to face shape so it was so interesting how you could still see "The man" in her since she was transitioning.
I loved everything in this comic so much and I think it's such a worthy read.

This is only my second graphic novel, but I loved it. The imagery was exactly what I'd expect from a graphic novel and was really well done. I love the storyline and the way the story tackled some complex issues around gender and sexuality and thr process of discovery. As an ex-cheerleader I also loved the cheer aspect.
I would recommend this for secondary school kids as I think it teaches some important lessons.
I'm really hoping this is a series because I want to hear more from the main characters!

This is such an adorable graphic novel! It felt really reminiscent of Alice Oseman's Heartstopper series and Check Please! It's a wholesome story exploring gender, friendship and love. The story has so much heart, it's adorable! Such an uplifting story about being your authentic self and uplifting others, this is definitely one to look out for. I want more from these characters. It's so short and sweet, there has to be a sequel!

It was such a cute and sweet read! I loved the character representation and the relationship between the main characters. The book is really diverse, which I absolutely loved - you could see people trying to explore their sexuality and gender identity. Apart from that, the art was really beautiful and the character designs were amazing too! The plot was in a way like slice of life, it wasn't one with major plot happening but rather of self-discovery and forming relationships. Totally loved it!

Trigger Warnings: Micro aggressions, Transphobia,

"Cheer Up" manages to discuss difficult topics with ease and emotion! The cast of characters is very diverse and realistic, with most characters being both flawed and lovable, and the relationships (romance, friendships and family) are all very wholesome and evolve with the progression of the story. I also enjoyed how cheerleading is portrayed, liberating it from the more typical idea of the "clicky-famous-girls-only" high school sport that most media tend to show. The art suits the story really well, I really liked the style and colours. Overall, a very diverse, light hearted read that still discusses serious topics with lovely art, highly recommend!

This was an incredibly sweet little graphic novel! It was a very quick read and I highly recommend it.

This was one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. It follows Annie, an anti-social lesbian, and Bebe, a trans girl. Annie ends up joining the cheerleading team that Bebe is the leader of and the story goes on from there. It is filled with so much sweetness, joy, friendship, and love. Bebe unfortunately has to deal with transphobic microaggressions but the overall vibe of the book is so sweet and joyful.

I absolutely loved the friendship aspects in this book as well as the romance that starts to develop in here which is SO SWEET. This book is just so beautifully queer and wonderful, and I'm craving the next volume already (I hope there is going to be one because I don't want to live without it!!!).

I love graphic novels but it's sometimes hard for me to get fully invested in the characters in them. In this book, however, I was invested immediately, and I rooted for them since page one. I absolutely recommend this to anyone and everyone. This book is filled with so much goodness that you need in your life. I also really love the art style in it.

This book is so dang sweet. It's a sweet little story that is so perfect for fans of things like Fence but make it sapphic. Honestly this is the kind of book I'm going to buy and read over and over again just because it fills me with so much glee. My whole heart is with these characters. Such great representation and story telling in such a short amount of time but it works so well. I would read ten more in this series.

Oh my! This story is just so sweetly adorable. Bebe is a trans cheerleader, and loner bookworm Annie joins the squad under protest because she needs to round out her transcript for college. It's not easy for either of them -- Bebe has to deal with transphobia and Annie encounters social challenges trying to fit in with the squad. But they renew their previous friendship and both learn things from each other.

This is a feel-good story that shows realistic interpersonal conflicts and plausible resolutions. I got very caught up in the twists and turns, and was happy and excited to see the personal growth that various characters exhibited. All of the cheerleaders end up learning some things about real solidarity.

I think both of my teenaged kids will enjoy this comic, and I'll be happy to have them read it, since it showcases values like getting along, supporting each other, and being yourself. I'll definitely be buying a copy!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free advance PDF!

I thought this book was super cute. With a great amount of diversity shown, I was super proud to see that YA Graphic Novels are allowing themselves to stray from pure CIS-White-based novels and delving into handfuls of diverse themes.

Though the story had some stereotypical clichés, there were more than enough feel good moments to bypass the moments. The story had enough realistic issues to seem like it could've been a true story, which I appreciated.

I'll definitely be purchasing this for my library, and promoting it as much as I can.

A sweet short story about American highschool life and the subverting of common tropes.
We got complex characters, building friendships, finding love, and overall growing stronger together. The themes are clearly established and the story is careful not to overwhelm you with its messages.

This book was so beautiful. This is the first graphic novel I have ever read and it surpassed all of my expectations. I found myself crying halfway through at how beautiful the relationships and character development was, and crying yet again at the ending!

I loved how this story had trans rep and a sapphic romance which I always love. I also found myself hooked from the very first page. This book is truly unique, and is a very quick read, I think I read it in about 30-40 minutes. This is the perfect story if you need something to cheer you up, and a light read that won't take too long.

I also think that this book accurately described what high school is like and how microagressions present themselves in day to day life as a highschooler. I think it takes a truly amazing book to be able to portray this in such a respectful yet raw way.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes cheerleading, sapphic books, romance, and LGBTQ+ rep!

What an absolutely joyful book celebrating trans and queer teens! This sweet love story of self-acceptance made me optimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ publishing and youth.

This was an adorable YA graphic novel with gorgeous art. I loved the body positivity and the way it tackled tough topics such as transphobia and harassment.

The characters were flawed and authentic, and the artwork really brought them to life.

I’d recommend this to every reader no matter the age to learn more about what it is to be trans and how difficult it can be to navigate even the smallest and mundane daily activities as a trans person. If nothing else I hope it teaches and reinforces compassion for the people in your life who need the extra support.

On top of all that is a sweet and sapphic love story and the importance of friendship- real friendship with honest communication.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.