internal screaming *the grumpy goth gf gets her sunshine gf!!!!!!!!*

Cheer Up was absolutely adorable and so cute! We deal with some trans microaggressions by mostly well meaning friends, gay yearning and,,, they all feel like real people? also more books with trans joy and us getting happy endings<33

recommended for anyone looking for a lovely sapphic graphic novel!!

rep: latina trans sapphic mc, fat lesbian mc, non binary sc, sc's of color

content warnings: transmisia(called out), misgendering(called out)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review

I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style, but the story itself was adorable and I loved the diversity, as well as the themes in the book. However, some things didn't sit quite well with me, like Beatrice's parents threatening to make her dress like a boy if she didn't do well at school. That's clearly abuse and I'm surprised the author made them all nice and respectful at the end without them ever backtracking or apologizing for their toxic behavior. I'm hoping to see that issue fixed in a possible sequel.

THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLE! To start, the art is sublime and the character design is so incredibly great! And the story! Wow! The story is compelling and sweet and so darn nice. Within the first few pages, I felt myself so entranced by the characters and it didn't take long at all to begin to care about them. Annie is such an incredibly relatable teenage girl, and Bebe's story is handled with such grace and care. This is hands down one of the cutest things I've ever read, and I cannot wait to recommend it to all of my friends.

This graphic novel was one of the most important and fabulously illustrated ones.

Being a trans kid in a school is a challenge in itself but the fact that others start making decisions for them thinking it's right, is irksome and the trans kids are a little scared of speaking their mind mostly because of peer pressure in most cases.
This book was a complete look into the major troubles that gender discrimination causes, the friendship, family, love, support, care and fear are all so beautifully illustrated in this gem of a a graphic novel.

This book made me think about the book 'This is How it Always Is' by Laurie Frankel and that book was the most heart touching ones. I loved the art, the landscape, the situations and most of all the relationship between the leads. This was a beautiful and a honestly wonderful book. I would recommend everyone to pick this one up.
#cheerup #crystalfrasier #netgalley

Elevator pitch: Antisocial Annie joins the cheerleading squad in an attempt to make friends where she reconnects with Bebe, an overachieving and anxious girl who came out as trans the year before.

Review: This was delightful! The art is stunning and so so cute. The characters are well developed in such a short time span. It’s hard to articulate what made this so special to read but every aspect felt so lovingly done, you could see the care on every page. There is some transphobic language which may be triggering, although it was commented on and handled sensitively.

I can’t wait to buy a copy so I can reread it when I’m feeling down. A kindhearted, joyful read!

i truly don't even know where to start and i mean this in the best possible way.
you had me at queer romance but i got so much more than i expected and i couldn't be happier! i loved it so so so much and i highly recommend it.
the story is heartwarming, adorable and wholesome and it follows two teenage girls that couldn't be more different finding themselves and each other. the representation is amazing, as annie is a lesbian and beebee is a trans sapphic and the story does a great job dealing with queer issues while still maintaining the vibes of a rom com. i live for fluffy lgbtq+ content because i feel like it's needed to contrast the bury your gays trope. i fell in love with the characters and their uniqueness and the fact that they're so real and relatable.
ati times i felt like it was a bit fast paced considering it was a graphic novel and maybe it was partly because i was enjoying it too much but the ending left me wanting more. the story fell into place nonetheless and i loved every moment i spent reading it. i'm hoping for a sequel because i'd love to see what's next in the protagonists' lives, but the ending scene was the perfect way to end this beautiful story.

This was such an adorable story about a plus size lesbian and a trans, biracial, and sapphic girl and their cheer team. This story tackles so many important topics including transphobia, fatphobia, harassment, and controlling parents. There were also so many instances of microaggressions in this book, and I like how they would be resolved. Characters would make transphobic comments without even realizing it was transphobic, and I was happy to see Bebe grow confident enough to stand up for herself.

I also loved how diverse this cheer squad is, especially how there were so many plus size characters, and they were able to play a sport without the goal of losing weight. There was also a non binary character who comes out toward the end <3

This graphic novel was really sweet and wholesome, I can’t believe how something so short had the power to make me learn more. It was too short but we can see perfectly how important it is to support and love others for who they are.
I really liked the characters, I could connect with Annie and BeeBee and their stories, but my favorite was BeeBee, I loved to watch her gain confidence and be more comfortable with herself. Another thing that I liked was to watch Annie and BeeBee friends and how they supported each other.
The author did a great job with the representation and the topics that this story tread and the illustrations were beautiful.
I think the reason that I give this story 4 stars is that I felt some things happened too fast and the end was a bit abrupt, I wanted to know more about BeeBee and her parents or about Annie’s mother and if being in the cheerleading group helped her with her college applications.

I think if you want something sweet and cute to read this graphic novel is perfect for you.

This graphic novel was amazing I loved all of the characters and found myself getting emotional while reading.This graphic novel reminded me so much of heartstopper but I loved that its had it's own uniqueness to it.I will definitely be picking a finished copy of this up.

This is the first book that I've read that has a transgender main character which I definitely want to read more of.

The illustrations of this graphic novel were stunning I loved all of the detail that was put in and the colours that were used throughout.

I would one Hundred percent recommend this to anyone who wants to be thrown in to a wonderful story. I cant wait to pick up more graphic novels like this one. I can only hope they'll make a sequel to this book as I would love to see what else happens.

Sapphic cheerleaders? Absolutely!! This comic showed the classic high school experience while being part of a minority. Our two main characters are a plus-sized lesbian, and a biracial trans girl. We have a friends to enemies to lovers trope that was nice to see. The romance was a little too fast but, seeing as its a short novel, was understandable. However, there is one scene that is straight from Alice Oseman's Heartstopper comic, but was still sweet to see.

The topics discussed in this novel were so important. We mainly touched on transphobia as well as sexual harassment and consent. Beatrice, our trans mc, is constantly anxious about her position in high school and being stared at. Atop of this, her parents don't make her life any easier, always hiding her away. While she feels at home with her cheer team, they still use her as the token trans person just to show they're accepting, and there is even one snide transphobic comment. Beatrice also experiences harassment from a boy at school who refuses to understand she doesn't want anything to do with him, and is constantly touching and talking to her. I think Crystal handled these topics well! There are also many other characters of colour, as well as a boy who joins the team and later realises they might be non-binary.

The art was very beautiful, especially in the prom scenes, and I would love to see more of this world with these characters! Overall, this was just a very short, very sweet LGBTQ+ graphic novel and I would definitely recommend it to young teens looking for a diverse, educational read!

THIS. WAS. SO. CUTE! The authors cover many important aspects in a short- to medium-length graphic novel, resulting in a fast-paced story. I would love to see this story expanded, though I think it will keep the attention of younger readers really well as it is. I'm glad I gave this inclusive graphic novel a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley, Oni Press, and the creators for the ARC!

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 Bebe 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 rigours of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention microaggressions 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.

"But I don't know where that line for safety and comfort is for you."

A must-read for anyone who loves 'Check, Please!' or' Heartstopper', in my opinion.

What to say about 'Cheer up!'? It was the most gorgeous thing I've read in a while. The art was wonderful, as was the actual story. I adored the two leads - a biracial transgirl (Bebe) and a short, angry plus-size lesbian (Annie) - and the way we saw them get together. I did feel as though it was slightly rushed, but perfect for the target audience.

Not only that, but I also loved the background characters as well; Annie's mother and the rest of the squad most of all. I liked how diverse the latter was - multiracial, different body types/sizes and a character who later comes out as GNC (possibly gender queer)? I didn't start out by liking them though, they grew on me as the story went on. The majority of characters in this book are endearing.

I did struggle to like Bebe's parents. Very much a case of they could be worse, but they could also be better. Appreciated the way the squad and Annie learned to understand Bebe's feelings.

Overall, 'Cheer Up!' was a lot of fun and a very cute way to start the week.

Annie Ginter is a top student at her school and determined to get into college, but after her counselor tells her that she needs to have more extracurriculars on her application, she decides to try out for cheerleading when her mom insists.
Beatrice Diaz made history last year as the state's first trans girl to compete as a cheerleader. But she doesn't always like to get so much attention. When her childhood friend, Annie, tries out for the team, Bebe insists that she should have a spot, even if the other girls don't like her.
Eventually, Bebe becomes captain, and as she and Annie attempt to rekindle their friendship, they discover that there might be something more.

This was shorter than I'm used to (about 123 PDF pages) but I didn't mind at all. I loved the art style too. One of my favorite parts was when Bebe stood up to her overprotective parents and told them that she's always safe when she's with Annie and her friends.

If you like graphic novels, definitely read this one when it comes out. You won't regret it.

This was a wonderful graphic novel about how a trans girl existed in high school and her experiences. The way the cheer team connects with each other is absolutely wonderful and it really helps break down those walls that cheerleaders are stuck up, mean, etc. and showing that they are just as much a team as any other sport.
One criticism I have about this, however, is that the initial reason of Annie joining the team for her mother and to get into college never had a definite ending. While it is easy to see that she did complete that goal or objective for herself, it would have been nice to see a moment with her and her mother.

cheer up was SO adorable and a very great way for me to get distracted in my zoom classes. the protagonists have so much personality in this short amount of pages?? cheerleading was so much fun to read about!! and the artwork is super cute!! i just genuinely think that we need more sports sapphics in the world and this was wonderful. i really think this was exactly the right amount of story to have in about 120 pages, and i'm already itching for there to be a sequel.

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an eARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

Cheer Up! is such a gorgeous story about friendship, support and loving yourself and others for who they are! First I want to say that I read through this graphic novel super quickly because it was just so easy to fall in love with the characters and their story along with the gorgeous illustrations.

If you have read and loved Alice Oseman's Heartstopper graphic novels you should definitely give this one a go! It gives off very similar vibes whilst maintaining originality and representing some different themes too. The story here is beautiful and I just couldn't put it down. I was rooting for everyone the whole time and even though I could see where it was going to go I loved it all the same because the build-up was great.

This story has some great representation and discussion regarding some very prevalent topics in today's world including transgender and non-binary people and the way they can be treated by society. I haven't really read any books about transgender characters but I loved BeeBee and loved watching her grow in confidence and find herself with the help of her amazing friends!

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book especially if you are new to graphic novels and need something with beautiful illustrations and an easy to follow story!

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms was the perfect, sugary sweet graphic novel to lose myself in after a long day. With an angry, plus-size lesbian main character and sapphic, biracial trans girl main character, this story was full of representation and different experiences. I particularly love reading about sports team dynamics, girl power and, of course, sapphics so this felt like the perfect graphic novel for me!

This book managed to pack a lot into a small space without ever feeling rushed or lacking. Everything was properly developed despite the fast pace and you really got to know and understand your main characters quickly. I really loved the character development they both went through, and the ways that they learned from each other. I also adored the romance between them – it was just adorable! I also loved the team dynamics as the girls all became friends and began to trust each other. And the art! The art was just stunning and bright and colourful and complimented the story perfectly.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms also tackled some important themes and issues which I felt were handled sensitively and with a lot of nuance. I really appreciated how the instances of transphobic microagressions were dealt with, as well as showing multiple plus-size characters on a sports team who didn’t suddenly lose weight through working out; they were shown as both fat and healthy.

Although it dealt with some of the prejudices these characters face, this graphic novel was overall a lighthearted, fluffy read and I really enjoyed it! It had a powerful message of standing up for yourself which I really appreciated and I would highly recommend it to fans of sports team dynamics, the childhood friends to enemies to lovers trope and adorable romances. I really hope there’s a sequel because I just can’t get enough of these characters!

I finished this cute queer graphic novel in an hour and really liked it! The representation was great, the story was both cute and discussed important topics, and I loved the artwork. My only reason for rating this book 4 stars instead of 5, is that I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. I hope a second volume will come out, because, even though the story works great in one volume, I would just really like to continue reading about these characters. To conclude, the description of the book states that this one is perfect for fans of Fence and Check, Please! and I completely agree with that, so if you loved those, be sure to check this one out too!

This graphic is really cute, and I absolutely love the art style of it. I feel like it really adds to it, showcasing everything including the characters emotions/personalities perfectly.

At times, I felt that some of the scenes were too rushed and could have had some development within them (e.g. when the father's attitudes had changed, I felt like it would have instead taken more time considering how the parents acted beforehand. I would have also liked to see the conversation they might have had the next morning, but it was okay without it).

However, the scenes and characters felt realistic - the way the issues that trans people may face was portrayed was done in a good and new manner, and I liked how it wasn't only primarily focused on those issues. A lot of the times the representation I seek wants to be more positive instead of negative, which is something this graphic gave me. The portrayal/growing of love was amazing.

Also, the character development between the two girls was phenomenal - even though they're both very different, they also managed to inspire each other to grow and change their attitudes, whether it be to themselves or others. We could see how Bebe grew more confident in the end and was able to stand up for herself, and with Annie we saw how she grew more social and less "problematic" (I suppose that's what some people might have considered her behaviour before). Both of them supported each other in this and other times, even when others might have not. I also liked how the cheerleader friends were mainly supportive, however the remark of "man voice" threw me off and it wasn't touched on afterwards.

Overall, some particular scenes lacked clarity and I would have liked to see more development in them, but I enjoyed reading this and finished it in one sitting! It's definitely worth a read.

OMG It's so sweet, it's so sweet!!!! This is such a warm, feel-good comic full of so much love and heart. The art style is super adorable and soft, and I love the friends-to-lovers romance between Bebe and Annie. There's definitely some rough elements with a guy refusing to take subtle rejections, some casual transmisia/transmisogyny, and overprotective parents, but overall this felt like such a warm comic that I cannot wait to see out and about!