This book had sooo much representation in it that it was such a refreshing read!!! There was trans and non binary rep, which I loved, as well as sapphic rep!!! Overall, all of these, along with issues in relation to them were addressed very well, and the story was so so cute and adorable!! Also I LOVE the art style!! Definitely an attention grabber, read it in an hour and it was so worth it!

This is definitely one of the best graphic novels that I have read this year.

Apart from the excellent artwork, this book covers quite a few important issues through Annie and Bebe's story. My only disappointment is that, I would have loved to have more time with these characters. I felt that it ended too soon.

Thank You NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC!

Enjoyed reading this adorable story. The illustrations were beautiful. I love Bebe and Annie. A beautiful story exploring friendship, relationships and love. A story about how to stand up for yourself, how to say no without being mean. It was great to see both Annie and Bebe grow

thank you to NetGalley and to Oni Press for a digital arc of this book!

This graphic novel was so cute, I loved the art and the story. The novel doesn't shy away from showing real LGBTQ+ problems, but the story focuses also on the girls and their growth as people. It was such a sweet book, and I'd love to see more of these two.

I loved the two girls. They were very different but yet I liked both of them and their friendship/relationship felt authentic and sweet.

The characters felt younger than they are and it often didn't feel like I was reading about 17-year-old seniors. The problems sometimes felt like they were solved too quickly and kind of forgotten about but this happens a lot with books of this length.

Overall, I did really enjoy even though I felt the book could've benefited from being longer.

This graphic novel was excellent! I had so much fun reading it. The representation in this book is incredible, with transgender, lesbian, etic it was so seamlessly weaved in to the story. It was so refreshing. Also, I loved the coming of age story of Bebe learning to stick up for herself and speak her mind!

This is an adorably sweet queer graphic novel about reconnecting with old friends, exploring new, complex feelings, and learning to deal with the social pressures that go along with being a teenager, but also being a queer teenager.

I requested this book because I was really in the mood to read a fast, fun, impactful graphic novel that would just make me feel better. After reading what this graphic novel was about I knew right away that it was what I needed.

In Cheer Up we follow Annie, 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. And we also follow BeeBee, 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.

This graphic novel packs a lot in such a short space however it doesn’t feel rushed or like too much. Everything in the story is properly developed and the themes it touches upon are both hard-hitting and heartwarming. The best part about the story are both the main characters, I loved seeing their character growth and how they used sports and team spirit to find out who they are.

Cheer Up tackles some very hard topics and still manages to make the overall tone light and heartwarming. The art was very nice, it was colorful and dynamic and it pulls you into the story. The story line was cute, fast paced and overall left you wanting to know more about the characters. I was not a huge fan of the romance aspect of the book, it felt a little rushed in my opinion however the friendship and team spirit aspects were everything I wanted and needed.

Overall this was an adorable, important graphic novel that is heartwarming and diverse. I definitely recommend everyone to pick up a copy.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read and review this book.

I was in a three week reading slump before reading this and I think I can finally announce that I’m out of it. It was short and adorable and queer and I loved it. I read the whole thing in about an hour and I would highly recommend this if you’ve been in a slump and want to get out of it.

Cheer Up is a funny and yet deep story revolving around Bebe and Annie, two girls who end up cheering together in the school team while they try to deal with friendship, love and acceptance.

The graphic novel deals with strong subjects like transphobia and sexual harassment, but it also makes you laugh and it’s really a good throwback to high school years, where making friends and being yourself wasn’t always easy.

It’s a great Young adult graphic novel, with two main characters that will make you fall in love (and regret the story is so short!) and that will give you an insight on topics that are now finally discussed more openly.
I loved it and now I’m strongly hoping for a second volume, even if this is a great stand-alone.

Highly recommended if you liked: "Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me", "She drives me crazy".

This was such a wholesome read!!! I love how there's plenty of diversity and representation. While it's a quick and relatively simple read, it explores and discusses lot of important real-life issues. At the same time, it was light-hearted and had a good dose of humour. I particularly liked how the graphic novel highlighted the harmful things people say despite good intentions.

Definitely would recommend this to everyone!

CW: transphobia, bullying

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Annie needs some extracurricular activities for her college applications, so her mom convinces her to try out for cheerleading. Leading the squad is Beatrice, who recently came out as transgender, and is still learning to stand up for herself and be clear on what she wants and needs. How will this new bond between them play out?

Honestly, this story is so sweet. It's a graphic novel, so it gets to the point, and the illustrations are beautiful as well. This is great for LGBTQ+ rep, and just an enjoyable read overall!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This graphic novel is the cutest thing I've ever read, it's perfect, the story is full of representation, it has an incredibly cute relationship and strong but different protagonists who learn from each other.
The art style was beautiful and it combined a lot with the story.
I recommend it for everyone to read and for all ages.
I think as a future teacher I would give this graphic novel as a reading for all of my students over 14 years old.

“You look so stereotypically pretty that you’ll probably start a fight with yourself.”

This stunningly illustrated queer romance features a diverse cast of characters and a heart-warming plot. We meet Annie, a prickly antisocial genius with, apparently, a penchant for biting, and BeeBee, a trans girl who feels forced to be a people pleaser to get support for her transition. Annie gets stuck trying out for the Cheer Squad to fill up her extracurriculars for college and when BeeBee actually defends her, Annie finds herself reconnecting with an old friend and making new ones where she never thought she would.

This short graphic novel was funny, sweet and heart-warming. Considering it was short it still included so much and so many fleshed out characters in that short space of time. Annie was so funny and relatable and BeeBee was so lovely, I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug her. Even the families, friends, cheer squad and everyone else has real substance and individuality that screamed through the pages and beautiful illustrations.

I loved the inclusion of not only plus-size characters, but all range of size and shape characters as well as racial and queer diversity. For example, Annie is a lesbian and BeeBee is biracial. It’s so important for young people to see themselves in stories and explore the issues their facing. Growing up I hardly ever read about queer plus size people, and it really touched something in me to see it included here. Especially because it was clear that she was still fit and healthy and she didn’t lose weight when she started cheerleading, as if it were solving some sort of problem. It also raised some really important issues that BeeBee faced in the wake of her transition, and it really made me more aware of the difficulties the trans community faces.

Overall, there were many issues that were sensitively explored and well written. I loved Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms, the characters have stayed with me, and I really hope we get to visit them again. If you’re looking for a new read, and especially if you love the Heartstopper series, I highly recommend this absolute beauty!

This book was adorable and the diversity and representation was on point (not just LGBT characters, but also different appearances). The main characters are a a lesbian and a trans girl on a high school cheerleading team. The story focuses around them and their development in finding their true selves, and accepting themselves for who they are. The story fell a bit flat for me as it seemed to only touch the surface of the character development and was a bit "jumpy", but all in all was an enjoyable and an easy quick read I would recommend to someone looking for an YA LGBT graphic novel. I loved the artwork!

This was a short and super sweet story. In just a few pages, I really felt I knew all the characters and I loved how the story dealt with the pressures of coming out. The art style as well is super nice and overall, this Tory flowed really well. Would I have liked a bit more? Of course! But only because it was so good.

Thanks to netgalley for the. ARC in exchange for an honest review,

This graphic novel is not only fun and screams girl power - it also sneaks in some lessons for allies of the LGBQ+ community. You have a bad ass lesbian who couldn’t care less of what people think of her. A people pleasing trans girl with anxiety and overprotective parents. Both find a safe place on the cheer squad and are able to be their true selves.

I will say at one point I was worried. The team appeared to only let BeeBee join as a token trans girl. Then when she was made captain they did so - for what they would gain, fame and news coverage. They then want to make her homecoming queen for the same reason. It is also revealed that BeeBee is never invited to team functions.

The redemption came when Annie tried to stick up for BeeBee when the team was using language to suggest that BeeBee wasn’t a real girl. BeeBee let it be known that how the team talks does bother her but she doesn’t have the luxury to be aggressive like Annie. That everyone is watching and expecting her to mess up so they can basically go “see”. After this the team and Annie recognize their faults and work to correct them.

This graphic novel is a great read and as an ally - it just reinforces that I need to make sure I do my best to not subconsciously harm my friends. That I need to check in and make sure I am not hurting them with my words or actions. That’s a lot from a fun graphic novel.

Thank you Oni Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy. I receive no compensation other than the free copy for my honest opinion.

This was so wholesome but at the same time it packed a punch with the content. I read this in one sitting and it put a smile on my face the whole time. This graphic novel follows Annie, an outcast trying to boost her extracurricular activities for her college applications by joining the cheerleading squad per her mom’s request, and Beatrice, a recently out trans-girl who seems to have found her place in the same squad but still finds attention bothersome. The relationship that builds between these two girls as well as the difficulties that they face together were both beautiful to watch. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a nice, wholesome slice of life!

I was grateful enough to get an advance copy from @netgalley it comes out August 10th. This was so cute! It reminded me a lot of Heartstoppers. The main character BeBe is transgender trying to figure out how to step up for her self and he old best friend Annie needs to be in a team for college applications and they end up getting close again. It was so cute I wanted more of the story! There was many LGBTQ+ representation in this I loved it!!!

Such a cute sapphic graphic novel! I loved Beatrice so much <3 The topics shown were important and real. The way that Beatrice addressed the transphobia and other hurtful comments from her friends was inspiring and I think this is a great read for young people looking for a sapphic graphic

Characters

Oh, my goodness I fell so hard for these characters. The story follows Annie, who is a senior and needs to get some more extra circulars for college. I adored how no non-sense and how much Annie cared about her best friend Beatrice. The supporting cast of other cheerleaders was also excellent, and I enjoyed getting to know them in this novel. The graphic novel might be short, but the characters really pack a punch. I also loved seeing all the representation in these characters. All the characters being so much fun to read about, and how much they cared for each other as friends is why I added a star in my review.



Plot

This plot might seem like something you’ve seen time and time again. A senior needs more extra circulars or credits, and so they suddenly need to do something they might not want to do or enjoy. Where this story takes a turn is that Annie is a character who didn’t really have many friends, and she was sort of distant from her peers. The cheerleaders become Annie’s friends and she ends up really enjoying cheerleading in the end. Another part of this story was finding yourself and finding who you love. I loved both plot elements in this story, and both of them weaving so well together is why I gave a star in my rating.

Writing & Art

Writing in a Graphic Novel is tough to rate because you need to look at the story along with the art, and separate it from the art. The writing in this graphic novel is simple and easy to follow, which is fantastic because it doesn’t take away from the story. When reading a novel or graphic novel, the writing needs to help tell the story, and not take away from the art. In that same vein, the art can’t take away from the writing and needs to help tell the story along with the writing. The art style in this novel was so cute and it really helped to tell the story. Both the writing and art working in tandem earned a star rating in my review.

Romance

The romance in this book was so sweet. I loved Annie and Beatrice and how they grew to love each other as the story progressed. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but there is a heavy emotional scene in this novel that was really handled with care and I loved that. The sweet romance, especially the prom scene, is why I added a star in my review.

Enjoyment

I’m going to keep this short by just saying that this novel is just a good time. The story is both funny and heartwarming, and it will just cause you to have so many feelings. Pleasure of a story for me means the perfect balance of light and fun with heavy and real topics. This Graphic Novel has a balance of those so I knew I needed to add a star in my rating.